Bred
By MoneyTunes10
Chapter Six
No one wears rejection well, Tanya included. She sat in the back of the car, stunned at the turn of events. She replayed every moment in which she was near Edward and she could not pinpoint when she slipped. She was always so careful to avoid her human memories in Edward's presence. Apparently she had failed. She didn't even think about Bella's fate.
The entire incident disturbed Bella. Now that Tanya was gone, was she supposed to have Emmett's and Rosalie's baby? They were dependant on her experience with Edward and Tanya before they made their decision. Maybe Edward would not be opposed to being a single father. She would have to ask him. She would also assure him that she would remain to help him take care of the baby, for as long as he wanted.
Bella was still in Edward's arms while she entertained these thoughts. Her forehead puckered in concentration as Edward smiled as he looked at her.
He wanted to question her but she began to move out of his arms. He hadn't realized it, but their embrace was very intimate and his family was still in the room. She blushed as he settled her on the couch next to him. She looked uncomfortable as the crease between her brows deepened, "so what happens now?"
Carlisle and Esme looked at Bella with concern in their eyes. Bella was a victim in all of this and they knew that she was set on having children. The family needed to talk about how they were going get her involved in other activities.
Edward was inspired by his parents' thoughts and stood offering his hand to Bella, "it's been an exciting day, why don't we start your piano lessons." He thought the feel of the piano keys underneath their fingers would soothe her.
The piano seemed daunting to Bella. She felt Edward next to her on the piano bench and leaned slightly to get some comfort from him. His voice was soothing as he explained the nuances of playing. He made it sound like a romance between the player's fingers and the piano.
Edward played for her, his fingers moved devotedly across the keys as his eyes fluttered close and his lips parted. Bella remained fixated on the rapture that was apparent on his face. She was not familiar with what he was playing but his music had a life of its own. It was instinctive for her to lean into him, her eyes closed as she took a breath. He smelled divine, his scent beckoned to her, willing her to move closer.
"Bella…"
Her heart accelerated as her eyes flew open. Edward had stopped playing and was looking at her. His eyes roamed over her face, her flushed cheeks, her parted lips and her heady scent all make him gulp the venom that pooled in his mouth.
Bella quickly turned her body to face the piano. At some point in her trance, she had angled her entire body towards Edward. She could feel the flush on her cheeks as she tried to use her hair as a shield but Edward ran his cool hand through her dark locks to expose her face.
"Why don't you place your hands on top of mine to get a feel for the keys…once yet get more comfortable, we can start learning a few pieces," Edward didn't know what happened but he was taken back with his reaction to Bella. She had been in his presence for only a weekend and he was drowning himself in her.
The pair remained at the piano simply feeling out the keys for a long time before Bella finally spoke.
"I didn't know vampires could separate from their mates as easily as you did with Tanya."
Edward feared Bella's reaction to his divorce from Tanya because of what it meant for her future. He never expected to broach the subject today of all days but he didn't want Bella to be left in the dark.
"Tanya and I weren't mates Bella. I'm sure they taught you that when a vampire finds their mate, they are permanently altered and nothing can sever that bond. I felt none of those things for Tanya."
"So you were never in love with her?"
"I've never had the pleasure of knowing love. What about you Bella, have you ever fallen in love with someone?"
They had abandoned the piano and were facing each other now. Bella gave Edward a curious stare before a laugh escaped her lips. She thought he was joking with her, "I'm not allowed to fall in love."
Edward kept his reaction to her revelation hidden, "Bella, sometimes you can't help who you fall in love with. No one needs permission to fall in love. It's sometimes hard to find but when it happens, it's as natural as breathing for you."
The conversation was approaching dangerous grounds; Edward was confronting some ideas that the Agency must have given Bella so he was grateful when he heard Emmett approaching them.
"Hey Bella, you any good yet?"
Emmett's large frame leaned against the door as he looked at the pair with amused eyes. He wanted to invite Bella to join him at work on Monday but he didn't know how Edward was going to react. Edward's encouraging smile gave him the affirmation he needed.
"Well since it's my first lesson, I'm still terrible." Her smile was infectious and both Edward and Emmett grinned at her.
"Don't sweat it, Edward here is the master of the piano, he'll have you playing with your eyes closed in no time," there was a long pause before Emmett continued, "so I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me tomorrow. I'm going to be at the store during the day and I have a practice game in the evening. I'm sure you'd have more fun with me than hanging out here."
Bella gave Edward a questioning glance, asking if it was alright with him. She took his heartening look as a yes and her face lit up. "That sounds great Emmett!"
Bella was excited for the remainder of the evening. Edward helped her with dinner and he had to encourage her to finish her meal. She was so busy chatting with Emmett about their upcoming day, that she would only take a few bites every ten minutes. Edward had to finally ask Emmett to leave so Bella could finish dinner.
She was tired by the end of the day, but she tossed and turned when she was finally under the covers. The anxiety was building in her. She didn't understand her attachment to Edward. She was looking forward to having children for Edward, but with Tanya gone, that was out of the question. Now that she was going to be spending the day with Emmett, she wondered if he and Rosalie would want her to have their baby.
Soon the long day caught up with her and she drifted off into a tumultuous sleep. Her dream turned into a nightmare where she couldn't find Edward. She was asking him to free her but he never answered.
She was happy when she woke up at dawn. There was much more activity than she was used to as everyone got ready for work. She was almost done with breakfast by the time Emmett came looking for her. He was accompanied by suit-clad Edward and Bella nearly dropped her spoon. She quickly focused on her oatmeal when she felt herself blush. This earned a chuckle from Mrs. Cope, who was keeping her company in the kitchen.
"You ready for an honest day's work Bella?" Emmett's booming voice and grin settled Bella's nerves immensely. She quickly got her jacket and followed Emmett towards his SUV; she was aware of Edward's presence shadowing her and it did not surprise her when he opened her door. Edward watched as Bella buckled her seatbelt before he leaned in, "be careful."
That was all he said before shutting the door and walking to his car. He entered swiftly as Carlisle got into the passenger side, soon their car sped away. Bella was still dazed from Edward's scent when she glanced over to see Rosalie giving Emmett a deep kiss. The blatant display of affection caused her to focus on Alice's yellow Porsche as she and Jasper left for the day. Esme was standing at the front door looking fondly as her family members departed; she gave Bella a wave and a smile of encouragement after Rosalie and Emmett finally stopped kissing.
Bella did surprisingly well at Emmett's sporting goods store. She was attentive as his human employee, Michael, explained the inner workings of the store.
The customers took to her immediately, not because she was beautiful, but because she was genuine. Most of the customers, whether they were vampires, humans or hybrids knew more about the products than Bella. Yet she always seemed to get them to chat with her about their plans for their purchases. They never got frustrated or annoyed because her curiosity and attentiveness lured them into telling her stories about their trip into the wilderness.
Michael was impressed with Bella too. He had never met a human who was a Substitute and he always thought the women in that profession were dim-witted. His assessment was made without much knowledge of these women so knowing that they were children and grew up with indoctrinated beliefs changed his opinion drastically. His entire day with Bella taught him that she was very intelligent. These women were taught multiple subject matters to make it easier to adapt and connect to their families. They were well versed in many topics; the downfall was that they lacked experiences to accompany their knowledge. Thus he was impressed that Bella was curious enough to lure customers into sharing their experiences with her.
He silently hoped to see Bella again after she left with Emmett.
Bella was very excited about baseball practice. Emmett wanted to start Bella with the youngest hybrids, so she would be helping him with the five and six year old boys. She began by helping them tie their laces or fix their helmets. Although she was sure they didn't need helmets, Emmett enforced that it was important for them to practice safety.
Bella was their biggest fan; she cheered every time they hit the ball. They moved around the field too quickly for her human eyes but she cheered nonetheless. She was always at the home plate where she was suppose to be calling the play; most of the time they ran into her outstretched arms squealing in glee. She got knocked over several times and bruises started to bloom on her arms and torso…she was too engrossed to notice.
After practice, she helped the kids pack up their supplies and wait for their parents or nannies while Emmett remained inside the locker room preparing the upcoming schedules. The children were all fond of her and had all taken to calling her Coach Bella…even though she played more than she coached that day.
She watched as other Substitutes or vampire mothers came to take their kids home. She felt a deep rift in her, hollowing her out. She never interacted with real children; the Agency only used life-like dolls to train them. Now that she spent an entire afternoon with real children, she yearned for them. The worst part was that she wanted them for herself; she didn't want to give them up…