~ oOo ~
So I'm posting early for two reasons:
- I have absolutely zero self-control
and - Musette Blanchard and SunflowerFran told me to
Anyways...
annaharding and SunflowerFran
were their awesome selves and got this back to
me early, and as I've drawn the short straw for having
to do the early shift with the spotty pup in the morning,
I figured the least I could do for myself in preparation
of a wickedly early morning was set myself up for some
*hopefully* lovely reviews from my most wonderful ever
readers... :)
For any of you Facebookers, I've set up an author
page where I'll probably share early teasers or snippets
and maybe create some storyboards or something for PP -
feel free to come join the party. The name of the page is
"Ciara Shayee - Author"
Oh, before I forget...in case you haven't noticed, we're
sitting right at ***984*** reviews!
GAAAAAH! I honestly can't believe it! Thank you
to each and every one of you for reviewing. That's just...
a crazy number. That said, it would make my year to get to
the magic 1000 this weekend. Pretty, pretty please!
As an added incentive, I'll be sending a short snippet from
the next chapter as a reward for reviews again. That seemed
to go down well last time. Yes, I really am THAT shameless.
Righty ho, so...I'll shut up now and let you
get to the good stuff.
Progress is coming, sweet readers!
~ 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 Thirty
The two months between Christmas and the Rome trip passed in a blur.
In January, on her birthday, they released yellow balloons in memory of Rosalie, Heidi, and Pippa's mum, Tina. It was her favorite color.
On February 1st, they celebrated Clarke's eleventh birthday with the Whitlocks. After playing all day with their dog, Bonnie, who was decked out in a sparkly, conical hat to celebrate 'her boy's' birthday, Marley began pleading her case for a puppy of her own, having fallen totally head over heels for her new, four-legged best friend. Bella made no promises, but she saw the look on Edward's face as Marley attempted to bargain with him – ''mooches forever,' in exchange for a puppy.
Bella doubted that he'd make it a year before caving.
On Valentine's Day, Edward purchased three red roses. The first was for Esme, to keep up with the tradition he'd started as a boy. The other two, very special ones, were for each of his two favorite girls. Marley had been thoroughly confused as to what she was meant to do with hers, but once it had been explained, she'd tended to the flower lovingly for three days until Esme had helped her press it. It now hung above her bed in a frame. Bella's cheeks had flamed the same color as the rose when Edward handed it to her, but she, too, had tenderly cared for hers.
By the time March 1st rolled around Bella had packed and re-packed her case, as well as Marley's and Bodhi's, several times.
They had an early afternoon flight, so the group made their way to the airport in a minibus mid-morning, not wanting to have to spend too much time there, but not wanting to rush, either.
They were a large group, after all – thirteen people, including Carl-Roman, who'd turned seven in November, five-year-old Marley, six-month-old Bodhi, and Chase, who'd celebrated his first birthday back in November, too. Kristen was noticeably absent, but had loosely mentioned 'possibly' joining them halfway through the holiday.
Nobody was holding their breath for that to happen; no-one expected her to show up, even her fiancé.
Mary, Roy, Heidi, and Pippa waved them off, promising to join them in two weeks; in time to celebrate the twenty-second birthdays of Rosalie and Bella, as well as Marley's sixth.
~ oOo ~
"Mummy, look! Look at the clouds!"
Bella smiled, resting a hand on Edward's thigh to steady herself as she leaned over him to look out the window. There were lots of clouds, just as Marley had said. Well, shouted was more like it. More than once she'd tried to remind her exuberant daughter to calm down, but it hadn't made a lick of difference.
Marley was so excited she was getting to ride an 'air-plane' that she'd woken up at five a.m. and been practically vibrating with energy ever since.
"Baby girl, do you want some of your juice?"
"No, thank you, Mummy." She twisted, standing on her seat to grin at Charlie who was seated behind her. "Pawpaw, look! Look at the clouds. So pretty," she sighed, resting her chin between her hands on the back of the chair.
"Mah! Ba ba ba."
Bella smiled, standing to stretch her legs and face her baby boy. Peter had stolen him shortly after they boarded and Bodhi had been pretty content thus far considering he wasn't a big fan of being still now that he'd mastered army crawling. Of course, setting him down in the aisle of the plane wasn't exactly an option. Peter had done pretty well to keep him occupied for the first hour of the flight; Bella was impressed.
"You want me to take him, Uncle Pete? He's probably getting hungry."
"Better had, I need to use the restroom. Thanks, Bella."
Bodhi gave his mother a wide, gummy grin as he was handed over, patting her cheeks cheerfully when she sat down with him after pulling a sachet of his favorite puree down from the overhead storage bin. Edward chuckled and fastened a bib around Bodhi's neck, snapping photos as Bella struggled to keep her son upright while attempting to minimize the mess he made with his apple and banana food.
With a full belly and a bottle of milk, Bodhi was more than content to sit on Bella's lap and watch his big sister climb all over Edward. He adored Marley fiercely. If they were in the same room, his eyes were always following her. And if she was close enough for him to hear her voice, he'd reach for her and get agitated if she didn't appear quickly enough. It was beautiful to see, and never failed to make Charlie emotional when he witnessed their bond; so similar to the one their mother shared with their uncle.
~ oOo ~
By the time they landed in Rome, at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Marley was desperate have more than a square foot of space in which to roam, and both Bodhi and Chase were more than ready for their long overdue, afternoon naps.
The group hurried through the airport as quickly as possible, Bella carrying Marley while Edward held Bodhi in his sling against his chest. He was growing increasingly fussy, though Edward tried his best to keep him as calm as possible. The airport was busy enough that Bella's anxiety had begun to climb, as was Rosalie's. Bella, in particular, didn't need the added stress of attempting to soothe her cranky baby.
Thankfully, with Riley's connections and Edward's ability to act as translator, they managed to make it through all the security checks and reach their rental vehicle fairly quickly, and with surprising ease.
Enrico had arranged two cars for the group – both six-seaters, with plenty of room for their luggage. They were parked side-by-side in the garage, and the group wasted no time in loading them up once the attendant had pointed them out. He was a portly man with kind brown eyes and short gray hair. He grinned, showing off the gap between his two top teeth, as he peered into the sling on Edward's chest.
"Sembra proprio come te. Quanti anni ha?"
Edward frowned, glancing down at Bodhi before shooting Bella a look she couldn't decipher. "Quasi sette mesi."
"Ahh. Devi essere molto orgoglioso."
Bella had no idea what Edward was saying, but a quick glance at the rest of her family revealed that she was the only person paying any attention; everybody else was busy loading the minibuses. Marley had abandoned her in favor of sitting in the driving seat of the red minibus with Carl-Roman, so she was left beside Edward and the parking attendant, having no clue as to what they were discussing.
The way he kept glancing sideways at Bodhi, and her, from the corner of his eyes, made it seem entirely likely that she and Bodhi were the subject of their conversation.
"Immensamente. Lui e sua sorella mi rendono orgoglioso ogni giorno."
The older man laughed, reaching out to clasp Edward's shoulder in his bony, wrinkled hand. "Li ami molto, èfacile da vedere."
With a sigh, Edward nodded, his lips curling upward into a small smile. "Li amo più della mia vita."
Bella knew enough, thanks to Edward's slip-ups in recent months and subsequent Italian lessons with Marley and Carl-Roman, to work out that he'd said 'I love' and 'my life' in his last sentence, but the words that strung the phrases together were a mystery.
The parking attendant wandered away with a wink in Bella's direction, leaving her staring at Edward's back as he set about removing Bodhi from his sling to settle him in the car seat Charlie had installed. She snapped herself out of the stupor caused by hearing Edward speak his first language and resolved to ask him later on what he'd discussed with the older man.
~ oOo ~
"Umm, Edward?"
Edward turned to face Rosalie as he rummaged in his backpack with his free hand; with his other, he cradled Bodhi. He shot Rosalie a cursory glance. "Yeah?"
She blinked, rubbing sleep from her eyes and shaking her head. "This is your house?"
"Mmhm. It doesn't look that big from the front, but it spreads out in the back."
"I don't…that's not what I was getting at."
Esme wound her arm around Rosalie, giving her a light squeeze. "It's certainly something, isn't it? I had the same reaction as you when I saw it the first time after he finished it."
"Wait…" Rosalie replayed Esme's words in her head as Edward cheered, finally locating the keys. "'Finished it?'"
"I built this place with Nonno Enrico, from the ground, up," Edward admitted proudly as he waved everybody forward into the villa.
Charlie entered first, lights switching on automatically ahead of him. Everybody else followed; Esme pulling Rosalie along gently.
The pride and awe on Bella's face didn't escape Rosalie's notice, either.
Bella walked in beside Edward, each of them cradling one of her children. Marley was fast asleep at this point, out like a light draped over Bella's chest with her head on her mother's shoulder; face tucked into her neck. Bodhi had woken up when Edward removed him from his car seat and was looking around at his new surroundings with wide-eyed wonder.
It was dark out, so the group hadn't been able to see much of Edward's villa, apart from that it was built from rustic, sand-colored stone. It didn't appear to be very large, though they immediately realized that they were wrong when they entered through the front door.
They were on a sort of landing which spanned the length of the building they'd stepped into, roughly half the width, with a railing separating it from the lower living area and a wooden staircase in the same, honey-colored wood as the front door, leading down. Bella moved to peer over, surprised to see the relatively modern furnishings beneath – a contrast to the rustic architecture of the building itself. Whites and honey wood seemed to be the staple.
"I don't entertain much, but this is usually where I have guests over," Edward said softly, leading the group down the stairs. They followed dutifully, only Carlisle and Esme unsurprised at the grandeur, yet simplicity, of Edward's home.
"This isn't a villa, Edward," Peter told him with a chuckle. "I don't know what it is, but it's not a villa."
Edward turned to grin at his uncle. "According to Nonna Essa, it's technically a 'farmhouse' by design. But, obviously, I don't raise animals here, nor do I farm crops." He opened a pair of double doors and led everyone through the corridor on the other side until they reached the second set of doors. "Okay, so this is the living room I actually prefer. It's cozier."
Bella couldn't help but smile when she brought up the rear, stepping into the room amidst gasps and murmurs of approval. The room was painted cream, the motion-activated lamps lighting it with a warm glow. A cream brick fireplace had been lit in the corner thanks to the regular cleaning company Edward employed for when he was due to return after a trip away anywhere, and the terracotta tiles underfoot were toasty even through the thin soles of Bella's flipflops. A pair of large, gray, L-shaped sofas were placed opposite one another, almost creating a rectangle, with a square wooden table in the center.
When Marley woke, she'd doubtlessly be all over the bowls of candies someone had placed in the middle of the table.
The soothing crackle of the flames dancing in the hearth made the framed photos decorating the mantle appear alive; Bella stepped forward to take a closer look. The first was clearly Edward as a child, even before Bella had met him. She'd guess that he was around three years old, with his toothy grin and a football tucked under one arm, wild bronze hair standing in a crazy tangle atop his head.
There were a couple of photos of him with his parents, his mother looking decidedly miserable in both, and then Bella got to a cluster of photos she didn't recognize, but made her smile all the same; they were all in England.
Each one contained some combination of Edward, Archie, Bella, Rosalie, Heidi, Pippa, Charlie, and Peter. At the beach, the park, a games night at Peter's, a barbecue at Charlie's; they were all happy memories. The children grew up before Bella's eyes, Edward's boyish grin changing from goofy to charming as he grew from a boy into a young man.
The photos ended during that Spring.
The spring of the abduction.
The last photo was of all six kids. It was taken the same day as the photo Charlie displayed in the hall back in England, of the children piled, fast asleep, on a blanket. The difference was that in this photo they were all awake and sitting on a bench with ice cream in sticky hands and bright smiles in place on rosy faces.
Bella adjusted Marley slightly, reaching out to trace her own face through the glass of the frame. She looked happy. Watermelon ice cream ringed her lips as she grinned at the camera, one hand clutching her cone, the other clasped with Rosalie's. Heidi and Pippa were five-years-old at the time, both covered in ice cream and wearing identical smiles. Behind the four girls, Archie and Edward sat atop the picnic table, beaming and carelessly, messy-haired.
They made a beautiful, happy image.
"I like that one, too. It's my second favorite."
Bella started, surprised to feel Edward's hand resting lightly at the small of her back. She looked round, noticing that they were alone. Well, besides Marley and Bodhi.
"I showed everyone to their rooms. You seemed engrossed," he said softly, smiling in a way that belied his curiosity.
"It's nice to see us all so happy and peaceful," Bella told him. "I've never seen this one. It was the same day as the one on the picnic blanket, wasn't it?"
Edward nodded, dimples appearing as he smiled crookedly. "Yeah. It was so freaking cold, but you girls insisted we should get ice cream anyway." He picked up the photo, his eyes thoughtful, before setting it back down with a sigh. "Charlie has almost the exact same one of Carl-Roman, little sweet, Chase, and Bodhi. I think he wants to get it on a canvas, though."
Bella nodded, remembering her dad saying that. He'd taken a bunch of photos of Marley and Bodhi's first park visit, and it was one of those that he wanted blown up to go in the kitchen. Edward was right; it was very similar to this picture.
"All right, do you want me to show you to your room? I gave you the bigger one, so you've got lots of room for sleeping beauty and the little guy."
"Sure. Thank you, Edward."
"No problem." Edward led Bella through another corridor, then down a flight of stone stairs. They passed only two doors on their way – one was clearly a bathroom, as Bella spotted a toilet on her way by, but the other door was closed to her curious eyes. Bella was agog at the grand size of the building, seemingly never-ending as it was. Even more so when they reached the room Edward had saved for her.
The terracotta tiles went throughout the building and continued here, as did the cream walls and honey toned wood. The room boasted a four-poster bed made up with white bedding, and chocolate brown cushions, a soft, fluffy throw in the same chocolate color draped over the end. A cream fabric lounge chair sat in the corner between two curtained windows. A fireplace sat opposite the bed with a sun-shaped mirror above, and Bella spotted a pack-and-play already set up beside the queen-size bed. On the other side of the large room stood an imposing wooden wardrobe, its matching dresser standing beneath the third window on the same wall as the door through which they'd entered.
Bella was stunned.
"Edward, this…this room is beautiful! If this is your guest bedroom, I'd love to see what your room looks like!"
Mesmerized by the room as she was, Bella didn't notice the look that crossed Edward's face at her words, or the heat that flashed within his eyes, darkening them to jade.
He coughed through a suddenly tight throat, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah. Maybe. So, ah, I'll leave you to get settled, then? You want Bodhi in the crib?"
Bella laid Marley carefully on the bed, managing not to wake her though she did roll and snuggle Mr. Eddie to her chest with a soft sigh, before taking Bodhi from Edward. "That's okay, I need to get him changed for bed anyway. Thank you, though."
"No problem. I'm just up the corridor, second door on the right if you need anything."
"All right. Night, Edward."
Despite his momentary awkwardness of a few moments previous, Edward smiled and reached out to tuck a loose lock of Bella's hair behind her ear. She flushed under his intense perusal and peered up at him from beneath her lashes. "Buona notte, bella ragazza."
She raised her free hand to the spot where his fingers had brushed her cheek, and could still feel the warmth of his touch when she crawled beneath the sheets a short while later, Bodhi sound asleep in his travel crib, Marley snoring softly on the pillow beside her.
~ oOo ~
The following morning Bella woke with a start.
Her eyes flashed open as she flew upright with a gasp, heart pounding a rapid tattoo.
"Sorry, Aunt Bella," Carl-Roman murmured bashfully.
"Sorry, Mummy. We didn't mean to make you jump," Marley added.
They were both kneeling on the foot of the bed, abashed smiles on their faces as Bella sucked in deep breaths to calm herself. Seeing that she was fine and in no danger, she managed to soothe herself with a sigh.
"It's okay, don't worry. What're you two monkeys up to?"
"Pawpaw said to come see if you're awake."
Bella's lips edged towards a smile. "So you thought you'd jump on my bed?"
"Yeah!" They cheered in unison, bouncing up one the bed to settle on either side of Bella.
"Pawpaw said we have to wait for you to have breakfast before we can go swimmin', Mummy."
The forlorn look on Marley's face was comical; Bella wished she had her phone closer to hand, but she had no idea which bag it had been left in after she used it to snap a photo of the airport the previous evening.
"All right, well, you two go tell Pawpaw that I'm on my way, okay? I'll just grab Bodhi—"
"Bodhi's with Aunt Rose, Aunt Bella," Carl-Roman interjected helpfully. "Me and Aunt Rose came to get Marley when I woke up, and baby Bodhi was awake, so we took him, too."
Well, that explains the lay-in, then, Bella thought as she stretched leisurely before placing a kiss on each of the children's heads. Usually, one or both of her kids woke her.
"We'll go get some breakfast ready for you, Aunt Bella. C'mon, Mars, let's go. Hurry, Aunt Bella! We wanna go swimming!"
Before Bella knew it, she was alone again, the children running from the room calling out to their Pawpaw.
By the time she'd washed, dressed, and found everyone, locating them by listening for the children's laughter, Carl-Roman and Marley had her breakfast waiting. They'd heaped fruit salad and fresh, still-warm pancakes onto a plate along with a boatload of syrup and a dollop of whipped cream.
"Morning, everyone," she murmured as she stepped out onto the patio.
Six heads - Charlie's, Peter's, Marley's, Carl-Roman's, Chase's, and Rosalie's - turned to face her.
Archie, Emmett, and Edward were missing, as were Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Bodhi.
"Here you go, Mummy!" Marley sang, patting the seat beside her at the long picnic table with a beaming grin. "Come sit with me."
Bella grinned, taking the seat beside her daughter, and began tucking in as her family chorused their 'good mornings'.
It was only March, so it wasn't hot by any means, but Bella was still comfortable only wearing a pair of light jogging bottoms and a t-shirt. A quick glance around showed her that the others were dressed similarly.
"Aw, you're up!"
Bella swallowed her mouthful of food, twisting a little. Edward was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a disappointed tilt to his features as he spotted her. "Umm, sorry?"
He chuckled, the sound pleasingly husky to Bella's ears. It gave away the fact that he hadn't been up long, himself.
"No, don't be sorry. I figured you needed the rest is all, that's why I bribed Rose to steal the kids."
"Ah, I see. Well, two very eager little monkeys came to fetch me so they could get on with their day. Something about swimming?"
Edward's face lit up - as did Marley's and Carl-Roman's. "Yes, as soon as everybody's food has gone down and everyone has eaten." He crossed the patio to lean down and whisper in Bella's ear. "I've got a surprise for the kids. Do you trust me?"
Though there were a lot of things Bella couldn't bring herself to do - leave the kids with someone who wasn't family, be idle for longer than a few minutes, beat her fear of sudden, loud noises – trusting Edward wasn't one of them.
"Of course," she replied simply, turning to smile at Edward. His face was closer than anticipated so she could smell the citrus scented shampoo he'd used that morning and the woodsy aftershave he favored. Her stomach fluttered, so she quickly resumed eating, trying not to mind when Edward disappeared back into the kitchen with a wide, double-dimpled grin.
True to his promise, once everyone had a chance to digest their food Edward sent them off to change into their swimming clothes. Archie, Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme had resurfaced mid-breakfast, and the latter walked with Bella and Marley to their room, carrying Bodhi. He babbled the entire way, chubby fists each holding a cheesy Wotsit puff. He was wiping orange dust all over Esme, but she repeatedly waved off Bella's attempts to take him.
"He's fine, Bella. Edward got me far messier as a child, trust me."
Bella smiled, remembering all the stories Esme had told her while they waited for Edward to wake up from his coma. He'd been a wild toddler, by the sounds of it.
Marley ran ahead into the bedroom once they reached it, and Esme paused in the doorway.
"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of getting this for you," she said softly, her hazel eyes kind and warm as she held out a carrier bag.
Frowning, Bella took the bag and peered in. "What is it?"
"Rosalie mentioned that you were worried about your scars? Sorry, I hope I'm not overstepping. She was worried about you, but she wasn't sure what to do. It's nothing fancy, just a tankini style two-piece. It has shorts, so I thought you might be more comfortable."
In the months since her return to England, Bella had slowly gotten used to having Esme around, to the point that she looked forward to her popping in and her company during shopping trips or visits to the park with the kids. Often, she sold her visits by saying that she was bored or just wanted to see the children, but Bella knew Esme was doing those things to help her. She knew Bella couldn't go to the park or the grocery store alone, so she made sure to stop in once or twice a week to accompany Bella on her errands. That's just how she was; kind, helpful, and unfailingly loving.
Bella's eyes prickled with the threat of incoming tears as she held the carrier bag to her stomach, giving Esme a watery smile. "Thank you, Esme. I…this means a lot. Really, thank you."
Esme smiled and gave Bodhi a quick kiss before handing him over to his mother. "No need to thank me. Bella, I hope you know that I love you; you and the children, and I'll always be here for you, be it to rant, cry, or help you with something like this. Okay?"
Unable to speak through the lump in her throat, Bella nodded jerkily and shuffled into her bedroom. Judging by the look on Esme's face, she understood.
"Mummy, please can you help me? I'm stuck."
Bella pulled herself from her stupor, turning to face Marley. She couldn't help but laugh aloud when she spotted her daughter. Marley had taken off her t-shirt and cardigan and was halfway into her swim shirt. In her excitement, she hadn't noticed it was zip-up, so she'd pulled it over her head and gotten her arm stuck in the air, unable to figure out where the head hole was.
"Hang on, baby. Let me put your brother down."
Bodhi grinned gummily as Bella laid him on his back in the center of the bed, quickly penning him in with a cluster of cushions before turning to his sister. All it took was a quick downward swipe with the zip and Marley was free.
She blinked a few times, then a wide smile spread across her face. "Thank you, Mummy. That was scary!"
Bella giggled, crouching to give her baby girl an Eskimo kiss. She was getting so big and growing up so quickly; Bella could barely stand it. "Do you need more help or can you do the rest, baby girl?"
Marley quickly shoved her other arm into the spare arm of her rash vest, then zipped it up with a proud smirk for Bella. "I can do it! Do I need undies under my shorts?"
"No baby, just the shorts are okay."
"All right. C'mon, get baby Bodhi so we can go swimming! Edward said he's gonna teach me!"
With a proud but wistful smile, Bella nodded and stood, setting about stuffing Bodhi's chubby, flailing appendages into the arms and legs of his swim romper. It was white with turquoise and navy sharks all over, and Bella couldn't help but sigh at the adorable sight he made once he was all zipped up.
"Aw, he looks like a little surfer dude," Marley commented, leaning over to blow raspberries on her brother's feet. "You know…like in Surf's Up?" She'd tugged on her blue and white swim shorts, shoved her feet into a pair of pink flip flops boasting a huge bow at the front, and had her tropical print toweling poncho ready to go on the dresser next to the door.
She'd definitely picked up on Esme's organizational skills.
"Cute, huh? Do you remember where I put my phone, Marley? I want to take a picture of my two cutie-patooties."
"Sure, Mummy. S'in baby Bodhi's bag. Wait right here…"
While Marley rummaged through Bodhi's baby bag, Bella leaned down to kiss her sweet boy's face, delighting in his resulting belly chuckles.
"Here it is! C'mere, baby Bodhi."
When Rosalie tapped on the door a few minutes later, Bella was just snapping a photo of Marley and Bodhi on the bed – Marley sitting with Bodhi atop her crossed legs, both grinning wide for the camera.
"Oh my God, how cute do you guys look?" She exclaimed, whipping out her own phone to take a photo before either of them could move.
"Aunt Rose, we're going swimming!"
"I know, Mars," Rosalie laughed. "You told me at breakfast. And you didn't stop talking about it all day yesterday, remember?"
Marley sighed, a dreamy smile on her face. "Yeah. Can we go now, Mummy?"
Before taking photos of the children, Bella had quickly changed into the navy and white tankini with matching swim shorts, and pulled a blue patterned kaftan over her head, so once she'd slipped her feet into a pair of white flip flops she was ready.
"All right, come on then. Don't forget your towel!"
Marley waited until Bella had taken Bodhi, then darted off the bed and took off running, swiping her cover up on the way out the door. Bella and Rosalie laughed at her exuberance as they followed behind at a more sedate pace.
"I can't wait to see her in the pool," Rosalie admitted softly.
"I know, me neither. She's been looking forward to it ever since Edward told her there'd be a pool."
"Well, she's always been a water baby."
It was true; Marley had always loved water. Right from the start she'd cooed and smiled whenever she was given a bath. And later, as a toddler, she'd often asked for baths in her silent way, even if she'd already had one earlier in the day.
As they reached the fork in the corridor that would take them to the kitchen or to the main entrance of the house, Edward appeared, Marley clinging to his back like a spider monkey.
"Ah, there you are dawdling along! Don't you know we've got swimming to do?" He teased, jostling Marley on his back just to make her giggle. She didn't disappoint, resting her chin on his shoulder with a toothy smile.
"Yeah, we've got swimming to do!"
Bella laughed and followed Edward when he turned to head back the way he and Marley had come. "Sorry, baby girl. We'll try to keep up from now on, okay?"
"Okay, Mummy. It's okay if you're a bit slower."
The group of adults were still laughing when they reached the patio where the others were waiting. Marley was visibly pleased to have entertained them, though her cheeks heated a little at the attention.
"All right gang, are we ready? Do we all have our flip flops, hats, floaties?" Edward asked with a cheer.
A chorus of 'yeses' rang out, so he grinned and led everyone down the handful of steps at the end of the patio. They followed him across a small lawn, and round to the other side of the house. In the daylight, they'd all realized just how un-villa-like Edward's home truly was. Spread over three floors, the house boasted seven bedrooms, as well as two living areas, a large kitchen with a walk-in pantry, several bathrooms and half-baths, and Edward's music room. There was also a study and a room Edward used as a spare bedroom if he had a lot of guests. More than once Bella had wondered if it really was all the result of his trust fund, or whether he topped up his earnings with a job – not that she'd ever seen him do anything that appeared to be work.
As Bella and Rosalie trailed at the back of the group, Bella marveled at the beautiful building, unsurprised by Edward's pride in it now that she'd had the chance to see much of it in all its glory.
When they rounded a corner, Bella knew immediately they'd found the pool. Marley, still on Edward's back, squealed loud enough that her mother and aunt heard her from twenty feet away. Carl-Roman had been running along beside Edward, and he too joined in with her excited cheering. When Bella caught up, she realized just what Edward's surprise was, and why he'd asked her if she trusted him.
The pool was huge; kidney bean-shaped, and boasted two large slides. One was straight and fairly low, most likely intended for young children, and the second was notably taller with a curl – much like the big yellow slide back in Hampden Park. Suddenly, Bella remembered hearing the tail end of a phone call Edward had taken one day shortly before this trip. He'd made a point of getting two slides so that there would be options to choose from for the kids. One taller, and one slightly more child-friendly.
"Ooh, Mummy, look! A slide in the water!" Marley crowed, slipping down from Edward's back and running to Bella to tug on her kaftan. "Can I try it, Mummy? Please, please, please?"
"Hang on, baby girl. You need your floaties and sunscreen."
By the time the children had been slathered in sun cream and had their floaties blown up and shoved onto their bodies, Edward had dragged out the inflatables he'd ordered and thrown them into the pool.
Carl-Roman immediately threw himself into the water, clambering onto the back of the crocodile. Marley, despite her eagerness and protests at having to wear a children's life vest, hesitated at the edge of the pool. Edward crouched beside her, gently tugging her lower lip from between her teeth with his thumb.
"Hey, what's the matter, little sweet?" He crooned softly.
Bella's eyes were trained on their backs as she laid Bodhi on a blanket beside Chase. The boys were nine-months-apart in age, but they adored each other. Chase preoccupied Bodhi with the toys Archie set out for him, so Bella watched her daughter and Edward closely, knowing Bodhi wasn't going anywhere fast.
"I…I can't swim, Edward."
"That's okay; I'm going to teach you. You've got your floaties on so you won't sink. And besides," he nudged her playfully, reaching up to tickle the shell of her ear with his fingertip to make her smile before continuing, "do you really think I'd let you sink, little sweet?"
Marley sighed and rolled her head to peer at him from beneath her lashes, eyes the color of the most beautiful ocean…wide and mesmerizing. "You promise?"
Edward smiled, holding up a pinky finger. His grin only widened at the pleased look on Marley's face. "I'll go one better, little sweet. I pinky promise that I won't let you sink, okay?"
"'Kay."
She linked her tiny pinky with his, giggling girlishly when he impulsively leaned forward to kiss the top of her baby finger with a playful wink.
They were both completely oblivious to the watery eyes watching the exchange from a few feet away. Bella reached up to rub the spot over her heart as it thumped away in her chest. She wondered just how she was going to ever be able to make up for the heartbreak she knew her daughter would suffer when Edward returned to his home, here in Italy, permanently, as he inevitably would at some point. She hated knowing that Marley's heart was going to be broken, yet there was nothing she could do to protect her.
Seeing her here, happy and content, safe and innocent as all five-year-old's should be, Bella couldn't bring herself to ask Edward to take a step back from Marley – and to be honest, she wasn't sure he would, anyway. Bella wasn't oblivious to the way Edward adored Marley, though she did wonder how far that adoration would stretch.
As she sighed, sitting on a lounger to watch Bodhi and Marley in turn, Bella made her peace with the fact that, at some point, she'd have a very sad little girl at home, missing her best friend. Edward could visit, and perhaps they could come and visit him here in the future. She was willing to do whatever she had to do, because seeing her baby girl splash and play and love on Edward was well worth the trials Bella would have to face when he eventually left England to return to his real life.
It was worth it.
Edward was worth it.
Airport conversation Italian – English:
Parking attendant: "Sembra proprio come te. Quanti anni ha?" – He looks just like you. How old is he?
Edward: "Quasi sette mesi." – Almost seven months.
P.A: "Ahh. Devi essere molto orgoglioso." – Ahh. You must be very proud.
Edward: "Immensamente. Lui e sua sorella mi rendono orgoglioso ogni giorno." – Immensely. He and his sister make me proud every day.
P.A: "Li ami molto, è facile da vedere." – You love them a lot, it's easy to see.
Edward: "Si. Li amo più della mia vita." – Yes. I love them more than my own life.