The Gift

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns all Twilight and the Characters

Chapter 3 In the kitchen

BPOV

Walking into the house I noticed that it hadn't changed at all. Carlisle and Esme always wanted there guests to feel as if they were a part of the family. I took off our jackets and hung them up in the coat closet.

"Come on," Alice said to me while she grabbed a hold of Carly's hand. "Mom's probably in the kitchen."

"When is she never in the kitchen," I answered her. When Alice heard this she couldn't help but laugh knowing that I was right.

Whenever I would come over I could always find her in the kitchen either baking or cooking. After Renee left when I was nine to live the life of a teenager because it was too hard in her opinion to raise a family.. Some mother she was. Esme was more a mother to me than Renee ever was. She was the one who taught me everything I know about cooking and baking.

"Carly," Alice said stopping in the middle of the hallway and bending down to her eye level. "Why don't we go find Jasper so that are mommies can talk."

"Okay," she said and then a puzzled expression came across her face. "Who's Asper?"

"You'll need a few minutes with mom," she said over her shoulder leading Carly back down the hall.

"Thank you," I replied continuing onto the kitchen.

I could hear the sweet sounds of Christmas music playing when I walked in. She hadn't changed at all either. She still had that motherly love radiating off of her.

"Esme," I said speaking up at a minute or two passed.

"Bella," she said turning around. She put the pot down that she had in her hand before hugging me tight. "Welcome home sweetheart."

"Thank you but I don't know about the home part," I whispered still hugging her.

"That is nonsense," she said stepping back. "This has and will always be your home too. Do you hear me?"

"Yes Esme," I said laughing just a little.

"Where is your little girl," she asked looking behind me. "Alice wouldn't stop talking about her yesterday when she got home. Personally I can't wait to meet her."

"Alice took her to find Jasper," I answered.

"How are you," she asked going back to the stove.

"I'm good," I answered putting an apron on and walking to the stove.

"Charlie told us about the divorce," she said. "I had to threaten him and Carlisle. They both wanted to drive to Seattle with their shot guns loaded."

"I'm just glad that's it over," I said lifting a lid off a pot to see that it was sauce. "Pasta night."

"Of course," she said draining one of pots full of noodles. "It is your favorite."

"Excuse me ladies," Carlisle said coming into the kitchen. When I turned around I saw that he had Carly hanging her upside down in his arms. "I've seem to have found a tickle monster roaming about in my house."

"I'll take that," I said laughing and taking her out of Carlisle's arms. "I thought that you were with Alice."

"That's my fault Bella," Carlisle said speaking up. "Alice introduced us, and I told her to leave Carly with me. Isn't that right Carlybug."

"Yep," she said, but it's what she said next that shocked me the most. "That's what happen mommy. Then poppy started tickling me."

"Poppy," I said shocked. "Carlisle she doesn't have to call you that."

"Bella," he said coming closer to me. "I love you like you are one of my very own. Carly is a part of you and I want her to call me that. Plus it will give me some practice when it comes to spoiling Alice's child."

"Okay," I said hugging him. "Esme, I want you to meet someone."

I took Carly by the hand and lead her back over to the stove. Esme wiped her hands off on a towel before bending down to her level.

"You are even prettier then Alice said," she said moving a stray hair behind Carly's ear. "Why don't you call me grammy."

Carly looked up at me almost as if she was asking me if it was okay to call Esme that. I nodded at her and the biggest smile came across her face.

"Thank you grammy," she said hugging Esme. It looked as if Esme was going to cry.

"I'll be right back," I tried to say not getting choked up by what just happened. "I left the cookies on the table in the hallway."

"Go right on," Esme said reassuring. "We'll keep an eye out for Carly."

I walked out of the kitchen and headed for the table. It felt so good to be back here. For the first time in many years I was actually happy. Carlisle and Esme were like my second set of parents and I had to admit that I missed them so much. I grabbed the dish off the table and turned around quickly. As I turned I hit something hard. Thankfully whoever it was caught me from falling backwards.

"Thank you," I said still looking at the ground.

"Bella," he said. Oh shit! It was Edward. I didn't have to look up to know that it was him. I knew that soft velvet voice anywhere that it was him. I looked up and sure enough it was him. He still had his sex bronze hair that I loved, and his eyes were still the most brilliant color of emerald green to back my knees go weak.

"Mr. Cullen," I said coldly. There was still a part of me that was still pissed at him for what he did to me. I looked down to see that he still had my arms so that I wouldn't fall. I noticed that he was wasn't wearing a wedding band and it looked as if he hadn't had one for a while.

"Please Bella," he said letting my arms go. "I have to say…"

"Mommy help me," I heard Carly scream cutting Edward off.

I hurried back to the kitchen with a thousand different situations going through my head. When I made it to the kitchen I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw what was going on. Standing in the middle of the floor was Emmett holding Carly upside down tickling her. When he saw me a devilish grin appeared on his face.

"Ms. Swan," he said.

"Dr. Evil," I said trying not to laugh. I couldn't believe that he remembered the game we used to play when I made cookies for Edward.

"Give me the cookies and the Carlybug goes free," he said with an evil laugh.

"Emmie stop," Carly said as he tickled her some more.

"Carlybug first then cookies," I said with a smirk.

"Okay," he said putting Carly down. I handed him the cookies and checked on Carly.

"Are you okay," I said wiping some tears off of her face.

"Yes mommy," she said grinning. "Emmie is silly. I like him."

"Bells," Emmett said coming behind me and picking me up. "I've missed you."

Before I could say anything else Esme told us that dinner was ready. I took Carly over to the sink and had her wash her hands as everyone else left.

"Mommy," she said while she washed her hands.

"Yes sweetie," I replied reaching for a towel.

"I like them more than Newton's and Mike," she said with a smile.

"Me too baby," I said drying her hands and knowing that she was a hundred percent right about that.

EPOV

"Please don't do this Edward," she cried to me.

It was New Years Eve almost five years ago, I had to end my life with Bella. I never wanted to do it, but I had to protect my family. We were both going to different college's and loving our Christmas break together up until that morning. That morning my world fell apart.

"I'm sorry," I said sternly. "I don't love you anymore. I'm in love with Tanya. "

"How," was all she could say with tears streaming down her face.

"Edward darling," Tanya said coming into dad's office wearing a short black dress. "It's time to make our big announcement."

"Announcement," Bella said through her tears

"I'm marrying Tanya," I said. I hated this. I hated hurting the one person that I truly loved. It was tearing me apart on the inside. It was supposed to be Bella that I was marrying. I was going to propose to her tonight at midnight.

"Edward please tell me why," she begged.

"He's no longer Edward to you," Tanya spat out. "It's Mr. Cullen from now on."

I walked over to Tanya and put my arm around her waist. When Bella saw this she ran past me and out of the house.

The last that I had heard was that she married Mike Newton a few weeks later and moved to Seattle. Personally I hadn't seen her since that night up until yesterday at Santa's Village. Even then I had to see her as a married woman.

I was walking out of my room when I bumped into Alice.

"Slow down pixie," I said catching her by the arm. "Where's the fire?"

"There's no fire," she said with a grin on her face.

"What's going on," I said with a puzzled expression. Before I could say anything I heard a child's laughter downstairs. "Who was that?"

"Didn't mom tell you," she said as the grin was falling off her face. "Bella and Carly are over here for dinner tonight. Dad's got Carly in the living room playing."

"Where is she," I asked her. She knew exactly who I was talking about.

"In the kitchen with mom," she said walking towards her room.

I headed down the stairs but stopped outside of the living room before heading into the kitchen. There backs were towards me as I watched them. I hadn't seen dad act like this since Alice was a little girl. He was crawling around the floor chasing Carly. When he finally caught her, he started to tickle her. I couldn't help but smile at the picture in front if me.

"Poppy," I heard Carly say. Why was she calling him poppy? "That tickles."

I turned around and headed back down towards the kitchen. I didn't go in there either knowing that I would probably upset Bella and she would leave. I just stood there and listened to their conversation.

"Charlie told us about the divorce," mom said. What the hell! She is divorced from that son of a bitch. "I had to threaten him and Carlisle. They both wanted to drive to Seattle with their shot guns loaded."

"I'm just glad that's it over," I heard her say. What happened? Did that asshole hurt her? Did he hurt Carly?

I had to move away from the door, away from the kitchen, and to get some air. I couldn't handle not knowing what was going on with her. I saw dad coming my way holding an upside down Carly heading into the kitchen. I smiled at them and went into the living room. Could this be happening? Am I really going to be given a second chance with her? Would she open her heart back up to me after shattering it? I would do anything for that chance. I walked over to one of the windows in the living room and looked out. There was a light snow falling outside. I saw something move out in the hallway from the corner of my eye. I walked out into the hallway and was hit by Bella when she turned around.

I grabbed her by the arms to keep her from falling backwards.

"Thank you," she said still looking at the ground.

"Bella," I said. I could smell the strawberry shampoo that she used. Some things never changed with her, and I loved it. I let her scent attack me and awaken feelings that I missed. She raised her head to see that it was me that had her.

"Mr. Cullen," she said coldly. I remembered that Tanya said that she could no longer call me Edward. I hated that woman with every bone in my body. I wanted to hear her say my name. I wanted to have her in my arms. I wanted to take her pain, sorrow, and sadness away.

"Please Bella," I said letting her arms go. "I have to say…"

"Mommy help me," I heard Carly scream cutting me off.

She took off down the hall hurrying to the kitchen and I followed behind her. I hoped that everything was okay. When I made it to the kitchen I stopped dead in my tracks behind her, when I saw what was going on. Standing in the middle of the floor was Emmett holding Carly upside down tickling her. When he saw Bella a devilish grin appeared on his face.

"Ms. Swan," he said.

"Dr. Evil," she said trying not to laugh. I had to admit this was going to be funny. I couldn't believe that he remembered the game they used to play when she made cookies for me. There is just one difference this time around the cookies aren't just for me. Hell she may not want me to have any at all.

"Give me the cookies and the Carlybug goes free," he said with an evil laugh.

"Emmie stop," Carly said as he tickled her some more.

"Carlybug first then cookies," she said with a smirk in her voice.

"Okay," he said putting Carly down. She handed him the cookies and she checked on Carly.

"Are you okay," she said wiping some tears off of her face. She had been laughing so hard that she had tears running down her face.

"Yes mommy," she said grinning. "Emmie is silly. I like him."

"Bells," Emmett said coming behind her and picking her up. "I've missed you."

Before she could say anything else Esme told us that dinner was ready. She took Carly over to the sink and had her wash her hands. While she did that dad, Emmett, and myself left the kitchen and headed towards the dinning room. I stopped outside the kitchen door when I heard Carly speak up.

"Mommy," she said while she washed her hands.

"Yes sweetie," I hear Bella reply.

"I like them more than Newton's and Mike," Carly said. What did she mean by the Newton's and Mike. Why wouldn't she call him daddy? There was something strange going on here, and I needed to find out what it is.

"Me too baby," Bella said with a longing in her voice. A longing that sounded almost like hope.

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