Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Twilight. All rights to the Twilight franchise belong to Stephanie Meyer. The only part of this story I claim rights to is the story line.
AN: OMG! I am so sorry for my absence! I am a Water Protector and participated in an action in Memphis, Tennessee. 12 of my friends got arrested and then there was problems with work and I ended up quitting and I've been in a bit of a depression... anyways, IRL stuff ya know?
"I would just like to say a few words on my son's behalf," Esme, Alice, Edward, and Emmett's mother, held her glass high and gestured for everyone else to join her in her toast. "Edward," she began speaking to a bronze haired hottie in the crowd to her left. "I watched you graduate medical school. I attended every one of your piano concerts. I made mud pies with you and your siblings. And I knew, the first time I held you, that you would grow to be an incredible man. What I didn't know was that there would be a woman out there who could make you half as happy as I hoped you would be. Tanya, thank you so much for loving my son. I wish the two of you a happy and fruitful life."
We cheered our champagne along with the others in the room. Rosalie lifted her glass delicately and tinked it against Emmett's held stiffly in his large hands.
"Do you think mom knows she just claimed Tanya can only make Edward half happy?" Alice snickered.
She looked to see why Emmett was not joining her in her tom-foolery. I glanced to Angela who was also watching Emmett throw back the entirety of this glass and then snag one off a side table a few steps to our right. It looked like a woman with bright pink lipstick had been sipping on it earlier. Emmett didn't seem to care.
"I'm going to go congratulate them. Let's go." Rosalie plucked the empty champagne cup from her husband's hands and handed it to Angela before grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him to the front.
Angela held hers and Emmett's glasses, gaping after the couple much like I was. Alice rolled her eyes and tipped the rest of her drink up like Emmett had done. She licked her lips and followed after them. We shuffled in with the crowd and was near the front of the line of people congratulating the oldest Cullen sibling. We got it over with and ushered after Alice back to where we'd been standing during Esme's toast.
"Now that we observed the obligatory toast and Edward is getting swamped with unwanted congratulations, we can sneak off to the real fun." The mischievous twinkle in her eye reminded me that I came, not to watch Rosalie drag the guy of my wet dreams around, but to have fun.
Angela and I nodded vehemently and followed her up the elegant stairs draped with fabric and lined with extremely professional pictures of Edward, Alice, Emmett, and even Rosalie.
"Alice," Angela began, "I didn't know Emmett's wife was so… hot."
"Stuck up?" Alice spoke over Angela's description and I bit my lip when her face turned dark. "I don't like her. She's a total brat. I don't even know why Emmett married her. Or I guess I do, but you know…"
But we didn't know. Alice still didn't explain it to us.
On the third floor we could see a balcony at the end of the hall, a faint blue light glowing from somewhere outside.
"Did you girls bring swimsuits?"
Angela looked to me and I nodded. I'd worn mine under my black and gray laced skin tight dress. I wasn't sure what Angela had done with hers though I assumed the same as I had.
"Excellent! Let me get changed. There should be towels out there already. I'm going to grab some wine too and I'll be right out," Alice said with more perk than was necessary.
She dashed off back down the stairs and Angela grabbed my wrist. Neither of us had unattractive figures, but we were both pretty conservative compared to most and we had been risking our own modesty when we bought the dresses. The bikinis that we'd snagged as well were purchased on a whim.
"It's just going to be us girls, no big deal," I assured my dark haired friend.
Angela swallowed and nodded and we undressed right there in the hall. We folded our outfits and set them on the floor by the back door with our shoes and jewelry. If we had known that there were people outside we would have tucked tail and run. As it was, the angle the door was at, and how far down the balcony the hot tub was, we didn't know there were four brown and muscled guys that had already beaten us to the water. So we walked out into the cool air amid hurried shouts of hold the door! But the door closed behind us.
Angela reached for the handle only to find it was firmly stuck.
"Dammit," the younger of the four boys muttered.
"It's locked from the inside, and we're getting pruney," another said.
The two older ones laughed and waved us over.
"Hello. Sorry to take up so much room. Emmett invited us out. Only he's not here and we don't have towels." A guy with long hair and a tribal wolf tattoo on his upper bicep said with a chuckle.
I looked around and sure enough there were no towels to be seen.
"I'm Jacob. This is Seth," he gestured to the first speaker and then the second, "and this is Embry."
"I'm Paul," said the fourth and final guy. He had a smug smile and he seemed like he might be a bit of a jerk, even though he hadn't done anything but introduce himself to us so far.
"I'm Angela. This is Bella."
I waved.
"Well come one in, it's cold out in the open air." Seth scooted to the side making room between him and Jacob.
I took a step first, but it was hesitant and Angela dipped into the water before me letting out a satisfied groan.
Paul guffawed. "Now that's a noise I love to hear come from a woman."
Angela turned red.
"How would you know? That's probably the first time you've ever heard it," Jacob howled and Paul splashed water at him.
Angela and I giggled.
"How long have you guys been chilling out here?" I asked.
Embry shrugged. "A few hours."
The others nodded in agreement. Suddenly Seth leaned over the side of the glass balcony and yelled down to someone below.
"Hey you! Down there with the cigarette! I can see your butt, I know you're there."
Jacob laughed.
"I meant their cigarette butt," Seth said unapologetically. He turned back to the empty air and called, "Come unlock this door up here! Hey! Are you going inside because you heard me?!" He shook his head and turned back with a look of fake disappointment. "All these rich folk can't hear me over the clinking of their glasses."
Angela and I giggled. Seth looked a bit like that shaggy dog from The Little Mermaid. He had dark hair over his face that were just barely parted over his dark eyes so he could see out. Embry had the same skin, hair, and eye color so I knew he too was likely Native American, but they didn't look related. His hair was buzzed along the sides and his mohawk was made of curly hair that flopped to one side and didn't stick straight up. When he turned to the side I could see that his hair ended in a six inch braid.
I pointed to an eagle feather tied into his curls. "I like your jewelry."
Embry instinctively reached up to touch it gently. He swelled with pride. "Thanks. Jacob and I got our first eagle feathers when we came back from Standing Rock."
I smiled and nodded, impressed.
The door opened and we all yelled for Alice to hold the door. She paused, a bottle of wine in one hand and a pile of towels in the other. Seth leapt out of the tub, splashing water on us all.
"Thanks you, Jesus! I've had to pee so bad for like an hour!" He dashed past Alice who was checking the lock on the door.
"I couldn't remember if I really did set towels out, so I brought some." Alice set the crisp white fluffy pile of fabric on a glass table and popped the cork off the bottle.
Alice, Angela, and Paul cheered when the piece of wood shot over the side of the balcony and foam leaked onto the tiled floor.
"Hey guys." Alice slipped into the water, shedding her sheer black cover up at the top of the stairs and tossing it back toward the door. Even her bikini looked designer. "I didn't know you were coming."
"Emmett invited us. Haven't seen him have you?" Paul explained taking the bottle from Alice's lips after she had just begun to swig from it. He tipped it back and Alice yanked it back so quickly sticky wine dripped down between his carved pecs and into the bubbling water.
Alice rolled her eyes, drank, passed the bottle to Jacob, and said, "with that hag."
"Oh." Paul raised his eyebrows and dropped the subject, Alice's response the only explanation he needed.
Jacob passed the bottle to me and I started to refuse.
"Oh no — Bella if you're going to come into my parents' house and get half naked in their hot tub, you're gonna get at the very least tipsy off their wine." She giggled and took the bottle from Jacob, pressing it into my ample chest until I accepted it.
Paul watched me with light brown eyes, his dark eyebrows hanging low, as if my very existence both confused and amused him. I smiled and he nodded. I inhaled more than I intended, and while the sting in my nose wasn't enjoyable once I'd handed the bottle to Angela I felt more relaxed. I liked it.
Seth rejoined us not long after he left and we all sat in the warm water, laughing and enjoying the wine for a long time. Alice got up when the bottle was empty and came back with two more, and a few water bottles. Angela and I didn't say much, though we laughed along and splashed the others when a play fight would break out. By the time the moon had begun it's decent back down to the west horizon we were pruney just like the boys and thoroughly unable to drive.
The door opened and out stepped Emmett, Rosalie no where to be seen.
"Emmett!" The guys and Alice roared, toasting his appearance with the alcohol bottles.
"Hi Emmett," Angela said with a small smile.
I glanced at her and she turned red. We giggled.
"Did you guys miss me?" He asked shedding his shirt.
I think I nodded more fiercely than was cool. I got dizzy. He slid his pants off and climbed in designer underwear between me and Seth. The tub was beyond full now with eight people. Embry and Paul were already sitting on the edge and Alice was standing up in the middle, dancing to music she'd had her Alexa device play on Spotify.
Paul reached out and slapped her on the butt and she slapped him across the face. The pair burst into laughter and she crumpled to her knees in the water. She took another drink.
"You guys, I'm so glad you're not stuck up. Like, I can't stand people like that," Alice slurred.
"You mean people like—"
"Jacob…" Emmett interrupted with a warning tone.
"Yeah! People like—"
"Alice!" Emmett barked.
"Rosalie!" She yelled back, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth and getting up to peer over the glass wall down to the back yard.
Emmett splashed water right into her face when she sat back down. She sputtered and coughed and splashed water back. He glared at her and she shoved him. He didn't budge.
"What's your problem? You're killing the party."
"The party was going just fine until you started trying to gossip."
"Oh whatever! You know she's a brat. You don't even like her."
"That's not the point—"
"It's bound to come out sooner or later—"
"Alice, don't."
"—that you and her are—"
"Alice, shut up!"
"—getting a—"
"Alice!" He grabbed the bottle out of her hands and chucked it into the trees past the yard.
Angela and I gaped at him. "Wow, what an arm," she said.
Alice and Emmett were in each other's faces, panting with rage. Paul and Jacob had hands on either of his shoulders. I reached for Alice's hand and slipped my fingers between hers, pulling just enough to make her uncomfortable. She sat in one of the vacated spaces.
"Are you quite done?" A voice from the door asked. It was their mother. I ducked down into the water so only my head was exposed. "We can hear you in the yard outside. I didn't let you invite friends so that you could ruin Edward's engagement party. I don't care what you do, as long as you let him have this night. Stay up here and get drunk, that's fine. But keep it down!" She turned back inside and closed the door quietly.
Emmett and Alice looked thoroughly ashamed.
"Angela," Embry said, "truth or dare?"
P.S. I know I promised some steam and I truly meant to give ya a little something something I really only put in the lead up... I'm an asshole, I know. Next chapter though! Like 99.99% positive there will be! :) Don't forget to leave a review! Let me know what you did or did not like. And let me know what you might like to see later on!
-Lee-