Early update! Yay!
Wow! 41 reviews on that last chapter!
You all blow me away with your love for these characters
and their little world, each and every time. When I started
out with this, I never could have envisaged such a wonderful
reaction, or that I'd make such amazing friends.
I'll keep this short and sweet and put my main messages
at the bottom instead. I know you're all waiting
to see what happens, especially those of you who received
the teaser... ;)
I'm fairly certain this is the chapter you've been
waiting for!
~ 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-Two
Knock knock.
Bella hissed out a breath through her teeth, stepping into her white ballet flats and calling out, "come in!"
He's early!
"Sorry, I know I'm early. A certain young lady has been pestering me to come and get you for almost a half hour."
Bella allowed herself a chance to take in Edward's outfit while he had his eyes covered – a pair of pressed, cream cargo shorts, a khaki, short-sleeve shirt, and the things that pulled a giggle from her belly: a pair of brown leather boat shoes.
"Boat shoes, Edward?" She asked, adding, "you can uncover your eyes."
When he did so, a chuckle burst from his lips. "We match!"
Looking down at herself, Bella nodded. "Did Marley happen to help you pick your shirt, by any chance?" The khaki color of Edward's shirt almost perfectly matched the color of her off-the-shoulder dress, though the crochet trim of her dress was white, not khaki like the rest of the chiffon material.
Edward nodded sheepishly, reaching up to rearrange his hair. It was a riotous mess, still slightly wet from his shower a short while ago. "She insisted I wear this one. And the boat shoes. Apparently, they're 'handsome.'"
Making a note to have words with her meddlesome daughter, Bella quickly checked the bed to make sure she had everything – phone, Bodhi's binky, Marley's hair tie…
"You need this?"
Edward was holding up her white crochet cardigan. Bella sighed, nodded, and crossed the room to take it from him.
"Ah! Let me."
Flushing pink in the face, Bella turned when he nodded for her to do so, sliding her arms into the fabric as he held it up. "Thank you," she murmured.
"No problem. You look…bellissima."
Bella was saved from having to respond – not that she knew how to respond to such a compliment, even one in Italian – by the wailing of her daughter as she clattered down the hall, feet slapping on the tiles.
"Muuuummmyyyyyy!"
"I think our time is up, bella ragazza," Edward chuckled, reaching up to brush a lock of her hair away from her face. Bella sighed, leaning into his hand for just a second before Marley crashed into the room, huffing and puffing, her hair a wild, curly mess, cheeks infused with a rosy glow.
"Come on, Mummy! You, too, Edward! Pawpaw says he's gonna eat your bits of cake if you don't hurry!"
"Well! We wouldn't want that, would we?" Edward huffed, lifting Marley to his hip and pressing a quick kiss to the tip of her button nose. "Let's go fight Pawpaw for our cake, si?"
Marley beamed all pearly white baby teeth and sparkling azure eyes. "Si, Edward! And you also, Mummy!"
Grabbing the essentials from the bed, Bella followed Edward and Marley through the house toward the patio, where everyone had planned to gather before they all headed to the pool for an epic pool party and barbecue. She was surprised when Edward continued through the kitchen instead, looking back over his shoulder.
"I sent them ahead. I thought we could take a detour through the rose garden."
Bella's body warmed at the mention of the rose garden. She hadn't been back since the night they'd danced into the early hours. "Ooh, a rose garden! I love roses!" Marley declared with all the excitement of a six-year-old. She turned, peering over Edward's shoulder. "Mummy, what's a rose?"
Laughing lightly, Bella nodded and pointed forward, "why don't you take a look, baby girl? There are lots right there."
As they stepped out into the walkway beneath the roses, Bella felt herself welling up. She could clearly picture herself and Edward dancing around the fountain up ahead; she was able to remember Edward's soft voice serenading her with picture-perfect clarity. Marley ooh'd and aah'd appropriately, flushing scarlet when Edward lifted her easily by the waist to let her pluck a rose from the arch above her head.
He grinned crookedly, quickly breaking the thorns from the stem to tuck it behind Marley's ear. "There. Perfetto."
Edward couldn't help but remember a much different Marley with a flower tucked behind her ear. A silent, sad little girl who'd been afraid to stand on her own two feet.
Edward grinned when he spied Marley. She was on folded knees in front of the portable DVD player an agent had found hidden away, but her eyes were on the doorway, then him when he appeared. Her eyes brightened, and her lips moved into a small, hesitant smile. A hopeful smile. She looked so sweet, so innocent, with a single red tulip tucked behind her ear. One of the agents had brought a bunch to the house to brighten it up at Riley's request, and Marley had silently giggled behinds her hands when Edward plucked one from the vase to settle it at the side of her head.
"Yeah, little sweet, I'm here to get you. Are you done watching Spongebob?"
She nodded, looking forlornly at the repeating main menu. Ah, so the DVD had ended.
"All right, well, I've got some people who'll probably want to see you. C'mon."
Only once he'd opened his arms to her and given her permission to move did Marley scramble to her feet, rushing across the floor to wrap her arm around his leg, peering up pleadingly. He knew exactly what for, too.
"Oh, all right. You know you just kill me with those big 'ole eyes, don't you?"
Marley's smile widened further, a flash of white teeth between her rosebud lips. He hadn't been able to deny her one single thing, and he didn't start now. Edward lifted her small weight easily up onto his hip, holding her there and brushing a wayward curl back from her face. He'd managed to brush it and pull it back into a messy ponytail, at least.
They both turned toward Bella at the sound of a camera.
She grinned unabashedly from behind her phone. "Smile, you two."
Edward and Marley plastered matching smiles on their faces and leaned their heads together. The resulting image on Bella's screen made her heart sputter before taking off at a gallop.
By the time the trio met up with the rest of the group, Bella was more than ready for a cool glass of water to soothe her overheated cheeks, and to temper the warmth overtaking her body at the sight of Edward's and Marley's obvious adoration for one another.
Stepping out from the short walkway joining the rose garden to the pool area, Bella smiled and paused to take it all in.
The men – Charlie, Peter, Archie, Edward, Carlisle, and Emmett – had all disappeared earlier in the day for a short while, citing 'things to do' as their excuse. Suddenly, it was obvious just what those 'things' were. They'd draped hundreds, no, thousands of fairy lights from the trees surrounding the pool, creating a canopy of twinkling lights above the water that would only get more beautiful as it grew darker. Three tables had been set up; one for gifts, one for food, and one long picnic bench where everybody could eat.
The pool was lit from within by spotlights, so the inflatables floating on the surface seemed to glow as they bobbed. Bella couldn't tell where it was coming from, but soft piano music played quietly. As Esme made her way over, Bodhi cooing in her arms, Bella wondered if it was Edward playing.
"You look beautiful, Bella," Esme murmured with a smile, handing Bodhi over. He'd been dressed in the outfit Bella had picked out earlier – a pair of blue shorts with soft, matching braces attached, and a white, short-sleeve shirt decorated with tiny sailboats. Unable to deny herself the opportunity to hear Bodhi's belly chuckles, Bella tickled his feet, warm and ensconced in a pair of cotton, baby blue socks.
Bella flushed and peppered kisses over Bodhi's face to hide the flaming of her cheeks. "Thank you, Esme. You do, too."
In a navy ruffle dress decorated with pretty flowers, Esme looked younger than her thirty-six years. Her hair had been curled and pinned back; half-up, half-down, and she'd forgone make-up in lieu of sporting the natural look she preferred. As Carl-Roman distracted her, Bella admired Esme's easy beauty and grace, hoping to one day be able to hold herself with the same poise and good nature.
And she hoped to one day be as happy as Esme was with Carlisle. He wandered over after Carl-Roman, reminding the little boy to be careful with the lump of cupcake in his hands, before planting a soft kiss on his wife's cheek and joining the men gathered next to the fire pit. On his way past Bella, he paused with a wide grin.
"Bella, you look lovely. Happy birthday."
"Carlisle, you already wished me a happy birthday this morning," she reminded him gently, tilting her cheek when he leaned in.
Chuckling as he pulled back, Carlisle winked. "I have twelve to make up for, so I intend to catch up."
Swallowing through a suddenly thick throat, Bella nodded, holding Bodhi close to her chest.
Everybody seemed to be sharing the same sentiment, all wanting to make up for lost years with Bella and Rosalie – and Marley, of course. She'd lost count of the gifts she'd opened earlier in the day. As for Marley…well, she had more toys than she knew what to do with. Bella had voiced her concerns about shipping them all home, but Edward had brushed off her worries with a promise to sort it all out.
Speaking of the devil…
"Come on, Bella, little sweet wants to show you your cake," Edward told her, jostling Marley on his hip. She giggled sweetly, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah, c'mon, Mummy! It's so pretty!"
Following dutifully, the little quartet didn't notice the multiple sets of eyes on them, nor did they notice the quiet clicks of Rosalie's camera as she captured the moment Bella spotted her cake. She gazed down at her screen, Emmett coming to peer over her shoulder.
Edward was still holding Marley, though his free hand had come to rest at the small of Bella's back, and Bodhi had been shifted to Bella's side, so all four of them were visible in the shot, despite Rosalie having taken it from behind. They were lit from above by the fairy lights and by the dwindling light of the sunset on the horizon, painting the sky in glorious oranges and golds. Marley and Bodhi were each facing inward with smiles on their faces towards Edward and Bella, who were staring into each other's eyes.
"Have they admitted that they love each other, yet?" Emmett whispered conspiratorially.
Rosalie snorted, trying to ignore the way her skin tingled all over from Emmett's proximity. It was undeniable that, during the two weeks in Rome, their bond had grown stronger. They'd spent virtually every second together, and Rosalie couldn't fathom a scenario in which that would end. He'd grown close to her loved ones and quickly become a part of the large, mish-mashed family she adored. Her eyes routinely found him, if he wasn't right beside her, and just yesterday, she'd finally accepted what her mind already knew, but her heart hadn't.
She loved him.
With all of her heart and soul, Rosalie loved Emmett, and she was struggling to hide it.
Like at this moment, she fought valiantly to keep her hands on the camera to stop them from reaching back to feel the strands of his scruffy, dark blonde hair between her fingers. Rosalie repeated the same litany over and over in her mind, willing herself not to lean back into the warmth she could feel emanating from his body. Her heart raced, thumping a rapid tattoo as she inhaled a deep breath and shuddered at the wisps of his aftershave riding the air into her lungs.
"N-no," she finally sputtered. "I think they're still in denial. Esme has a plan, though."
Emmett chuckled; Rosalie smiled despite herself and turned her face. Just a few more inches and she'd be touching him. Their cheeks would be pressed together. His lips…they'd be so, so close.
"A plan, huh? Do you happen to know what this plan entails?"
"Something about a kick in the butt and a special gift? I think that's what she said. I don't know, you know how Esme is."
Cropping the photo on the camera slightly, to make the frame of the trees and fairy lights symmetrical, Rosalie saved it and tucked her camera back into the bag hanging over her shoulder, turning to face Emmett. She purposefully left a little space between them, wondering if he'd notice.
Gazing up into his eyes, she briefly considered just…saying it. Just saying those three little words that had been hovering on the tip of her tongue since she'd realized how true they were. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. It didn't escape her notice that Emmett's eyes flickered down to the movement before quickly returning to her eyes, their soft, gray-blue shade darkening just slightly.
"Rosie, I—" He began in a husky timbre. But it wasn't to be.
"Aunt Rosalie! Uncle Emmy! C'mon, it's time for ca-ake!" Marley sang – well, it was more like a yell, actually.
Regardless, everybody heard. And nobody could deny her. Especially not on her birthday.
Emmett sighed, his lips curling up in a sort of amused, but somehow sad, smile. "Come on then, Missy. Let's go make some wishes, huh?" He reached up, gently sweeping the pad of his thumb over her jaw. Her lips parted a fraction, a soft puff of air brushing Emmett's skin as he pulled his hand away.
"I, umm…Emmett, I've got something to te—"
"Aunt Rose! Uncle Em! Why're you bein' slow?"
"Marley Rosalie Swan, mind your manners!"
"Uh, sorry, Mummy."
"Come on, let's go."
As Emmett took Rosalie's hand, she sighed softly and followed him over to join the rest of the group. Everybody had gathered around the three cakes. The trio of giant cupcakes were identical, except for their colors and flavors. Marley's was chocolate, Bella's strawberry, and Rosalie's blueberry, but they were all impeccably decorated with frosting and hundreds of tiny, silver flowers.
"All right girls, gather round," Charlie said good-naturedly, brandishing a match ready to be lit. "You three – if you stand to that side, we'll take a photo from here, okay?"
Rosalie handed her camera to Peter, then moved around the table with Bella, Marley, and Bodhi, still in his mother's arms.
"Do you want me to pick you up, Mars?"
Marley frowned, looking around. When she spotted Edward, she grinned. "Edward, please can you hold me? And Uncle Emmy, you should come stand next to Aunt Rosalie!"
"Uh, Little Missy, I don't know—" Floundering, Emmett tugged at his hair, looking thoroughly embarrassed when Edward clapped him on the shoulder with a grin and told him to get moving. Charlie's and Peter's eyes held more than a hint of suspicion as they watched Edward scoop Marley into his arms and Emmett stand beside Rosalie, his hand moving to rest at the small of her back.
"All right, let's do it, Pawpaw!" All emotion but joy was wiped from Charlie's face as he refocused on Marley, getting ready to light the three single candles – one for each cake.
"Okay, is everybody ready?"
A chorus of 'yeses' rang out, so Charlie huffed a deep breath, tears in his eyes, and quickly lit the trio of white candles as the group began to sing.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Bella, Rosalie, and Marley…"
Giggles and laughter halted the song for a moment as they tried to squash the three names into the single beat, then they continued, love infusing their words as Peter snapped photos of the girls – and Emmett, Edward, and Bodhi – sharing smiles.
"You know what comes next, Mars?" Charlie asked once they'd finished singing.
She giggled with glee. "Cheers, Pawpaw!"
"That's right, baby girl. Cheers. Hip hip…"
The group gave the girls three cheers, then one for luck, Marley all but bouncing clean out of Edward's arms by the time he whispered that she could blow her candles out now.
Bella and Rosalie leaned forward with Marley, sharing a long, tearful look before turning back to their cakes and meeting the eyes of their respective dads as they blew out their candles for the first time in more than a decade.
~ oOo ~
On days such as this, Charlie found himself struggling to contain his sheer happiness and contentment at having his daughter, and subsequently his niece, granddaughter, and grandson, back in his life. As he stood by the fire pit, cold beer in hand, under the soft glow of the fairy lights he'd helped to string over the garden, listening to the warm laughter of his family surrounding him, Charlie couldn't imagine a happier moment.
At the sound of Marley's giggles, he turned, grinning when he spotted her.
"Edward, spin me!"
Edward chuckled, holding her hands and swinging her around in wide circles, mindful not to hit anybody with her feet. Her laughter was like music, the soft fabric of her dress fanned out in a pretty, pink wave as she flew through the air. "Enough, little sweet?"
"Yeah," she panted, beaming up at him.
Abruptly, Charlie felt a pang in his gut. He'd seen that look. He'd seen that face, replicated almost exactly, though it was some fifteen years earlier, and he had been the recipient of the enormous, toothy smile.
It had been Charlie and his baby girl, his sweet little Bella.
Not for the first time, he wondered about his precious granddaughter's tender heart, and whether it would cope if Edward were to decide he wanted to return to Italy permanently. As a father of two, and now Pawpaw to four, he recognized the look on Marley's face whenever she looked at Edward – which was often. He'd witnessed the depth of her idolization and had seen the way he doted on her in return.
It was the same way Bella had looked at him, once upon a time.
Charlie had watched as Marley became increasingly dependent upon Edward, starting back in Montana when he'd been the one she sought out for comfort and continuing even now that she was home with the rest of her family, with a multitude of people to choose from.
Still, almost always without fail, she chose Edward.
A small part of Charlie could recognize his own jealousy. After missing out on his only granddaughter's first, five years of life, he wanted to be able to comfort her now. He wanted to be the strong protector for her that he'd been for Bella before her abduction. Sometimes, she let him be that for her, but more often than not, it was Edward she wanted.
Charlie watched Bella cross the patio, using a baby wipe to clean something from Marley's cheek. Presumably chocolate cake, as she'd been sneaking over to the food table frequently throughout the evening. Just a half hour ago, Charlie had chuckled at Marley as she sat on his lap with a big smile ringed with chocolate 'fostin,' as she called it.
"Edward, dance with Mummy, now!"
Much like everybody else, Bella couldn't refuse such a request from her daughter, so Charlie soon found himself watching Edward sweep Bella around the patio in a slow dance. The music playing was instrumental; soft, lilting, and sweet. Charlie huffed, taking a gulp of his beer.
It wasn't just Marley who'd become unexpectedly attached to Edward. He'd be a fool to think otherwise. Especially with the proof swaying in front of him. Charlie liked to think of himself as an observant man. That said, there were some things he wished he didn't have to observe.
With his daughter and granddaughter irrevocably attached to Edward, Charlie couldn't help but feel helpless – a feeling he abhorred. More and more, he feared losing his girls. Not to an unknown entity this time, but to a man he saw as a second son. He'd just gotten them back, but now, with every passing day, he watched their bond with Edward grow. And he wondered on a daily basis just how much that would affect his own link with them.
"They're not going anywhere, you know? You aren't going to lose them, Chuck."
Charlie took another swig of his beer, shrugging as Peter hit the nail on the head. His thoughts, clearly, had been written all over his face. "You'll be telling me that you haven't thought the exact same thing about Rosalie and Emmett, next."
Peter followed Charlie's gaze in time to see Emmett gently tugging Rosalie toward Edward and Bella. She had a huge smile on her face and was giggling like he'd never heard her giggle before. Though she was acting reluctant, she soon settled into Emmett's arms, handing over her camera for Marley to take photos – after extracting a promise from the six-year-old that she'd stay sitting in her seat and would keep the camera strap around her wrist. Yeah, everybody had noticed Bella and Edward's bond. But they'd also seen Rosalie's and Emmett's.
"Hmph."
Charlie chuckled at his friend, reaching out to rest his arm around Peter's shoulders. "You know what, though? Don't they look happy?"
Peter sighed, letting himself observe his daughter as objectively as possible. And yes, Rosalie did look happy. Exceptionally so. Happier, in fact, than he'd seen her look in a long, long time. The music picked up, Edward and Emmett taking great delight in attempting to steer Bella and Rosalie in slightly more complicated moves.
The girls managed to escape when the song changed, and Emmett turned to tease Edward about his playlist. They swiped Marley from her seat, joining Esme on the loungers beside the pool. She was feeding Bodhi, but he whined and reached for Bella, so Esme happily handed him over. Charlie grinned as he watched Bella with Bodhi, bending to kiss Marley's head as they crammed themselves onto one lounger, Rosalie and Esme each having their own. Despite her rocky start, and young age, Bella was a natural with both of her babies.
Charlie couldn't be prouder.
His smile faltered only a little when he saw where Bella's eyes moved once she'd settled Bodhi against her chest, Marley between her legs.
Edward.
A quick glance at Rosalie revealed her attention was on Emmett. Peter had also noticed, judging by his narrowed gaze.
"Should we be letting this happen?" Peter asked quietly after a few moments of reflection.
Charlie shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. But to be honest with you, as much as I hate the thought of my baby girl not needing me I hate the idea of pushing her away by making an issue of this, even more. Besides, those boys have their heads screwed on tight. They know better than to fuck up with our girls."
Resigned, Peter chugged the last of his beer and set the empty bottle down on the glass table nearby. The sound pulled the girls' attention in their direction; the men offered their daughters smiles, hoping they wouldn't see the concern on their faces and come over. Thankfully, Bella and Rosalie were distracted enough by the children and Esme to stay put for the moment.
"Hey, Chuck?"
"Yeah, Pete?"
"So, Edward and Emmett…they're good kids, and they'll take care of our girls if that's what Bella and Rose choose, I know, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun messing with them first, right?"
Charlie and Peter shared wide smiles. "Of course not! Damn, man, Penny and T wouldn't expect anything less, right? They'd want us to make these guys sweat like hell. If we have to suffer through our girls potentially dating, they can at least suffer for a bit, too."
Rubbing their hands together with glee, Charlie and Peter accepted the fact that they had no control over who the girls loved, and made plans to make Edward and Emmett work for their trust.
After all, they had to prove themselves worthy of their precious girls.
So what if Charlie and Peter planned to have a little fun in the meantime?
~ oOo ~
Later, once the blanket of darkness had tucked them into its welcome folds, the entire group settled around the fire pit. They sprawled out on blankets, in picnic chairs, and on folded duvets Edward fetched from inside the house. Marley and Carl-Roman were seriously losing steam at this point, and Bodhi had long since fallen asleep on Bella's chest, Chase fast asleep on Archie's lap, but nobody wanted to send them indoors to bed. Not yet. Not when they were enjoying themselves so much and their smiles were still coming thick and fast.
Charlie and Peter had claimed the two camping chairs, citing their age. Heidi and Pippa had claimed one blanket, Esme, and Carlisle the other. Archie, Chase, Carl-Roman, and Marley were clustered on one duvet, leaving the last one for Emmett, Edward, Bella, and Rosalie to share.
Bella and Rosalie quietly talked together until Emmett groaned behind them, stretching one long leg out beside Rosalie. Her eyes darted instinctively to his foot as it passed her, then his ankle. The fabric of his lightweight linen trousers rode up, exposing the beginning of the scarred section of his leg. She winced, eyes flying to Bella's. They'd both been distraught when Emmett first revealed his long-healed wounds to them.
They'd both had long, guilt-ridden sessions with Irina the following day.
"Mummy, can I come sit with you?"
Bella looked to Marley, watching her crawl across the grass toward her. She already had Bodhi lying across her so it would be a very tight squeeze, and not at all comfortable for any of them, if Marley squashed herself onto her lap, too. Edward saved her the trouble of having to say this, though.
"Little sweet, will you come sit with me? I haven't had a cuddle all evening!"
Bella twisted enough so she could see the mock outrage on Edward's face without waking Bodhi, smiling as Marley giggled tiredly and scampered into his lap, curling herself against his chest. Her lips turned upwards further when her daughter stuck her thumb firmly in her mouth. She only did it occasionally, but she and Bodhi were both thumb suckers when they were over-tired.
"Thank you," Bella mouthed to Edward, her cheeks flushing at his response – a wink and a crooked, dimpled smile as he resumed his conversation with Emmett.
When Bella turned back to Rosalie, she was met with the soft click of her camera.
"What—?"
"He looks so content. I couldn't not take a photo," Rosalie shrugged, nodding towards Bodhi. He was fast asleep resting against Bella's chest, his face turned toward Rosalie, little hand clutching the handle of his beloved binky as he sucked it quietly.
It was an adorable sight. And Rosalie had taken a photo of the sleeping baby boy.
However, Bella didn't need to know that Rosalie had also snapped a photo of her, gazing back at Edward with Marley, the look of love plain as day on her face.
"No, little sweet. It's a bit late, now."
"But, Edward! You gotta do it today!"
Edward and Marley's whispers distracted Bella from Rosalie and the camera. She twisted to face them again. "What's going on?"
Sheepishly, Edward hung his head for a second before meeting Bella's gaze. "Marley wants me to give you my gift now."
"But you already gave me a gift," Bella frowned.
"I have one more. I was going to save it for tomorrow, but little sweet here thinks you need it today." He leaned down, gently knocking his forehead against Marley's.
She giggled, sitting upright and patting his cheek. "C'mon, don't you wanna make her smile?"
"Always," Edward huffed, stiffening slightly when he realized that he'd said it aloud. "All right, you win, little sweet. Wait here, please," he said, looking at Bella.
She nodded, lips curling upwards at Marley's triumphant cheer. Edward carried Marley toward the house, and Bella watched his back until he disappeared around the corner.
"Okay, does anybody else know what that was all about?" Rosalie asked, laughing softly. Bella looked around at everybody, seeing the smiles on all of their faces tinged with curiosity.
"I have no idea," Esme admitted, holding her hands up in surrender when Carlisle turned to her. "He told me he was planning something, but he didn't say what."
"Hmm," Heidi hummed, grinning. "I bet it's a puppy. Marley's been begging for one ever since she met Bonnie at Jasper and Alice's."
"Where would he have hidden it?" Pippa countered.
"No, no, I bet it's a—"
"Hey, are you guys guessing? What's wrong with you? It's supposed to be a surprise!" Edward called over his shoulder, huffing as he dragged something around the corner. Laughter rang out when it came into view.
"You bought her a piano?" Archie chuckled. "You know, the charm version is probably all right, considering how musically challenged she is."
Bella stuck her tongue out at her brother's teasing, blinking in surprise at the ensuing flash that went off almost directly in her face. "Dad…what the—?"
"What?" Charlie shrugged, stowing his phone. "I've missed seeing you two tease each other."
"Oh," Bella mouthed, refocusing on Edward as he stopped the piano a few feet away, lifting Marley down from her perch upon the lid over the keys.
"Well, I know I got you the piano charm," Edward began, eyes darting down toward Bella's bracelet. She ran the thumb of her other hand over the charm, smiling. "But my little sweet helped me with your other gift, and apparently, it's imperative you get it today."
"Edward, you didn't have to—"
"Hush, Mummy. You gotta listen to Edward's present," Marley told her gently, patting her on the head before skipping over to drag a chair to the piano. "Here, Edward. You can sit here, and I'll sit on your lap."
"All right," Edward laughed. "C'mon then, hop on." Bella sighed girlishly as Edward sat, then lifted Marley easily into his lap with just his hands on her waist. Marley settled, raising the key lid and smiling up at Edward as her fingers rested upon the ivories.
"Edward, can I help? Like when we practiced?"
Bella wasn't the only one swooning when Edward pressed a kiss to Marley's forehead, resting his hands on the keys on either side of hers so she could place her much smaller hands on top of them.
"All right, is everybody ready?"
Bella smiled, shocked to see more than a hint of apprehension in Edward's tiny, crooked smile.
"Get on with it, then!" Archie called, winking at Bella when she turned to shoot him a glare.
"Okay," Edward breathed, inhaling one last, long, deep breath before he began to play.
And it was beyond wonderful.
Bella was entranced, from the first note to the last.
Edward sang. Marley did, too, though she joined in intermittently when she could remember the words. Bella forgot all about her family gathered around them, and saw only Edward and Marley, cocooned in their own little bubble. Their hands moved together, effortlessly in sync, and Edward's rich, warm voice cradled Marley's soft, sweet cadence.
It was a song she'd never heard before. Edward sang of friendship, windows to the soul, angelic curls, and a love lost to life. His voice caressed the words with so much tenderness that Bella almost couldn't bear it. Her heart raced, hand subconsciously lifting to press against her chest to feel its pounding rhythm. She sucked in a deep breath, brows furrowing inward when Edward's eyes danced over as he sang about reconnecting, finding things you hadn't known you were missing, and discovering real love.
When the song finished, there was only silence.
Esme was the first to break it. She stood, crossing the patio to throw her arms around her nephew's shoulders, resting her face against his shoulder. "Edward, that was…" She sniffled, pulling back to cup his face. "That was so beautiful, sweetheart."
His smile in return was bashful, his ears tinting pink. "Thanks, Es."
Bella could only watch in a stunned stupor as, one by one, everybody told Edward how amazing the song had been, how talented he was. Of course, Marley wanted the same recognition and received it in spades once she'd reminded everybody that she'd played, too.
Noticing Bella's wide-eyed, rosy-cheeked expression, Rosalie carefully took Bodhi from her arms and motioned for the others to give Edward and Bella a moment.
Watching everybody moving around the corner and out of sight, Edward sighed, lifting himself from the chair to join Bella on the duvet on the patio.
When he'd originally sat down, planning to teach Marley a few simple tunes, Edward had been struck with the need to write, to compose. His love for music had waned with his distraction in recent months. Before that, even. It had been over a year since he worked on new material. He had the frustrated emails and voicemails from his agents and followers of his Youtube channel to prove it.
However, that day, a week ago exactly, it had been all he could think about.
Edward had stayed up late into the night, tweaking, creating, and pouring all of his pent-up emotions into the keys. He'd eventually been left with this, the song he'd decided to gift to Bella. Having been practicing and messing around with it for a week now, he knew it by memory. The words had imprinted themselves on his heart, their very meaning interwoven with the threads of his being.
It was him. The song was Edward, and it was Bella, and this messy situation that had brought her home so that he could fall for her and discover the true love other artists sang of, that painters painted, and authors wrote about.
The fairy lights overhead caught on a tear rolling over Bella's cheek. Edward reached up, gently wiping it away with the pad of his thumb. He left his hand there, cupping the side of her face gently. She leaned into his touch with an almost inaudible hum. It made him smile.
"Happy birthday, bella ragazza," Edward murmured softly, his voice made husky by the tumultuous mess of emotion swelling within him.
"Edward, that was…I don't even have words. You…you wrote that, didn't you?"
Feeling the tips of his ears flaming, Edward ducked his head a little, nodding.
"Please don't hide, I…Edward, thank you. That was beyond incredible."
An unexpected bolt of bravery shot through Edward's veins, a quote from a movie he'd watched with Marley popping into his head.
"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it."
Sucking in a deep breath, Edward held it and looked up at Bella, just taking her in.
The lights above cast a glossy sheen on her chocolate locks, piled atop her head in a messy bun. They lit her beautiful azure eyes from within, their shine and guilelessness entrancing. Her cheeks held a rosy tint, a small smile playing on her lips. Weeks of spending time outdoors had turned her previously, snow-white complexion to a soft, honeyed tan, lending her a healthier look. She'd also filled out a lot since the first time Edward saw her after her abduction, sitting on the floor of that smoke-filled bathroom back in Montana.
They were a million miles from that moment, both figuratively and literally. They'd both come so far, both grown so much.
His hand moved of its own accord, shifting down to gently hold her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He ran the tip of his thumb over her lower lip, unable to hold back his tremulous grin when, as he let go, she immediately pulled it between her teeth.
"Marley does that, too," he whispered, eyes following his hand as he slowly smoothed it down, over her neck, to tickle the soft skin in the juncture between neck and shoulder.
Electricity crackled in the space between their bodies. Edward wondered if she felt it too, a shiver rippling through his body as he let his hand fall away from her, resting beside its twin on his bent knees.
His eyes flicked back up to Bella's, finding confusion and worry within her gaze. It was the trust lurking in the back that made him pause. She trusted him. For whatever reason, she always had. Would she ever forgive him if he broke that trust now with his inability to let her be?
His inability to stop loving her?
All right, Ed, this is it. Twenty seconds of insane bravery. 20...19…
"Bella, my sweet bella ragazza, I need to tell you something, but I…"
16...15…
"I don't want you to feel like you have to say anything back, okay? No pressure. None at all. I just want you to know, because, well—"
11...10…
"I can't hold it in anymore; you probably already know, or guessed, or the others have at least. And Marley… she's all over it, little smarty-pants."
Frowning, Bella listened to Edward's rambling in silence, eyes darting between his eyes and mouth as he spoke.
6...5…
"I don't even really know when it happened, just that it has, and I'm so tired of not being able to just, say it."
2...1…
"All right, Ed. Twenty seconds are up. Here goes," Edward mumbled to himself before meeting Bella's eyes again, cupping her face between his large, gentle hands, and huffing.
Whatever happened now, whatever she said or didn't say, Edward couldn't keep it in any longer. He had to risk it, had to try.
And maybe, just maybe, Benjamin Mee would be right. Maybe Edward's twenty seconds of insane courage would result in something great.
"Bella…
I love you."
So... Yeah. That happened! Finally!
As always, huuuuge thank yous need to be said to annaharding and SunflowerFran. They make my messes pretty and deserve far more than a mention in my A/N, but until cyber hugs are possible, this will have to suffice. I love you both!
As you may have guessed, this is winding down now. There are 37 chapters written so just five more regular chapters after this one, then a possible epilogue. I'm a wreck about it, I won't lie - these characters are like family, and I'll miss them - and you! - terribly. As it's all written, I'll most likely just post each chapter as and when they're ready :)
Also, quick reminder - SunflowerFran is running a new feature over on her Facebook page, Pay It Forward. If you're a new writer nervous about posting and would like to be one of her featured writers, please feel free to PM me or Fran and we'll help you get started. You'll get all the wonderful support of the group, which has proven invaluable to me with my maiden fic.
Have a great weekend, guys! xo