Chapter 07 – What Are We Doing
Stephenie Meyer own everything Twilight.
Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! A few brought tears to my eyes and I've had so many generous offers for help it's a bit stunning. I feel like I must reiterate that there will be lots of drama, both with Bella's daughter and between Bella and Edward, but there is a happily ever after and everyone does live. I realize that this is not always the case in real life and I am deeply moved by how many of us have been affected by a child's death in our lives. My heart aches for us all and I hope that this story might in some tiny way be of some comfort to you. Thank you all so much.
Bella was in her element. She glanced around the room and couldn't help but smile. She felt like a child again, like she had just woken up on Christmas morning and the biggest present under the tree was hers and hers alone. She glanced in the corner of the room where she laid out several blankets to form a pad for Tansy to lay in and had placed a trapeze that Rose had let her borrow to play with.
As her phone started beeping she glanced at it, noticing that it was time for her daughter's medicine, again. Sighing, she put down her sketch pad and pencil. She glanced one more time around the empty room feeling a brief moment of regret that she was being interrupted, again. Walking over to her daughter and seeing her grin made all those thoughts disappear as she picked her up and started for the kitchen. It was Emmett's voice that greeted her first.
"So, how's your hangover Bells?" Emmett was eating as usual, but still managed to get the words out clearly and with a grin.
"Hi Emmett. Sorry, no hangover for me. It was only one beer and lots of talking. That's it, really." Bella looked around seeing a smirk on Rosalie's face. "Are Edward and Jasper okay?" Bella asked as she began her routine of gathering up all she would need. It was Esme that answered this time.
"They're fine. Emmett just likes to tease. I'm so happy that you were able to enjoy yourself a little Bella." Esme stood to assist her as she struggled with holding both her daughter and the diaper bag. "It's actually another reason I want to talk to you. Mother's Day is coming up and I want you and Alice to stay for the long weekend. You can come up on Friday and work as usual and leave on Monday." She held the bag open for Bella as she started to dig around in it.
Bella, clumsy on a good day and caught even more off guard at Esme's invitation, reached and pulled out a cloth from the bottom of the diaper bag, dragging several items with it as they dropped to the floor.
She stared in horror as she realized what it was. The white papers she had meant to shred were floating silently to the ground among bibs and a few toys. Esme kneeled down to pick up the items but before Bella could reach for them the older woman turned away, papers in hand. Bella looked away, avoiding Rose and Emmett's questioning stare. Turning back to Bella, she caught the shining, unshed tears in Esme's eyes.
"Do you want to explain this to me Bella?" Esme held the papers out to her and placed the diaper bag on the table. She reached for the back of Rosalie's chair supporting her body against it.
Bella had no words, instead she simply stared at Esme, hoping her expression did the talking for her. There were no words she could use right now that would make things better. She recalled Edward and Jasper's words from the previous night and stiffened as she realized how much she had hurt Esme. Before she could start talking, she heard Esme's voice, quiet and broken, and in complete mother-mode.
"Take care of your daughter Bella. I'll meet you in Carlisle's study after lunch. Rose and Emmett can watch over her for you for a few minutes while we talk." Esme let go of her grip from the chair and left the room with her composure and dignity intact. She hadn't wanted to let anyone see her tears as she fled to her husband's office down the hall, wishing desperately that he was there with her and not at work. After closing the door she settled into his chair, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue before calling him at work, hoping he wasn't too busy and that he could talk to her and calm her down.
As Bella set up her daughter's routine, she filled Emmett and Rose in on what happened the previous day, ending the story before she got to the part of Alice finding her in the tub.
"That sucks Bella. Why didn't you just ask her? She wants to help you, or didn't she make that clear enough yet?" Emmett had a hard time keeping the acid out of his words as he tried to be sympathetic toward Bella while understanding his mother's need to help.
"Leave her alone Em. Bella is trying to do this on her own and besides, she didn't actually go through with it." Rose was on her feet now, having placed her daughter in a high chair next to her son.
"I didn't, but I feel awful. The guys said this would happen last night. I meant to shred those papers so no one would know except them. They're going to be so mad at me." Bella went through Tansy's whole routine in a fog. As she propped the baby up in her car seat she asked Rose if she would mind watching her as she talked to Esme.
Bella took the offending papers from the table and made her way down the hall, knocking briefly before opening the door. She heard Esme say a soft 'I love you too' then saw her replace the receiver before she sat down across from her. She waited, hoping the woman would initiate the conversation.
"Bella, I have to say, I don't care that you went to that awful place. What you do is your own business. But for the life of me, I can't figure out why you did it. Why did you feel like you couldn't come to me and Carlisle?" Esme reached for another tissue and made a show of dabbing at her eyes. Bella managed to squeak out a pathetic 'I am sorry' before her own eyes started to fill.
"I just want you to know that when I hired you for this job and when I said I want you to feel free to ask us for anything, I meant it. I hate that you didn't take me at my word and I guess that's what upsets me the most. Did you think I don't care?" Esme tilted her head looking directly into Bella's eyes.
"I know you do Esme, and I am so sorry that I didn't. It was just a fleeting thought and I meant to shred those papers because I can't go through with it. I guess the reason I didn't ask you is the same reason I didn't turn in those forms. It's more a matter of my own pride than anything." Bella chewed her lip as she waited for Esme's response. She didn't have long to wait.
"Well, I've talked it over with Carlisle and he said it's ultimately your decision. I don't agree with him at all, but I can't force you to accept my help. So I suppose I will do the only thing I can help you with." Esme reached her hand out and took the papers before spinning around in Carlisle's leather office chair. Bella heard the whirr of a machine as Esme placed the documents in the shredder. She spun back around to face Bella. "There. Now, we can forget all about those ugly papers. Next topic. What are you doing for Mother's Day weekend?"
"Nothing I can think of. I should check with Alice but we don't usually do anything special. I'll probably just call my mother, I think she's still in Florida." As an afterthought Bella realized that this would be her first Mother's Day that she would spend as a mother. She couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Alright, good. Next weekend you are coming over and spending it with us, I insist. You will come over on Saturday and stay through until Monday evening. May as well let you stay Sunday night as well so you can work on Monday without all this driving back and forth nonsense." Esme stood, walked around the large oak desk to hug Bella before quickly walking out of the office, leaving her no chance to argue.
It took Bella a few minutes to gather her wits and as she replayed the entire event in her mind. She gasped as she realized that even with Edward and Jasper's warning, she had fallen victim to Esme Cullen's well-crafted plan. Laughing at herself as she made her way back into the dining room, she caught Rose's eyes and all the tension finally slumped from her body. As Rose started to snicker, Bella couldn't help but join in.
"Well, there's one good thing to come from all of this, we'll see you next weekend." Rose began cleaning up the table as she laughed.
"She told you already? How does she do it? I really thought she was angry at me for those papers." Bella started to help but stopped to look at Emmett as she asked the question.
"Oh, I have no doubt she was genuinely upset over the papers. But that doesn't mean she wouldn't use it against you to get what she wants." Rose smirked at Bella. "She was talking about getting you to come over for Mother's Day before you even came over today. You gave her just the right dose of blackmail she needed to make it easier for her though."
"Right. And you couldn't warn me of what I was walking into?" Even though she was trying to sound hurt, Rose and Emmett could see the smile peeking through on Bella's lips and the laughter in her voice.
After sharing the laugh with Emmett and Rose, Bella collected her daughter and trudged up the stairs. Placing her back on the pallet of blankets in the corner she got back to work, and couldn't help but smile to herself as she did.
It wasn't long before she heard Alice's voice realizing then that several hours had passed while she worked. Smiling she noticed that she got the rough drawings done on her sketch pad and turned a page to add a few little notes before Alice could see what she had completed. Best friend or not, Alice could still be critical of her work and Bella didn't always recognize it as being in her own best interest to correct something.
"Bella, are you still up here?" Alice's pixie voice chimed through the air, causing Tansy's head to immediately start searching for the course of Alice's voice. Bella laughed as she watched her little head wobble around.
"I'm in here Alice, and Tansy heard you too. You better show yourself before she gives herself whiplash trying to see where you are." Bella stopped drawing flipping the sketch pad closed. She gently tossed it into a corner before greeting Alice warmly as she walked into the room with Jasper close behind.
"Heya Bella." Jasper embraced Bella as soon as Alice let go. Even with the short amount of time they had been together, Bella and Jasper acknowledged each other with a warm hug, understanding that they had a shared interest in Alice's happiness. "So, we heard about Mom having you over next weekend for Mother's Day; I warned you." Jasper's finger wagged in front of Bella's face as if he were chastising a child.
Bella couldn't help but laugh. "You did. How does she do it? I still can't believe I fell for it. She's good!" Bella's tone let them both know she was impressed with Esme's ability to talk people into things. Looking over at Alice, now occupied with playing on the floor with Tansy, Bella continued talking to Jasper as if the two weren't there. She looked over at Jasper and made eyes toward the door, indicating that he should follow her.
"Alice, I'm just going to grab something to drink, can you watch her for a few minutes?" Bella asked innocently as she stretched.
"Sure Bella, Oh, Jazz, while you are downstairs talking with Bella, would you mind bringing me back a Pepsi?" Alice looked up at the both of them and smirked. "We psy-chics see all don't we Tan?"
Bella and Jasper rolled their eyes at Alice as they stepped into the hallway. "It's creepy sometimes how she does that you know Jazz?" Bella tried to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, but she's so damn lovable. I just want to hide away with her so nothing can hurt her ever. She hates being taken care of when it's done obviously, but if I can do it without her knowing – she loves it." Jasper sighed as he glanced back at the doorway.
"Oh, you do have it bad don't you? Poor Jasper." Bella smiled up at him and the sappy look on his face. "Well, let's go get a few drinks. I really do need to talk to you. Can we go outside for a minute?" Bella waved her hand toward the front door as they stepped down the last few steps.
"Sure Bella what's on your mind?" Jasper led Bella to the now empty kitchen grabbing a few drinks before setting them on the table then leading Bella to the front porch.
"I'm not sure how to say this; I love Alice dearly. I don't know what I would have done without her. I don't even want to think about it. I need to ask you though, just to make sure. I mean, I am not trying to push you two together or anything, or try to sound like an overprotective parent to her. But I uhh, I have Alice down to be Tansy's legal guardian if something should happen to me. I just want to be sure that would be alright. I mean, would you be okay with it? I know it's a lot, and I know we haven't known each other that long. I'm not even saying this right." Bella shook her head as she turned to face Jasper.
Jasper took Bella's face in his hands to try to calm her down. "Bella, are you asking me if I am serious about Alice because of Tansy? Do you think that Alice would seriously turn her away because of me?"
Taking her silence as an affirmation of his own words, Jasper released Bella's face and stepped back briefly before drawing her into a hug.
"Trust me Bella, Alice is so head over heels for that beautiful girl. She has already made it clear to me that she plans on stepping in for you if God forbid something should happen. I think she's one step ahead of you already. She has told me, more than once, that Tansy is ours if anything should happen to you."
Bella's shoulders shaking against his chest caused Jasper to soften his words. "SShhh, Bella. You know, she never asked me either. She told me. I trust Alice. I know how much she means to you. You mean a lot to her and so does Tansy. You two are her only family you know. If there should ever come a time, I'd be honored to consider Tansy as my own. Is that what you are asking me for Bella?"
Jasper felt Bella's head nod before she pulled away from him. "It's just that I know you two are still just dating and it's so sudden and all."
Jasper shook his head to quiet Bella's rambling and placing his thumb against her cheek he brushed away her tears. "It is soon, and fast; but I am completely taken with Alice. She is my life and if the three of you come as a package deal, then sign me up." Again Jasper reached out to Bella, this time he could tell the tears streaming on her face were from happiness and not uncertainty.
"Thank you Jasper. You have no idea how much that means to me to hear it." Bella sniffled into his shirt.
"I'd like to know how much it means to you." Bella jumped as she heard Edward's voice from behind them.
"Geez, Ed, quit walking up on people like that." Jasper made eye contact with his brother to try to get his attention away from Bella.
"Edward, you scared me." Smiling despite her tears, Bella wiped her face clumsily with the back of her hand as she turned to face him.
"Yeah, I'm scary like that." Edward's words came out in a sneer causing Bella to automatically step back, falling right against Jasper's chest.
"Brother, before you say something that you will regret, you need to know what this is about; it isn't what you think it is." Jasper wrapped his arm protectively around Bella's shoulder moving her gently to the side before taking a step toward his brother with his other hand outstretched pushing Edward back lightly.
What Jasper had intended was his light push to calm Edward before he could reach Bella and unleash his anger. He only partially succeeded as Edward raised his arm and shoved Jasper's arm away from him before he said anything.
"Fine Jazz." Edward's eyes never left Bella's frightened face as he spoke to his brother. "Could you give us a minute please?"
Edward's voice was too calm and Jasper felt Bella shiver slightly in his one armed embrace. Jasper hugged Bella tightly against him one last time before stepping around his brother. He cast one last look at them before speaking.
"Bella, don't you take any of his shit for this. You make him see exactly what the plan is okay? If he can't, or won't accept it, then he really isn't the man you think he is." Jasper slammed the door on his way in, causing Bella to jump yet again.
"Edward." Bella was still sniffling as she wiped her nose on her sleeve childishly before looking in his eyes. "It really isn't what you are thinking. I asked Alice to stay with Tansy upstairs because I needed to talk to Jasper. You see…let's sit down okay?" Walking past Edward, Bella sat down gratefully on the front porch swing, her legs feeling like they would no longer hold her upright. Indicating that he should sit next to her, she took a few cleansing, shuddering breaths.
"Bella, what the fuck were you and Jasper doing out there?" Sitting down next to Bella, Edward said the words as he gestured toward the other side of the porch. Bella was so stunned by the jealousy dripping from Edward's words that her own words came out in a rush and rather than be upset or mad herself she found herself apologizing for the misunderstanding. She desperately wanted Edward to be not upset with her.
"Please don't be mad. Edward, I needed to explain to Jasper first. I needed to ask him if he was alright with Alice being Tansy's guardian should anything happen to me. I swear that's all it was. Alice is already her guardian, but I wasn't sure if Jasper would be willing to, step up and take Tansy too. I wouldn't want to put Alice in a position where she might have to choose between Tansy and Jasper. That wouldn't be fair to her. I had to ask Jasper if, in the future, if he might be able to maybe take Tansy in as his own with Alice."
Bella put her elbows on her knees buring her face in her hands before continuing on. "I'm sorry I'm rambling. But I needed to make sure he was really alright with it if things should turn serious between them. That's all it was Edward. If he wouldn't want her then I have to find someone else, I couldn't do that to Alice."
Shaking his head Edward drew Bella against him. "Bella." Her name was an exasperated sigh that came out of his lips. "Why would you even ask? You know any of us would love Tansy as our own. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions." Edward Leaned in and sweetly kissed the top of her head, causing her to snuggle further against him. "Am I forgiven for being a jealous, overreacting, asshole?"
"Oh Edward, this is all still so new. I've known Alice for forever. I know I could probably ask any of you, but it has to be Alice. She's her godmother, did you know?" Bella looked wistfully up at Edward before snuggling back against his chest.
"No, I didn't. I guess it makes sense given how close you both are. I just never really thought of either of you as seriously religious." Edward's words were softer now as he held her tightly.
"We aren't. Tansy was only a few weeks old and was being admitted for heart failure. Her medications were still being adjusted so trips to the ER were pretty frequent back then. That night there happened to be a chaplain on call, they asked him to talk to me about signing a no-code order. Alice was with me that night, Jacob was already very distant so he wasn't there. After talking to the chaplain, I felt, that if I was to sign, and something should happen, where would that little girl's soul end up? Even if I didn't believe as I should, I needed to know that she would be going to the right place. I asked Alice then and there and we had her baptized in the hospital with just Alice, myself and the chaplain. Of course, Jacob was furious about it later. I told him that he shouldn't have left if he wanted to have a say in it. Anyway, when all was said and done, I still never signed that order – I just couldn't Edward."
Bella leaned further into Edward's chest and put her arms around him, giving him a quick kiss on his chest before snuggling back against him. They stayed like that for until Edward broke the silence.
"Bella, thank you for trusting me enough to share that with me." Edward reached over and kissed the top of her head as she nodded. After a few more minutes of quiet, Bella stood to go. Looking back down at Edward, she crouched down in front of him.
"You know Edward, next to Alice, you are my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you." Bella kissed him casually before standing again to stretch, only to be brought down again by Edward's hands as he pulled her into his lap.
"You know Bella, I don't want you as a friend. I don't know what I'd do without you either. To be honest, it scares the hell out of me." Edward's voice mimicked Bella's, then turned softer as he drew her fully into his lap where he began kissing her fully.
The unexpected feel of Edward's soft tongue against her lips caused Bella to moan out loud and move her tongue against his. Losing all sense of herself, she moved her arms around his neck drawing him closer as her mouth seemed to move on its own. Moaning softly she repositioned her body, causing Edward to give a small yelp as her knee moved closer to his and they broke apart smiling.
"Was that intentional?" Edward kept his forehead right against Bella's as he said the words. Three little words and he couldn't even say them without becoming winded. His mouth turned into a smile as he placed his against hers and waited for her to respond.
Bella broke away before answering Edward, her own words coming out raspy and breathless. "A knee to the groin? I'm afraid my aim isn't that good." She moved back against his lips returning to their kiss, making sure to keep her tongue in her own mouth and her lips closed. After a few seconds of feathery light kisses she broke away again leaving her forehead touching his. "I am sorry though. I am sorry for almost doing that to you. I am sorry for dragging you into the clusterfuck that is my life right now. I am sorry I can't promise you much more than this right now. But the one thing I am not sorry for is kissing you and being here in your arms right now."
"Bella!" Edward moved in to kiss her again shifting her body to make himself more comfortable as they talked, peppering the entire talk with occasional kisses. "Right now, I am not asking for more than this. And by this, I mean you in my arms, and the kissing. In the future I will ask for more, but for right now I can deal."
As if to prove his point, Edward again shifted Bella's body so that she wasn't coming into as much contact with his now obvious hard-on. Smiling at her, they both turned their grins into laughter.
"Edward? Did I tell you that Seth and the guys at the bar are having a fundraiser for Tansy?" Bella scooted to sit next to Edward and fixed her clothing, taking a clue from Edward's appearance as he adjusted himself inside his pants.
"No, how did you manage that?" Edward put his arm back around her drawingher back into his side.
"I didn't manage anything. I am not really happy about it. All those people, strangers even, coming to stare and gawk at my daughter? Nope, not my thing. But I can use the money." As Edward opened his mouth to speak Bella elbowed him in his ribs. "Pretend, for once, that you aren't as rich as Croesus and just talk to me."
"Okay. At least he is trying to help Bella. I imagine, being in Seth's place, that it would be terribly difficult to know it is your own family member that is doing that to someone you love." Edward's words both surprised Bella and upset her.
"What do you mean love? Seth is a friend, that's all. I am not even sure exactly how he is related to Jake. He cares about me and Tansy as friends and right about now, I can use those." Bella smiled up at Edward, letting him know that she included him in that group.
"But I am not only your friend Bella., not anymore. I won't ask you for anything more than you can give, but I will ask that you acknowledge me as something more in your life than just a friend." Catching Bella's puzzled look made Edward continue. "You say that Seth is a friend, and I am a friend. So where's the difference between Seth and I? There isn't one. Although I truly think he would like there to be, I think it is just his loyalty to his family that keeps him from pursuing you. I don't want to be lumped into the same category as him Bella."
"What are you saying Edward? Exactly what are you looking for now that you've twisted this whole conversation around on me?" Bella sat up straighter and stared at Edward briefly before the shock showed on her face. "Oh my word! You and Esme both! That's where you get it from!"
"Get what from?" Edward faked innocence as he put his arms out against the back of the swing and casually moved the swing back and forth. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Yes you do! The slick underhanded meanings and setting traps. She did it to me this morning when we were talking about Mother's Day and now you are doing it to me with Seth. You're two peas in a pod! You're getting me to talk about Seth and making an acknowledgement of him purposely makes me acknowledge you too." Bella's expression made Edward laugh.
"Now you're just letting your imagination run away with you Bella. All I was asking was that you give me a little more consideration than just a friend, that's all." Edward's face still held a look of innocence.
Bella pretended to look thoughtful. "More than a friend? Like what?" Her words now sounded impatient as she began rambling, their swinging becoming as fast as their words. "You obviously can't be my husband, I already have one of those."
Edward's snort of sarcasm let Bella know just what he thought of her 'husband'. "I understand that much Bella, I'm not an imbecile. I was thinking more along the lines of you being my girlfriend, with no strings attached."
"Girlfriend? You seriously want to be my boyfriend? Even though I have a husband already and a daughter?" Bella turned her head and caught Edward's stare.
"Absolutely." Edward said and flashed Bella a closed lip smile that reminded her of more of a smirk.
"Girlfriend." Bella said the word again to test it out. "Even though I can't give you anything more right now you still want me as your girlfriend?"
"Absolutely." Edward repeated the word and stopped the swing as he pulled her into his arms again, carefully moving her legs so there were no accidents this time.
"Edward, no offense, and I don't mean to insult your taste in women, but you can do so much better than me. You're successful, handsome, only drink socially and polite. You bathe regularly and are kind to children and I'm guessing small animals. You love your family, you're smart and funny. You can have any woman you want just by snapping your fingers." Bella looked doubtfully over at Edward, definitely questioning his current taste.
"And I've never had any woman tell me that I was half those things Bella. The women that you refer to obviously are also the ones that don't look past themselves to see all my finer qualities as you just listed them." Edward managed to look embarrassed.
"Well that answers my question of why you don't date." Bella leaned in and kissed flush away from Edward's cheeks.
"I've dated. It's just that I haven't dated anyone that has made me think I want to pursue anything more than a relationship with someone. There's never been anything there to push me any further into a relationship." Smiling at her now Edward leaned into her ear to whisper his next words softly, as if he was sharing a secret. "Be my girlfriend, please Bella."
Bella's body convulsed involuntarily as she shivered in his arms. His warm breath against her sensitive ear and neck made her eyes close as she gasped for her next breath. "Yes?"
In spite of the seriousness of the moment Edward laughed pulling away only slightly to look at her. "Are you asking me or telling me?"
"Telling you. Telling you yes, actually. I can't believe I am saying it, but yes. As long as you can accept the title without the benefits that come along with it." Bella's words put an immediate stop to Edward's advances as he pretended to think about a serious relationship with no sex from Bella.
"Done. I won't ask for anything more than what you can give me right now. So, girlfriend?" Edward tested the word out. "What are your plans for dinner tonight, girlfriend?" He still held Bella tightly in his arms.
"I've got to go home. Just so you know; I am going to be your houseguest this weekend for Mother's Day. I'm sure you've already heard." Nudging Edward, Bella crawled off his lap as he slowed the swing eventually stopping it.
"I knew she would try something like that but I didn't realize exactly what. How did she do it?" Edward was curious about his mother's slick ways of having the world cater to her whims. There was no reason to explain to each other just how devious Esme Cullen was.
"She saw the papers I left in Tansy's diaper bag. She totally blackmailed me and I fell for it." Bella stood before Edward and held out her hand to pull him off the swing.
"She's better than I give her credit for. That was fast, but I'm glad she did. You shouldn't be alone on Mother's Day Bella." Edward's steps slowed, causing Bella to nearly pull him along.
"I would have spent it with Alice and Tansy. I probably would have caved and called Renee, I still might." Bella's expression became thoughtful and then vacant as Edward watched her rethink her plan. "On second thought, a peaceful day with just Tansy and Alice would be just the thing."
"Well, not if my family has anything to say about it. So you won't stay tonight for dinner because you will be here this weekend?" Edward's voice clearly let Bella think she was making a wrong choice.
"Well, I do have a home. This is my job and I really don't want your family to get sick of me. I don't want to wear out my welcome and besides, I don't want my boyfriend to think I just sleep around." Bella smirked tugging harder on Edward's arm as she pulled him towards the door.
"Fine. Just don't make plans for Friday night. You can stay over Friday and leave Monday after work; that's fair." Edward tried to negotiate his way into spending more time with her.
"Edward that's four days. You'll be so tired of us by then! I'll come over on Saturday morning and stay until Monday evening. That will give you a full twenty four hours on Sunday to get tired of me and probably break up with me." Bella was only half joking, clearly she was still expecting something to go wrong. "Besides, Seth wants to meet me at the bar on Friday night to go over some things for the fund raiser."
"That's right, I forgot about that. Finish telling me about it." Edward put his arm around Bella's waist as they walked the rest of the way to the front door, letting go of her only to hold the door open for her.
Bella smiled as she stepped past him to enter the house. She walked toward the stairs in the front hall, pausing only briefly so that Edward could take her hand and pull her toward the kitchen instead. As usual, there was a crowd gathered and Esme Cullen stood in the kitchen handing out various bowls and plates of food for lunch. As Edward pulled out a chair for Bella she smiled, making faces at her daughter across the table.
"So Bella, did you tell them the good news yet?" Alice just glowed as she smiled over at Bella expectantly.
Bella's face turned thoughtful. She wasn't sure how Alice could have known that Edward had asked her to be his girlfriend so she looked over at him for an explanation. He shook his head and shrugged, letting it show that he was just as confused as she was. Sighing, Bella caved. She had long ago given up trying to figure out how Alice just 'knew' some things.
"Well, I know this might be awkward in front of everyone but I can see Alice is practically going to tip Tansy off her lap if I don't say something so it is only with her best interest that I disclose this. Edward and I are kind of dating now." Bella could feel her scalp prickle as she admitted the words out loud in front of others and watched their jaws drop as Edward leaned over to give her a kiss on her cheek.
"Come again?" Alice found her words almost before Bella finished.
"Dating. As in, what you and Jasper are doing." Looking over at Alice, Bella continued with her puzzled expression. "Isn't that what you meant by good news?"
"Umm, No. I was talking about the fundraiser Seth was doing." Alice grinned expectantly, clearly waiting for Bella to say more. It was Edward that jumped in and saved her.
"What Bella means is that we are going to go very slow because everything is still so unsettled. Eventually we will go further but until Bella decides the time, we would appreciate everyone just giving us our space as we figure this out." Edward looking purposefully over at his mother and sister-in-law while Bella focused on Alice. "You all can pester me all you like, but where Bella is concerned, the only one that should bother her for our gory details is Alice. I trust you to know when to stop needling her about details right?" His last words were clearly directed at Alice now as he tossed a look her way.
"Sure, sure. She knows she can trust me." Alice said the words to Edward but her eyes never left Bella's face and the smile never left her lips. "But we'll talk about that later; let's talk about this fundraiser thing."
Bella mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Alice before continuing to talk about the fundraiser. She went into all the details down to where they were posting the fliers and asked if everyone there would want to come. After everyone agreed that they would go, even including the babies so Tansy could 'hang out' with them. Bella informed them that as long as the babies and any children that might attend stay clear of the bar area, they would be fine. There apparently needed to be special permission granted by the village for minors to be hanging out where alcohol was served and as long as they were in the seated area where the food would be served it was not going to be an issue.
Before Bella knew it, evening had come and she realized that she hadn't ever gone back to work in the room. She excused herself, leaving Esme holding Tansy as she and Edward went to gather up the car seat and their belongings from the room.
There's only 26 letters in the English alphabet and there is no combination of those letters that can adequately describe exactly how grateful and thankful I am for you taking the time to read and review for me.