Sorry, I'm a bit slow in updating today. The back is still sore and there is a shit tonne of drama going on at work. Enjoy!
Location: Moorcroft, WY to Billings, MT
Prompt: Sporting Goods Store
Edward and Bella woke the next morning in Moorcroft, Wyoming. Bella had been relieved they were able to get a room with two double beds, so that she didn't have to share. But after the closeness they had shared the night before, Bella missed Edward being right beside her.
They had a quick breakfast of coffee and pastry from the local 7-11 before getting back in Interstate 90 towards Billings, Montana. Conversation between the two of them was wooden for a bit, but they managed to make the time fly with conversations about growing up.
"Your happiest memory?" Bella questioned, slightly anxious about his response.
"Fishing with my father."
"Really? My dad used to drag me out fishing too, but I was never into it. I would always bring a book and read while he fished."
"Well, my dad and I weren't super close, so getting those few days alone with him were great. We'd go camping near the base Mt. Rainier and monopolizing my dad's attention was great." Edward was quiet for a moment, feeling a little wistful, when suddenly a great idea hit him. They were a few hours from Yellowstone and it would be great to go camping again, even for one night. "Did you ever camp with your dad?"
"We tried once… as a family, with my mom, but it was a disaster." Bella stopped and shook her head of the memory. Her mother was never outdoorsy, so why she had married Charlie completely baffled Bella. Well, she knew they got married because Renee got pregnant, but Bella couldn't fathom why Renee stayed when she was so unhappy and all she did was pester Bella about her dancing. Charlie lived for the outdoors when he wasn't working, and though Bella tagged along when she could, Renee was a lost cause.
"What happened to your mom?" Edward was curious at the way Bella responded to discussing her mother and was instantly intrigued.
"She left my dad a few years ago, which was about fifteen years too late in my opinion," Bella remarked indifferently.
"Oh…is everything okay?"
"Depends on your definition of okay, I guess. In the divorce, I chose to live with my dad and my mother got visitation, but she never used it until she found a new, and younger, guy. We haven't really talked since she tried to get me to move to Florida with her."
"Is that where you were heading… Florida?"
"No, she lives with my dad again. Things didn't go so well with the new moron." Well, Edward was completely baffled about the situation Bella was explaining to him. He couldn't help but feel like she was leaving some important information out of the equation, but he refused to push her. "Anyways, it's been years since we went fishing, but I guess those were some good days… just me and my dad."
Needless to say, Bella was more than a little surprised when Edward didn't pull back onto the highway after lunch in Billings and instead they drove down the road until they stopped at a store called Scheels. "What on earth are we doing here?"
"Getting a tent and sleeping bags."
"And why would we be doing that?"
"We need something to sleep in. Plus, I'm probably gonna go camping more often when I'm settled, so why not?" Bella looked at Edward, completely confused, but she followed him into the store regardless.
Bella couldn't help but think that Edward looked like a giddy child as he filled he cart with two sleeping bags and a lantern. Edward picked up a Coleman tent and a fan, incase the heat was as unbearable as the day before and then he headed over to find an air mattress. It was at this point that he found Bella chatting up one of the salesmen in the store.
"Oh there he is," Bella declared, her voice deceivingly saccharine. "Honey, I was just telling Tyler here that we were looking for the basics, right?" Edward quirked his eyebrow at her briefly before glancing at Tyler, whose eyes were glued to Bella's chest. Edward quickly figured out what was going on and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side.
"I got some sleeping bags for us and a nice looking tent. What do you recommend in air mattresses, Tyler?" Edward asked, trying to sound possessive, even though he knew it wouldn't take much work. The moment he saw Bella with the man, his blood had began to boil.
Tyler motioned to the next aisle and Edward let him go first, rather than leave him to ogle Bella's ass like Edward knew he would do. "I would recommend a queen or king sized for a couple, but then I have to wonder why you need two sleeping bags?" Tyler questioned curiously.
"We're going to zip them up together and make one big sleeping bag," Edward countered crossly. Who did this guy think he was to question them? "The more room we have the better, right baby?" Edward kissed Bella softly on her temple and his body shivered slightly as her hand rubbed gently against his chest.
Tyler glanced down at Bella once more, his eyes trained on her cleavage as Edward reached his breaking point. "I don't suppose you guys sell condoms here, do you? We ran out last night after what… five… six times?" Edward looked to Bella and her smile grew as Tyler seemed to finally take the hint.
"Two blocks south of here there's a pharmacy," he replied with disinterest.
"I hope they have the magnums you need, baby." Edward blushed at Bella's comment and then he grabbed a king sized air mattress with a pump and tossed it into his cart. When they reached the cashier Edward picked up a map of Yellowstone National Park and its surrounding area. Edward paid in full for all the supplies, since he would keep them once the trip was over, and then they basically played a game of Tetris as they tried to pack the gear into the Volvo.
"Thanks, back there," Bella said simply as they began back on the interstate. "He was a bit… overbearing."
"No worries. It was worth it to see the look on his face when you said I wore magnums. That was classic!" Bella grinned back at Edward and turned up the music as she stared out the window and began to wonder if what she had said was true. Did he need magnums?