They sat for a time under the oak tree by the river simply acclimating to each others touch.
Though he shouldn't have been surprised, Edward was startled when Bella moved her hands to stroke his cheek. It was another notion of the upper class that ladies should be frigid. A woman showing any physical affection more than a chaste kiss was enough to set vicious tongues wagging amongst the blue bloods Edward had grown up around. Frigidity was thought to be more ladylike. The idea that women could find men touchable was a middle class notion.
For just a moment, Edward entertained the thought that Bella may have had a beau before him. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. She was very pretty, and he couldn't be the only man who'd enjoyed spending time in her company.
He pushed that thought to the side almost instantly. After all, to ask a woman of her physical past after he'd proposed would be unforgivably crass and rude. And Edward would be lying if he didn't acknowledge the rush of possessive anger he felt. If there were others in her past, it was better they remain nameless and faceless, lest he feel the need to punish anyone who dared think of his fiancee that way.
Besides, his mother had been quite demonstrative toward his father behind closed doors. If he could find the same tender devotion his parents had shared, he would be a very happy man indeed.
It seemed to him more likely that this was just one more societal rule that Bella chose to flout. The way her eyes flicked to him nervously, gauging his reaction as she touched him tentatively, gave credence to that theory.
He made a mental note to speak to her later about how they could behave in public. While he thought he would welcome her kisses and touches any time, any day, being the center of gossip would not make her life easy.
For now, though, he reveled in her touch, placing his hand over hers on his cheek as he smiled softly at her. She smiled back at him and pressed a tiny, shy kiss to his lips before she pulled back.
Dropping her hands to settle against his chest, Bella sighed and looked away furtively.
"Is there something wrong?" Edward asked gently, running his finger under her chin.
Bella grimaced, looking up at him. "If I had known you wanted to marry me, I may have been more biddable."
Edward threw back his head and laughed. "You are welcome to try, of course," he mused.
She made a face at him. "Well, I don't want you to think I'm demanding." She looked down, worrying her fingers about the top button of his shirt. "I would like to ask you for two favors, though."
"Anything," he said softly, tilting her chin up so he could kiss her again. "There is nothing I can think of that I wouldn't give you." He knew he was being vaguely ridiculous, but he was caught in the moment, enamored and thrilled at the idea of taking a wife.
"They aren't favors for me, really, but for Jasper," she said carefully.
Edward paused, a little startled. "What of Jasper?" he asked, keeping his tone even.
"Well, the first is more for Peter." A worried, pained look came over her face. "Without me, who will care for him?"
Pursing his lips, Edward considered the issue, slightly ashamed that he hadn't thought of it before. Of course there were repercussions to uprooting a life. He'd stopped to consider whether or not she would want to leave, but not who would be hurt if she did choose to go with him. It may have been true that Peter was not Bella's responsibility, but he understood why she was concerned.
His heart gave a little twist. Though he'd only known the boy a short time, he would miss Peter dearly.
"I will speak to Jasper," he said after a moment. "If he is amenable, you may hire a nanny for Peter." He wasn't sure that Jasper would be receptive, but he could offer.
Bella's smile was genuine. "Then just one more thing," she said softly, speaking slowly. "Edward... Jasper has no surviving family. If ever it turns out he has nowhere to go..."
"He will always be welcome in my house," Edward said firmly, understanding what she was asking. "In our house," he amended. He grinned and kissed her chin. "Though, good luck in both pursuits," he said with a chuckle. "Jasper is almost as hard headed as you, my dear. I believe he will refuse both offers."
Her answering smile was broad. "I'll speak to him. He will see reason."
Again, Edward laughed softly, feeling a rush of adoration. He kissed her sweetly before standing, pulling her up with him. "You've much to prepare for, then," he said with a sigh, not wishing leave this intimate space quite yet but knowing they had to return to reality eventually. "And I have chores to attend to before nightfall."
~TiAD~
As Edward headed back toward the house, he couldn't help the broad smile that tugged at his lips. It was a pleasing, though somewhat surreal, thought that he was an engaged man returning home to a woman who would soon be his wife. It took him a moment to realize he was swaggering as he walked toward the shed to put his tools away. He was strutting like the cock of the walk.
Shaking his head ruefully, Edward was making a mental list of things yet to be done when he suddenly found himself being propelled backward. Someone had grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him roughly back a few steps. Edward didn't have time to get his barrings before a fist came at his face. His vision exploded white with pain, and he fell backward, landing on his rear on the dirt. Shaking his head hard to clear it, he looked up to find Jasper glaring down at him, his eyes sparked with livid fury and his hands in fists at his side.
"I told you, if you so much as thought about her in that way -" Jasper began in a growl, but Edward cut him off.
"In what way?" Edward snarled back, climbing quickly to his feet. "I think to secure her family's property and grant the guarantee of a roof over her head and food in her belly? I think to take her from this land that she has no love for, to let her be a lady rather than toil in these fields, roughening her hands like she is a common laborer rather than a woman who deserves so much better than this?"
Furious at his former friend's insinuation, Edward took a threatening step toward him, voicing the suspicions he'd long held. "Are you jealous, Jasper? Is that it? Did you want her for yourself? Or is it just that you'd rather she stay and tend to a child who isn't even hers rather than give her children of her own?"
Jasper's lips curled and he reared back to throw another punch. This time, Edward was ready, having suspected that his words would garner that reaction. He dodged to the side, grabbing Jasper by his wrist and twisting his arm behind his back. They struggled for a moment, but a childhood of wrestling matches with his much brawnier older brother had taught Edward well. He managed to get both of Jasper's arms locked behind his back.
Holding firm as Jasper jerked in his grip, Edward took a deep, calming breath before he spoke. "Believe it or not, and I don't give a damn if you do, I care for her a great deal. She has already made her choice, and you will honor it."
He let Jasper go, pushing him away and tensing his body for a fight. Jasper whirled, his glower enraged, and for a handful of heartbeats, it seemed as if he might go at Edward again. Instead, he turned, heading down the path and out of sight without another word.
~TiAD~
"I swear, I didn't mean to tell him," Bella said for what had to be the tenth time.
Edward just smiled, leaning his head back against the chair he rested in. It irritated him to no end that he'd been caught so unawares by Jasper's assault, but he thought the bloodied lip was well worth it to have Bella clucking over him, tenderly dabbing at his wound with a cool rag.
Catching her hand, he tugged her lightly, smiling, though it hurt him to do so. It took her a moment to understand what he wanted, but when she did, she blushed and sat gingerly on his lap.
"I'm sure his reaction would have been the same had we told him together," he said easily.
She pursed her lips, looking displeased, but then she sighed. "Does it hurt?"
"No," he lied, but he suspected his grimace as he tried to smile reassuringly at her gave him away.
A contemplative expression came over her face and she hesitated a moment before she leaned forward, kissing the injured side of his mouth gently. "Is that better?" she asked, blinking at him with innocent eyes.
Edward's breath caught in his throat. He didn't answer right away, but sat up straighter, keeping his arms tight around her. "Yes," he murmured, his voice low. "That feels much better."
Somehow, in that small, pure gesture, something in the air had shifted. This wasn't the sweet atmosphere from that afternoon. The air between them was suddenly sweltering, undulating with heat. It was like standing under the hot Texas sun, except instead of craving the sweet relief of coolness against his skin, there was a calling at his very core that cried for her.
She seemed frozen, her eyes on his, and he wondered if she felt it too - this need.
Her eyes were still open when he kissed her. This was not a soft, sweet kiss as the ones they'd shared beneath the oak tree. This kiss was more ardent, his grip around her tighter. He didn't even care that it hurt to press his lips to hers where he was bruised.
As his mouth worked on hers, Bella whimpered softly, her hands on his chest, fingers winding through the fabric of his shirt and tugging. The sound sapped what little sanity he had left, and he rumbled against her lips, beginning to move his hands from her waist up her side.
With a wild gasp he pulled slightly away from her, leaning far back on the chair. She blinked, looking startled, and began to readjust herself on his lap but froze when he dropped his hands to her waist, holding her still. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, closing his eyes tight and leaning his head against her shoulder. "I am so sorry. That was..." He took a deep breath, trying not to feel her warmth so near him nor think of how soft her skin felt under his hands. He sighed. "That was not appropriate."
She wasn't his wife yet.
Edward thought of Royce King and the ensuing guilt was all he needed to remember the rules of propriety. Bella deserved better than that. He opened his eyes slowly, looking at her contritely. "Will you forgive me?"
For a moment she seemed flustered. She smiled at him uncertainly. "I was not protesting, Edward," she said softly, her voice oddly shy. "However, if it pleases you, then yes, I will forgive you."
His lips twitched. "Well, it was not appropriate," he reiterated. "If nothing else, if I do not respect your honor, I would have to let Jasper do as he would." He grinned, gesturing lightly at his face.
Bella grimaced. "If I'd have known he was going to do that, I'd have gone after him."
Edward shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure I can say I would have done differently if it were Alice in your place. In fact, I'm surprised he's let us alone for the time being. When it comes time for Alice to be engaged, I don't intend to let her betrothed near her without supervision," he said fervently. "He'll be lucky if I let him in the house till they are properly wedded."
He frowned, realizing suddenly that it was entirely possible he would have to face that exact scenario when he got home. He reminded himself again that Alice was not a child, and it was entirely possible she had a beau.
With their father gone and Emmett away, her happiness and welfare would be his responsibility.
"Edward?" Bella asked quietly, and he could hear the tremble of trepidation in her voice. He looked at her, tilting his head curiously. "Will your family approve of a girl like me for you?"
His eyebrows crinkled for a moment before they smoothed out and he smiled gently, resting the back of his hand against her cheek. "My mother will adore you," he said with certainty.
~TiAD~
Jasper did come back before it was time for bed. He didn't say more than a few words to Bella. With Edward, he said absolutely nothing, but he did stare menacingly from the sofa until he was sure Edward retreated to his own room for the night.
Days passed in this manner. In the mornings and early evenings, Edward and Bella danced around each other, slowly rewriting their relationship, both trying on roles they weren't entirely used to.
Several times, Bella nearly brushed aside Edward's questions about the farm, about to tell him he needn't be worried only to snap her mouth shut when she realized it was not only his right to ask but her duty to answer. Though he bowed to her better judgment as far as how to proceed, the farm was to become his asset. He noticed too that she was all the more attentive. She fetched him water when he came inside for the day and laid out his shaving things in the morning. She asked about a thousand questions over those days about his likes and dislikes, fretting at the oddest things. She was, she blurted one evening, not particularly good at making men's shirts.
That had perplexed Edward a great deal, as he'd always had his shirts tailored. He told her so, and told her that if it pleased her, he would be glad if she kept the dress and hat makers in business. There would always be plenty of mending to be done, as was the norm in any household, but she needn't make her own clothes if she didn't want to.
This seemed to fluster more than please her, and she began muttering about unnecessary excess. That was when Edward realized there was much he had to tell her before he let her wander in to the lion's den that was Chicago high society. To that point, he hadn't thought much of it. As a man and a blue blood, he was above most reproach. It was beginning to occur to him more and more that his responsibility to protect Bella extended to more than just defending her against any who might harm her physically. He'd seen the way the society ladies treated outsiders. They would be watching her closely.
They were learning to think of themselves as a unit rather than two people alone in the world. Slowly but surely, they were progressing together.
The day before he was go to Houston to settle some business and prepare for their departure, they spoke of Jasper again.
"Have you been able to convince Jasper to let you hire a nanny?" he asked her over dinner. While Jasper made an appearance every evening without fail, he was gone before either of them woke in the morning and no longer ate at Bella's table.
When she didn't answer right away Edward looked up, surprised to find she was wringing her napkin fitfully on her lap, looking very nervous and sad. She held her hand up, begging his indulgence, and turned instead to Peter. "Sugar? If you're done, why don't you go play with your soldiers?" she suggested lightly.
Peter nodded obediently and climbed down from his chair, heading toward the basket in the corner.
Keeping her eyes on him, Bella sighed and spoke softly out of the corner of her mouth. "I did get a chance to speak to Jasper today," she murmured, ducking her head.
Wanting automatically to comfort her, Edward laid his hand palm up on the table in offering. When she put her hand in his, he stroked his thumb over her fingers soothingly. "He refused our help?" he guessed. "Perhaps if I talk to him -"
Bella shook her head. "Actually, he asked a favor." She breathed in, visibly swallowing thickly. "Edward... he's asked if we will take Peter with us to Chicago, if we will take him in as our ward."
Completely flabbergasted, Edward sat back in his chair, dropping his hands to his sides. "What, he cannot ask me himself, but sends you to do his work?" he asked gruffly, reeling at the idea that Jasper could give up his little boy so easily.
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Bella cocked her head. "He would have asked you himself, but I told him to let me speak to you. The only reason he asked me first was because he didn't want to take the choice out of my hands." She grimaced. "He didn't want me to feel burdened with Peter if I didn't want him."
"How considerate of him," Edward said scathingly, his voice dripping with derision. "And if you didn't want him, I suppose he would find some other way to rid himself of the child." His heart ached for Peter, his anger spurned on the boy's behalf.
"No," Bella said sharply, her voice raising a notch. She breathed in through her nose, calming herself before she continued. "Don't you see? Edward, that little boy is Jasper's world. Peter is all he has left of Maria, and he is sending him home with you, with a Union soldier."
Edward dropped his gaze, looking over at the little boy playing, oblivious to the fact he was about to be uprooted and torn away from his only remaining parent.
"He is a proud man," Bella continued quietly, "and I'm not sure he is done fighting the war. He is entrusting you with the thing most precious to him because he wants something more for his son than he can hope to provide in his current situation."
She stood and stepped to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let his actions speak louder than his bitter words," she entreated. There was a pause before she said, "Unless you don't want Peter."
"No," Edward said quickly. "He's a good boy. I had already thought how much I would miss him, how much you would miss him, when we left. If it's what you want, I have no problem caring for him." He chuffed lightly, shaking his head. "I know my mother will be thrilled to have a child in the house again."
"Then you are amenable to the agreement?" she asked softly.
He blew out a long breath, slightly overwhelmed. Just days ago he'd had only himself to worry about. Now he was bringing home a wife and child.
How quickly his life was changing.
Reaching up, Edward wrapped his fingers around Bella's hand on his shoulder, and he tilted his head to smile at her. "This is what you want?" he verified. It would be her business, better or worse, to care for the children in their household - their own included.
She thought over her words before answering. "My heart breaks for Jasper, but I understand his thoughts. And yes, I will admit that the idea of leaving Peter when he has been like my own son these last many months was painful."
"Then yes, I am amenable," Edward answered. He stood, breathing deeply to calm his frazzled nerves. "But I will have to talk to Jasper."
~TiAD~
He found the other man by following a light at the barn. Sure enough, Jasper sat on an overturned barrel, bent over a small table, carefully whittling by the light of a kerosene lamp. As Edward came closer, he could see the outline of a wooden soldier, and knew that Jasper was carving another toy for his son.
Though he must have heard him approach, Jasper didn't look up as Edward dragged another barrel from the corner and sat across form him. The two men sat in heavy silence for a time before Jasper let out a long, slow breath.
"I have no intention of abandoning him," he said roughly, not looking up. "It's just... this place, right now, it's no place for a little boy. It's going to be a rough season. I'm out in the fields for long hours, and I don't want him to lose the only other mother he's known when I can't be there for him."
"I understand," Edward said simply and sincerely.
"When the crops come in, I'll be able to reimburse you for whatever -"
"Jasper," Edward interrupted. "I understand."
Jasper lapsed into silence, rolling the unfinished soldier between his fingers.
"I will take care of them," Edward spoke, his voice a promise. "I swear, I will care for them both. They will want for nothing."
Jasper's breath stuttered as he breathed in through his nose and out again. His head jerked in a nod. When he finally looked up, Edward could see what it took for the blond man to ask this favor of him. The raw pain he saw reflected in Jasper's eyes was staggering, and for a moment, Edward's throat closed with emotion.
"Thank you," Jasper said quietly.
If he thought there was any chance he would accept, Edward would have offered to extend Jasper a loan large enough to save his plantation and then some. He knew, though, that it had to be a great blow to his pride to ask for Edward's help at all. Edward could not insult him by making any offer of help beyond that.
Instead, he stood. He put his hand briefly on Jasper's shoulder, hoping the other man understood the gesture. Their friendship had been torn to shreds after four years they'd been made enemies, but Edward hoped the other man understood it was not beyond repair.
As he'd told Bella, his door was always open.
He left Jasper then to his solace.
~TiAD~
Edward stared at the words on the telegraph note, blinking sporadically to ensure that they weren't a figment of his imagination.
WILL BE HOME BY THE END OF THE WEEK STOP
BRINGING BACK A WIFE AND A TWO YEAR OLD BOY STOP
PLEASE MAKE ARRANGEMENTS ACCORDINGLY STOP
Before he could second guess his decisions, Edward handed the slip to the telegraph operator, watching as the man dutifully began tapping out his message.
It was somehow significantly more real now. Even if he wanted to - and he didn't - he could not have backed out of his engagement now. Telling his mother he was bringing home a wife and child was more binding than any vows he would take in the coming days.
Edward paid his fee and wandered out of the telegraph office in a daze.
It was all arranged. Aro Scarpinato had been paid, and Edward honestly hoped he would never so much as hear the man's name again. There were tickets in his pocket that would take Bella, Peter, and himself away from Houston two mornings from that day. The items he'd purchased for the journey were in the wagon along with the gift he'd bought for Bella, and a pair of gold wedding bands.
Walking back to the wagon, he took the bands out of his satchel and stared at them.
They were so simple for what they symbolized. He'd thought to have them inscribed, but couldn't figure what he wanted them to say. His relationship with Bella was so new, any sentiment fell flat.
Yet they were about to vow to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives.
It was strange that that idea did not frighten him. Though he still worried about what life he could provide her, with his future so undefined, he had no reservations about their marriage.
He looked around the bustling streets of Houston, at the men and women going about reconstructing their lives. Better or worse, this chapter of his life was over. It was time to return home to his new-old life.
Squaring his shoulders, he climbed into the wagon and urged the horses forward toward the farm, toward Bella.
After all, tomorrow was another day.
A/N: The. End.
Just kidding.