Bred
By MoneyTunes10
Chapter Three
Annotation: Thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to read/review/add to their Story Alerts and/or Favorite Stories. It means so much to me to get feedback and to know that so many of you enjoy this story.
After breakfast, Edward gave Bella a short tour of the Cullen mansion. She was beyond impressed at the wealth that permeated every crevice of her new home but she was more astonished at the vampires behind the wealth. There was more to the Cullen clan than money.
For example, Rosalie was a licensed psychiatrist but more importantly she volunteered at a women's shelter and a rape crisis shelter.
The ever artistic Alice worked for a marketing firm where most of her clientele were department stores. Esme's career was on the artistic side also; she worked for a small interior design firm.
Emmett, on the other hand, was into sports. He ran his own sporting goods store and coached children's hybrid baseball teams. Jasper was on the same wavelength because he ran his own martial arts school for hybrid children.
It was Edward and Carlisle's joint venture that fascinated Bella. They ran a biotechnology firm. Edward had eagerly gone on a tangent talking about the synthetic blood they were on the verge of perfecting. He was animatedly talking about how this product could change the dependency that some vampires had on human blood. Although most of the scientific terms were lost on Bella, she did appreciate his enthusiasm and vowed to do some research later.
She paid close attention to the family's career choices because her aim was use her education to do something useful. She wanted to be more than a Substitute but would never dare to express that to anyone.
They were in the piano room when Bella asked about Tanya's career. Edward became rigid when he stated that Tanya was a 'woman of leisure.' Since Bella didn't want to explore the hostility that Edward projected when his wife was brought up, she decided to skip that conversation altogether. Instead asked about the piano…
When she found out that Edward was the pianist in the family, she was hopeful that he would teach her. She didn't want to overstep her bounds, so she kept her desire mute; yet Edward saw Bella gaze longingly at the piano, "do you play?"
"No, we didn't have time for music lessons as children."
"Oh, will you tell me about your childhood?"
Bella tensed instantly, she never talked about her childhood because she was broken when she was a child. It had been a difficult to believe that all the girls were at the Agency because their parents didn't want them. When Mistress told her that her parents didn't want her day after day, she slipped into a depression. Those were her secret Dark Ages that she had gotten herself through; so it was easy to understand why she wasn't willing to tell Edward about that part of her life.
Edward saw her hesitancy and he quickly came up with a plan.
"Hey, I'll make a deal with you. I'll teach you how to play the piano if you tell me about yourself."
Edward hadn't been interested in playing the piano since his marriage to Tanya. He wasn't inspired anymore and although his family encouraged him to play, he always refused. Now this human had unknowingly drawn him back to one of his favorite pastimes. He smiled as Bella nodded slowly; she was interested in learning and she was willing to bargain moments of discomfort for the chance to learn.
They were now at the end of the tour and Bella asked Edward if she could take a thirty minute run outside. She explained her need to keep her body prepped for a healthy pregnancy. Although Edward wanted to tell Bella that she should try to find hobbies instead of focusing on getting pregnant, he did not want to impose on her beliefs.
Bella returned to her room to look through the closet; she was happy that Alice had actually bought some items on the list the Agency sent to the family. Yet she was unhappy with the liberties that Alice took with the definition of 'work-out clothing'…everything was…tight.
Even so, Bella donned her tank and running shorts; after making sure her shoelaces were secure, she went outside to start her stretches. Bella's body, which was limber and strong from years of eating properly and exercise, immediately garnered Edward's attention. His eyes were locked onto her body…the way her claves flexed as she stretched…the arch in her back as her hands reached for the sky…the naturally golden red highlights in her hair as the light hit her dark locks…. He only came to tell her to remain on the trails in sight of the mansion but he was cemented in place.
Bella was aware that Edward was looking at her but she didn't mind. She was going to have his child, which required much more intimacy than voyeurism so she only nodded when he told her to stay in sight.
Bella loved running. She loved the expansion of her lungs forcing oxygen to feed her working muscles. It was the only time she felt free...and so she slowed to a jog on her way back…if only to prolong that false sense of freedom that running afforded her. Incidentally, her slow pace allowed her to take in more of her surroundings and that's when she spotted an ornate garden near the house.
It was surreal.
She had only seen some of these flowers in books and on television; they were much more spectacular in real life. She jogged over to the garden, taking her time to lightly touch the petals and sniff each flower as she walked through.
She could feel his eyes all over her body; she turned to find Edward studying her…casually leaning against a window inside the mansion.
Edward had rationalized his voyeurism…he was simply keeping an eye on her to make sure that she didn't fall and sprain or break anything; humans were so fragile…
Seeing Bella's appreciation for his mother's garden reminded him that he had neglected the everyday beauty in things around him.
Bella sighed and walked to the house to shower and prepare for lunch. She wanted to spend more time in the garden but she needed to eat something, her stomach was grumbling.
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Once again Edward joined her in the kitchen to help with cooking lunch. They were sitting at the kitchen island as usual but Bella was suddenly silent. She seemed to have something on her mind. Edward was trying to get her to explain her sudden silence when she blurted out, "are you disappointed in me?"
"No, why would you think that?"
"Because you haven't tried to have a baby with me and the Agency said that implantation usually occurred within forty-eight hours of arrival."
Edward was quiet. He looked into her brown eyes and without thinking he replied, "Bella, is it bad that I want you to want to have my child?"
Bella cocked her head, "what do you mean? Of course I want to have your child, that's why I'm here."
Edward hung his head; he didn't have a chance against years of institutional teaching.
At that moment, Carlisle and Esme walked into the kitchen. They gave Edward a bewildered look, no doubt having overheard the conversation, but they turned their attention to Bella. They all sat and chatted while Bella ate her lunch, she was at ease telling them about her day thus far. Esme was delighted that Bella was so taken with the garden so she asked if she would help her take care of the flowers. Bella's wide smile was the only confirmation Esme needed.
The rest of the day went smoothly as Esme took time to get to know the woman who would bring her first grandchild into the world. Bella even spent time with Rosalie and Tanya who talked about the decorating the baby room. Alice had already begun designing an exclusive clothing line for the baby; she failed to take into account that the baby wasn't even conceived yet.
Bella was a little exhausted from all the chatting when Carlisle called her into the sitting room.
That night, with the family present, he gave her a beautiful platinum necklace. It was elegantly simple; demure with no ostentatious designs, only the Cullen Crest hung proudly from it.
Tears spilled from Bella's eyes when Carlisle placed it on her. She truly belonged to them and although it wasn't imprinted into her skin, it signified that the family had extended themselves to include her. She finally belonged. When Esme had been the first to hug her, she was overjoyed and hugged Esme back with the utmost sincerity. Emmett spun her around and hugged her small frame to his massive one as he welcomed her. Alice was squealing and hugging her while Carlisle, Rosalie, Jasper and Tanya were more reserved in their hugs. Edward did not attempt to hug her; he simply gave her a brilliant smile.
That night Bella retired to bed with a content heart. She was a Cullen.
She woke up in the middle of the night with a start; someone had been in her room. She could feel it…of course with vampires, it was near impossible to prove yet she quickly turned on the lamp and scanned the room. Her gaze lingered on the freshly cut flowers in the crystal vase on her nightstand; she knew who her night visitor was.
Edward had left her flowers from the garden.
Now why would he do that?