Chapter 15 (Bella)
Airport Surprises!
I heard Maci rustling through the baby monitor as I flipped the pancakes I had made for breakfast. "Molly, will you please come watch these while I go get your sister before she wakes Noah?" I asked my gorgeous little girl who was reading a book she had bought yesterday while she waited on breakfast.
"Sure, Mama." She said as she slid her bookmark into place while pushing her kitchen chair back.
Handing her the spatula I placed a kiss to the top of her long black locks before heading down the hallway. Sticking my head around the door frame I saw that Noah was still curled up snoring softly while my little girl was sitting up in her bed rubbing her eyes. "Good morning, Miss Maci." I called to her softly as I pushed open the door enough for me to pass through but not enough to let the hall light shine onto the sleeping baby boy.
She simply held her arms up for me so I could pick her up. I put a finger to my lips before pointing over at Noah's crib to let her know we had to be quiet. She nodded and shook her arms at me. I giggled softly as I picked her up out of the crib, feeling of her bottom as I brought her to my chest. "You need to go peepee?" I asked her as I headed out of the bedroom pulling the door almost completely shut behind me.
Maci nodded against my shoulder.
After we were done in the bathroom I headed back to the kitchen with Maci on my hip but stopped dead in my tracks as I saw it wasn't Molly standing at the stove but a sleep rustled Edward. "Good morning." I whispered as I stepped up behind him and placed a kiss on his bicep.
He turned and placed a kiss to the top of my head and hummed in response as he flipped a pancake in the pan.
"Are you guys going to be all lovey dovey now?" Molly asked from behind me causing me to groan against Edward's arm before turning to face her.
Cocking my head to the side I eyed her for a moment before answering her. "We may kiss and stuff on occasion like your aunts and uncles do. Does it bother you?" I asked curiously.
She shook her head and smiled at me. "No, just please don't get gross with it. You told me when I stuck my tongue out at Steph a few months ago that God intended for tongues to be kept inside your mouth not hanging out of it for everyone to see." She said with an impish smile on her cherubic face.
I could feel Edward shaking with laughter from behind me as I dealt with my too smart for her own good teenage daughter. "That is true and we will keep it PG-13, okay?" I promised.
With a smile on her face she nodded. "Okay but I do like seeing you happy, Mama." She whispered before turning back to her book.
"Thank you, pretty girl."
"Eat, Mama." Maci chirped from my shoulder.
Placing a kiss to the top of her head I sat her in Liam's old high chair that Angela had given me yesterday when she dropped the kids off after school. "Yes ma'am, it's time to eat then we have to get your sisters off to school, okay?"
"Maci school?" She asked as I snapped the tray in place.
I shook my head. "No ma'am, you're gonna stay home with me today, okay?"
She frowned but nodded.
Shaking my head I got up to grab a small plate and begin fixing her plate of torn up pancakes and sliced strawberries with whip cream. Once I had her plate fixed I slid it onto her tray along with a sip cup full of milk. "I didn't think to ask yesterday but does Noah drink formula or is he on whole milk?" I asked Edward as I fixed Molly and Mia's plates.
"Milk is fine. Rose spoils him by mixing in strawberry syrup because that was Katie's favorite." He explained as he handed me a plate that contained a small stack of pancakes. "Eat up, baby."
"Thanks." I told him as I carried the three plates to the table before sitting down to eat breakfast with my three girls. "You joining us?" I asked over my shoulder.
He nodded as he sat in the seat next to me. "I am if you ladies don't mind."
My girls shook their heads while I smiled at him before cutting into my still warm pancakes. Like usual, breakfast was a quiet affair as my girls devoured their food before putting their dishes in the sink and going to brush their teeth. I stopped Mia on her way past the table. "Once I finish eating we will get your hair done, okay?" I told her softly.
She nodded with a frown on her face but remained silent as she headed down the hall towards her bedroom where her school clothes lay on her bed. I was hoping to be able to get into my house today to see if I could salvage any of their belongings but I was still waiting on the fire marshal to call me back. "Thanks for breakfast, baby." Edward said as he stood up, placing a kiss on the side of my head, grabbing mine and Maci's empty plates and headed for the kitchen sink. "I'll clean up."
"You don't have to do that, Edward." I told him as I unbuckled Maci from her chair. "I'll get to it after I take the girls to school." I told him as I carried Maci's tray to the counter.
He placed a kiss to the side of my head again. "It's fine, Isabella. I don't mind. Now, you go get your girls ready for school while I clean this up."
"Yes sir." I mock saluted him before leaving him to the dirty dishes.
While I was waiting in the car line to drop Mia off the call I had been waiting on since my life turned upside down came through. "Miss Swan?"
"This is she." I said into the phone as I inched up in line. "May I ask who's calling?" I asked because I didn't recognize the number that had showed up on my phone.
"This is Fire Marshall Owens. I was wondering if you had time today to do a walk-through of your house and make a list of things that are a total loss and possible gather the things that are salvageable."
My eyes widened because I didn't think I would have to actually walk through the rubble that used to be my dream home. "Walk through the house? Is that safe?" I asked nervously as I glanced in the rear view mirror at my two girls who were contently looking out their windows.
"It is with a professional and I will be right there with you to make sure everything is okay." He reassured me.
"Okay. I will need to find a babysitter for my little ones before I am able to come out there because I don't want them to see the house." I explained as I inched closer to Mia's drop off point.
"Of course, Miss Swan. How about we meet at the address at 1 o'clock this afternoon? Will that be sufficient enough time to take care of things?" Running my fingers through my ponytail to calm my nerves I nodded but quickly realized he couldn't see me.
"Yes sir, that's fine. I guess I will see you at 11. Do I need to have my insurance adjuster meet us there too?" I asked almost as an afterthought.
"No ma'am. I already have a walkthrough scheduled with your insurance company for next Wednesday. All they will need is a list of items lost, items you take, and a layout of the home which you will need to do today while we're there." He explained again.
"Okay. Thank you for calling." I told him as I hung up the phone quickly because I had reached the drop-off point. "Have a good day, Mia girl. I'm going to have Aunt Alice pick you up this afternoon, okay? I've got to go to the old house and talk to the firemen, okay?" I explained as she unfastened her seatbelt.
She nodded as she leaned over my seat to give me a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Mama." She whispered softly.
"I love you so very much, Mia Grace." I told her as I returned her kiss to my cheek before she hopped out of the car. I waved to her teacher as I drove out of the parking lot.
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I walked back into my house but to see Edward pacing, running his hands through his hair, and practically growling into the phone was not it. "Edward?" I asked cautiously as I sat Maci down in the big chair and setting up her cartoons to keep her content and quiet until Noah woke up.
He spun around to me and put a finger to his lips before pointing to the phone and mouthing 'Tanya' in explanation. When I went to step around him he snagged me by the hand and tugged me against his chest. I could hear Tanya practically screaming through the phone. "You better not have my son around some floozy when you won't even let him be around me."
"I'm surprised you even care, Tanya. I talked to Irina the other day and she explained why you were suddenly wanting access to my son so you can stop with the games because MY son will not be used as a pawn to suck that poor bastard into your sick web." Edward growled into the phone before placing a kiss to the top of my head.
I smiled against his chest because his harsh words and tender actions were complete contradictions of each other. "Edward, I just want to be a mother to my son and you are standing in my way." She screeched through the phone.
"Then all I can tell you is to take me to court because that is the only way you will ever get access to my son. When a judge makes me, otherwise you have no say so in who my son interacts with or who interacts with him. As of right now, I have full sole physical custoday and legally I am his ONLY parent so I get to make ALL the decisions concerning MY son. Goodbye, Tanya." He said as be bent down placing his lips against my own as he pulled the phone away from his ear where Tanya was screeching his name.
"Mmmm." I moaned against his lips as I wrapped my arms around his neck threading my fingers through my hair.
He smiled against my lips as he tossed his phone towards the couch before bringing his hands up to cup my face gently. "This is what I consider a good morning." He mumbled when we broke contact for a few seconds.
His comment made me smile before tugging his lips back against mine.
"Dada! Yum's yum's gone!" Noah called from the direction of the kitchen. "Mama! Big biwd!" Maci called from behind us. We both broke away with a chuckle.
"Parenthood calls." We both said as we separated and got our children settled back down. Noah joined Maci in the big chair to watch Sesame Street as they shared a blanket. I pulled Edward into the laundry room where I had piles of things that still needed to be washed and I could only imagine that the piles were going to quadruple after I visited what was left of my home. "What time is your mom supposed to land today?" I asked as I handed him the clothes from the dryer to put on the kitchen table to be folded.
"Her flight left this morning at 7 and she is scheduled to land at 10:45. Why? Are you still nervous about meeting her?" He teased as I joined him at the kitchen table to fold all the new towels and washcloths I had bought yesterday.
I shook my head as I sat down across from him at the table. "No. Fire Marshall Owens called while I was dropping the girls off at school and I have to go meet him at the house at 1 o'clock. Will you come with me?" I asked nervously. Asking Edward to do something for me made me more nervous than meeting his mom for the first time did.
"Of course, baby. I'm here to help you with whatever you need help with. My mom will watch Noah, I'm sure, but what about Maci since she's obviously not going to daycare today?" He asked softly which caused me to smile because already he was concerned about the welfare of my sweet baby.
I shrugged. "I'm not sure yet but Alice or Jasper are usually available whenever I need a babysitter in a pinch. JJ makes the morning rough over there so I was waiting until after 9 to call and ask them." I explained as I separated the towels to the bathrooms they were going in. My towels were emerald green and gray while the girls' towels were turquoise and hot pink.
Edward nodded. "If they can't I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind watching her. She takes being a grandmother very seriously." He said with a chuckle and shake of his head. "She'll have your girls won over and calling her 'Nana' within a couple of days, just watch."
Smiling at him I nodded because honestly, my kids weren't hard to win over. Molly and Mia craved that sense of acceptance and belonging because of the things they had been through while Maci just followed in her big sister's footsteps. "While I have no doubt about her ability to win over my impressionable little girls, I don't want to ask your mom to babysit so soon after I meet her, Edward."
"I understand, just remember that the option is there. Do you want to go with me to pick her up from the airport?" He asked as he picked up a stack of towels before standing up from his chair.
I nodded. "Yeah, we'll come with you. Maybe we can get lunch afterwards." I told him as I picked up my own stack of towels.
"Sounds good to me, baby."
Edward's groan caught my attention from playing patty cake with the kids. "What's wrong?" I asked him as he stood up from the bench we had been occupying for the past ten minutes.
"My mom's not alone." He muttered as he pointed to a huge guy walking between two women with a giggling baby strapped to his chest. "Prepare yourself." He told me as he stepped forward a few feet so his family could spot him.
"Eddie! We made it!" The huge guy bellowed before the stunning blonde beside him popped him upside the head with a smile.
I watched as Noah's head whipped around, almost as if it was on a swivel, at the big guy's bellow. "Unc Em!" He yelled back as he scrambled to his feet and began running in their direction while Maci scrambled up into my lap.
"Mama?" She asked nervously as she gripped my t-shirt.
Rubbing soothing circles on her back I cradled her against my chest. "It's okay, baby girl, that is Noah's Uncle just like Jasper is yours." I explained to her as I rocked her gently. "Noah didn't mean to startle you, he's just excited to see his family." Shifting her around in my lap so she could see Noah giggling as his grandmother kissed his neck playfully. "See? He's just really happy."
She watched for a few minutes before squirming down out of my lap and walking to Edward who was talking with an older man that I assumed was his father. I couldn't help but smile at her as she walked straight up to Edward and tugged on his hand before holding her arms up indicating she wanted to be picked up. I had to admire her audacity because she wasn't shy in the least whereas I was much more comfortable staying in the shadows and out of the limelight. "Mama!" Maci called me, pulling my attention back to her.
Edward smiled at me and motioned with his head that he wanted me to join him so I took a deep breath and stood up to go meet Edward's family. "Don't be nervous." Edward whispered in my ear when I stepped up to his side before turning to his family. "Family, this is Bella. Bella, these are my parents…"
Once introductions were made we headed for the parking lot where Edward was going to let his family drive his car while we piled into mine. "Can I drive?" Emmett asked like a teenager, bouncing on his feet and huge grin in place, causing us all to laugh at his antics.
"No." Edward deadpanned before handing his car keys to his mom.
I couldn't help but giggle at the pout that Emmett put on his face, puppy dog lip and all. "He wrecked my first car the very first time I let him borrow it." Edward explained with a glare towards Emmett.
"Hey, I still maintain my innocence on that accident." Emmett exclaimed.
Edward raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? You were drag racing your buddies when you lost control and plowed down Mrs. Rush's brick flower beds."
"Well yeah, my beetle wouldn't have beat them at all but if Jack wouldn't have swerved into my lane I wouldn't have hit the flower beds therefore I'm innocent in the accident." Emmett argued.
"Boys! That's enough." Esme said with a smile and a shake of her head.
"Yes ma'am." They both muttered.
I cleared my throat as I shifted Maci on my hip. "I called and secured us a table at a restaurant for lunch but they will only hold it for a short time so we need to get going." I told the group.
That got everybody scrambling for the cars with smiles and shouts of 'We'll follow you!' which caused me to laugh as I opened the back door of my car to put Maci in her seat. "They do realize we still have to buckle our kids in right?" I asked Edward as we ducked into the backseat.
"They're crazy, which is showcased by all of them coming down here instead of letting my mom come by herself." He said with a shake of his head.
"It's kind of heartwarming to know that this is what some families are like. Alice told me she emailed my father at the same time she emailed you informing him and my stepmother of my house burning down but I haven't heard a single thing from them. That's the kind of family I am used to so it's really nice to be included in such a loving one for a change." I explained as we climbed into the front seats, with me in the driver's seat since I knew where we were going.
Edward grasped my hand once I had the car put in drive and pulled it into his lap, threading our fingers together. "I'll gladly share my family with you, baby, but you have an amazing family rallying around you already. You told me one that Alice and Jasper and Angela and Ben were your family."
"They are, and I will forever be grateful for them coming into my lives but as much as I consider them my family, it still hurts when my own father doesn't even call to make sure me and his granddaughters are okay." I explained as I turned onto the highway making sure that his family was keeping up.
Edward pulled my hand to his lips where he placed a gentle kiss to my knuckles but remained quiet otherwise.
Just as we were pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant my phone rang with Alice's number. I had texted her earlier asking if she or Jasper could watch Maci as well as pick the girls up from school until I was done at the house. "Alice." I told Edward as I answered it.
"Hello, best friend and favorite Aunt." I teased into the phone earning a giggle from her in response.
"There is no need to suck up. When are you bringing me my precious goddaughter?" She deadpanned.
Sighing into the phone I nodded over at Edward before answering Alice. "After lunch so she should lay down for a N-A-P." I explained spelling out the dreaded word, nap.
"Good deal. See y'all then."
"Thanks, Ali." I told her softly because she truly was an absolutely amazing best friend.
"No need to thank me, bestie. Love you."
"Love you too." I said just before hanging up and turning to Edward with tears in my eyes because our earlier conversation was still fresh in my mind.
Edward reached over cupping my face as he turned sideways in his seat. "It's okay, baby." He whispered before placing a gentle kiss to my lips as his fingers wiped the tears from my cheeks.
I shook my head. "I'm not usually this emotional. I don't know what's wrong with me." I muttered before kissing his lips again.
"I expected your emotions to be all over the place because you have went through a traumatic experience and haven't allowed yourself time to deal with it all. It's going to get really bad when we get to the house in a little bit but right now, let's go have a fun lunch with my crazy family." He told me as he smiled at me gently.
Nodding I take a deep breath and smile at him. "Okay."
"We're hosting dinner tomorrow evening so we need you to extend the invitation to Edward's family too." Alice told me less than five seconds after I walked into her house with a sleeping Maci resting on my shoulder.
I smiled at her. "It's nice to see you too, Alice." I told her as I walked past her to the room that used to be Maci's and Mia's but was now a guest room with an extra crib in it to lay my sleeping girl down for a good nap while I dealt with the mess of my house. I had 30 minutes to get out of here, pick Edward up at the hotel, and get to my old house.
"How are things with Mr. DILF?" she asked as soon as I stepped back into the living room.
Placing a kiss to the top of her head. "Great. I've gotta run, Ali. Thank you. Love you."
"Love you too and you will spill the beans tomorrow because Angela wants to know too." Alice said as I walked out of her house and back out to my car where I texted Edward that I was on my way.
OMW. Alice hosting dinner tomorrow. Invite everyone.
See you soon, baby. Be careful.
Edward insisted on driving to my old house because he said it could be an emotional experience for me to see the remnants of what had been my dream home. Boy, was he right. When he rounded the bend in the road allowing my property to come into view I sat forward with my fingers over my mouth at the sight before me. The front half of the house was burned nearly completely with just a few pieces of the wall and the fireplace chimney still standing but the back half of the house looked almost untouched aside from the busted windows and black smoke stains on the outside of the house. "Wow." I muttered behind my fingers as I felt the tears fall down my cheeks.
"We'll get through this together, baby. I'm here all the way." Edward reassured me as he pulled in beside a white car with the New Orleans Fire Department logo on the driver's side door. Looking around I could still see the girls' toys scattered around the yard, the tire swing Jasper and Ben had hung in the large oak tree in the side yard, and the door hanger that Alice had gotten me a few weeks ago still hanging on the smoke stained front door.
Swiping my cheeks I took a deep breath before nodding at Edward. "Let's get this over with." I told him as I opened my door and climbed from my car.
I had barely made it around the hood of my car when I heard my name being called from a person I hadn't wanted to see today. James. My annoying next door neighbor. "Bella! Bella!"
Sighing I turned to see him standing at the fence I had installed around my property when James became creepy by basically waiting on me to get home every single day. "Hi James. I'm kind of busy today." I called out to him.
"I just wanted to make sure you and the girls were okay after the fire." He called back as he propped his arms on top of the fence which told me he was standing on something because that was a seven foot fence.
Just then Edward stepped from the car and the fire Marshall stepped out of my garage. "Hello Miss Swan." Marshall Owens said as he headed towards me. He had a camera hanging around his neck and a notepad in his hands. "Thank you for meeting me out here." He said as he reached out and shook my hand.
"Hi Marshall. This is my boyfriend Edward Cullen." I said as I shook his hand before pointing at Edward who had joined me at the front of my car. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed James staring intently at us with a glare on his face. "I hope it's okay that I brought him along for support."
The Marshall shook Edward's hand before motioning towards the garage. "Let's step in here. Your neighbor has been there since I pulled up about half an hour ago."
I shook my head as Edward turned to look at James before wrapping his arm around my waist guiding me into the smoke damaged garage. "My brother and sister-in-law want to know if it's okay if they come help Bella load things up so we don't leave anything behind that she wants." Edward asked once we were in the safety of the garage.
"That's fine but I do ask that they not enter the house. You can bring things out to the driveway for them to load up but pictures have to be taken before anything is removed as well as a list of every single item taken from the home. It's easier when there are less people going through the house." The Marshall explained as he tapped his camera and notepad.
Edward nodded as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I'll call Emmett and tell him it's a go ahead." He said as he placed a kiss to the top of my head before stepping back out of the garage to make his phone call.
"Do you have any containers to put items in?" Marshall Owens asked me as I looked around my garage that didn't have much in it besides the kids' other outside toys and bicycles.
I nodded. "Yeah, in my car. Can I just put things here in the garage for the time being? Is it safe structurally?" I asked him as I looked around. I didn't see much damage beside smoke stains. "I was going to wipe things down before taking them back to our new house." I explained.
"That's fine. The damage was mainly contained to the middle of the house; the kitchen, living room, and dining room. The first bedroom off the living room suffered the most damage on that side of the house." He explained. "Before we go inside I need you to draw a rough sketch of the layout of the house, if you don't mind. That will give your friends some time to get here." He said handing me a notepad.
Sitting in one of the lawn chairs that had been stacked in the corner of the garage I took my time drawing out the layout of the house and the furniture placement. I had to swipe a few tears away as I drew in pieces of furniture that I was almost certain were a total loss. "Emmett is renting a truck and trailer while Rose and my Dad round up some boxes." Edward said as he knelt beside me. "You're doing great, baby."
"I feel like a titty baby." I told him as I swiped a few more tears away as I finished the last few touches of the drawing.
"Absolutely not. You are entitled to cry as much as you want through this whole ordeal. It is going to be really tough once we get inside and you truly see the damage for the first time. I don't know how long I cried in my mom's arms after my office burned to the ground and that isn't nowhere near as bad as your house burning down with your stuff inside." He explained as the Marshall worked around us taking pictures of the entire garage and it's contents.
"I assume you're going to take everything from the garage?" Marshall Owens asked.
Edward nodded for me. "Yes sir." I answered him verbally as I stood from the chair with the finished drawing in my hand. "I added in furniture placement too since I assume most of it will be unsalvageable from the fire, smoke, and water."
The Fire Marshall nodded in agreement as he took the drawing from me. "Yes ma'am. Most of it will be ruined but some of the furniture in the back rooms may be okay. We'll check when we get to those rooms. Are you ready to get started?"
Taking a deep breath I nodded. "I think so." I told him as I followed him to the door that led into my kitchen.
"Before we enter the house remember to not take anything until I have photographed it and written it down. You can do a list of destroyed items once you leave based on the pictures taken today. I have done an initial walkthrough for my investigation and the house is structurally safe to walk through." Marshall Owens explained as he stepped into the charred remains of what used to be a beautiful open kitchen that I had dreamed of owning for years.
I gasped as I stepped the first step into what used to be my beautiful home. "Oh God!" I exclaimed as I took in the ashes of what used to be my wall of books and the melted shape of the TV and the springs that used to be my couch.