I woke up the next morning, too early because it was still dark outside; to the familiar pain and taste that has been plaguing me for the past few weeks. I tried to take deep breaths through my mouth hoping that the nausea would go away on its own so that I wouldn't wake my new family. I didn't want them to worry about me; they've done enough for me by taking me in with a baby on the way. However, my stomach didn't want to cooperate with me.
I got up as fast as I could trying not to make a lot of noise and ran into the bathroom. I made it in time, but tried not to look at last night's dinner filling the bowl or else it would have made this worst.
Edward's Point of View
I watched Bella walk upstairs and had the urge to run after her and carry her to bed. She looked so drained from today. After getting a new family and possibly getting harassed by Mike Newton—although, she won't say anything about that—I'm surprised she's stayed awake for this long.
"So mom, where's the best place for maternity clothes?" Alice asked pulling me out of my thoughts about Bella.
"Hmmm, well a lot of the stores that we go to do have clothes that will fit her or hide her depending on what Bella wants." Esme answered.
"Great cause we need a plan of where to go and what to get. Will you come tomorrow mom?" Alice asked bouncing out of her seat.
"Sure, but Alice, we aren't going to be dragging Bella into every store. We need to keep her calm and relaxed as much as possible, so Edward no more tickle fights like that again." She answered and scolded me.
"Yes ma'am." I chuckled.
"Maybe we should bring the guys. They need some new clothes too and Bella can spend some time together with her new family." Rosalie said.
The guys and I groaned at the thought, but this would give me some time to keep an eye on Bella and to spend time with her.
"Mom, do we have to?" Jasper whined which earned him a slap from Alice.
"Carlisle, what do you think?" Esme asked giving him the smile that says 'I dare you to disagree with me'.
"I think that's a brilliant idea. If Bella feels tired then she can be traded off and not be alone, but we shouldn't crowd her. She's not use to being around so many people, so take it slow with her." Man, he was whipped.
Jasper, Emmett, and I agreed reluctantly. After about another hour of watching TV, mom and dad decided to head off to bed and told us not to stay up so late.
"Ok, since I'm going to be dragged around tomorrow like a rag doll; I'm going to bed." I announced after mom and dad closed their door.
"See ya bro, and remember which bedroom is yours." Emmett smirked.
"What do you mean by that, Emmett?" I asked stopping my climb up the stairs.
"Come on Edward, we've seen how you've been eyeing Bella since you've first saw her. You like her more than a sister." Jasper replied with that same smirk that everyone else was giving me now.
"Hey, I do not. I'm just trying to be a big brother to her. She's been through enough, and I'm sure being pregnant isn't helping her very much. You've seen what happened today when she gets pushed too far. I'm not letting her get that way again." I answered immediately regretting that I chose to answer instead of ignoring them.
"Liar, liar, pants of fire." Alice sang.
"Whatever, I'm going to bed. My bed." I replied heading back upstairs before anything else could be said.
They were right though, I did have feelings for Bella that were much more than what a brother should feel towards his little sister. I couldn't forget the fact that she was pregnant by another man, but she wasn't broken. You could tell that by the way you look at her. She would be a strong mother; she already is by choosing to keep this baby even though she's sixteen. Maybe that's why I'm so drawn to her; not only her looks, but also her personality. She looks like a kitten, but acts like a lioness.
I got into bed thinking about my little lioness and the cub she's carrying. Would Bella feel the same way for me or does she still desire the man who gave her the baby in the first place. No, how could she? He left her with a baby and has made it clear that he doesn't want her, but does he know about the baby and would he want it? I dearly hoped not because no one in this family wanted that; especially me.
I woke up to the sound of a bedroom door being heavily swung open and bare feet padding down the hall. It takes me a few seconds to recognize that it's Bella's room and probably Bella running down the hall, but why? It's almost five in the morning, why would she… "Uh oh." I muttered out loud while running out of my room.
I was met by a worried little pixie outside the bathroom door.
"Is she ok?" Alice whispered to me.
"What do you think?" I answered her.
She caught on quick on what was happening.
"Is everything ok up here?" Jasper asked while coming up the stairs followed by Emmett and Rosalie.
A noise from the bathroom answered his question. We all cringed at the sound.
Rosalie moved to the door and knocked on it.
"Bella, it's us; are you alright?" She asked.
When there was no reply Rosalie knocked again. Still no answer, so she slowly opened the door enough to poke her head in. I looked from behind her and saw Bella lying on the cold floor curled up holding her stomach. Before I could say anything Rosalie and Alice rushed in to her side.
"Alice, get a cool cloth for her head." Rosalie ordered.
"I'm sorry I woke you guys up." Bella said weakly.
"Don't worry about it, Bella; we're always here for you." Rosalie said while putting the cloth on Bella's forehead.
The poor girl looked exhausted and utterly pale like death. She looked so weak that I'm not sure how she would be able to pick herself up without help.
"Feeling any better?" Alice asked.
"A little," She answered, "Can you help me get to the sink to brush my teeth?"
Rose and Alice nodded their heads and picked her up. I was right about her being weak, she was mostly relying on Alice and Rose to support her weight.
The guys and I waited out in the hall; I felt totally helpless. I hated to see Bella like that and so did the others, but we didn't know what we could do to help. Finally, the girls came out; this time Bella looked a little better than she had a few minutes ago, but she was still relying on the girls' help for support. How could she have handled this alone before she came to us?
I decided to do the only I could do. I scooped her up before she could protest, but I didn't think that was very likely because she was literally asleep on her feet already.
Alice walked ahead of me to pull the covers back more so I could set her down. Rosalie stepped in front of me to cover her up.
"Wait Rose, look at her arm." Jasper whispered.
Rosalie stopped what she was doing and looked at Bella's arm as we all did. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Her shoulder was a purplish color in the shape of human finger prints.
"What the heck happened?" Alice asked as Rose carefully touched the marks. Bella only moved a little from the touch.
The marks looked too small to be made by a woman comparing to the size of Rosalie's fingers.
"Mike Newton." I growled putting the puzzle pieces together.
"What does Newton have to do with her bruises, Edward?" Emmett asked.
"Remember how Bella acted around him and him to her after the game? How much do you want to bet that he gave her those bruises?" I answered.
They all got what I was thinking, but Bella started to stir, so Alice gestured for us to leave before we lost our tempers; but I didn't want to leave this vulnerable creature unattended.
Against my better judgment, I did; but not before I pulled the blanket up to her shoulders then kissed her on the forehead. I wasn't sure why I did it; I guess I wanted to give her a gentle touch from someone who cared for her unlike the indecent excuse for a guy who gave her such harmful marks.
We all met up in Alice's bedroom to talk.
"Could it really have been Mike, Edward?" Jasper asked holding Alice like he was going to lose her.
I began to pace the room thinking if Newton could have done such a thing, but I knew how much of a player he was. Always chasing after girls who were beautiful and Bella fit his category above all the other girls at our school. I don't think I've ever seen him turned down before. Bella must have done just that and his ego couldn't handle the rejection.
"I would say that it was a definite, Jazz." I sighed not really happy with my own conclusions, but they stuck all too well.
"I say we go get him and kick his ass all the way back to the California coast where he came from." Emmett said cracking his large knuckles in his fist.
Rosalie grabbed his hands to relax him which worked a little. "We should keep them apart and let Bella come to us if she wants to talk. She's already been through enough, but this would send her over the edge." She explained.
"She's right. We all saw what happened to Bella. It's not healthy for her or the baby if she becomes like that again." Alice agreed.
We all nodded our heads in agreement.
"Why don't we go to bed and try to get some sleep. Edward, Alice, listen for Bella in case she needs us again." Rosalie said.
Alice and I nodded.
"Should we tell mom and dad about this?" Emmett asked.
We all looked at each other trying to decide if we should. This was something completely foreign to us, but at the same time we needed Bella to gain our trust as her new family. I didn't want her to become so distant again.
"We should tell them if this becomes worst, but for now I think we can handle it on our own." I said.
Again they all nodded in agreement.
Not long after that we decided to head to bed. I was the first out because Jasper was re-tucking Alice back into bed and Emmett was trying to convince Rosalie to sleep with him tonight, but Rose said that she wasn't in the mood and needed her sleep. He was about to protest when she gave him the look that says 'try it and you're dead'. He shut right up.
When I got back into bed, I looked at the clock. It was quarter to six. I hoped that Bella would sleep well and fell asleep thinking about that beautiful angel.
Bella's Point of View
After the girls helped me stand up long enough to brush my teeth, they helped me to walk out of the bathroom; but I could barely keep my strength up even with them supporting my wait. I only vaguely remember Edward coming up to me and carrying me bridal style to my room. No matter how much I wanted to protest I just couldn't. I fell asleep in his arms before he laid me down in my bed.
I settled into a dreamless sleep waking up later in the morning by a delicious smell coming from somewhere in the house.
At first I was worried that the smell was going to cause another round of nausea, but my stomach seemed fine. The baby was even fine for he/she gave me a kick and then my stomach growled for the need to fill it after dumping its contents this morning.
I slowly got up and looked in the mirror to see how bad I looked. Despite the bruises on my shoulder I didn't look that bad. I threw my hair up in a pony-tail and slipped on my sweatshirt before following the delicious smell out of my room.
The scent led me to the kitchen where I saw Esme cooking over the stove and Carlisle at the island cutting up some fruit.
"Morning." I said when they didn't notice me.
"Good morning Bella. How did you sleep?" Esme asked turning to face me with a warm smile on her face.
"Fairly well." I answered truthfully.
"Morning sickness didn't bother you too much?" Carlisle asked raising an eyebrow at me.
Shoot, they knew.
"I woke everyone else up and they had to help me get back to bed, but I'm fine now." I answered. I was just hungry.
"Tell us if you feel that way again just in case." He replied.
"Yes, Dr. Cullen." I joked.
"Speaking of which, Bella, I set up an appointment with you for a check up on Tuesday after school. Is that alright with you?" He asked handing me a glass of orange juice.
"That'll be great. Thanks." I replied taking a sip.
"My pleasure."
"Bella, breakfast will be ready soon; would you mind getting the others up?" Esme asked pulling out the eggs from the refrigerator.
"No problem." I answered setting down my cup and grabbing a cut up strawberry. Carlisle just chuckled at me while I walked away.
I first made my way to the second floor, but I wasn't sure whose bedroom was whose on this floor. I knocked on the first closed door, but didn't hear anyone moving only loud snoring that sounded like a bear. I opened the door to see a very tired Emmett sprawled all over his bed with his blankets tangled around his legs.
"Emmett." I called from the door. He didn't respond.
I walked up to him and shook his shoulder. "Emmett, time for breakfast." I tried again.
"Please Rose, show me more." He mumbled. I wasn't sure to laugh or gag.
"EMMETT!" I shouted at him.
"What?" He jumped into a sitting position looking for trouble, but he smiled when he saw me. "Morning little mama." He yawned.
I laughed at his little nickname. "Morning, time for breakfast." I replied.
"Oh great I'm starving." He said.
"We both are, so save us some will ya?" I joked rubbing my stomach.
"Morning little guy." He stroked my stomach. "Hey, how about I go wake up Rosalie; you should not have to deal with that just yet."
"Sure, I'll get the others." I accepted.
We left his room and went our separate ways down the hall. I found Jasper's room and knocked, but heard light snoring from the other side. I opened the door to find Jasper under his blankets with his head underneath his pillow.
I walked up as quietly as possible and sat down on his bed as gently as I could.
"Jasper." I said shaking him a little by the shoulder.
He slowly moved his head from under his pillow to see who was waking him up. He smiled when he saw me.
"Come on, time for breakfast." I said.
He groaned but rolled over onto his back to sit up.
"Sleep alright?" He asked through his yawn.
"Yeah, thanks. How about you?" I asked back.
"Pretty well." He replied.
"Come on you two. Mom is making me wait until everyone is downstairs to eat breakfast." Emmett boomed coming into the doorframe with a still sleepy-looking Rosalie standing behind him.
I got up to allow Jasper to get up too then proceeded up the third flight of stairs to the last of the Cullen's.
I stopped at Alice's door first and knocked. I heard nothing on the other side. I opened the door to find Alice sleeping soundly like a little child. I sat on her bed and gently shook her.
"Alice, mom says it's time for breakfast." I said.
She moaned then shot straight up which scared me.
"Morning Bella. Hi sprout. I'm sorry did I scare you?" How can she be such a morning person so quickly?
"I'm fine, Alice. Sleep well?" I asked.
"Yeah, how about you? Feeling any better?" She asked back.
I blushed at what happened this morning, "Yeah, thanks. Come on, Emmett's hungry and mom won't let him eat until we're…" Before I could finish that sentence I heard Edward shriek and the guys all running down the stairs laughing.
"Wait till I catch up with you two. You are so dead!" Edward was yelling after them.
Alice and I walked out to the hall and were met by a hysterical Rosalie.
"Bucket of cold water again?" Alice asked coming up behind me.
Rose could only answer with a nod for she was still laughing her head off.
We all were laughing together as we made our way downstairs. I was behind the others, walking slowly so as not to trip.
When I was walking towards the kitchen Edward came in from the laundry room slipping his arms through a new shirt. I caught sight of his impressive six pack abs and couldn't help but stare. Even when he put his shirt on, I still couldn't take my eyes off of him.
"See something you like?" He asked with a smirk bringing me out of my trance.
"Sorry." I blushed and joined the others in the kitchen.
Edward passed me and gave me a crooked smile that made my heart melt. "You look pretty hot yourself; especially when you blush." I couldn't help but blush more when he said that.
"Bella, are you too warm dear?" Esme asked, "Maybe you should take off your sweatshirt."
I giggled and saw that Edward was trying so hard not to laugh.
"I'm fine." I answered and started to make a plate for myself. Suddenly another craving was hitting me hard.
"Do you mind if I make a smoothie?" I asked.
"Not at all, the blender is on the counter behind you." Esme pointed out.
I pulled out what fruit and yogurt I wanted and put them in the blender.
"Hey Bella, can you make some extra?" Rosalie asked as I was looking in the cupboards for my last and most important ingredient.
"I don't think you would find my recipe very appetizing." I answered after finding the peanut butter which made everyone stop and look at me with faces of disgust—except for Esme and Carlisle who just chuckled.
"Bella, you aren't seriously going to drink that are you?" Alice asked when it was all blended together.
I didn't answer her, I figure I better show her and the fact that I couldn't wait to satisfy the craving any more.
"Mmmm." I melted into the satisfying taste then grabbed my full plate in my other hand and walked to the table where everyone else was watching me with disbelieve.
"What?" I asked sitting down and feeling uncomfortable about all the attention I was getting.
"I seriously can't believe that you are enjoying that." Emmett exclaimed.
"Do you want to try? It's delicious." I asked.
"Heck no, I think I'll be seeing it again if I try it." He answered.
"Do you mind if I have the rest, Bella?" Esme asked which turned the group's attention away from me.
"Sure, I probably shouldn't even have this anyway. Not healthy right?" I said.
"Well, you did put fruit and yogurt into it; but maybe you should have gone a little lighter with the peanut butter." Carlisle answered sitting down in his spot at the head of the table.
After everyone got over their disgust of watching me and Esme drinking our smoothies we mostly ate in silence. Except for the grunts and groans Emmett was making while eating.
"Emmett, can't you remember your manners at the table?" Esme scolded.
"Sorry mom, but I'm hungry and I don't know when I'll be able to get another meal in when we're out today if Alice just drags us from store to store not stop." He answered glaring at his little sister who was glaring back at him.
"We won't have worry about that, Emmett. You still have me in tow remember? I won't be able to keep with you for long if Alice is as bad as I think she is in the mall." I said.
"How ever you think about Alice while shopping double that." Jasper replied giving me a small grin which earned him a glare from Alice.
"Ok, stop bad-mouthing me and hurry up. Bella, Rose and I will see you in your room in ten minutes. Don't be late." Alice ordered jumping out of her chair and dancing out of the room after putting her plate in the dishwasher with Rosalie following after her.
I rolled my eyes and continued to eat my breakfast. I didn't feel like being controlled today, so I would ignore them.
"Bella, are you going up there or not? If you aren't then that would be a bad move on your part." Edward smirked.
I glared at him while taking a drink of my smoothie.
"I'm already going shopping with her even though I don't really want to; the least she can do is not play dress-up-Barbie-Bella this morning." I retorted.
"Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Emmett said earning him a head slap by his brothers.
I sighed hating my hormones.
"Don't worry Bella, we'll keep an eye on Alice and reel her in if she starts going overboard. That's why the others are coming too." Esme assured me picking up my empty plate and glass.
"Thanks." I sighed again not really looking forward to today for I already felt tired.
"The best thing you can do to be on her good side is to follow her orders. Trust me on that." Jasper said giving me a wink.
"Do I have to?" I pouted. They all nodded their heads. I wasn't going to get out of this one.
By the time I reached the final step of the stairs, Alice and Rosalie grabbed my arms and pushed me into the bathroom with a towel ordering me to take a shower.
I made sure to take my time relaxing under the hot water and letting it fall on my small but bloated stomach. I swear my baby was kicking with joy.
"Bella, come on hurry up." Alice yelled through the door.
"Sorry sprout, but Aunty Alice's orders." I cooed shutting off the water.
The baby responded by giving me a hard kick in reply. I rubbed the spot where it kicked to soothe it. "I know, I know." I laughed before opening the door to await my doom.
About an hour later, I was dried, dressed, and beautified—as Alice put it. They had me wearing a dress from my collection because it was the only thing that would decently fit; they weren't so happy about the idea, but thought it looked cute on me overall. It was a deep blue turtleneck sweater dress. They also gave me black leggings—again from Esme's wardrobe—and blue flats that had blue gems on the toes.
My hair was done in loose curls while my make up was again light, but made my skin glow (or was it my pregnancy?).
Finally, they released me so they could go get ready. I walked downstairs to the living room where Esme was on the couch cuddled up with Carlisle each had a book in their hands. The boys were all playing a video game until they heard me and turned my way.
They whistled which made me blush and want to run away.
"You look pretty, Bella." Esme said looking at me as was Carlisle.
"Thanks." I said then went to sit on the loveseat to watch others play.
I wasn't really paying attention to the video game and was starting to wish that I had brought down my book to occupy my time until I saw the other girls coming down the stairs. Like me, they caught the attention of the guys.
Alice was wearing skinny dark blue jeans with a flower patterned long sleeved shirt that hugged her upper body and a red jacket over the top. Rosalie was wearing a purple mini skirt with white leggings and a white shirt that showed her every curve and some cleavage with a light wash jean jacket over the top. Both were wearing three inch heels which I would never try pregnant or not.
"Man, I think we have a competition of who takes the beauty crown." Emmett joked looking at Rosalie.
Jasper was looking at Alice who was giggling uncontrollably. I looked at Edward to find him staring at me making me feel uncomfortable, but somehow flattered at the same time.
"Hmm. Hard call, but we should get going before some of us fall asleep." Carlisle said while helping Esme up from the couch. I had a feeling who he was referring too, but I decided not to say anything.
We took two cars; Esme, Edward, and I in Carlisle's car while everyone else in Rosalie's convertible.
I must have dozed off on the way over because I open my eyes to find my head on Edward's shoulder with him arm wrapped around me.
"Are pregnant women always so tired?" He joked.
"Well, I do have a twenty-four/seven job." I joked back.
We pulled into the parking lot to the mall which was smaller than the ones in Phoenix—not that I've really gone in them much before.
Before Esme and I took off our seatbelts, the men were out of the car and walked swiftly to our sides. It felt a little silly when Edward helped me out, but thought differently as the other men did the same thing to their ladies.
"We raise our boys to be gentlemen." Esme answered my unanswered question.
"Oh Bella, before we forget…this is for you." Carlisle said handing me a purple cell phone.
"I programmed all the numbers in it for you. You can call or text us whenever you need us." Alice said jumping up and down.
"Thank you." I said trying to fight the tears again.
"Hey, none of that; we're here to have fun." Alice scolded.
"Don't blame me; I have no control over my emotions anymore." I retorted.
"Enough you two, now for the first two hours we will be shopping for clothes then for whatever we want. Agreed?" Esme asked.
We all nodded our heads in agreement, Alice didn't look too happy about the arrangements; I have a feeling she could go a lot longer.
"Ok, come one. We're wasting time." Alice said grabbing my arm, but Esme stood in front of her before she got too far away.
"Mary Alice Cullen, we could always go home if you're going to act like this." She said crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Sorry Bella, I'm just not use to only shopping for two hours." Alice said.
"It's ok, Alice, just don't make me run." I said with a laugh making her laugh too.
The two hours went by pretty fast and I actually found myself having fun. We had to let the boys run free because they wouldn't sit still while we changed. Although, Edward and Carlisle stayed with us until we decided to go to Victoria Secret—I don't think Carlisle wouldn't have mind coming in if it was just Esme though.
Esme was a great big help with Alice and Rosalie about the clothes. She found clothes that didn't make my stomach stick out too much, but I would grow more in the next few months. I would just have to deal with that when the time came.
"Sorry girls, but times up for the clothes." Esme announced.
I almost jumped for joy when she did.
"But mom, we've only gone into like three stores. Five more minutes please?" Alice begged looking like a sad puppy that I don't think anyone could ignore.
"No Alice." Esme said firmly. Apparently, it doesn't work on moms all the time.
"How about we go for ice cream?" Rosalie suggested.
"I'm up for that." I said. I was getting hungry again, and ice cream really, really sounded good with peanut butter and chocolate of course.
"Sounds good, I'll call the boys and tell them to meet us there." Esme said while fishing her cell phone out of her purse.
"Ok Bella, get out of those and give them to me." Alice said pushing me back into the dressing room.
I couldn't believe how tired I was, although, I did think some of the things I was forced to try on were pretty cute. Then I saw the price tags on a few which blew my mind away, but none of them listened to me when I told them that this was too much for me. I gave up at the first store.
The boys were already seated at a large table talking to each other. They also got sundaes for each of us. I recognized the one next to Edward to be mine for it had both peanut butter and chocolate in it.
"How did you guess what I wanted?" I asked when I sat down next to him.
"Lucky guess." He shrugged.
"Finally, she's eating something that looks delicious." Emmett said while I was taking the first bite.
I smirked at him, but continued eating.
"So where do you all want to go to now?" Carlisle asked sharing a sundae with Esme.
"I haven't been to my favorite accessory store yet today. Rose, want to come?" Alice asked.
"Sure, Bella, what about you?" She asked me.
"Um, I kind of wanted to go looking for a bookstore." I said quietly knowing what Alice's reaction was going to be.
"A bookstore?" She questioned.
"Why not Alice? Edward and I were going to go to one down the street. If you're up to it, Bella, can come with us." Jasper offered.
"I am and thanks." Mostly for getting me away from the shopoholic pixie. Thank god for brothers.
Once our sundaes were finished, we all went out to the cars to put away our bags. I only had four, but the other women had eight each. The guys, I had to laugh, had two or three at the most. Alice did not look happy about that.
Finally, Edward, Jasper, and I got away from Alice and started to make the short walk away from the crowded mall into a quieter part of town. It was a cloudy, cool day; but I was still content. Still not really use to the climate change, but the heat back in Arizona drove me crazy when I found out I was pregnant. Stupid hot flashes.
I was even happier when we got to the bookstore; we were the only one's there besides the clerk behind the desk.
I wondered over to the classical section, there was one that I've always wanted to read and I hoped they had it. Edward followed me and started to paw through the books like me.
I found the book that I wanted after much digging, but it was too high for me to reach. I decided to be brave and climb the ladder—not like I was afraid of it—though everyone just told me to be careful with heights.
I made sure Edward wasn't looking at me as I climbed up. Once I got my book I felt someone grab my hips; I froze afraid of who it was that was holding onto me.
"Bella, get down carefully." A smooth velvet voice commanded that instantly calmed my nerves.
I followed his order and climbed down with the book still in my hand while he was held me steady.
When I was down on the ground again he didn't let me go, but spun me around to face him. He wasn't happy, and neither was I.
"May I ask why you did that?" He asked.
"I wanted to get a book, but I had to use the ladder to reach it. I'm fine; don't get so mean." I retorted. I was getting angry that he was so overprotective.
"Bella, mom said not to climb things and what you did was unnecessary. I could have helped you." He was trying to calm me down, but it wasn't working.
"So? There will be times, and were times when no one was around to help me, that I have to do things by myself." I retorted my voice getting a little higher than necessary.
"I know Bella, but we—your family—don't want you or the baby to get hurt. We care about you too much." He reached up to stroke my cheek. The electricity that went through our skin was so warm and comforting; just like him. I couldn't help but calm down.
"Thanks." I whispered. His touch felt differently than the first time he touched my face. I think I was beginning to decipher it between those who had hurt me to the ones who care for me.
"Your welcome, just don't do that again or at least not without someone standing near to help." He smiled.
"Hey, did you two…um…am I interrupting something here?" Jasper asked walking around the corner.
"No, did you find anything in particular." Edward asked taking his hand from my cheek.
"Couple of history books, one about Lincoln's assassins and the other about General Lee." He answered looking a bit smug.
I didn't understand it, but Edward sneered back at him.
"Um…you like history?" I asked trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, the civil war is my favorite. I also like psychology too. How about you?" Thankfully he took the line I tossed him.
"I like the classics; I picked up 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'." I answered.
"What about you, Edward?" Jasper asked looking a bit smug again.
"Hamlet." He answered flatly.
"You two sure do have a lot in common." Jasper noted then walked off.
"What was all that about?" I asked quietly in case Jasper was still within hearing range.
"Nothing, he and Emmett like to pick on me because I'm the little brother." He answered giving me a small smile. "Ready to go?"
I nodded my head; I was starting to get a little more tired than I was before I came into the store.
Edward grabbed my book and ran up to the counter, I presume, to pay for it. He saw how much I hated it when people buy things for me, so that's why, I assumed, he raced me to the cashier knowing I wouldn't catch him in time which was true. He handed me my book when I caught up to him and Jasper at the counter with a smirk on his face. I glared at him, but didn't say anything.
We walked out of the store and down the street without saying anything. Seeing that we were the first ones at the car, we leaned against it and waited. I shut my eyes just to relax and felt my self drooping until I realized that I was sliding down. I opened my eyes to find both Edward and Jasper holding me up.
"Are you ok?" Jasper asked.
"Yeah, just a little tired." I answered getting back to my feet.
"A little, Bella you can barely stand up by yourself." Edward said sounding concern probably reminded of what happened this morning.
"I'm fine, Edward. I'll take a nap on the way home before dinner." I replied.
Jasper let go of me, but Edward kept his arm lightly around my waist. I opened my book to kill time and to try to stay awake. I only got pass the first few pages of the introduction when the guys stiffened up. I looked to see them staring at Mike Newton who was heading into the mall along with another girl who had light brown curly hair and too much make up smeared on her face. When Mike saw me, he winked then put his arm around his girl's shoulders which she melted into.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts of him and went back to my book before the tears could come down. Edward tightened his grip around my waist and I relaxed somewhat.
A few minutes later, Jasper stood up and smiled. I followed his gaze to see the others coming from the mall. I smiled too at the sight, but laughed when I saw the girls holding at least nine bags each.
On the way home, I did fall asleep again; but when I woke up I was in my bed with my clothes still on. It was five o'clock at night and my stomach was calling for my attention.
I made my way downstairs to find only Edward laying on the couch reading his new book. He smiled when he saw me coming down.
"Hey little mama; sleep well?" He asked.
"Yeah, did you carry me upstairs?" I asked.
"Yup, you were so out of it when we got back that mom and dad wouldn't let anyone wake you up." He answered.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
"Carlisle was called in for an emergency an hour ago and mom wanted to put in some volunteer hours in the hospital's nursery. Everyone else went on their 'date night'." He answered.
"So you got stuck babysitting your pregnant little sister who isn't very little I might add." I joked sitting down next to him.
He put his book down and sat up to look directly into my eyes.
"Bella, you are perfect in every way; don't doubt yourself." He said.
I could only nod my head for his brilliant green eyes dazzled me to the point where nothing was coherent.
"Are you hungry because I am?" He said bringing me back to reality and to where I was aiming to go in the first place.
"Yeah, what do you want?" I asked.
"I'm sure we can find something. I'm kind of wanting chicken salad though." He answered.
"That sounds really good." I said.
"Going to put any chocolate or peanut butter in it?" He joked.
I shoved his shoulder. "No, that does sound disgusting; even to me." I retorted.
"Alright, you stay here and I'll go make dinner." He offered, but I didn't want special treatment.
"No, I want to help." I said not giving him the option to change my mind.
He rolled his eyes and helped me up.
We made and ate our dinner in comfortable silence. I had to admit, it was easy to be around Edward. He was becoming my favorite brother, and yet I was sensing more than that from him and me as well. Could I be attracted to him? I already thought of licking chocolate syrup off of him once, but that could have been hormones. Then again, I didn't think about that with either Jasper or Emmett.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked halfway through dinner.
I didn't want to tell him what I really thought of him so I lied, "Nothing." But I knew he would not fall for it; I was so bad at lying.
"Come on, tell me." He said putting his fork down giving me his full attention which I didn't want.
"Nothing." I pressed with a little attitude to get him off my back. Ok, now that was the hormones talking. "I'm sorry, I just…"
"It's ok, I should be sorry. I shouldn't have pressured you like that." He said picking his fork back up and began eating again. He didn't look hurt by my little outburst.
"You seem to be getting use to my emotional roller coaster." I joked trying to lighten the mood.
He didn't reply, but did laugh at my little joke.
"So…um…how's Hamlet?" I asked.
"Pretty interesting, have you ever read it?" He asked.
"No, but I've always wanted to." I answered.
"Our school will be doing a production of Hamlet in two weeks, would you like to go with me?" Was he asking me out on a date?
"Will the others want to come with us?" I asked trying to clarify if it really is a date.
"Jasper and Alice might, but Rosalie and Emmett don't really care for Shakespeare that much. Mom and dad, I don't know if they would or not." He shrugged. Ok, so maybe it wasn't a date.
We only made small talk while we finished dinner. We didn't talk at all while we loaded the dishwasher. Afterwards, we went to the living room to start reading our books. I lounged on the couch to get lost into my book.
"Bella." Edward said before I even opened my book.
"Yes Edward, what do you need now?" I asked a little annoyed about the delay.
"Your feet are swollen, should I call Carlisle or Esme?" He doesn't know that this always happens to women in the same predicament as me?
"No Edward, pregnant women's feet always swell up. It's completely natural." I said opening my book.
When I felt my feet being picked up, I didn't look up for I knew who was doing it. "What are you doing?" I asked still not looking up.
"Just making sure you are comfortable." He answered. I got curious and looked over the book to see him smiling crookedly with both my feet in his lap, but he didn't have his book.
"You do know that mom told you not to tickle your pregnant sister." I said while raising my eyebrow.
"I'm not going to tickle your feet." He said and began to rub one of my feet starting from the bottom.
Oh my god, it felt so good that I dropped my book on my chest and melted into the pleasuring comfort that was spreading through my body.
"Feeling better?" He asks.
"Yes." I groaned and didn't care.