Chapter 9 – Picking Melons

Apparently, my subconscious believed I belonged on top of Edward, because that was exactly where I woke up, with his morning wood pinned beneath me. I wiggled a little, and he pushed up into me. Those thin sleep pants left nothing to the imagination. I looked up to see if he was awake, but he looked sound asleep, mouth hanging open.

I rubbed against him, and he let out a deep throaty moan, still not waking. I was feeling naughty and wondered how far I could get, before he woke up. I started rubbing against him a little more and kissed his collarbone, which was all I could reach from my position. I felt his hand flex on my backside, and I watched his face, wondering if he'd wake. The problem was, I was getting a little too into it myself. It was not like I'd never gotten off before, I'd just never gotten off with another person before, and it felt good, really good.

I shoved his shirt up, needing more skin to kiss and maybe nibble it a little. His breathing was deep and heavy, but his eyes were still closed. Just as I found my release, he grunted and stiffened beneath me, his brow furrowing, before his eyes opened. He gasped and sat up quickly, slipping out from under me. "Bella, I, um, ha…" He wasn't getting any words out. I rocked forward and bit his side. He jumped a little and glanced down at his lap and then back up at my face. I grinned widely at him and winked.

"Why don't you go take a shower and clean up? It's still early, so I'm just going to lie here a little longer, okay?"

He nodded yes, and I flopped back on the other side of the bed, feeling very relaxed. As soon as he was in the bathroom, I snuggled back on his side and into his pillow. I must have fallen back to sleep pretty quickly, because the sun was much higher, when Edward woke me up with a tray full of food. Actually, it was the smell of the yummy food that woke me up.

Edward stood nervously by the bed, holding one of the silver trays Alice had tried to steal the night before. "Breakfast in bed? You keep this up and you won't be able to get rid of me," I teased.

Edward blushed and glanced back at the doorway, where Eddie gave him a thumb's up. The pair of them were too cute.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made a little bit of everything."

He wasn't kidding. There were eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, hash browns, pancakes, fruit, and grits.

I scooted back against the headboard and took the tray from him. "Come sit with me," I said, patting the bed. "Do you like eggs, Edward?" I asked and picked up a delicious piece of crispy bacon.

"Yes, but-"

I had my fork at the ready and shoved a bite into his mouth. "Good, because I don't, but I'm not sharing the pancakes, they smell wonderful."

"You don't like eggs?" he asked worriedly and shook his head. "I should've asked first. I should've-"

I shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth, cutting off his lamenting. "I'm glad you made eggs, because now I don't feel guilty about not wanting to share the pancakes with you. So tell me, Edward, what's your favorite breakfast food?" I asked, taking a huge bite of pancake and made sure I hummed my pleasure, so he wouldn't beat himself up about the eggs anymore.

"Well, I like eggs, and pancakes."

"I'm not sharing," I sang teasingly. I coaxed a big grin out of him, which was just what I wanted. "If you're good, I'll let you have some bacon, but I have a feeling I'm really going to like your sausage," I said suggestively, causing him to guffaw.

We talked a little more about what we liked to eat for breakfast and what we did on Saturday mornings. We were due to open the shop at ten o'clock, and it was only around eight o'clock, so we had time to laze around a bit more.

"So, why the grits?" I prompted.

He shrugged. "Grandpa thought you'd like them. I'm not fond of them myself. They don't have enough flavor the way they're cooked. I'm pretty sure it's just because neither of us really know how to cook them, but yeah, I'm not sure why he thought they were a good idea."

I scooped a bit of egg onto the toast and held it out for him to bite. He blushed and smiled, before he bit down. I scraped the last bit of egg onto the toast and handed it to him. "You work on this, while I finish my pancakes, and then we can share the hash browns and fruit."

"I really meant for all the food to be for you."

"Edward, I know I ate most of your General Tso's Chicken last night, but I'm usually not a pig. I'm happy you made so much, though. I don't think I would've liked eating in front of you alone or sitting in here eating by myself. If you plan on spoiling me like this again, definitely do the eggs, because I'd feel bad about not wanting to share the pancakes with you."

"So, it was really okay?"

"More than okay. Like I said, you keep this up and you won't get rid of me. It's bad enough that your mattress is soft and your jammies are comfy, then you throw in your warm snuggly self and breakfast in bed…boy, I'm never leaving."

He chuckled, wearing that perfect smile. I leaned over and kissed his lips. "You're awesome," I mumbled against his lips and then remembered his shirt. "That's why you have a t-shirt that says, 'I'm Awesome.' You weren't bragging; you were being informative."

"You're a goof. My Grandma Mabel bought that shirt for me, when I mastered my chemistry chart."

"She was just stating the obvious," I said plainly and took a bite of fruit. It was so sweet and perfect. "Yes, you're definitely awesome. Who picked this fruit? It's perfect, not overripe or green, but just right."

"That was grandpa. He's a bit obsessive about his fruit. He really likes squeezing the melons."

"Does he now?"

"Yeah, he checks them for firmness and then smell. He's been showing me how to pick them. Maybe you could come with us sometime to get some, if you want."

"Will you squeeze my melons for me, Edward?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I could find you a good one."

"Edward, I want you to squeeze my melons." I did a little shimmy, and his eyes popped wide.

"Oh, oh, those...so, not at the store, yeah, okay." He glanced at the open door, and I giggled.

"Let's finish eating and clear the tray off the bed first. I tend to get distracted, when I get my hands on you. I don't want to make a mess or break anything," I suggested.

He bit his lip, and his eyes were full of mirth, but he nodded in agreement. We both ate a little faster, and he was quick to set the tray aside on his dresser and shut his bedroom door. He practically leaped onto the bed, and I encouraged it by welcoming him with open arms. I was quick to get him under me and attacked his lips and neck. I was rocking against him, and his hand was flexing on my hip, like he wasn't sure if he wanted me to slow down or hurry up. His other hand was sneaking its way up my shirt; I was sure trying to be positive that I really did want him to squeeze my melons. The moan I let out when he finally got his hand on one was sure to reassure him that he was doing just what I wanted.

Again, since God hated me, we were interrupted.

"Edward?" a woman called, sounding upset. I pulled back, giving him a chance to answer, but he didn't. "Where are you? Get out here right now!"

"Esme, it's not-"

"Eddie, I'd like to speak with my son alone on the matter."

"No, you'd like to try and guilt him into something, like you always do. He told me what Alice was here doing."

"I can't believe he'd talk that way about his sister," she said, sounding shocked.

"You mean tell the truth, when I asked him why the good silver was out this morning? Thank heavens his girl was here to put that brat in her place!"

"Alice is not a brat, and I'm done speaking with you, Eddie." The woman, his mother, Esme, sounded like she was headed down the hall at full speed. I didn't see this ending well, because I already wanted to kick her out of the house. I had a feeling Eddie would give me a hand or at least let me borrow his cane.

I moved off of Edward's lap and settled next to him just in time to look casual, before his mother slammed the door open. "Edward…" she started, but when her eyes landed on me, she stopped, looking at me confused. "She's still here?"

"Yes, she's my girlfriend," he said quietly, and I wondered if his mom had actually heard him.

"This is a private matter," she glared at me and was on the verge of kicking me out, but I wasn't about to allow that.

"If it's about what Alice was trying to pull last night, it's not private, and I hope you're not here to pester him about it."

"You're an outsider to this family. You don't know how things work with us."

When she called me an outsider, Edward's grip on my hand tightened. I wasn't an outsider to him, or Eddie.

"I think I know how things work. Edward is a sweet man who puts up with your family's crap, keeping his mouth shut like a good boy. He doesn't talk back to Jerry, and he bends over backwards to take care of everyone, because you expect him to. You're lucky he's so kind, that he takes your bullshit and does it. And then you have a bitchy selfish little girl who wants to steal things from him, and you plan on trying to guilt him into giving everything up. That's not going to happen."

"This is none of your concern," Esme huffed.

"It is, because I love him, and it should be yours, but it obviously isn't. Do you even know why he keeps this stuff?"

She looked at me like I was nuts.

"For Eddie, if he keeps the stuff around, then it'll feel like it's still his and it reminds him of his wife. Your selfish little bitch of a daughter was trying to come in and steal it right out from under their noses, and you're obviously condoning it. She's a thief. There's no telling how many other mementos she's stolen and sold."

"The estate wasn't balanced. Edward isn't going to use most of her things, anyway. There's no reason for him to hold onto them. What on earth does he need a silver serving tray for?"

I pointed to it sitting on the dresser next to us. "For breakfast in bed. I think you should go. His grandma left him everything for a reason. I thought you of all people would know and recognize that. Even Eddie supported his wife's decision. Why can't you?"

Her eyes narrowed at Edward, and I leaned in front of him. "He knows it wasn't settled right. Elizabeth wasn't in her right mind, when she wrote that into the will, and Eddie is a fool to stick with it. You know this, Edward."

"I think you should leave, now," I said forcefully.

"What are you going to do, kick me out like you did my daughter?" she taunted.

I nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm shocked at how you're treating your son and pandering to that little bitch. No wonder she turned out the way she did. You spoil her rotten and treat her like she's entitled. You both need to get it through your heads that neither of you are entitled to a damn thing in this house. Edward paid his dues and still does, running around at everyone's beck and call, so no, she doesn't get the silver, we don't give a crap that her eBay seller's rating is going to drop, and you can bet your ass we're going to get on there and let people know that she's trying to sell stolen goods."

"You wouldn't! How dare you even think such a thing! You can't talk to me like this. Edward, tell her she can't talk to me like that!"

I squeezed his hand then got up and started for her.

"I'm your mother! You tell her to leave me alone. She can't throw me out of your house!"

"Oh, I think she can." Eddie was in the hallway, giving me a supportive grin. I looked back at Edward and saw his eyes dart from his mother to Eddie. Eddie gave him a reassuring smile. "It's time for you to go, Esme, and I'm right pissed that you even suggested my Lizzy wasn't of sound mind. She was quick as a whip until that last month. We'd re-written that will back when Edward was still in high school, delivering papers to help pay the bills, while your little brat was out at her expensive technical school, sapping all the family funds, so no, she's not getting a damn dime of the estate, and I hope Lizzy comes back and haunts her mad for stealing her things. Now, get out, because I have a feeling that Bella here is a scrappy little thing, and she's not going to let you push her man around any longer."

I smirked at the pair of them, and Esme's eyes darted back at Edward, but he was focused on the bed. She let out a huff. "This isn't over."

"Yes, it is, unless you want to push the issue and get the cops involved, but that's up to you," I shrugged, as I walked forward. She was moving backwards at a steady pace, and I was happy she was. I think things would have been really awkward if I'd had to manhandle my future mother-in-law.

She kept gaping and stuttering at me, unable to get up the nerve to challenge me. She really didn't know me, so I was pretty much a wildcard. Eddie was holding the front door open. "Goodbye, Esme, and don't come back." He slammed it and gave me a high-five. "Little girl, you've got spunk."

"Thanks, I think."

"No, thank you. I've been trying to get those nuts away from my boy for years, but he always tells me not to worry about it. I'm so glad he let you step in for him. He needs someone to stand up for him and show him that he's better than the way they treat him. I knew that'd be you."

I blushed a deep red and looked back down the hall to where we'd left Edward. I hoped he'd be okay with me stepping in. I'd pretty much just told off his mother. I didn't know how that was going to go over.

"Go to your boy. He's waiting for you."

I hurried down the hall, but slowed as I approached the door. Edward was still looking down at his lap, twisting the blanket in his hands. "Edward?" I tested out.

He didn't look up. "Did you mean it?"

"What I said to your mom? Yeah, they're both nuts."

His hand went to the back of his neck. "I mean, about why…"

Why? I tried to run over our conversation and crawled up onto the bed. He didn't seem mad, just insecure. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm not sure what you're asking, but everything I said was the truth."

He swallowed hard and peeked up at me. "Even the part about how you feel…about me?"

It finally sank in what he was asking. I hadn't realized it at the time, but I had snapped and shouted that I loved Edward. It wasn't the ideal way for him to find out, but I guess it was just as good as any. I pushed him back a little, so I could climb into his lap. I wanted to make sure I had his full attention. I cupped his cheeks and pecked his lips lightly, before I looked him straight in the eyes. "I love you, Edward Cullen. I hope you're okay with that."

His answering smile was huge. "I love you, too, Isabella Swan."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he answered me with a kiss and wandering hands.

Yeah, he was definitely okay with it…and my melons.