A/N- Sadly, these characters all belong to SM...
Soooooo sorry for the amount of time that has passed since my last update. I can only blame my crazy schedule so many times, though, before it gets old. Sorry!
Chapter 18
I woke up Sunday morning to an empty bed.
It took me a few minutes to realize that Edward should still be there, because I was so used to him leaving early. I sat up, hoping that I would hear him in the bathroom, and tried to push away that sad feeling that I felt when I realized he wasn't there either. I looked around to see that some of his clothes were still laying on my floor, so I knew that he hadn't gone too far. I decided that it was probably a good idea for me to freshen up a little before I went to find him. I took a quick shower and didn't notice the note on the mirror until I got out. Edward had left a note stuck in the frame of the mirror that said to meet him on the porch for breakfast. Afraid that I had already taken too long, I quickly brushed my hair, threw on some jeans and a tank top and practically ran out to the porch.
Edward was sitting on the lounge chair wearing nothing but his jeans. He looked so sexy sitting there with his coffee and that grin that made me tingle.
"Good morning, beautiful. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep all day."
"What time is it?" I couldn't see the clock on the stove through the window.
"Almost 10. I don't think I've ever known you to sleep that late. I must have worn you out last night."
"You've worn me out every night for the past week," I said as I climbed into his lap on the couch.
"I know I have, and I'm sorry for that. If it makes it up to you, I made you breakfast."
I looked over at the table to see that Edward had made omelets and pancakes. There was also juice and champagne for mimosas.
"It looks like you made breakfast for the entire neighborhood."
Edward told me that he hadn't seen me eat a decent meal yet, and that he expected me to eat every bite that he put on my plate. When he told me that I was going to need my strength today, I assumed he was making another sexual innuendo. I had no idea of what he really had planned for us today.
"Sounds like you have big plans for us," I said as I nibbled on his ear.
"Oh no, silly girl. You won't get out of eating that easily. Off you go." And with that, he stood up, effectively dumping me off of his lap. He caught me though, so it was a gentle landing. "And my perverted little girl... I love the way you think, but I wasn't trying to seduce you... yet. I was just trying to prepare you. We are going to be spending the day with my family if that's okay with you."
I had extremely mixed emotions about going to Edward's old house. On one hand, I truly loved his family and wanted to see them. When Edward and I broke up, it devastated me. I know that I could have and would have been accepted with open arms if I had ever tried to make contact with the Cullens, but I just didn't think I could do it. On the other hand, I knew that being there, in the Cullen home, would bring back so many memories that I just wasn't sure I was ready to face.
He must have sensed my hesitance, because he quickly added, "We don't have to go if you don't want to. I just thought it might be fun since the entire family is there. I know he gave you fits, but Em would love to see you too." As if he didn't think I would agree, he added, "We don't have to stay very long if you don't want to. I just know how much it would mean to my parents if you came by."
"Well, if you're going to pull out the whole guilt thing, you should find a wounded puppy to make a sad face. It would be almost as effective as telling me how much it would mean to your mother," I said, only half kidding.
But Edward knew that he had won this battle, there is no way that I would have told him no, even if I really didn't want to go see everyone. I felt like I was in high school again as I tried to figure out what I was going to wear to go see my boyfriend's parents.
"The jeans and shirt were fine, Bella, I don't see why you felt the need to change into a skirt," Edward grumbled.
Smiling at the exchange, I sniped back, "Edward, you are behaving like my three year old. Do you need to pull over and let me drive so you can have a nap?"
As we were driving out of Port Angeles, I made Edward stop at the grocery store so that I could at least have a bottle of wine and some flowers to take with me to his parents' house. I was a little pissed because we couldn't find an open florist anywhere, so I was going to have to settle for the pre-made arrangements that come from the grocery store. Luckily, though, there were some pretty ones in the cooler. As I leaned in to pick up the bouquet, I heard someone whistle. Assuming that it was Edward coming back after picking out his mother's favorite wine, I did a little dance, making sure to stick my ass out just enough to lift my skirt a bit. As I stood up and turned around though, I noticed that Edward was standing a few feet away, and not at all in the direction that I had been directing my little dance. I turned toward the sound of the whistle to see none other than Mike Fucking Newton. He wasn't grinning at me anymore... he was grinning at Edward. Uh oh! I almost dropped the only decent looking bouquet in the entire store. It was a beautiful square vase filled with pink and orange roses and lilies. What a waste that would have been.
"Enjoying the view there, Newton," Edward was still smiling as he spoke.
"Actually, I was enjoying the view." Stupid boy!
I just decided to play dumb. Edward and Mike had never been big fans of each other, and I didn't think it was the best time for them to take out their adolescent issues. "Wait... I'm confused." I looked back and forth between the two, "Edward, wasn't that you that just whistled?"
"No, B. You just did a little dance for Newton there."
I giggled the entire way out to the car.
I could tell that Edward was still pissed about the whole thing, so I tried to make light of it. "Seriously though, you have to admit it's kinda funny."
"Nope. I can't say that I find it funny at all. And what the hell was he talking about when he said he thought you would have called him by now?" Edward didn't sound nearly as amused as I still felt.
"Edward come on! Mike Newton has always hated you and known that the fastest way to get under your skin was through me. I saw him at the grocery store the other day, and he gave me his business card. He knew then that I wouldn't call him, but he gave it to me anyway."
"I just don't understand his infatuation with you." Edward was trying to have a serious conversation that I just wasn't willing to have.
"Really? You don't see why he might be interested in little ole me, huh?" I was starting to get a little pissed that we were STILL talking about this. Part of me wanted to scream at him that he had no right to tell me who I could or couldn't shake my butt in front of.
"Bella, you know that's not what I mean."
"Edward, I'm just going to say this one time. GET OVER IT! If I had wanted to sleep with Mike Newton, I would have done it years ago. Yes, I shook my ass in his face today, but only because I thought it was you. If you are going to be pissy about this for the rest of the day, please turn the car around and take me home. You can take the flowers and wine to your mother all by yourself. Then you can explain to your family why I refused to come with you, so they can all tell you what an ass you are being."
It is really hard to turn away from someone in a tiny little two-seater car, but I did my best to turn my back to Edward so that I could pout. I heard him mumble something under his breath. I turned around to look at him as I screamed, but before loud noises came out, I noticed that he was laughing (if you could call it a laugh).
"Now who is behaving like a three year old?"
"Don't go there with me," I could feel myself trying not to laugh along with him.
"I gotta say, B - you really have changed. I think it's a good thing for you."
I stared at him, "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"It just means that you were never great at standing up for yourself. Even when I knew I was being an ass, there was very little that you would have said to me to make me stop. It's very effective for you to tell me to turn around and take you home... and mean it." Edward was looking at me quite seriously as he said this.
"Is this a fight?" I said with a grin on my face. "Are we really having an argument over Mike Newton?"
"Not anymore. I'm not worried about that puss."
"Then Edward, why the hell are you making such a big deal out of absolutely nothing?"
He was chuckling again by this point, "I don't know. But would you answer one more question for me?"
"Uh, sure, I guess."
"Did Newton really try to sleep with you a long time ago?"
"What?"
"You said that if you wanted to sleep with him, you would have done it a long time ago..."
I punched him in the arm and told him to drive the damn car. The rest of the trip was spent with me telling Edward about all the times that Mike Newton had tried to get in my pants and the different excuses that I had given him over the years. By the time we got to Forks, we were both laughing so hard at the ridiculousness of the argument and Mike, that we were crying. I had to make Edward stop at a gas station not ten minutes from his parents' house, because I was afraid I would wet my pants.
Having settled down somewhat and wiped all the eye makeup off my face, I was ready to "meet the parents." Of course, I had met these parents before, and I loved them almost as if they were my own (or in some cases more than if they were my own). I knew that Esme and Carlisle had always loved me, and they had always been good to me. Esme made it very clear to me that if I ever needed someone to talk to after Edward and I broke up, I could always come to her. Still, none of these facts negated the fact that as I walked up to the house, my palms were sweaty and I was really nervous. I wasn't really sure why, but I felt that this trip would have some significance in my relationship with Edward or lack thereof from here on out. Before I could make it up the front steps, the door flew open. I had forgotten how incredibly large Emmet was until he picked me up and swung me around in one of his giant bear hugs.
"Put her down, Em." I heard Carlisle's calm voice of reason, "Bella always hated it when you threw her around like a china doll."
I thought my mind was playing tricks on me when I heard her, "There is only one Bella I know that people could compare to a china doll. And anyone that thinks of Bella Swan as fragile, obviously doesn't know her anymore." Rosalie walked to the doorway to stand behind Emmett. Her grin was contagious.
"Oh My God, Rose! What are you doing here?"
The rest of the Cullens had started gathering into the doorway. They were all watching us curiously. Esme spoke up, "I take it you two know each other?"
Rosalie spoke before I could even comprehend what was happening, "We do. We've been best friends for years."
Esme looked back and forth between us as if to say there was no way in hell that she believed the two of us could be friends. "Let's go inside, shall we?"
As we followed Esme into the house, Rose squeezed through the people and managed to sidle up next to me. "How fucking weird is this?" she whispered in my ear.
"I'm not sure I know what you're doing here," I whispered back.
Her voice returned to a normal level as we all walked into the kitchen. "Remember the guy that I told you about meeting at the medical conference?" Rose spoke as if there were no other people in the room.
I couldn't help myself, "You mean to tell me that Emmett (I said with mock contempt) is your dreamy doctor? Really? Emmett? Emmett Cullen?"
The rest of the family was having a lot of fun at Em's expense. He, on the other hand, just had this incredibly goofy grin on his face. I should have been paying closer attention to him, though, because before I even knew what hit me, Em had picked me up and was carrying me towards the pool.
It was the kind of behavior that only a mother could stop. "Put her down this instant Emmett Cullen." Esme only had to speak once, and she didn't even really have to raise her voice. Once he had put me back on my feet, Esme continued, "It's obvious that Rosalie and Bella know each other, but I think the rest of us are struggling to keep up with this weird conversation. Let's all have a seat, and we can catch up with what's going on."
It was then that I noticed how much had changed about the kitchen. I can't really describe the feeling of being home, but at the same time, being in a house that belongs to a total stranger. I guess that's what people mean when they say you can never go home again. As I looked around the beautifully redone room, it occurred to me that things with Edward and I, much like this kitchen, would never be what they were. It was definitely something that I wanted to put aside and think about later, because it also made me realize that not being able to go back and recreate what we once had, didn't mean that we would never be able to have anything again. I could feel people looking at me as I stared at the room around me, and I couldn't stifle the giggles. I know that I looked completely ridiculous, laughing at absolutely nothing, but for the first time in a long time, I felt hope.
"Uh oh, I know that giggle... Bella's been drinking," Rose teased from her seat next to me.
It helped relieve some of the tension that I was feeling, just knowing that she was there. With Edward sitting behind me and my best friend in the world sitting next to me, not to mention the crazy yet wonderful family surrounding me, I felt whole again. "Nope, haven't been drinking. I was just looking around the kitchen and thinking about how much things have changed. I love what you've done with it, though." I added the last part almost as an afterthought. I didn't want Esme to think that I didn't like the kitchen, or that I was laughing at it. Oh hell, just quit talking now!
It was Alice who spoke next, "So, how do you and Rosalie know each other?"
"We were roommates in college. I remember meeting Rose and thinking that fate was playing some cruel joke on me. I mean, seriously, could two people be any more different than the two of us?"
Rose jumped in, "But it worked out perfectly. Bella needed me, and I needed her. We've never looked back." Rose looked at Edward then. "You must be Edward. I believe we've spoken." Watching Rosalie Hale try to keep her conversation clean for the benefit of Carlisle and Esme was almost comical.
I tried to jump in there and steer this conversation back to safer grounds, but it wasn't possible.
Emmett's lip twitched as he said, "I would believe everything she says, bro. This one can be tough when she has to be." It was obvious that Edward had shared parts of his conversation with Emmett.
"I don't doubt it." I still hadn't gotten used to the sound of Edward's beautiful voice. "But as I told Rosalie over the phone, and I'm pretty sure I have told everyone else in this room, I don't intend to hurt Bella. If you all would like, I can go call Charlie and share my good intentions with him as well. Just so we can get it all out there."
Alice excused herself to go check on Jane, who was sleeping in the room at the end of the hall. Edward decided that it was a great time to open the wine that we brought. Jasper followed Edward to the bar, and they began chatting about something. I was pretty sure that I heard the word Newton, but I wouldn't swear on it. I asked Esme to show me the rest of the remodel that had been done. Rosalie, Emmett and Carlisle tagged along while I got the grand tour.
"I always thought that this was a beautiful house, but I can't believe how great it looks now. Edward said that you did most of the decorating and a lot of the interior work yourself?"
You could see the pride in Esme's eyes as she answered, "I did. I realized that I was truly passionate about design and decorating, so I took a few classes. This house was my experiment, but since completing this one, I have taken on a few jobs. It's hard for me to believe that some people are actually willing to pay me to decorate their houses for them."
Rose added, "It's very obvious that you are a calm and centered person. You have brought that into the design of your home, and I can imagine that people would like to enjoy your style as well. I have just bought a small house in Port Angeles. I would love for you to come give me some quotes."
Emmett, Carlisle and I all knew that Esme would never take a penny from Rosalie to help her with decorating her new home. It was sweet of Rose to ask Esme, though. What Rosalie didn't yet realize is that she had just become Esme's new project. As I watched Em and Rose together, I realized that this relationship would not be one of those short flings (had it ever crossed my mind before running into them today, I would have realized that they make the perfect couple). I was really pleased to see that Esme would have a new daughter figure to bond with.
Alice came back into the living room with a very sleepy-eyed three year old toddling behind her. Jane walked straight up to Carlisle and lifted her arms, telling him to pick her up. She informed him that she wanted to go swimming, so the group decided to head out to the patio to spend the afternoon and catch up.
Living in the rainiest place on North America means that not many people have swimming pools in their backyard. The Cullens had built the pool when the kids were younger, and they had enclosed it so that it could be enjoyed year round. Jasper and Carlisle both got in the pool with Jane. She was so cute with her little bathing suit and floaties on, that I couldn't help but miss my kids. Before sitting down to chat with everyone, I walked to the corner of the pool room to call Charlie. Seth answered his phone.
"Hi Mommy."
"Hey buddy, how are you?"... We talked for a while about camping and Sue's house. I heard all about the S'mores they had made the night before and how Sue had to scrub poor Leah to get all the marshmallow off of her. I talked with Seth for a few more minutes, then I spoke to Leah for a while. She essentially told me all of the sane things that Seth had said, but she enjoyed talking too, so I couldn't stop her. When Charlie got on the phone, something seemed a bit off. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he seemed quiet... even for Charlie.
"Bella, where are you right now? I hear kids in the background."
"Correction Dad, you hear kid - as in singular, one kid. She's just loud. It's Jane, she's playing in the pool with Carlisle and Jasper."
Charlie seemed to realize without me having to say it that Edward was around. "Please don't let him hurt you again. I can't stand to see you turn into that shell of a girl."
"It's different this time, Dad." And I knew in my heart, that it truly was.
What that meant, I had no idea.
Em and Rose... Yeah!
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