Renee helped me move all the bags into my old bedroom after battling the spectators on the stairs. She let out an unladylike grunt of effort as she hoisted my bag onto my queen sized bed. I pulled Edward's bag over to the closet and hung my dress bag to prevent wrinkling. Renee pretended not to notice his luggage in my room as she fluffed my pillows.
My old comforter brought back a lot of memories and I smiled when Renee perched on the edge and patted next to her. She let her head shift to my shoulder and her arm wound around my waist once I was seated. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder in return and we just sat in compatible silence for a while, which is a rare occurrence for my mother.
"I miss this." I surprised myself by saying. I had removed the only female role model from my life when I moved in with Charlie and I had forgotten how nice it could be. Since Renee seemed so shocked that I would leave her in the first place it was strange to be alone with a mature woman after we drifted apart. Ever since that fitful day it was always slightly forced just to speak to each other and I had doubts that we could ever be the way we once were. Of course Renee still had Sarah so I doubt she noticed my absence much. I frowned slightly thinking about my step sister.
"What do you miss?"
"This. Sitting here. With you. No expectations, just , us." I squeezed her shoulder closer to me for a second before releasing her after shoving Sarah from my mind. She had no place in this time with my mother. Renee's face turned towards me as she too retracted her arm.
"Bella…" She looked regretful but hesitant.
"Don't worry about it Mom. It's just good to be home. I think I need to go check on Edward now since we made it up the stairs in one piece." She gave me a small nod and I left her sitting on my bed.
I slid through the throng of women standing outside the bathroom door and prayed Edward would hear my knock over the noise. No such luck.
"Edward? It's me." I tried again as I rapped my fingers against the door jam.
The door swung open and he pulled me inside before abruptly shutting the door again. His face was starting to swell, there were faint black eyes beginning to form, and there was dried blood under his nose. The effect had his eyes glowing emerald.
"Oh Edward! I am so sorry!" I grabbed a wash cloth out of the linen closet and ran it under warm water. "Just sit on the toilet and I'll help clean you up." Gently my fingers probed his face. He winced slightly as they danced over the bridge of his sore nose so I stopped. "Can you ever forgive me? I am so sorry." Deliberately I ran a hand through his hair as I washed the blood off his face trying to distract him from the discomfort.
"What took you so long?" He asked with soulful eyes. My chest clenched in pity.
"There is a horde of worried women out there who seem to think they know how to fix you. They wouldn't let me through." He nodded once and winced again as my hand pushed on his face.
"I don't think it's broken but I bet I will have two shiners in the morning." Tentatively Edward squeezed his nose to check for breaks.
"I am sorry Edward."
"I know. I forgive you. I should have known that some type of disaster/accident was eminent since you were involved." He entwined our fingers of my free hand as I cleaned the last of the blood from his face.
"Would you like me to get you some ice? You can lie down on my old bed while I chase away the worried posse outside." I stroked his cheek and gave a soft smile. I was still waiting for him to get angry.
"Ok, that sounds good. When is dinner being served anyway? I must prepare myself for the onslaught."
"I'm not sure but I can go ask Renee." We stood and I exited the bathroom first. I left the dirty wash cloth in the sink to clean. "Ladies please; I assure you he is fine. He just needs some quiet now since he has quite a headache so if you will please follow me down the stairs so he can rest." I made a sweeping gesture with my arms and they slowly moved away. "My door is the second one on the left hun, I'll be back soon." I stood on my tip toes to peck Edward's cheek before heading after the mob. A few ladies tried to turn back but continued their decent after a look from me.
I made my way into the kitchen and filled a plastic bag with some ice and grabbed a dish towel. I nervously glanced over my shoulder as I worked hoping James would not come through the door. With medical supplies in hand I tried to sneak back up the stairs but I was seen by the guests milling around the living room before I could make my escape.
"Bella! Bella! You MUST be here for the toast!" Sarah's friend Daphney called above the heads between us gesturing for me to enter the group. I sighed and put the ice and towel on a stair before turning around. Daphney handed me a glass with some unknown, most likely alcoholic, beverage. The whispering around us seemed to be pointed towards the hearth so I tried to see over the people around me.
Phil's voice rose above the clatter before it calmed. A few people shifted allowing me a view. Sarah and James stood next to Phil at the hearth. James had his arm around Sarah's shoulder while his other hand was interlaced with hers. Her eyes were bright with excitement as everyone watched.
"As you all know, these two kids are getting married on Sunday." Phil gestured with his glass of champagne and smiled warmly at his daughter. I felt a pang in my chest as I missed Charlie. "And I could not be happier for them. To see how they have grown to love one another makes me feel like I am not losing my daughter, but gaining a son. Let's hear it for the soon-to-be's!" He raised his glass and I thought I saw a faint gleam of tears in his eyes.
"Here here!" everyone responded raising their glasses. I twitched slightly when James bent to kiss Sarah's awaiting lips. Even if I no longer had feelings for him, the feeling of betrayal would not die. I knocked back all the contents of my glass and smiled at Daphney. She had turned away and was chatting happily about the upcoming wedding so I took my time to escape up the stairs.
I carefully scooped up the ice and towel as I climbed back up the stairs. As I neared my old room I could hear faint voices coming from within. Quietly I moved to listen closer.
"… If you hurt my daughter there will be hell to pay. I don't know who you are, but she has been through enough. If I hear that you have made her cry even once I will make your life a living hell." I felt my eyebrows raise as Renee's voice drifted in to the hallway with more menace then I had ever heard her use.
"Mrs. MacDonald, I don't know how to make you trust me, but if I ever hurt your daughter you must understand that I couldn't live with myself. I just hope you can come to believe me." The velvet of Edward's voice sent a thrill down my spine and a smile to my face. To stop their conversation from progressing I lightly knocked on the door.
"Knock knock." I peeked my head around to see Edward holding the back of a chair with Renee still sitting on my bed.
"Hey Sweetie. I was just getting to know your guy." Renee smiled innocently as if she hadn't just threatened him. I glanced at Edward and his face was neutral except for the exhaustion around his eyes.
"Ok, well Phil just gave a toast to Sarah and James and I bet the mother of the bride is needed." I smiled trying to not act as if she was dismissed from my company. She nodded and stood from the edge of my bed. As she crossed the room she gave Edward a look but stopped in front of me. She kissed my cheek lightly and patted my hair before finally exiting. Edward gave me a wary look and lay down on my bed. He looked strange sprawled out on my childhood comforter with a pink bunny next to his head.
He sighed and sank deeper into my sheets. I handed him the bag of ice and towel for him to arrange himself. He tentatively touched it to his nose and settled back down. I stretched out next to him and gently ran my fingers through his hair trying to will away the tension in his face. He looked so much younger with his eyes closed I couldn't help but sigh at his beauty. His hair felt like silk in my hands. My fingers began to massage his scalp of their own accord and I could hear him rumble faintly with pleasure.
"So are you going to tell me why our luggage is in here?" He asked as my nails lightly scrapped his skin. My face flushed when I realized that I forgot to tell Edward about our lodging situation.
"Um, so about that…" I bit my lip trying to think of an eloquent way of saying 'We're staying with my parents'. He opened one emerald eye and looked at me before sighing.
"So I guess I can call the hotel and cancel our reservation." His hand dipped into his pocket fishing for his cell phone. Flipping it open his apt fingers called the hotel. "Hello, my name is Edward Cullen and I called for a reservation tonight? Well I am sorry to inform you but my flight has been delayed so I will not be arriving in Phoenix until tomorrow." He nodded at the invisible speaker. "So the room will still be there tomorrow? Excellent. Thank you very much. Goodbye."
"You're keeping the room?"
"Just in case. I would hate to lose it and not have a place to stay." He laced the fingers of his right hand with mine and brought my fingertips to his lips. He placed a kiss on each end before nipping lightly.
"Why would we not have a place to stay? I highly doubt my mother would throw us out." I felt my face flush as his teeth tugged at my skin.
"Well in case we need to be elsewhere. Don't worry Bella, it's just a precaution." He gently sucked on the end of my pinky and my breath hitched. "Besides. I have a bet to win." I pursed my lips but smirked. If he thought playful kisses would have me in a puddle of need that easily he didn't know what he was up against.
I rose to my knees and straddled his hips as he continued working on my fingers. I ground my pelvis on his once. Twice. Little Eddy was out to play. I smirked and circled my hips over him. His left hand held mine captive as his right removed the ice from his face. The exhaustion from before all but disappeared from view while his eyes glowed a soft green.
Slowly I wove the fingers of both our hands together and pulled his arms above his head. He could have easily stopped me but he did not put up a fight. Leaning forward I nipped at his jaw line and dragged my teeth to the shell of his ear.
"So what does the hotel room have to do with my winning this bet?" I huskily whispered as my nose skimmed his flesh. When I had moved up to speak in his ear our torsos were pushed together. My nipples hardened as they felt the heat through my clothes and I could feel the rumble of his chest. His hands moved up and cupped my ass pulled my pelvis hard into his.
"Because I would hate for your family to know that you're a screamer." With that he flipped us over and assaulted my mouth. I was surrounded by him. His scent and his body bombarded me. The velvet of his tongue dueled with mine. His hands ran up and down my sides setting off small explosions in their wake. "What do you want Bella?" He whispered as his thumb traced the outline of my panties.
I almost let him win, but that would have been too easy. I didn't respond. I let him continue his assault on my mouth but I stopped participating in the removal of his or my clothing. I laughed when he realized I was onto him.
"Edward, you didn't honestly think it would be that easy?" I chuckled again kissing him one final time before slithering from his embrace. He turned on his side to watch me.
"I hoped, but alas, I should not have gotten my hopes up." He feigned sorrow. I rolled my eyes and moved over to my closet. I began to unpack clothing while he watched me. As he watched me work an idea formed and a telltale smirk appeared on my face.
"You know Edward. It is a bit stuffy downstairs with all those people." I ran my hands through my hair and let it cascade down my back as my arms reached above my head. Edward's eyes were glued to my form. "I think I might make myself a bit more comfortable." I smiled wickedly before tugging my panties down my legs underneath my skirt.
His face didn't change but his breathing came more often and whistled slightly from his clamped lips when I tossed the discarded piece of cloth into my closet.
"So are you ready to go down to dinner? I am starving." I smiled brightly as I walked from the room.
I did not hear him, but I could feel Edward's warmth behind me as we descended the stairs.
"Dinner is served!" Renee chirped happily as she gestured to the dining room table. All the guests filtered into the room. Edward sat to my right and coincidently James and Sara sat directly across from us; James in front of me, Sara in front of Edward. Phil took one end with Renee took the other and the meal was begun. Cheerful chatter twittered across the table as people talk about the Wedding.
I could feel Edward's hand on my knee and my face flushed. My eyes immediately glance up to find James staring intently at my face. My stomach rolled with his attention and I felt dirty. Edward's hand seemed foreign so I wrap my own hands around it and remove its grip on my leg before crossing my knees tightly. Edward glanced at me strangely but nodded when he noticed James.
"So Bella, how have you been?" James' deep voice reverberated in my very soul. It was what first attracted me to him in the first place.
"I've been well. And you?" I noted that it did not have an ounce of the effect it once had.
"You know, just keeping myself busy. Dad's got a new pet project up his sleeve he wants me to take over." He smiled as if I would be proud to hear about his father's favoritism. I pursed my lips and glanced at James' father who was talking to Phil. He seemed rodent like to me and I fought back a shiver at the faint family resemblance. I was once attracted to that.
"That's nice. So you continued with your Bachelor's in Business then?" I took a sip of my ice water trying to fight the dry mouth that was setting in.
"That's right." He beamed that I remembered. "You majored in English correct?"
"Journalism actually. I work for the Seattle Sun Times now." There was pride in my voice even if it was not for his benefit. Edward smiled at me softly and took a bite of the catered meal.
"So Edward what do you do?" Sarah asked cocking her head to the side slightly and batting her eyelashes. I mentally rolled my eyes at her but waited for Edward's answer.
We hadn't discussed whether or not to tell people who he was or not so it was going to be an impromptu conversation. Mark, Charlotte's husband, seemed to recognize him but I hoped Edward's fame would go unnoticed.
"Well I went to medical school to follow after my father as a surgeon, but I haven't chosen a hospital I like quite yet. I have a few hobbies that seem to be panning out nicely to so I don't feel too pressured in making a decision." He smiled politely.
"Wow, a doctor? That must rake in the dough." Her eyes sparkled with interest. I felt a growl form in the back of my throat but I decided to sip my water instead of releasing it. A growl is not really an ice breaker.
"As I said I haven't pursued that quite yet," Edward corrected tightly.
"Well I am studying graphic design. I want to design video games or animated movies once I graduate." Sarah smiled winningly. I noticed the faint hint of defense in her voice, as if she was mocked for her choice of major.
"That's fantastic Sarah. I remember how much you liked to draw when we were younger. I'm glad you found something you really enjoy." The words slipped from my mouth before they could be biased with old anger or prejudices, and they were completely truthful. Sarah turned her gaze to me and really looked at me for the first time since I had come through the door. Her mouth quirked in a half smile of thought before James spoke again.
"So how long have the two of you been together?" I watched his chicken roll around in his mouth as he spoke. Bile threatened my mouth but I held it back.
"About three months now." Edward answered for me. He retrieved my hand and intertwined our fingers on the table for them to see. I smiled at him weakly and gripped his hand tighter. The hurt of losing the only sibling I had ever had was creeping back slowly and I realized how much I missed her. Or at least the prospect of her.
"How did you meet?" Sarah addressed the question to me as she stopped openly flirting with Edward. I saw the sister I had hoped for in her vaguely. We had never been close but I had wanted to be at first.
"At a Benefit." I could feel my mouth form a faint smile as I recalled sprawling on the floor. If Emmett were here he would insist and reliving the whole event to the entire table.
"What kind of Benefit?" James seemed to be growing agitated that I wasn't fawning over him.
"Sports Benefit, it was for my job. My boss is Edward's soon to be sister-in-law so I ended up meeting a good chunk of his family that night."
"Oh, how many siblings do you have?" Sarah just seemed curious now. A few people around us stopped to listen to our conversation.
"I have one sister, and one brother."
"What do they do?"
"Alice is a journalist like Bella, but she writes in the fashion column while Emmett is a football player."
"Does Alice work at the same paper as you Bells?"
"Yeah, she's one of the first people I met actually."
"What football team does your brother play for?" James sneered as if it was an easy thing to accomplish.
"The Seattle Seahawks." Edward answered after clearing his throat softly. The entire table was listening to us now.
"What's his full name?" James prodded. I felt my face blush as I raked my brain to stop the inevitable.
"Emmett Cullen, number 15, blocker." Edward replied curtly. The tight set of his jaw was the only sign of his irritation.
"Hey that's where I know you from! You're Edward Cullen, the quarter back!" Mark hollered from the end of the table and everyone erupted into giggles and chatter. As the volume grew my anger grew as well. Only my family seemed capable of dragging such emotions from me. If not rage, then sorrow. There was no in-between.
A chorus of "Can we have your autographs?" pushed me over the limit. I stood so quickly that my chair clattered backwards.
"Enough! He has barely had a moment of quiet since we got here. We are here for another two days. I'm sure that Edward would be fine with giving autographs or what have you, but now is not the appropriate time to ask. We were having a nice dinner, and I believe we should continue doing so and then perhaps after we are done eating such things can be addressed." With that I knelt to straighten my chair before walking into the kitchen.
I stood in front of the kitchen sink staring into the dried grass that was once our old backyard. I placed my hands on the counter and hung my head slightly letting the anger flow out of my body. Grabbing a glass I poured three fingers of whiskey from the bottle in the cabinet before knocking it back. The burn helped dissipate any remaining anger before I returned to the dining room.
It was quiet when I entered but once I was seated conversations started back up again. Mark was chatting with Edward about his favorite plays while everyone else talked about how amazing it was that I had a famous boyfriend. Rolling my eyes for real this time I met Sarah's gaze from across the table. She smiled at me tentatively and I returned the gestured before eating again.
Dinner moved slowly and the horde of women was back when Edward finished eating. Everyone moved back to the living room to mingle before dissipating for the night. It was all around uneventful after my outburst, which was a good thing in my book.
Renee pecked me on the cheek when she was going up to bed.
"Goodnight my little hellion. Who know you had it in you?" She mused as she climbed the stairs. Phil ruffled my hair silently before following her. James and Sarah left for their apartment leaving Edward and I sitting in the living room alone. The swelling in his nose had gone down considerably but his black eyes had darkened.
"Would you like some more ice for your face before we head up? I'm bushed." I commented and I curled into his shoulder. His arm came around me easily.
"That would probably be a good idea. I don't want to resemble Quasimodo to much tomorrow." He winced touching his nose. "But I'm not sure how to keep the ice on my face while I sleep." My brow furrowed and I stood. He followed me back into the kitchen, being extra careful of the door.
In the freezer there was a face mask just like I remembered. I smiled at seeing it. The first time Renee had worn it was the night our neighbor's house caught fire. She was standing outside with everyone else for three hours before she realized it was still on her face.
"This might work." I held it up for Edward. He pursed his lips but didn't disagree. We both changed into our pajamas and climbed into the bed, Edward wearing his mask. I had thought he was asleep with my head resting against his chest so his words startled me.
"You were magnificent tonight, thank you." His arm tightened around me slightly. I smiled and drifted into a dreamless sleep after mumbling.
"You're welcome."