Stephenie has it all. I just decided to play with her characters and add some of mine. I don't own anything you might recognize.
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I'll keep a new updating schedule. Mondays and Fridays!
Outtake 8 is posted if you didn't know and it takes place during this chapter. I'll post the next outtake on Sunday. It works perfectly with the next chapter. Don't forget to read.
The months that followed were filled with new experiences every day. I was eating more than Edward which, to him, was incredibly funny. All I could think was how hard it would be to burn it all off when it was over.
At my ultrasound in February he didn't make it having a few games away. Marcus gave me a few photos of the baby and I really wanted to show them to someone so, on my way home, I dropped by at Liz's place. She was alone too because Ed was on a business trip to New York.
I stayed over for the weekend and when I returned home after work, on Monday, I wanted to do something, and without waiting for Edward, I prepared to paint the room next to ours. He went as far as to bet what we were having. I didn't care what he or his team thought, but I knew I was having a boy so the room was going to be blue.
It was last month, on my appointment, when the bet started. Because I wanted to blame someone, I loved to think it was Marcus's fault for starting the conversation.
As he moved the stick over my stomach, his eyes lit up.
"Look!" he exclaimed, then suddenly, his face dropped. "Or not."
Edward shuffled to his side. "Tell me," he whispered, pointing to his ear. "I promise not to tell the party pooper." His thumb pointed to me.
"Sorry, I always listen to the mommies," Marcus chuckled. "It's her wish and I respect it."
"But I won't tell her!" Edward moaned, pouting. "Just say two or five," he told Marcus after a few minutes.
"Two or five, what?" Marcus asked confused. I had a vague idea of what Edward was talking about. He confirmed my thoughts with his next statement.
"Two mouths or five members." He grinned cheekily.
After laughing loudly in true Marcus style, Marcus shook his head and gave me a Kleenex, helping me off the bed.
In the car, on the way home, Edward stuck his hand to me, narrowing his eyes. "Fifty bucks it's a girl."
"Fifty, it's a boy. I know better than you," I told him with a roll of my eyes.
"I'm gonna win. Watch and learn," he hissed.
When we got home, he took his phone out and called Emmett. I just told him to keep the bet away from work, he had more people there than me. He agreed, calling it a truce. We spent that whole day calling around and getting people on our teams. I had more by the end of the day.
With that amusing memory in my head and my iPod at maximum in the doc, I started painting. It wasn't as easy at it looked. Thankfully, Edward had done the hard job before leaving – like washing the walls and painting them with white once. He said that's how he heard the paint will last longer.
One wall was done before I knew it, and after admiring my handiwork, I started on the wall with the window being more mindful as not to smudge the ledge. I was dipping the roller brush in paint, trying to sing along with Robert Plant on Immigrant Song when, mid-screaming, the song stopped.
No, tell me the battery didn't die, I grumbled to myself.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Edward hissed from the doorway, scaring me to death.
I turned to him aware my mouth was hanging open and that paint was dripping from the roller – thankfully on the plastic I had put on the floor.
"Painting?" It sounded like a question even to my ears.
"Bella, what did we fucking talk about? This is hard work, you promised. You fucking promised not to do it!"
"Edward, I got bored. It's not hard work, believe me," I pleaded him. "And do I have to remind you that I'm not incapacitated, just because I'm pregnant?"
He sighed, padding to me and taking me in his arms. "I wish you'd listen to me. Just once in your life." His lips started pressing against my neck. "Did you watch the games?"
"I forgot about it yesterday," I mumbled in his chest.
Edward chuckled. "That was the most important one. Can I ask what distracted you?"
"Go to the bed and look there," I whispered. "I'm really sorry. What did you do?"
"We lost by a few points." He shrugged. "What's on the bed?"
"You'll see." I patted his cheek, turning him around and giving him a shove. Laughing, he left the room, but not before he threatened me not to paint.
There was a loud shout from the other room then before I realized what happened, Edward was back and I was in his arms. We burst in laughter when the sudden movement caused the little one to kick me, and Edward felt it too.
"Oops, sorry baby," he whispered, rubbing his hand on my stomach.
"I take it, you like the pictures," I said lightly.
"Can I take one to put it on my locker?"
"No," I gasped in mock-shock. "Of course, you can," I added quickly when he started pouting.
"I love you." He leaned to kiss me, squeezing me tightly in his hands.
"I love you too," I whispered against his lips.
He sent me to cook dinner – like that wasn't hard work – while he finished painting. I had been thinking for a few days of beans and decided to make a dish with beans and smoked meat. Only thinking about it made me drool.
The food was almost ready when Edward appeared in the kitchen looking blue, quite literally.
I snorted very un-lady like. "What have you done?"
"Damn if I know, but I need paint remover."
I turned off the stove's knob, grabbed his hand and led him to the bathroom. "I put some on me, but you look like you just had a bath in the paint. Did some of it end up on the walls?" I teased him.
"Ha, fucking, ha! Of course it's on the walls!"
"And you," I added, pushing against his shoulder to make him sit down on the tub's edge as I grabbed my nail polish remover and cotton balls. I didn't realize I was wearing nail polish until the cotton ball stuck to my fingers and nails. It took me a few minutes to clean his face, but I had no idea what to do with his hair.
"Maybe you can start a new trend?" I asked amused.
"Come on, Bella, don't joke with this shit."
Carefully, I took each strand of hair that was smudged with paint and run the cotton ball over it then told him to wash it. I washed my hands and went to plate the food while he showered.
I had no idea how he painted because I hadn't managed to put a drop on my face, only the shirt but it wasn't like I cared for the old, tattered shirt.
Edward returned to the kitchen, slumping in his seat.
"Did you actually cook something normal?" he asked amused.
"Watch out," I warned him. "I'll make you eat my combinations next time."
"No, God forbid! It was enough the last time," he moaned, grabbing his stomach. "Oh, umm…tomorrow…" he mumbled.
"Forget it. You have a game."
"Are you sure?"
"Edward, I never cared for Valentine's Day. I'll come to the game if you want, but that's it. Promise you won't go over the board," I pleaded him.
"Okay, okay. Can I at least buy you flowers and chocolate?" he asked, shoving a forkful of food in his mouth and moaning loudly.
"I'm counting on the chocolate," I answered with a grin. Edward rolled his eyes and focused back on the food.
The next morning, I woke up to the smell of pancakes and after a detour to the bathroom, I rushed to the kitchen. There was a small mountain of pancakes waiting for me.
"Morning," Edward greeted me, wrapping an arm around me and kissing me soundly. "Would you be my Valentine?" he asked quietly, but with a smile as he offered me a box of chocolate.
"Bribery gets you everywhere with me," I answered giggling. "Yes, of course." I kissed his mouth.
He huffed. "You're supposed to say yes because we're married. I should have asked this in college."
I laughed, going to the table. "Is this all for me?"
"No! I have to eat too so try to leave me a couple," he said seriously. "I'm going to shower."
I tried to leave him a couple, but I just couldn't. There weren't as many as I had originally thought – there had been only ten pancakes. When Edward returned to the kitchen, his eyes widened and went from the empty plate to my innocent face.
"Bella, honestly!"
"You snooze, you lose," I joked.
"No, I'm serious!" he insisted. "There were a dozen!"
"You can have a candy from my box?" I tried to pacify him. "And maybe…" I trailed off, walking to him and running my hand over his naked chest. "I could take care of you," I whispered, licking that delicious Adam's apple that started bobbing. He was going to cave. I knew it.
"No!" Edward said vehemently, pushing me away.
"No?" I echoed, surprised and shocked.
"No, Bella. I get it that you need to eat and all that, but was it that much to leave me one or two pancakes?"
He was really upset. Crap. "Sorry," I mumbled. Don't cry, I willed myself. I had a feeling it was going to get teary by the end of the argument.
"I made so many knowing I'd eat some too, but no, you had to…" He groaned, going to the fridge and wrenching the door open before snatching the ham from inside. "I'm gonna make myself a sandwich."
"Edward, really…I tried," I whispered.
He snorted, busying himself with cutting the bread. It was a lost case so I went to my shower. When I was out and dressed, I realized he had left. Just like that. Of course, I went to work with red, puffy eyes and when Kim took me in her arms, I started crying all over again.
I expected him to apologize over the day, like he usually did, but I didn't get a phone call or text from Edward all day. I decided to be stubborn and not tell him good luck, or go to the game. When I got home, I heated some leftover from yesterday and switched on the TV, watching anything but the game.
By ten thirty, I went to bed and fell asleep, hugging his pillow.
I woke up alone and realized how upset he was. We had fought over a thousand silly things, but over food? Never. It was really stupid.
I went to the living room, determined to grab my phone and call him, but as I reached the doorway of the living room I stopped in my tracks. Edward was sleeping on the couch, covered with the throw and snuggled up so he wouldn't fall off. The TV was running on low and the remote control was on floor where his arm was dangling over the edge of the couch.
My heart constricted at the sight in front of me and I knew we had to make up. Crouching next to him, I ran my fingers through his hair making him stir and open his eyes.
"Hi," I murmured, kissing his forehead. "I'm really sorry, Edward."
"No, I'm sorry. I was an ass," he admitted, caressing my cheek. "I can't believe what I did."
"I forgive you." I kissed him again, this time on the corner of his mouth.
"I forgive you too. You can eat all the pancakes. I promise to never bitch about it." With that, he grabbed the back of my head and kissed me hungrily. "Fuck, I missed you. And I ruined the day."
"The day I don't give a fuck about," I muttered. "Why are you sleeping here?"
"I got home around midnight. One, you were sleeping diagonally and two, I knew we were kind of fighting so I decided the couch was safe."
I laughed, ruffling his hair. "What did you do at the game?"
"I played for about five minutes only, but we won. Wait, you didn't…watch it?" he asked, frowning. "I really fucked it up, didn't I?"
"I acted silly too. I'd forgive you for everything you'd ever done if you make pancakes again. I promise to share." I even batted my eyelashes making him chuckle.
"Done. If you forgive me for everything then consider the pancakes cooked," he said softly, sitting up and stretching.
I licked my lips when his shirt rose then my eyes jumped to his face when I heard him laughing.
"And…if you leave me one pancake, you get some loving before work."
"Start the banter while I have a talk with your kid," I said jokingly.
We ate pancakes, but the syrup kind of squirted on my face when I tried to see why it wasn't working…that turned out messy. Literally. Edward was more than happy to clean me thoroughly, but not before he covered me in sticky raspberry syrup.
My hands were holding the edge of the table as my legs were wrapped around his neck and he was deep inside of me. It felt so good. I was afraid the table would topple over with his frantic movements. We were lucky, as well as the table – everyone survived by the end of the make-up sex. I felt like a pile of goo on top of the table when Edward stepped away.
"I think you need a shower too," he said thoughtfully, wearing a huge smile.
I was in his arms before I could react. "Wait," I moaned, leaning to grab two pancakes from the plate. "Now, you can go," I announced to him, biting on a rolled pancake.
"Give me some. I need energy," he teased me, opening his mouth.
By the time we reached the bathroom, the pancakes were eaten. The shower turned into the second round of make-up sex. I realized how wonderful it was. If this was how we reacted, I wanted to fight more often.
When we went back to the bedroom, I saw the hour and had a small panic attack. It was five to nine. I was late, really late.
"I'll drive you," Edward offered, shrugging some jeans and t-shirt on him.
I quickly got dressed and when we left the house, we saw Billy's mom with their dog, and I remembered a commercial I had seen yesterday. In the car, I told Edward about the commercial on adopting puppies.
"I don't really want to fight again, Bella. We just made up," he started on a small voice.
"Then just say yes. We can just see them. Please? They looked so cute," I pleaded him.
"I'll think about it. We still have a lot to do."
That weekend, we went to the adopting center and after walking around for a couple of hours, we were ready to leave when I saw a beautiful dog. I hoped it wasn't on the list to be put to sleep, because I had promised not to look at those. Luck wasn't with us when our guide said the dog was spoken for, and after seeing how aggressive he was, I didn't want it.
We were close to the doors when Edward stopped and called for me. He had found something. I moved as quickly as I could to him, and saw the cutest puppy ever. The only downside was it was on the list. Edward didn't even want to hear about it. We ended up leaving with the small brown guy.
After buying supplies, we went home to get him installed. Who thought a few bags of food, toys, collar and leash and some vitamins would be so expensive? They were almost as much as the little guy if we had bought him, but I knew that nothing would have changed our mind. The veterinarian instructed us on how to feed him and take care of him for the next few weeks. The puppy was only two weeks old and too thin for that age, but being a Mastiff, I expected him to get really big. I'd always wanted a big dog.
The next month was a preview for the time when the baby would be born. The phone's alarm rang every four hours, reminding us to feed Cody. I chose the name; after long debates with Edward, I had grabbed the book with baby names and looked through it. Cody looked like the best name, it fit him great, meaning helper which is something I always saw a dog as. When neither of us was home, we left him with Laura, our neighbor, since she was a stay at home mom. She loved taking care of him, though he was really scared of everything and everyone. I was sure that not even a bunny would jump like that at the slightest noise.
In March, Edward had six games in a row, home. Scored on every game, and on two games his hoop made the decision of who won. I was so happy for him when he managed that. Basketball Times wanted an interview and cover with him. He didn't tell me anything about the interview, promising I'd see it when it was out.
Nothing could have prepared me for his interview. He talked about being selected and playing for the Bulls, about college, about us and the question that I was sure everyone was going to talk about. The interviewer asked what he liked to do in his spare time, and in true Edward fashion he answered something totally stupid. He liked to wash the dishes, commenting that it was even better than sex. Needless to say, the next day Emmett had called and teased him about it.
To make everything better, Ken decided to fire me. A part of me was happy because I'd actually rest and listen to Marcus, for a first, but then I didn't want to depend on Edward. I knew that as soon as the baby was old enough, I'd find something to work, even from home. I just couldn't see myself staying home and raising kids. That wasn't me.
We had become closer to Liz and Ed, and it was something normal for them to drop by at least once a week. One day, Liz told me she had something to show me. I sat next to her on the couch and had a full day with the pictures she showed me. Edward had been a really cute child, cuter than I imagined him. While I watched the pictures and listened to her stories, I tried to block away the thoughts of how could someone hurt such a beautiful and innocent kid.
When Edward came home that day, he was in high spirits until Ed answered his question of why we were laughing. That's when Edward grabbed the photo album and handed it to Ed to put it away. What he didn't know, it was that he was too late – I had already seen every incriminatory baby picture I could have seen.
Also, I hadn't asked why the pictures stopped when he was around six. It was obvious, through – painfully obvious. I counted a number of five pictures of him once he was in school. In all of them, he had a sad face and tried to smile at the camera.
That night, when we were in bed, I burst in laughter without meaning. The pictures were burnt into my brain.
"Just stop it," he groaned. "I'm calling Renee, first thing in the morning and demanding all your baby pictures."
"It's nothing you hadn't seen before. And it's not like we had a choice."
"Exactly!" he shouted. "We should have had a say in this shit. We were too young to understand what they were doing to us. Maybe I didn't want to pose in the nude."
"It wasn't a choice," I said laughing. "You looked normal, trust me. I was chubby, like a barrel."
Edward started laughing loudly. "I can imagine it."
"No, you can't, trust me. But if you really want to see them…I could ask Mom to send some." I shrugged. "You always had this crazy hair," I commented, aware that any second we could land in a bad memory.
Edward rolled on his side, propping his head on his palm. "Yeah, it took Mo… uh, Liz, a long time to realize no matter how many minutes she combed it, my hair wouldn't flatten. And at school, fuck, they even called home once to tell them to make sure I was awake when I came to school…they thought it was bed hair," he mumbled.
"Ouch," I gasped between giggles.
"I hated my hair for a very long time. In high school, I changed my mind, actually."
"That far away? What made you change your mind?" I asked curiously.
He took a somber look and after gulping once, he cleared his throat. "Sylvia changed my mind," Edward whispered, not meeting my eyes.
"How so?" I ran the back of my hand over his cheek, making him see I understood how weird it was for him to talk about it.
"Don't laugh, okay?" He glanced at me through his long eyelashes. I nodded, agreeing. "She said it looked like sex hair."
I caught my bottom lip between my teeth and bit it hard to keep from laughing. That sounded like the Edward I knew and loved. I should have known that a girl changed his mind.
"Uh, what did…Ed and Liz do?" I asked softly.
"What?" he asked confused. "I wasn't with them in high school."
"I know! I meant, when the school called…"
"Oh, that's actually something I'd rather not remember. It involves that gooey gel and my poor hair. You know how those guys looked back in the 1918?" he asked, cringing.
"Yeah." I nodded, having the picture in my head.
"That's how I looked. Ed took his time every morning for a week to part my hair and put half a tub of gel in it. Of course, by the time I got home, it was sticking in every direction and it was really sharp. I thought of it as of a porcupine." He chuckled making me laugh again.
"It lasted only a week?" I asked amused.
"Of course it did! The next Monday, I demanded not to have that thing in my hair, I didn't even care if he was going to hit me. I just didn't want the gel. It smelled horrible and made my scalp itchy. I think one of them called the school and told them that I was definitely awake for at least half an hour before I left for school," he finished. "And Emmett had this period…when he liked to use gel, in high school. It brought back memories of that awful week."
I kept laughing until I started hiccupping, which made Edward start laughing as he brought me some lemon.
I hope you had fun reading.
Don't forget about the outtakes. ;)
Review, please. I promise to respond...I was just lazy this week and the ffn not working drove me crazy.