All characters belong to SM. I just like playing with them.
Thanks go to Uk Alice, Olena, Lita
And especially the awesome Beta skills of Lamomo
Thank you to all that have reviewed the last two chapters, you blow my mind.
Thank you.
Chapter Three
Edward yawned as he fumbled to shut off the annoying alarm, reaching further forward to the coffee table until he actually fell off the couch in his quest for the phone. Now wide-awake, he managed to right himself and find the offending article, quickly silencing the annoying BEEP BEEP BEEP.
"Fucking stupid phone! I'm going to have to change that tone," he mumbled to himself as he stretched and made his way to his room. The unmade bed was still bothering him, but he did not want to think about it at the moment. Pulling on his hoodie and slipping on his Nikes, he made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of OJ before his morning run. Guzzling it down, he grabbed his keys and phone.
He set off at a slow pace at first, to warm the body, focusing on the pace of his steps he rid himself of the concern that he could not sleep.
It was the morning of Bella's first day of work and the alarm was set for 6am. She'd set it early so she could take Jake for his morning walk, worried that she was going to leave him alone at home for the day.
She cuddled into him still bleary from sleep. "Come on, let's go." Jake licked her face and Bella pushed him away as she pushed herself up from her comfortable bed.
Sleepily, she pulled on some sweats and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, not concerned about her looks at this hour of the morning. Jake was eager and waiting by the door already. Putting on her Converse, she shivered, as the morning air was quite crisp.
As they neared the park, Jake was already straining at the lead, knowing where he was headed. Sure enough, as Alice had said, there were a few people with their dogs off the lead.
Bella bent down to unhitch Jake's lead, and he got to work straight away, marking everything that was standing still. Bella blushed, a little embarrassed at Jake's brazen attempts to make the park his own. Grabbing a few "doggy doo" bags from the dispenser at the bin, Bella moved off toward the boardwalk and the "fairy forest," calling Jake to come with her.
The morning air was brisk and the sun had only just begun to break above the tree line, while lamps still glowed on along the pathways. The light was steadily rising, though, brightening the sky in a pinkish hue.
Jake sniffed at a few dogs and Bella murmured "Good Morning" to their owners as they passed. They all offered their morning greetings and bent down to give Jake a pat even if he snobbishly ignored them.
Bella knew his snooty behaviour was because he was on a mission to get to the bridge with the creek. He bounded ahead, happily sniffing everything on his way, and was patiently waiting for her on the bridge.
As Bella finally reached Jake, a jogger was running toward him from the other direction. His pounding feet on the bridge startled Jake and he turned and growled. The jogger slowed down to a stop as he neared the growling dog.
'Oh God no, not now Jake,' she thought. She felt the heat rise in her face as she gave Jake a gentle whack to distract him from the jogger. She swiftly re-latched his lead and sternly told him "No."
She turned to look up at the jogger, about to apologise for Jake's behaviour, but her words came out in a jumble as she looked into his eyes.
Time seemed at a stand-still.
The man was so handsome, his eyes a piercing green, his skin seemed so soft, she almost wanted to touch it. She had never seen anyone this breath-takingly stunning before in her life. His features seemed airbrushed, his high cheekbones, a perfectly proportioned nose, soft full lips. All she could think of was that he was 'so pretty.' Her heart began to pound, her mouth drying as her hands started to sweat. She took a breath, he smelt like cinnamon and citrus.
"I'm so sorry…I, ah… I don't know what his problem is." She stammered, trying not to say, "You're so pretty" instead.
He hesitated for a second, looking at her. Bella thought she saw a look of awkwardness.
"No worries." He said, smiling as he nodded, then continued to jog.
Bella was taken aback as she stared at the departing figure. "Oh my god, that was so embarrassing," she murmured to herself, her cheeks still burning. She shook her head as she realised the effect the handsome man had had on her. His smile – with a grin that crept up slowly on one side until it was a full smile – had made her feel weak in the knees.
'What the hell was that?' She chided herself.
She calmed as she took off Jake's lead and allowed him down to the creek. They began the game, skipping rocks. She tried to concentrate but her mind, however, was still on the jogger. She was perplexed; she had never been at a loss for words around men. Well, she had never really been interested in men.
She had always been either too busy studying when she was at uni or too caught up in work to bother. She had had a few little flings at parties, but that was mainly the effect of alcohol. Other than that, in her mind men were just one side of the species - just out for a good time, not interested in anything but sex, much like her Father.
This man, however, was beautiful. He brought an unusual sensation to her body that she could not put her finger on – a tingling, a loss of words and co-ordination. She could not help but think about this man, even though she could only take in his face as his head was covered in a hoodie. His eyes were a stunning brilliant green, deep and intense. A perfectly straight nose and full soft looking lips, he had just a hint of 5 o'clock shadow. She could not tell what colour hair he had, but she had a feeling it would be soft as down.
"Bella, get a grip." She said to herself and then wondered if he ran along the bridge every morning. Looking down at her watch, she took in the time - 6:25 am.
Bella started to laugh at herself, "God, I need a life!"
Calling to Jake, they moved along the path and headed back home, wondering along the way where the jogging man lived.
Edward moved along the path with a grin on his face. He could not help but smile at the reaction the girl by the bridge had had when her dog growled at him. He had not seen any woman blush that intensely in a long while, and found it quite beautiful, the red creeping into her cheeks forming the most delightful ambiance, accentuating her features. Edward had never seen this girl before, but he wondered who she might be, since most of the people who were out at this time of the morning were familiar to him.
He found her stammering to be endearing too, as not many women these days were ever shy around him. In fact, it was the complete opposite - women tended to throw themselves at him and he hated that.
As he ran home, he could not get her face out of his thoughts, her eyes wide with embarrassment, deep and brown, seemingly endless pools, her dark lashes were long and lush. Her lips seemed soft, full and tender as she tried to apologise. Her unkempt hair was casually tied back, with loose locks falling on either side of her face, framing it. He had even noticed her nice tight ass as she bent over to leash her dog.
"Geez, I could have come up with something better than 'No worries'," he scolded himself, as he realised that she had made him just as nervous. It had been a long time since a woman had made his heart skip a beat.
Looking down to his watch as he rounded the corner to his apartment, he saw the time flick over to 6:45am and he mentally also took note of the time he had seen her on the bridge. He shook himself out of his thoughts and focused on the day ahead of him.
It was an office day today and, although the physical activity and the creation of his landscapes were satisfying, Edward loved the process of drawing up the drafts to his visions. There was something to be said to being lost in the artistic rendering of an idea, then following it through to completion, to see the full effect of his imagination.
Entering his downtown office, Edward placed a small bouquet of flowers on Tanya's desk. It was too early for her to be in yet or for anyone actually, but he knew she would appreciate the thought.
Tanya had worked for Edward for the past 3 years, from the very beginning of Cullen Landscape Designs or CLD as it was known. She was his distant cousin and, upon moving to the city, she had found it hard to find a decent job to cover the cost of living for her daughter and herself. Offering her a position in a fledgling business, Edward had not thought twice, and Tanya had proved to be more than her worth. She was remarkable in her admin duties and was an amazing multi-tasker. She managed all his clients, liaised with his accountants and did all the menial tasks that took away from him completing his contracts. He could not imagine being able to stay on top of all the paperwork without her.
Many people recommended that Edward should not employ family, but most people did not understand him. This made him all the more enthusiastic to employ Tanya, and she was worth every penny.
Edward had a few major jobs in the pipeline over the next few months and he always made the effort to be on site, even though he had three crews working for him. If he really wanted, he could stay at home and kick up his heels but he loved the physical activity and the ability to see his visions come to fruition.
The next big project was a Resort development, which was linked to one of the city's prestigious golf clubs. It would be a great opportunity to showcase his company's work and, in turn, his own work.
Folding out the draft plans of the resort, Edward set about jotting ideas of the form and function of the gardens, working out on paper how the aesthetics of his ideas would flow to be a functional yet beautiful piece of living art.
Mulling over some ideas, Edward pulled out his large journal, one in which he would draw up smaller ideas to incorporate into to the grand scheme of his vision. Idly, he began to sketch as he thought about the layout. He liked to let things flow in this first stage, leaving his mind to ponder over potential designs, since his hand seemed to have a mind of its own.
He was startled out of his semi-hypnotic trance by Tanya herself, who placed a large steaming mug of coffee beside him.
"Thanks for the flowers Edward, you didn't have to… hey, that is so life-like, who is it?" Not hearing her properly, he turned to her.
Edward sipped the coffee, "Um… What? Oh, the flowers… Yeah, so…thanks for tidying up the apartment, you shouldn't have..."
"Oh, that? That was nothing … but this is so realistic." Tanya traced her fingers across the page of the journal. Edward looked down at what he had drawn and shock made him stammer again.
"Oh… I was just… Just thinking about ideas for the links project." He quickly closed the journal.
"Oh, and by the way, Tanya, if Jessica Stanley calls, tell her we are all booked out."
"Can do, Edward." Tanya smiled, not wanting to push him, even though the image Edward had drawn was beautiful. She hoped that maybe he had found someone. She made her way out of the office, quietly closing the door behind her.
Edward opened his journal again and stared at the eyes of the girl by the bridge.
~O~O~O~
Bella hugged Jake hard as she said her goodbyes to him. He stared at her forlornly as she ruffled his fur.
"I'll be back before you know it, Jake. You be good and stay, ok." Bella closed the door behind her, excitement and nervousness pulsed through her veins. She worried about Jake as she made her way to work in her new little yellow car. She knew he would be all right but she could not help worry about him being all alone.
Parking outside 'Paws Claws and Feathers', Bella pulled herself together and smoothed her hair as she looked into the rear view mirror.
"Ok, let's do this."
She made her way through the big glass double doors of the Vets.
"Ah, you must be Isabella; I'm so excited you're here. Please come in, let me show you around." A large friendly woman of about 50, with a thick Irish accent and beautiful long dark red hair reached her hand out to Bella and enthusiastically shook it. "Liam," She called through a door and the Head Vet appeared, reaching out to shake Bella's hand as well.
"Mr and Mrs Collins" Bella began but he cut her off.
"No Mr's or Mrs here Isabella, please just call me Liam and this is Siobhan."
"Oh, OK, thanks. Liam, Siobhan, please call me Bella then. I'm so glad to be here and thank you for this opportunity." Bella shook his hand in reply.
"The pleasure is ours, Bella. With your thesis on animal husbandry, I'm amazed you chose to work with us and not at a research facility." Liam smiled proudly, as Bella blushed.
"Oh, I prefer to work with animals, not just study them." Bella stated confidently as this was most definitely the job for her.
"Well, let's get you started before you change your mind then, shall we?" Liam led Bella through the clinic.
Liam was the owner and Head Vet at Paws, Claws and Feathers. He was a wonderfully sweet man, who reminded Bella of an older and greyer version of Ewan Macgregor, accent included. Bella could tell he cared deeply for his animal patients. Siobhan was his wife and was the practice nurse. They were so welcoming, which eased Bella's nerves. As she followed them through the clinic, Bella could not help but notice that Liam and Siobhan seemed like they belonged together, one entity almost. Both had the same patient disposition – they moved seamlessly around the rooms. They certainly did not look like they were both in their fifties, more like they were in their 30's.
Siobhan greeted every patient by name as well as their owners, and Bella thought it was going to take her at least a year to remember all these names.
She was given her own consulting room and a list of patients for the day, and as Liam showed her around the practice, he implored that if she needed anything, all she had to do was ask.
Looking over her schedule for the day, she noticed that it was mainly immunisations and micro chipping. She was glad that there was nothing major on her first day, relieved actually, and the day flew by.
At lunchtime, she had an unexpected visitor.
Bella could hear loud laughter from reception and she poked her head out to see what was happening. She was surprised to see Alice laughing with Siobhan but then remembered that Alice brought her dogs here.
Alice spied Bella as she walked through the door.
"I'm stealing Bella for lunch Siobhan. You don't mind, do you?" Alice asked sincerely as Siobhan bent down to give Seth and Leah a doggy treat, both sitting patiently, tails wagging.
"Sure, Alice. Only if you bring me back a Latte."
"Done…Bells, lunch will be quick; I just want to show you the best coffee place in town." Alice kind of bounced in her place and Bella looked over to Siobhan for approval.
"You go, girls. If you are going to The Fish House, can you bring back a slice of pecan pie for Liam? It's his favourite."
"That I can do, are we going to The Fish House?" Bella asked and looked toward Alice, who nodded, Bella laughed a little as she removed her clinic coat, hanging it in her room.
Bella and Alice made their way down to an old restored seafood shop. It was squeezed between an up-market shoe store and an even more impressive clothing boutique.
Inside, dried garlic reefs hung from the roof as well as cast iron pots and pans. The counter ran along the whole length of the room and the space opened up at both the front of the café to the street as well as out to the back, to what seemed like a courtyard, with a haphazard collection of table and chair styles. Abstract paintings lined the terracotta coloured walls.
Alice waved to the man behind the counter. He had long dreads, dark skin and a toothy smile. She pushed past the tables and chairs inside, with Seth and Leah trotting beside her as if they owned the place.
Bella wondered why on earth they let the dogs in, seeing as this was a café. She stopped wondering about that as Alice moved through to the open space out back and picked a table under a weeping willow, which looked like it was growing from between the cobblestones. It was a beautiful cobbled open-air courtyard. The walls were covered in ivy.
"This place is amazing." Bella breathed, awed at what was behind the tiny café.
"Cool, isn't it?" Alice slipped the dog leads under the leg of her chair.
The man with the dreads appeared with a bowl of water for the dogs and asked what we would like to drink.
"I'll have a double shot Latte," Bella announced, not even having to think because it was what she always had.
"Laurent, I'll have the usual. Would you like to share a Mezze platter with me, Bella? It's really good here." Alice asked as she leaned back in her chair, slightly dipping to the side on the uneven cobblestones. She laughed as she moved her chair into a more stable position.
"Sounds great."
Laurent left to get our drinks and food.
"Thought I might whisk you away to my favourite coffee spot, hope you don't mind? So, how are you settling in? Aren't Siobhan and Liam nice?" Alice rattled on, all her statements running into each other.
"Yeah, they do seem nice, I love their accent. Siobhan is just gorgeous; I think I might adopt her as my mother." Bella laughed, easing back into her chair as well, this space was relaxing and Alice's smile was infectious.
"How's your new place? Did you get everything moved just right? I hate moving, it takes me at least three tries just to get the TV in the right place." Alice laughed.
"I know what you mean; luckily I don't have too much stuff, so it didn't take long. The only thing I have left to do is the backyard and, in the long run, move a few walls." Bella sighed thinking back to her mess of a backyard.
"Oh, really? I know a great landscaper." Alice enthused, she seemed to brighten further.
"You do? I really need one; I do not think anyone has touched the backyard in the last 20 years. I can't even get to the back fence." Bella shook her head.
"Yeah, it's my little brother." Alice grinned and flicked out a business card.
As she took the card, Bella imagined a male version of Alice and grinned. She imagined he would be cute, with dark hair, and short like a pixie. Bella ran her finger along the raised typing - Cullen Landscape Design. It had a phone number on the bottom.
"Thanks." Bella slipped the card into her purse.
"Bella?" Alice looked intently at Bella.
"Yeah, Alice?" Bella asked warily, knowing that the next question was going to be awkward. She could tell just looking into Alice's mischievous eyes.
"I don't mean to pry, but do you have a man in your life?" Alice kind of held her breath.
Bella laughed to herself and thought, 'I wish I had that jogging man' but instead, she said, "yeah, sure I do… I have Jake."
"No, silly! Not a dog! A real man!"
"Ahh…nope, I don't have one of those." Bella laughed again, ironically this time.
"Hey, you should come and hang out with Jasper and I and my brother." Alice's excitement was back.
Again, Bella envisioned dating a guy shorter than herself, a boyish version of Alice, thinking that she would never be able to wear heels ever again.
"Um, I'm not ready for the blind date thing just yet, Alice…but thanks, maybe later on."
"But it wouldn't be a blind date, it's just my brother. Edwards's great, you'd love him." Alice laughed but her eyes looked pleading.
Bella laughed, "I'm sure I would Alice, but I'm good right now, ok?"
"Oh… you're no fun!" Alice pouted but then laughed. Their food arrived and Alice told Bella that she owned the stores on either side of the coffee shop, and that she practically lived on the coffee and food here.
Too soon, Bella had to get back to work, armed with a pecan pie in one hand and a large Latte in the other.
At the end of the work day, as the three of them scrubbed down, Liam thanked her again.
"Today went smoothly for you?" He asked.
Bella nodded, "You certainly have some characters that come in here, both animal and human." Liam and Siobhan both laughed. "There certainly are! Mrs Hope comes in every week to get us to check out her cats, she's a bit of an animal hypochondriac. Then, there's Frank and his gold fish."
"Why, what's wrong with the fish?" Bella asked.
"Nothing, I think he just likes coming in for a chat." Siobhan laughed as she rolled her eyes.
"So, will we see you tomorrow Bella?" Liam asked.
"Most definitely! Thank you again, I really enjoyed it today, apart from the scratch the Iguana gave me, but then that kind of hazard comes with the job." Bella laughed as she shook their hands once more. "See you tomorrow."
Bella was on a high, her body feeling like it was vibrating with good energy. She went home so happy that she had decided to move, and mused on how lucky she was.
Jake was over-ecstatic when she walked through the front door with some groceries at 6:15pm. He knocked her down, oranges rolling across the floor as he smothered her in sloppy doggy kisses. Jake kept smelling and licking at all the foreign animal smells and at one point he looked at her, confused as to why the hell she had been with so many other animals other than him today.
"Ewww Jake, I'm glad to see you, too." She pushed him off, wiping the wet off her face as she collected the escaped fruit from the grocery bag. Jake was wagging furiously beside her, his tongue hanging out. Bella smiled, it was so nice to be greeted like this.
"Want to go for a walk, boy?" she asked and Jake was straight away beside the front door.
She quickly changed into some sweats and decided to take a quick walk with Jake, seeing she had left him inside all day.
The sun had set and the evening lamps were on, illuminating the sidewalks and the path down into the park. No one was around, so she let Jake off the lead and stayed in the open grass areas, throwing a Frisbee for Jake. He was getting better at it too, catching 2 out of every 3 she threw.
It was peaceful and quiet, uncomplicated. Bella felt so relaxed. Daydreaming as she threw the Frisbee, her mind kept picturing green eyes and a crooked smile.
It was getting too dark to see so they made their way home, Jake was contented and panting from his run. After some dinner, they snuggled together on the couch, watching mindless TV, Bella drinking a glass of red wine, musing over how she could change the house layout. Bella's phone began to ring and she cringed as she saw who was on the caller ID. It was her father.
"Hi, Dad." Bella sunk back into the couch.
"Hey Bells, how's the job? You started today, didn't you?" He stated enthusiastically.
Most of her friends' fathers were usually men of few words, but not Charlie; he had the gift of the gab, a charmer. He was quite the charismatic head of police women drooled over. Bella didn't get it, especially with that moustache he had going on. However, women loved him and he loved them. Back in school, there was always chatter that Bella tried to hide from, about whom the chief of police was dating now.
"Yeah, I did. The owners are great."
"That's great to hear honey. Hey, you need to send me some pictures of the house. You know I can send Sue; she's quite the interior designer. You should see this place now; she changed your room into a walk-in wardrobe. My god, that woman has so many clothes and shoes. But I'm not complaining, she looks damn fine in them."
Bella sank further into the couch. She tried to hide the annoyance in her voice. She chanted in her head, 'at least he's settled down; at least he's settled down'. She took a deep breath.
"Ahhh, that's nice Dad, but I think I'll be fine with interior decorating here myself.
"Suit yourself, Bella." He huffed, "you know, you have to let her in sometime. She's your stepmother now."
Bella stood up and paced across the floor, her hand shaking in anger.
"I will never think of her as my stepmother, Dad! She was my friend at school, for god's sake!" Bella sighed heavily, "I'm happy you found someone, really, I am, but I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." She hung up before he could reply. Sinking back down on the couch, she grabbed the glass of red wine downed its contents and then poured herself another one.
She laid her head on Jake, not wanting to think of her father and Sue together. Having a stepmother the same age as herself was just wrong on so many levels. Maybe she would feel differently if he had decided to date someone who had not been a close friend of hers, after the many girlfriends he had had over the years. Maybe she was being a spoilt child, but she just couldn't accept the fact that Sue was her stepmother, who had changed her childhood bedroom into a dressing room. Bella wanted to cry, but didn't want to give either her father or Sue that kind of satisfaction.
~O~O~O~
"So… anything interesting today, Edward?" Alice asked as she stirred the pot.
"Nah, nothing much. Just working on the Links project. Actually, it's coming together nicely." Edward said as he cut up some crusty bread. His mind flash-backed to the girl on the bridge and then he felt his pocket, where he had hidden his drawing of her. Those deep brown eyes, those soft pink lips.
"Hey, Edward I hear some Japanese investor is funding it. Is that true?" Jasper asked pouring some wine for everyone, startling Edward out of his thoughts.
"Um...Yeah apparently, so I get to put some Asian influence into it, I might have to do one of those sand gardens, you know? Where you rake the sand with patterns? Meant to calm the mind." Edward laughed.
"Maybe you need one in your apartment." Alice teased, but Edward swatted her. "You know Edward; we have to discuss what we are going to do about the silent partnership." Edward rolled his eyes.
"Do we have to, Alice? It's a while away yet, you know I don't really want it. Do you want to be an active partner?"
"Well, it's part of Dad's contract. It's been nearly 2 years." Alice's voice lowered, her hand slowed stirring. She looked toward her brother who fiddled with the loaf of bread and the knife.
"I know, Alice. We have a few months more before we are active members of the board." Edward threw down the knife, "I have no fucking clue about fucking media! Shit, all I know is that I watch TV and fucking read the occasional magazine. How the hell did he think we'd be capable of doing his empire justice? I don't want that fucking responsibility." Edward ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"You could always sell your half." Jasper suggested.
"What? And give that self-righteous bastard any reason to roll over in his grave and say 'I told you so'!"
"Edward, he's dead." Alice said quietly, "he'll never know."
"But I'll know and you'll know, Alice. And I know you are not about to sell your half, for exactly the same reason." Edward blew out a breath in defeat.
"Yeah." Alice took a few steps toward her brother and gave him a hug. He accepted and squeezed her back.
Edward thought back to two years prior, when their father had died from the effects of a severe heart attack. They had been able to see him before he passed. He explained what was in his will and his reasons behind the choices he'd made in his life. To both Edward and Alice, it was all too little too late, but he was family, their only close family.
Carlisle Cullen had been the head of a major multimedia company; he'd owned most of the cable/satellite TV, over half the country's newspapers and magazines. He'd also had major holdings in two movie houses. He'd built this up from his father's ownership of a few newspapers. Edward and Alice had had a privileged life in people's eyes, but in reality, it had been far from privileged.
Their Mother had died in childbirth and nannies and the help had brought up Edward and Alice. Their father had been too busy building his empire to have time for his children.
So, when he had called for them on his deathbed, they reluctantly went. It was the first time he had said 'Please' and 'I love you' in the same single sentence.
What he had told them shocked them, made them angry and made them sad all at the same time - a bundle of emotions in one small package.
He'd finally told them, "I loved your mother, with everything I had. She was the most wonderful person I had ever met and she wanted me… When she fell pregnant with twins, we were over the moon. We had everything we had ever dreamed of, but the night she died, I died too and I blamed you two. For that I am sorry." At this point Edward had wanted to scream at his father, but the man held his hand up so Edward would let him continue.
"I didn't know how to be a father. I didn't know how to control my grief over the loss of your mother...So I buried myself in work," Tears fell from his eyes, but both Edward and Alice stoically watched this exchange.
"I did this for her; this whole goddamn empire is hers. And I want you two to have it…I know you have not been a part of this and for that I am sorry, too. In my last will and testament," He began to cough and fought to regain composure. When he wiped his mouth with a tissue, blood appeared to stain it. Edward buzzed for the nurse and his father tried to continue in a raspy voice.
"I have named you both silent partners until you are 28. After that, everything is all yours. Please, I want you to have it all. Your mother's memories are sealed within everything I have done since you were born. I do love you, as much as I haven't shown you; I tried to give you…Please…" With that, the machines that were keeping him breathing erupted in wild beeping sounds.
Carlisle's demise filled Edward's head with confusion, anger, hurt and loss. Alice and Edward clung desperately together while nurses hurried around them. They were now truly on their own.
Edward tried to sleep that night.
Hey
Can't sleep?
NOPE
Me either
Talk tomorrow
Yeah
3 U
Me 2
Edward ran his hands through his hair. He wished that he could just stop worrying, but the conversation with Alice had left him on edge. He just didn't want to worry about that kind of shit. Not now anyway.
He went to shut off the phone completely, knowing that he would wake in time for his morning jog anyway. He stopped, his finger hovering above the power button, as he thought of his morning jog. Smiling, he flicked through the songs on his play list, chuckling as he set his wake-up tone and then set the alarm for 6am.
Edward leant into the pillows on the couch and pulled the blanket over him. His mind swirling from his father's death, to Alice's injuries and then onto beautiful brown eyes.
~O~O~O~
"You know, Alice, I think Edward needs to go back on those anti-anxiety pills," Jasper said quietly as Alice put down her phone. She rolled toward Jasper and wrapped her arms around him.
"I used to be exactly the same until I met you. He just worries, Jasper. He worries about everything."
"But he doesn't need to worry about you, I keep you safe." Jasper kissed her tenderly.
"I know you do Jazz," Alice kissed him back, "but it's a twin thing. I worry about him too, but I can sleep now I have you."
"And for that I am glad." Jasper pulled Alice closer and wrapped her up in his arms.
"You know, I think it all started at school. When that cow started fighting with me about the photos of her Mother our Dad had published in one of those trashy mags he owned. I lost a lot of blood when she smashed that bottle on me in the middle of the night at boarding school. I don't think Edward ever forgave himself. He wasn't so buff then, he was skinny and lanky. We both were picked on because of who our dad was; the pictures and stories in some of those magazines gave us more grief than anything else growing up did. It really sucked. It got better after we moved out of boarding school. Then it was just us. I used to have nightmares, so Edward and I would stay up watching movies until we both fell asleep…I just don't think Edward will ever get out of that pattern…but I hope he does." Alice sighed, trying to think of a way to help her brother. The only thing she could come up with was finding him someone.
"You think Edward will ever find someone, Jazz?"
"Quit your worrying Alice, he'll find someone in his own good time, just like us." Jasper purred in her ear and it made her shiver.
Alice smiled, "Yes, just like us."
Jasper rolled her over and ran his hand down her side, down to her thighs.
"You're so bad, Jasper Whitlock." Alice laughed quietly, enjoying the sensations across her skin.
"I know I am." He laughed and buried his head between her breasts.
~O~O~O~
As always, I would love to know your thoughts.
Can anyone guess what tune Edward selected as his alarm tone?
Aston Martin Vanquish.