~ oOo ~
First things first, because I'm a total dummy,
I forgot to mention something AWESOME in my
last A/N…
Pinky Promises has hit 500 REVIEWS! Cue
streamers, party poppers, the whole shebang.
Thank you all so, so much for your support with
this little adventure. I honestly never expected
this many people would read PP, let alone have
500 reviews before it's even finished posting!
Okay, so, another thing I need to address real
quick – The two Pauls. I'm sorry for any confusion
I've caused, I just didn't realize how confusing it
would be. Totally my error; I apologise.
There's Paul – The FBI agent
and Paul Lucien – the father of Scarlett's unborn baby.
Paul Lucien left the ranch before the start of the story,
which is why he hasn't popped up before now. More on
him later.
A lot of people are worried about Kristen too.
Without being too much of a spoilsport, I will set your
minds at ease – she's NOT in any way related to
Garrett, I promise. She's just a shitty person.
But we'll hear more about her relationship with Archie
as we go forward :)
As always, huge thanks to my dream team
SunflowerFran and annaharding
They're both amazing and Pinky Promises
would be an absolute mess without them.
Anyways…I'll let you get to it!
~ oOo ~
Summary: When two little girls were allowed to walk
home from school one bright spring day nobody could've
predicted the events that followed. The way two families
were torn apart by the vendetta of a deranged man.
Nearly twelve years on, we'll watch as the two girls stolen
away from their homes at eight years old fight to take
back their lives. If only it were as simple as escaping. AU
Pinky Promises
Chapter Twenty-One
By lunch time, Archie was practically delirious with glee.
Charlie's house was full of laughter, smiles, and tearful hugs. Music played temperately from speakers on a shelf above the sofa in the kitchen, the surfaces all covered with a mix of presents wrapped in shiny, colorful paper, and food the girls had spent the morning preparing. Taking pride of place in the center of the dining table was a cake on a stand. A two-tiered, chocolate fudge cake with icing figures sitting on top. Models of Archie, Edward, Scarlett, Rosalie, Heidi, and Pippa as children grinned from the icing reservoir, strawberry laces with cocktail sticks through the middle posing as fishing rods while brightly colored jelly beans masqueraded as fish in the blue buttercream water. It was an exact replica of Archie's fourteenth birthday, during which, the group had spent a happy few hours fishing with Charlie and Peter watching over them.
The happy cries of Carl-Roman as he played with Marley and his older cousins brought smiles to everyone's faces. Eleazer and his wife Carmen had brought their five children – Tanya, Jessica, Mike, Angela, and Eric – as well as twenty-six-year-old Tanya's fiancé Robbie, and their four-month-old son, Isaac. As Eleazer chuckled, tucking Scarlett into his side, Charlie grinned so wide that he thought his face would split, his cheeks hurt that bad. He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head when he remembered his brother's face earlier that morning, when he'd clapped eyes on Scarlett for the first time.
The sound of the press gathered outside alerted the group inside to Eleazer and his family's arrival. Scarlett glanced at the clock from her position at the kitchen counter where she was stirring potato salad for later. 10:20a.m. Right on time, she mused.
"Baby girl, are you okay?" Charlie's soft voice and his hand resting on her shoulder snapped Scarlett back to the present. A shiver rippled through her body as she realized she'd had no idea he was behind her, lost in thought as she was. Anybody could have crept up on her.
"I…I'm good, Dad."
She could tell Charlie didn't believe her, but he didn't push it and turned towards the doorway. The sound of Peter letting Eleazer in was audible from the kitchen. A handful of seconds later, a tall, muscular man with dark blue eyes and a mop of dark blond hair was standing just inside the kitchen. His gaze was fixed firmly on his older brother and Scarlett. He inhaled deeply, while Scarlett's eyes filled with tears as she took in the changes in her uncle. His stance was a little less straight, face a little more wrinkled; shirt just a little tighter around his stomach.
"Crikey, you look just like your mother," Eleazer finally breathed, a tear sliding over his cheek to drop onto his blue shirt. Charlie's chuckle was watery, Scarlett's shuddering exhale shaking her entire body. Eleazer's eyes roamed over her face, taking in this familiar yet so unfamiliar young woman. Both Charlie and Scarlett could see the wheels turning; see the recognition as it dawned in his eyes. He was the first, and definitely wouldn't be the last, to notice how inconceivably closely she resembled Penelope.
"How are you? Are you okay?"
Scarlett nodded jerkily.
"Is it okay if I give you a hug?"
This time, Scarlett's nod wasn't just jerky, it was hesitant. She wanted so badly to be able to hug her uncle, but she was very aware that it only seemed to take the smallest things to send her into a panic attack. That wasn't what she wanted, not today, not on her brother's birthday.
Compartmentalizing her pain and fear, Scarlett took a step towards Eleazer. Slowly, so as not to scare her, he moved closer before finally wrapping his arms loosely around her shoulders. The shudder rippling through her made him want to let go, but she shook her head when he made to move, so he stayed. They were still hugging five minutes later when his wife and their children found them.
Brought back to the present by a particularly loud cry from Tanya's baby son, Scarlett reached up to adjust her ponytail, glancing at Isaac in her cousin's arms a few feet away. His large, dark blue eyes were fixed intently on Scarlett. Tanya noticed where his attention was focused and smiled, with tears in her eyes. "Here," she said gently, handing over her son without hesitation. Blue-green eyes were wary as surprisingly steady hands automatically moved to support the gurgling baby, his mouth open in a smile as she rested him comfortably in the cradle of her arms. A chubby fist gripped her hand with shocking strength, the answering smile on Scarlett's face lighting it up.
"It's so good to have you back, Scarlett."
Their eyes met. Scarlett hoped fervently that hers were speaking for her, because at this moment the entire situation felt so overwhelmingly right she was finding it hard to pin down just one emotion. For the next hour, little Isaac chatted happily from Scarlett's arms, smiling at the family members and friends coming over to check on Scarlett under the guise of cooing at him. At one point, Marley left the train tracks she and Carl-Roman had set up to meet the baby in her mother's arms, cocking her head in confusion when she spotted them.
"Hey, baby girl. Are you having fun?"
Marley nodded excitedly, the smile she'd worn all morning reappearing. Scarlett had explained the concept of a birthday party to her earlier in the morning. She'd been confused, but had quickly grown in confidence when she saw how much Carl-Roman was enjoying himself. She'd been running around with him ever since, occasionally checking in with either Scarlett or Edward.
Noticing Marley peering intently at baby Isaac, Scarlett smiled. "This is Isaac, baby girl. He's our cousin."
Marley reached out gingerly, stroking his cheek with a single fingertip. She smiled cautiously up at her mother, silently asking if it was okay.
"You can touch him, sure."
As she fussed over baby Isaac, Marley spotted Edward. He had planned to pass by and let her bond with her baby cousin, but she waved him over with a wide grin, and he couldn't bear to deny her, so he took the spot beside Scarlett in the bay window and smiled at his favorite five-year-old.
"How're you doing, little sweet? Having fun?"
Marley's head almost popped clean off as she nodded vigorously in reply, pointing at Isaac's face. Edward smiled, leaning over to peer at the baby. He hadn't met Isaac yet, but he'd seen lots of photos and had sent a large hamper of goodies, as well as an extravagant bouquet of flowers, to Tanya and Robbie when he had arrived.
"He's cute." While Marley preoccupied herself with cooing at Isaac, Edward leaned in and whispered, "have you told her yet? You know, that she's getting one of those?"
Scarlett shook her head slowly, her smile slipping slightly. "I don't know how. I know she saw on the screen, but I don't think she realizes that it's a baby. She just seems to think it's like Spongebob on the DVD player. She's never had to share me, you know? I don't want her to be upset."
"She's fine sharing you with Carl-Roman and Chase, so far. And Isaac, here. I'm sure she'll be fine with it."
"You think so?" Scarlett asked, peering up at Edward.
He was grinning down at her, trying to picture the same scene, but with her baby in her arms, Marley cooing over her baby brother or sister. It was difficult to imagine, until Isaac began to fuss. Scarlett immediately forgot about Edward, adjusting the baby at her chest while gently stroking a finger over his forehead and nose. Suddenly, he could picture her with her own newborn perfectly. It only took a few seconds for the baby to settle once more, snuggling into her with an expression any mother knew.
"Tan, I think Isaac is hungry," she called quietly, handing over the baby with a soft, wistful look in her eyes.
Edward stared at her for a beat, smiling until she couldn't take not knowing why any longer.
"What?" She snapped teasingly.
"Nothing. It's just really easy to see you like that with the little sea monkey you're growing. It's a nice picture, is all."
She'd had a fair few similar comments throughout the day from her family members. Having now seen her with Marley, they were all in agreement – she made a wonderful mother, and would again with this new baby when he or she arrived.
The pair beamed at each other, Marley snuggling into her mother's now-vacated lap with one hand resting on Edward's belly, clutching the fabric of his t-shirt. They were so wrapped up in one another that not one of them noticed the flash of a camera as Rosalie snapped a photo of the trio, cocooned in their own little world.
~ oOo ~
By six p.m., most everyone had gone. Roy and Mary returned to their house while Eleazer, Carmen, and their children left for the hotel, having traveled from their homes in Kent. Charlie and Peter were required to attend an emergency meeting with the local council about a housing development their company was due to break ground on in the coming weeks. They couldn't pass up the opportunity for more business, so they suited up and headed out. Which left Archie and Edward with Scarlett, Rosalie, Heidi, Pippa, Marley, Carl-Roman, and Chase.
While the two older girls tidied up the leftover party food and decorations, Archie played with Carl-Roman, Marley, and the train set in the living room, having tucked Chase into his cot upstairs. Edward took himself off for a shower, and Heidi and Pippa sat at the dining table to complete some forgotten homework. A different CD, made up of softer music, added to the calm atmosphere shrouding the house.
Though they'd dressed up to look nice for a day where hundreds of photos had been taken, which would be pored over for years to come, everyone had changed out of their 'posh clothes' as Carl-Roman had dubbed them, and into comfier pajamas or tracksuits. Much to everyone's amusement, the dark gray, tracksuit bottoms Scarlett had borrowed from Edward days before had been washed and become her go-to trousers for when she was puttering around the house. This evening she'd teamed them with a white and red striped T-shirt, knotted at her hip with a hairband.
She and Rosalie, who was sporting a pair of leggings and a scoop-neck t-shirt, looked every bit the ordinary young women they should have been. For an outsider looking in, there wouldn't be anything amiss. Except perhaps, the cameramen and women gathered outside just itching for photos of the birthday boy's special guests.
Rosalie's head snapped up at the sound of the bin lid slamming shut, baby-blues meeting Scarlett's apologetic sea-blue.
"Sorry." She adjusted the lid so it wouldn't slam again, tipping the rest of the leftovers into the trash before turning to face Rosalie with a small smile. "You all done?" Rosalie nodded, so the girls headed into the living room with their arms linked, ears delighting in the sound of Carl-Roman's giggles. He was lying on his stomach between Marley and Archie, the trio all hitting buttons on their train controllers as fast as possible, eyes following their respective engines around the track.
For a moment, Scarlett felt her body relax completely. The sight of her daughter being a normal child, playing with her uncle and cousin, filled her heart to bursting. This was how it should have been when she and Archie had children. They should have been like this since the beginning, not bonding only now at age five and six.
Scarlett's eyes became misty as she gazed at her brother, nephew, and daughter, their expressions and stances identical in excitement and in their determination to win. With perfect clarity, she remembered Archie's face set exactly the same only more youthful, though nobody could deny the handsome edge his wide, relaxed grin brought to his face. Settling themselves onto the sofa farthest from Archie, Carl-Roman, and Marley, the girls' eyes wandered. Rosalie realized they'd forgotten to take down the banner over the TV as Scarlett's eyes fell on the muted screen, widening as she read the writing rolling across the bottom.
The Swans and Hales celebrated Archie Swan's birthday together for the first time in twelve years. A spokesman for the two families, Special Agent Riley Lawrence, told us that the families are celebrating together quietly, and request that they are left to spend the day without distraction or interruption. Thank you.
Archie, having noticed where the girls' attention was directed, grabbed the TV remote to turn the volume up just as the presenter reappeared, detailing the few things the world knew about the case. Scarlett, Rosalie, and Archie were filled with a sense of bemusement as the screen switched to a view of Charlie's house. A balding man with a shirt in a hideous shade of orange talked about Eleazer, Carmen, and their family who'd visited for the day, and the comment Eleazer made to them, showing a short clip. Scarlett's lips twitched upwards as she watched her uncle give thinly veiled comments about the press being rude by hanging around, before raving about how amazing it was that the girls had been returned to their family.
When the cameras returned to the presenter in the studio, the screen split into two halves, with the new half displaying photos of the girls from the campaign twelve years ago, the van, Garrett Smith, and the girls' heavily guarded selves a few days previous. There were also shots of Charlie and Peter leaving in their suits, as well as pictures of Archie, Carl-Roman, and Chase arriving that morning. He spoke about the little boys, making sure to refer to Carl-Roman's name and the fact that it was a nod to his aunties.
Along the bottom, well-wishes from social media scrolled past in an endless loop, a concept Archie had to explain to his sisters who could only just wrap their heads around the two game consoles sitting beside the DVD player.
"So, if you're watching, Scarlett and Rosalie we wish you all the best with your recovery!"
The girls squeezed their twined hands, listening as the news program completed.
"Everyone has your backs, squirts," Archie commented quietly.
Scarlett and Rosalie smiled half-heartedly, only now realizing how true his statement was. The whole situation was an awful lot to take in.
"I think…I think we're gonna head up to bed if you don't mind?" Rosalie said a few minutes later, when her yawns started coming every thirty seconds or so.
Archie nodded sympathetically. It had been a long, exhausting day for him, so he hated to think how tired the girls must be. They weren't used to the chaos of family life just yet. "Sure, you guys go on up. Do you need anything?"
They shook their heads so he simply stood, gave them both a grateful hug, grinning as Carl-Roman and Marley bounded over, before watching them make their way out of the room. Marley frowned for only a second before giving into her own tiredness and letting Scarlett carry her upstairs. Upstairs, they fell into bed in the clothes they were wearing, curling into the center of the bed with Marley in the middle just as they'd always done on the ranch.
It wasn't long before the girls slipped into a deep sleep, lulled into unconsciousness by the muffled sounds of Carl-Roman's giggles, the husky yet soft tenor of Archie's voice, and the quiet ticking of the clock beside Charlie's bed.
~ oOo ~
By the time Charlie and Peter arrived home, Carl-Roman was fast asleep in his bed upstairs, and Archie was just closing the toy box after clearing away all of his son's trains.
Charlie tugged his tie loose, tossing it over the back of the sofa as he sank into its cushions with a sigh while Peter went to fix them both a drink.
"Meeting go okay?" Archie asked, falling onto the sofa opposite his dad.
"Yeah," Charlie sighed. "We got the permissions we needed. Work will start a little later than planned, but it shouldn't make too much difference if we work damn hard."
Archie nodded, the pair lapsing into silence.
Charlie chewed on his lip – a habit his daughter and granddaughter sporadically displayed. He cast a quick, hesitant look toward his son, then huffed and mumbled, "fuck it." Readying himself for his son's likely defensive response, he inhaled a deep breath and sat up a bit straighter. "Son, where was Kristen today?"
Instead of leaping to defend Kristen, as he usually did, Archie simply sighed and let his head flop back to rest atop the sofa frame. "God knows. I honestly have no idea. She left a note saying she had to go to work, and that was it. Oh, and I got a text about lunchtime."
Having watched his son struggle with his fiancée's indifference toward anything family related for the past seven years, Charlie couldn't help but wonder how he dealt with it. He couldn't imagine doing what Archie did, managing to spend so much time alone with the children with very little help from Kristen. With a frown, Charlie realized that Kristen most likely hadn't spent a full day with her youngest son, Chase, since his birth almost eight months previous.
"Look, Dad, I get it. I heard you and Uncle El talking about it. It's shitty of Kristen to not show, but if I bring it up all she's gonna do is give me a bunch of excuses about how work needed her, she couldn't put it off, whatever."
Kristen's lackluster attitude toward family occasions had always bothered Charlie, though he tried not to make an issue out of it for Carl-Roman's and Chase's sake. That said, he had mentioned her lack of participation to Archie in private, and had always wound up apologizing for putting his nose in places it wasn't wanted. It seemed Archie was finally done making excuses for Kristen. Charlie couldn't help but be happy about that, even if it did make him sad to see his son looking so dejected about it.
"Arch, don't you think she needs pulling up on it, though?" Charlie said softly, carefully.
"I know she does, I just…" Archie blew out a breath, looking up to meet his dad's concerned gaze. "When she's here, she's attentive and she's good with the boys. She acts like she wants to be here, you know? If I start going mad at her every time she comes home she might just not bother."
Charlie didn't want to admit that he thought that might not be such a bad thing, so he kept his mouth shut and nodded instead, trying to think of something more supportive to say. "Well, maybe just a quiet discussion about it then?"
"I guess so."
Peter appeared then, carrying two coffees. "Do you want one, Arch? There's enough water in the kettle."
Waving his uncle off, Archie stood. "No, it's fine, thanks Pete. I'm gonna grab the boys and head home, I think."
"Why don't you stay? They're both asleep up there, might as well just bunk in with them, hadn't you?"
Weighing up his options, and realizing that actually, he didn't particularly relish the thought of returning to an empty house, Archie nodded with a grateful grin. "All right. Thanks, Dad. I think I left some pajamas here last time, anyway."
Charlie nodded. "You did. I put them on top of the dresser in the boys' room. Head up and get a good night sleep."
Shaking his head at how like a child he suddenly felt, being looked after and given fatherly advice, Archie clasped his dad's and uncle's shoulders on his way past, thanking them both for a lovely birthday. "Night, guys."
"Night Arch," the older men chorused.
Once Archie was gone, his footsteps reading the upstairs landing, Peter turned to Charlie. "He okay?"
Charlie nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I think so."
"Did you ask him about Kristen? I still can't believe she didn't show. I thought she might've turned up later in the day, at least."
Charlie and Peter had discussed Kristen many a time, at this point, and had shared knowing looks when Archie had brushed off people's questions in the day about her whereabouts.
"Well, I'm sure she'll have a good excuse when she does finally turn up. At any rate, at least he didn't just jump to her defense and get stroppy with me this time. He seems to have realized, at last, that she's shirking her responsibilities."
"Understatement," Peter scoffed, sipping his hot tea.
Charlie smiled, always grateful to have such a good friend in Peter. He'd always been protective of Archie and Scarlett, and vice versa with Charlie, and Peter's and Tina's girls. "We'll just have to wait and see what he says when she turns up, I guess. In the meantime, I'm beat. I'm going to bed."
"Me too. All right, I'll see you in the morning. I'll lock up, don't worry."
"All right. Night, mate."
The men clapped each other's shoulders, Peter heading next-door after locking the front door behind himself, Charlie heading up to bed. As he stood on the landing outside Scarlett's room, looking down the hall at his bedroom, where Scarlett, Marley, and Rosalie slept, then at the room which had once been Archie's, but now played house to him and his sons whenever they wound up staying late, he couldn't help but feel content.
All of his babies were together, under one roof. Just as they always should have been.
~ oOo ~
It's funny, how the things you dream of one day can become something that has you terrified the next.
When Scarlett was pregnant with Marley, only once had she wished to have a sonogram of her unborn child. It was a few weeks before she'd gone into labor, and it had coincided with the first time she ever felt her move. Once, just once, she'd placed her hands on her growing bump and pictured what it might have been like to be older, married, and having her first baby in a safe environment with doctors to watch over her and keep an eye on the baby. She'd pictured her dad crying over sonogram pictures, her faceless husband proudly showing them off to his friends, the obligatory 'First Scan' frame on the mantelpiece.
She had vague memories of her mother and Tina cooing over Heidi and Pippa's scan pictures. She also remembered her aunt Carmen showing off her scans images during her pregnancies with Angela and Eric, who were sixteen and twelve now. Eric had been born just a week before she and Rosalie were abducted.
That was the first and only time Scarlett had allowed herself to picture what might have been, but never would.
With that in mind, she wasn't sure why she was so terrified now, the day she was due to go to the hospital for a growth scan. After all, she'd had two scans before now – both back in Montana. But she couldn't help but feel they were different, somehow. Bella hadn't taken it all in yet, hadn't accepted it. Now she had, and she was far more nervous.
Officially, she was twenty-four weeks and two days pregnant, so she was a few weeks late in regard to the usual ultrasound schedule. Of course, nothing about the entire situation was exactly normal, so the doctors had taken special care to make arrangements for the scan to go as smoothly as possible.
Starting by allowing far more than the usual two people in with her.
Charlie, Archie, Edward, and Rosalie were gathered around the end of her bed, Marley swinging her legs on Edward's lap. The sonographer had left the group for a few minutes to let them all get their bearings, making the excuse of fetching more rubber gloves despite having a full box in the cupboard.
"Are you okay?" Archie asked, reaching out to squeeze Scarlett's ankle gently.
She smiled shakily, leaning back against the bed sheathed in crinkly blue paper. "I don't know."
"Mommy?" Marley asked softly, reaching for Scarlett.
"Hey, you wanna hang with me for a minute longer, little sweet? Mummy needs to stay real still for a bit."
Marley frowned but did as Edward asked and remained on his lap, only then taking notice of her surroundings. She peered at the pale blue walls, the screen set up on the other side of the bed, and the doctor re-entering from the door across the room.
"Is everyone ready?"
Sucking in a deep breath through her teeth, Scarlett nodded, her smile tiny.
"Okey dokey then, let's get started."
She took her time getting the machine ready, warning Scarlett before she squirted the first dollop of cool jelly on her tummy. Scarlett's father, brother, and friends had all taken notice of the visible bump in her midsection when she'd rolled up her T-shirt. At almost six months they'd expect it to be much bigger, but the fact the bump was there at all was a miracle considering how little Scarlett had been eating the months before her rescue.
"Scarlett, are you ready to see your baby?" The sonographer asked, Doppler poised centimeters from her skin. With Scarlett's shaky nod, she smiled and began searching for the best angle, turning the screen towards the anxious observers.
Before Scarlett could even fully register what she was seeing, Charlie's beard was soaking up his tears. The baby's arms were visible, waving around as it wriggled and squirmed, playing up for his or her enthralled audience. The difference in the baby's shape since the last scan was dramatic. Scarlett could make out all of his or her facial features, a button nose just like Marley's, and a pair of long legs.
"Have you felt much movement?"
Scarlett shook her head, not sure she could form words at this moment in time.
"You probably will within the next few weeks. It's completely normal not to feel a whole lot just yet. Usually, we say baby will establish a pattern of movement by twenty-eight weeks, so you have a while to go before we'll start looking more closely."
"I didn't feel anything with Marley until right at the end, so I wouldn't be surprised if this one is the same," Scarlett uttered, fascinated by the baby bouncing around within her, though she couldn't feel it. "He—um, or she, they look big. I thought I was measuring small, the doctor in America said?"
The sonographer frowned, taking a few measurements before facing Scarlett. "Honestly? Baby is a little smaller than expected at this stage, but I wouldn't say 'too small,' if that makes sense. Baby could stand to grow a bit more, absolutely, but I'm not too worried at the moment. As long as you're eating well and taking care of yourself, I'm happy with how you're both doing as of right now. You have plenty time to bulk yourself and this little one up before your delivery. Did your last doctor give you an estimated delivery date?"
Scarlett shook her head, and with a few clicks of the mouse, the sonographer turned back to her with a smile, handing over a string of four printed stills of the baby. As Marley craned over, Edward moved so that she could see without actually sitting on Scarlett. Peter managed to snap a photo of the sweet moment as the sonographer declared her due date as September twenty-second.
~ oOo ~
Back at home, Scarlett found herself constantly pausing in her ministrations in the kitchen to look towards the American style double fridge. Sitting between Carl-Roman's most recent portrait of his family – including Rosalie, Scarlett, and Marley for the first time – and a picture of blue-haired, green-faced Charlie that Marley had drawn, were her scan photos. The quartet looked right at home there and brought a smile to Scarlett's face every time her eyes caught them.
The first was a close-up of the baby's head and shoulders, and it tickled Scarlett to see the resemblance between him or her, and Marley. The second was a whole body shot, with the baby's long legs stretched out. Resting a hand over her bump, Scarlett wondered if, and when, she'd get to feel those feet kicking. The third shot was a bit blurrier because the baby had been wriggling something fierce while the sonographer tried to see from the front.
The fourth image was, by far, Scarlett's favorite. The baby looked like he or she was doing a fist pump. One arm raised above his or her head. Nobody could deny that the baby looked as though it was celebrating.
"Uh, Scarlett?"
Scarlett spun, dragging her eyes away from her baby's face to smile at Charlie. He loitered in the doorway, looking uncomfortable. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Nothing's wrong, I promise. I just...uh, well you're six months now, right?" He gestured loosely towards her midsection, the beginnings of a proud smile pulling at his lips.
"Yes, six months. Why?"
"Well, we haven't got anything for her, and we've only got a few months 'til she's gonna need clothes and a bed…what?" He trailed off, looking bemused when Scarlett laughed and shook her head.
"'She?' You're joining Rosalie's camp?"
He smiled, bashful. "Yeah. I reckon you've got another little Marley in there."
Rosalie, Archie, Charlie, and Peter were all adamant she was having another little girl. Only Edward and Marley were betting on the baby being a boy. Scarlett wasn't sure, truthfully, but she wouldn't mind either way.
"Ok, so what do you want to do? Get stuff for the baby?"
Charlie nodded, pointing at the laptop on the dining table. "I thought we could have a look, maybe just check out prices and stuff. I haven't figured out rooms or anything like that yet. Obviously, we don't have a spare room, but we can do something with yours and make it so you have some space of your own. I mean, the book says—"
"Chuck, have you been reading that book again?" Peter laughed, slipping past Charlie in the doorway to enter the kitchen. As Charlie tugged at his hair, abashed, Peter smiled at Scarlett. "When Kristen was pregnant with both boys, this one drove everyone crazy with his damn book. What's it called again?"
"What To Expect When You're Expecting," Charlie grumbled, removing said book from the shelf beside the door. He handed it over to Scarlett as she grinned at him and flipped through a few pages, skim-reading here and there. Her reading wasn't great, seeing as her education had been all but ended when she was eight years old, though she and Rosalie had managed to advance a little thanks to the numerous cook books Garrett had made them read over the years. Still, she mostly looked at the images as she flicked through the pages.
"Anyway, as I was saying, the book says you'll be wanting to nest right about now. You know, nursery, clothes, that sort of thing. I wasn't sure what you did with Mars…"
Not allowing the pregnant pause to escalate into an awkward silence, Scarlett sighed. "Nothing, really. She never even had a cot. It was pure luck, but a few days before she was born the guys came back from a supply run with a bunch of stuff. Nappies, wipes, formula, the essentials really. Some clothes, but they were all way too big. If ever we needed anything for Marley we used to just give a list straight to the guys, and they'd get it on the supply runs, it was easier that way." She got a wistful look in her eye as she peered back at the scan photos stuck to the fridge. "I didn't really think about it much though. Nesting, I mean. All the baby clothes, and stuff. I remember when Aunt T was pregnant with Heidi and Pippa and we went shopping for baby stuff all the time."
"Why don't we start small, yeah?"
Scarlett hesitated for a beat, then nodded.
Twenty minutes later, Edward and Marley found Charlie and Scarlett at the dining table, poring over nursery sets.
"What about this one? Looks sturdy, has a good safety rating," Charlie pointed to one on the screen – a white wood crib, wardrobe, and changing table set.
Scarlett frowned, cocking her head. "I don't know. It looks too…girly. What if the baby's a boy?"
"Definitely a boy in there, Bella. You can't be getting girly stuff," Edward teased, coming around to peer over her shoulder. He grinned when he realized what they were looking at. "Nursery stuff, huh?"
"Yeah," she hummed. "Shall we leave this for a bit? I'm—wait! Dad, scroll back a second…Zoom in on that one."
Charlie looked sideways at his daughter, smiling wide as he clicked on the thumbnail she'd pointed to. They all, Marley included, leaned in closer when the set she'd indicated came up bigger on the screen. "You like this one?"
"Yeah…" Scarlett breathed, unable to contain the tears that began prickling the backs of her eyes. It was silly really, but the oak, sleigh cot was beautiful, with its full end panels, a curved design, and a classic look. It was perfect.
"It has a drawer underneath, and converts into a cot-bed, too, baby girl," Charlie pointed out.
"It's perfect."
Unable to contain his glee, Charlie added the page to his favorites, a happy twinkle in his eyes. "Okay, let me make a note of the site."
"Mommy?" Marley asked, leaning forwards and asking to sit in her mother's lap.
Scarlett accepted her gladly, giving her a snuggle and a kiss to the top of her head. "You okay, baby girl?"
Marley nodded, reaching back to hold one of Edward's hands while she watched Charlie switch through the numerous tabs they had open, returning to a page he'd opened a few nights previous, but hadn't yet wanted to show Scarlett for fear of upsetting her. Marley had a long day, but she was fighting sleep hard. Since she'd been home with her mother and auntie, she'd all but dropped her daytime naps, too excited by all the new things going on around her. Despite Scarlett knowing she should be trying to get Marley into a new routine, she couldn't help but want to keep her daughter with her as much as possible, even if she did end up falling asleep on her lap, or Edward's, or Rosalie's, or Charlie's. These days, she barely slept in a bed at all.
It always made Scarlett smile to think about how Edward's lap was, by far, Marley's favorite.
"Okay, so I found this the other day…Feel free to say 'no,' all right? I just thought it would be nice. For photos, you know."
Scarlett shot her dad a grin, unused to seeing him so unsure of himself. When she turned back to the screen, her tears came in rivers rather than a trickle.
"That's adorable, Pawpaw," Edward chuckled, patting him on the back.
"Dad, we definitely need to get these for Marley and the baby," Scarlett agreed, already trying to picture Marley in the 'Big Sister' T-shirt, her as-yet, faceless brother or sister in the 'Baby Brother' or 'Baby Sister' onesie.
"I found a few other things, too. Here, I'll show you."
Within two hours, Charlie and Scarlett amassed quite the wardrobe for the baby. Scarlett had argued with him at first, horrified when he didn't close a tab quickly enough, and she saw the price of the shopping basket. It had taken ten minutes of Charlie opening up his online banking to prove to Scarlett that she didn't need to worry about the price tags so much.
"When you were born, you and Rosalie, Pete and I opened up bank accounts like the one we had for Archie. When the business took off, we made it so a portion of our profits on each job automatically went into them. To be honest, we'd probably have used some of the money for the search, but only the person named on the account can access it," he'd shrugged, huffing when the screen took too long to respond. "That's you, so…"
Scarlett blanched when she saw the number that popped up. It ended with far too many zeroes but had removed any of her worries regarding her dad putting himself out of pocket paying for baby things.
So they had continued looking, Scarlett's stomach still churning whenever she thought of the money accrued over the years, just waiting for her to return to it. By the time nine p.m. rolled around, Scarlett was exhausted and battling eyestrain, unused to looking at a screen for so long. Marley had fallen asleep wrapped around her like a spider monkey, her hand still hanging onto Edward's tightly. He'd fallen into a seat beside them, content to just observe quietly, only piping up when he saw something he thought Scarlett might like to see up close.
"All right, we're heading up, Dad. Thank you, for all of this. I'm so lucky to have you." Scarlett stood, being careful not to jostle Marley. She smiled down at her dad, leaning over to kiss his head. "Goodnight, Dad. Love you."
Charlie blinked back the fierce sting of happy tears. "Love you too, baby girl. No need to thank me, all right? This money is all yours, for you and my grandbabies. I'm just looking forward to being able to spoil you all. Sweet dreams only, okay?"
"Okay. Night."
"I'm gonna hit the hay, too. I'll just come up to use the bathroom," Edward said quietly, taking Marley when it became obvious Scarlett was struggling to get her up the stairs.
"Thank you," she whispered, sighing contentedly at the sight of her daughter cuddling as far into Edward's chest as she could, humming in her sleep. She clutched Mr. Eddie close, as usual, and whined softly when Edward tried to lie her on the bed. Rosalie had gone home to her own house attempting to sleep without Scarlett for the first time, so the bed looked startlingly large with just tiny Marley in the middle.
Her eyes flickered open, landing on Edward as he tried, unsuccessfully, to get her hands to release his shirt. "Ed-wood!"
A tear tumbled over Scarlett's cheek as he perched on the side of the bed, letting her settle tucked into his side. She sighed, mumbling, "Ed-wood" once again as sleep welcomed her back.
"You might as well stay there until she's actually asleep, or she'll just wake up again," Scarlett whispered, smiling reassuringly when Edward cocked his head and mouthed, "are you sure?"
"It's fine, honestly. She went to sleep late last night, and it's way past her bedtime now, so she could do with a good rest. If you'd rather go to bed yourself it's fine, honestly," she stammered, remembering he'd said he was heading to bed. Embarrassed, she slipped her hoodie off and climbed under the covers in her leggings and t-shirt. "Sorry, you go on to bed. She'll settle again, it's fi—"
"Hey, quit panicking," Edward laughed quietly, lifting his legs up onto the bed and stretching out, sitting upright against the headboard, his head tipped to the side to face Scarlett. "She's comfy and settled, that's good enough for me. I'll hang out here for a bit, read your dad's book or something."
Charlie always kept a book on his bedside table. He hadn't touched the one currently taking up residence there for months, but Edward made sure the bookmark was secure before opening it to the first page.
When he could still feel Scarlett staring at the side of his face a few minutes later, he turned to look at her in the darkness. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing. I just…thank you. For being so good—yawn—with her. She loves you so much already."
Edward couldn't even get a response out in time, his mouth tipping up in a grin as Scarlett's eyes slid shut and her breaths evened out. She was exhausted, and it was no wonder, really. With the soft glow of the moon sneaking through the blinds, and the soothing sounds of Scarlett's and Marley's breathing nearby, Edward let himself relax.
When Charlie poked his head through the gap between the door and the doorframe an hour later on his way back from a quick trip to get a glass of water, he couldn't resist snapping a photo of the trio curled together on his bed; Marley snuggled between Scarlett and Edward. Scarlett had reached over Marley and had a hand resting on Edward's hip, his arm crossed over hers so he could rest a hand on the now-visible swell of her belly.
It was an adorable photo, one Charlie printed on photo paper and displayed in a frame he'd had tucked away for the day his girls were returned to him, and all before anybody else woke up the next morning. He'd always planned to display a photo of himself and Scarlett in it, but somehow, this image screamed 'home' and 'love' better than any posed photo he could organize.