Long Way to Christmas

by That'sMzPeachesTYVM

She is brilliant and beautiful, and well respected at a very young age in her field, but she is all alone. No family. No friends outside of work. He is alone by choice, punishing himself for the sins of his past, but he has family to give him strength. Will a chance encounter, and a daily trip out of her way lead her to the family and place of belonging she so craves? AH/AU MA

8. Chapter 8

Gah! I missed my deadline, sorry but at least I am getting it out
while it is still TODAY. Right? LOL

Many thanks to Fran and my originals, Prettyflour and MrsK81.

Work has been crazy, and I am exhausted. Hope your lives are
a little less hectic than mine right now!

-LWTC-

Chapter 8

Esme fell into a full-blown giggle fit when Bella told her about Edward spanking her earlier that morning. Of course, she omitted the little part about the almost kiss.

"I'm telling you, Esme, I'm gonna find a way to get him back," she said, waving a rubber spatula for emphasis.

"I wish I could have been there to see that," Esme held her sides, laughing until tears were streaming down her face. "Maybe I'll see about sneaking in and watching the footage from the security cameras."

Bella's eyes grew wide. She hadn't stopped to think about security footage. She desperately hoped that Esme wasn't serious about watching the footage. Time to change the subject, she thought.

"So, what are we working on when we get finished with the banana cream pie?"

"I thought we might make a pumpkin roll, and pumpkin pie, then apple and pecan …" Esme side-eyed Bella, noticing her sudden change in mood. "What kind of desserts did you eat with your family, growing up?"

"With my mom, I ate whatever Hostess™ or Little Debbie™ snack was available, and of course, the ever-present fortune cookie," Bella shrugged nonchalantly. "Thanksgiving was usually a meal eaten at a restaurant, or a turkey sandwich and a frozen apple pie. When I was with Uncle Charlie and Aunt Sue, that was a whole other story." Her eyes glazed over for a moment as she thought back to happier days when Aunt Sue would let her help out in the kitchen, teaching her to can vegetables, bake desserts, chop vegetables, roast all manner of meat, and make sauces. "Aunt Sue made everything from scratch."

"Did you have Thanksgiving with them?"

"Only once that I remember clearly. When I was eleven, Renee and I spent three whole months with them. She was in-between jobs, and we had nowhere else to go. That was the best Holiday Season ever," Bella's voice was breathy with wistful longing. Esme just left her to her memories for a few moments.

Alice had filled her in on parts of Bella's rant from Sunday. She knew there was more to the story, but the fact that Bella's mother had said such horrid things to her daughter twisted and churned in Esme's tender heart. She already knew that this beautiful woman was all alone in the world; that in itself would have been enough to make her want to wrap her up in a motherly embrace … but knowing that the effects of Renee's words were still troubling Bella was enough to make her want to strangle the woman … God rest her soul.

"Does Carlisle like lemon in general, or just in my pound cake?"

Bella's question broke Esme out of her spiteful reverie.

"Oh, um …" Esme took a deep breath and shook her head to gather her thoughts, "he loves lemon meringue, and lemon bars, and lemonade … so, I guess he just likes lemon." The grin on Esme's face was comical, and Bella giggled at her.

"Then I think I'm going to make a lemon infused cheesecake with lemon curd and blueberry topping," Bella nodded with certainty. "I hope Carlisle will like it."

"I think Carlisle will love it, Bella."

Esme closed the distance between them and gave Bella another tender hug. Bella leaned into this one, and clung to her tightly, soaking in affection she hadn't experienced in years. Pieces of her heart that she thought had died off years ago seemed to breathe in new life, and for the first time in many years, Bella felt like she had come home.

-LWTC-

Thank you all for your lovely comments and for reading,
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It is very gratifying, and I am enjoying the interaction with
many of you!

*huggles*

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