True Love Way
Chapter 32
"Aro! How are you?" I smiled widely at the screen when my old therapist's face popped up.
"Not bad for an old guy. It's good to see you smiling, Edward. It's wonderful how the fates have brought us together again. I've often wondered how you were getting along."
"Not bad for a neurotic guy." It was easy to joke with Aro. He always got me. He also knew when my jokes were a cover for the truth.
"You're in a much better place now. I can see it in your eyes. You seem comfortable with yourself. True, I hope?"
"Now, Aro, you know you're never wrong."
He issued the familiar chuckle he'd often shared with me. "True. So true."
"Did you have this time arranged with Bella? If so, she must have forgotten. She just took our dog out for a walk." It was my rotation on third shift and Bella was trying to tire Don out so he would hopefully sleep while we did in the afternoon. She was staying with her vow that she never wanted to sleep apart again. She would alter her days around my shifts to give us as much time together as possible.
"No, no. I just pop in from time to time this way. I like to keep up with her and get all the news. She's such a delight."
"You don't have to tell me," I agreed with a proud smirk.
"Yet I haven't received a wedding invite. Am I not on your list, or are you stalling?"
Ah, cut-to-the-chase-Aro. "You know, we haven't officially been dating all that long," I reminded him.
He huffed at me. "True love has no time boundaries, my dear boy." His eyes lost the intensity they always displayed during our talks. Unless it was a Skype malfunction, he seemed to be frozen in the internet connection or else lost in his own thoughts.
"Aro?" I called out softly. "You with me?"
His eyes returned to me – Skype was working just fine. "Just an old man sifting through memories. Sorry for that."
I felt like an ass. Since he'd come back into my life, every talk had centered around Bella or me or me and Bella. I'd never once asked how he was coping with the loss of his friends. "Are you doing all right? You know, if you need to talk it out, I'm quite familiar with the whole counselling routine. I'm not licensed, of course, but I've got plenty of practical experience from being on the other side."
He smiled at me affectionately. "I'd like to say that you've obviously been tutored by one of the greats, which of course is all truth. You and I have more in common than our sessions, however. See, I also counselled you by experience."
I leaned forward on my elbows, anxious to hear where he was going with this.
"There was something about you that first day you walked into my office that drew me to you. I suppose I've always seen a bit of myself in you. Did you ever wonder why you had a breakthrough with me despite being under the care of numerous therapists before that?"
"Not really. They were all pompous idiots. You were the only one who really listened. Observed. Got inside my head, I suppose. You were able to teach me how to figure things out for myself, too. I still use the tools you gave me. You were the only one who knew what you were doing." Aro didn't know it, but I'd given him full credit for my ability to recognize my recent anger towards the ambulance my mother had died in was part of the anxiety that had kept me from being a practicing paramedic.
"The others did, as well, I'd wager. I just gave a fuck."
His candid comment drew a heartfelt laugh from me. "Well, my psyche and I thank you for giving a fuck."
"I envy you, Edward. You're in a position to fix what you missed out on the first time around. You can make up for not sharing what was in your heart all those years ago. You've been given a second chance. I never got that. It makes for a sad existence when an old man looks back a good 40 years and still rues a stupid mistake. Don't be that old man. You deserve more."
I felt my throat constricting as I listened with great concern for the man I'd admired so much. I'd never thought of him as being a man with regrets. He seemed content with his life and… whatever it was he had in his life. I suppose he'd always known me much more than I'd known him.
"My true love escaped me twice. Once through my own stupidity and then by cruel fate." His faraway look returned, but he shook it off without my prodding this time. "Bah. You don't want an old man's rambling."
"I do… I mean, I'd like to hear your story very much. That is, if you feel comfortable sharing it."
"With a young man who would understand? Yes, I suppose it's about time you understand why I've been encouraging you to act on your feelings. See, I was a young fool. I didn't have the physical issues you suffered, but I too came from an adopted home. One filled with love and privileges. One that kept me quite sheltered. When I applied to Berkeley, I boldly moved on thinking I would change the world. Instead, it changed me."
"You went to Berkeley?" I asked with amused interest. He didn't seem the free-loving spirit that Berkeley was notorious for in those days.
"Ah, you see my plight already. I was a fish out of water, and instead of adapting to the ways of my fellow students, I become more of an introvert. Lacking social skills of their level, I threw myself into study and keen observation. What caught my attention the most was the lovely Marguerite. She was unlike any of the others – a free spirit, yes, but of the best sort. She didn't follow blindly into the endless noble protests of the time. She didn't act out of compulsion to be like the others. Maggie was the true definition of a free spirit, acting solely on her own desires. A true artist. And she possessed the purest of hearts. She captivated me, spoiling me for others, and intimidated the shit out of me."
I chuckled because he did, but inwardly, I felt his pain. Maggie was his Bella.
"The year we graduated, I decided it was time to get my head out of my ass –"
"Ha! Gran used that same expression with Bella. Sorry for interrupting. Please go on."
With wistful eyes, Aro nodded. "Well, I ventured over to Europe. I thought that a solo trip mingling with the locals of wherever my feet carried with me would get me over my social anxiety. It did – but not through the locals. I met up with a young, charismatic fellow and we decided to travel together."
"Marcus."
"Indeed. We became the best of friends in only a week together. It was like we were long lost brothers. That continued on until his untimely death. I was there when he met his first love and when he lost her. Anyone would say I was foolish to stick around and watch my Maggie fall deeply in love with my best friend."
I gasped unintentionally. "Aro… I don't know what to say."
"Of course you do. You're just not willing to state the obvious. You know why I did what I did, because you did the very same. It's better to have some of that magical spirit the girl you love gives you, even if her heart belongs to another."
I nodded silently.
"I didn't have the balls to tell her how I felt in college, nor did I have the heart to confess my feelings once she'd found love with Marcus. Their love was fleeting, however. Both were ambitious in their own ways. Marcus was forever focused on being the intellectual, writing papers that were published for every educational institution. He was the youngest man to become head of a department because of his ambition, but that was years later. That was after he lost Maggie to her own ambition. Our free-spirited girl needed more inspiration than merely watching her love pore over books and deliver speeches. To be honest, he didn't understand the heart of an artist. Not until much later, when he found Gianna. Lucky man to have two great loves in one lifetime. I adored Gianna, as well, but in a more brotherly way."
"My Alice," I commented in a whisper. "My brother's wife."
Aro nodded, smiling at me gently. "See, you do understand."
"What happened to Maggie? Where did she end up?"
"She settled in Arizona, not far from Marcus, ironically. And she married, had a family. Her husband was killed in a mining accident of some sort, I believe. He was in the National Guard, on a search and rescue mission. Maggie was left with her two girls and a pension." He smirked wistfully. "Her art took a turn, since she couldn't travel for inspiration. She looked to the desert for inspiration and transformed people's landscapes into the best displays the state had to offer. Only Maggie would see art in cacti. Of course, her girls took the majority of her attention. She even helped raise one of her granddaughters, another beautiful soul, just like her Gran."
My heart fluttered, and my lungs seized. Was he telling me…
"Breathe, Edward."
"Maggie… are you saying that Maggie is… was..."
"Gran, I believe you know her as, yes. Funny how lives can interweave this way, isn't it?"
"What the fuck?"
His low laughter didn't bring me out of my shock, but it brought him out of his remorseful mood. "So you see, I know of what I preach. Marry that girl, Edward. You'll not find another like her. Nor will you want to."
~ 0 ~
I was pacing the apartment, anxious to share this news with Bella when she returned. I knew she would have told me if Aro had already filled her in on his full connection to her background. Don Everly rushed me before I could get to Bella. I was trying to teach him not to jump up when he greeted someone. I didn't want him pushing over Emily or Nathan when he played with them, but his exuberance always overtook him when he came home to find either me or Bella waiting for him.
"Hey, guy, how was your walk? Did you have fun with Bella?" I squatted to let him get his licks in while I hugged him and rubbed behind his ears. Gently, I pressed on his haunches, as Emmett had told me to do, so he would sit and calm down. "Good walk?" I asked Bella since she could actually respond.
"Interesting. We had company." Bella kicked off her shoes, hung Don's leash by the door and came over to place a kiss on my head.
"Did Emmett track you down? Jesus, that man needs his own puppy. It's only been two days since he brought over those sausage snack things for him."
Bella laughed, settling in on the floor beside us. "No, not Emmett. An old friend of yours, actually – Lauren."
I was surprised by the calmness in which I received this information. "Is that so? How did this come about?"
"Apparently her apartment overlooks the park –"
"Her apartment? You were all the way over there?" Lauren lived a good three miles from me.
"I told you I like to walk Don all over the place. It's good exercise. Anyway, they have a leash-free area in that park. I haven't let Don loose yet, but I'm getting him used to the other dogs so he can go have a free run whenever we go there."
I nodded my approval and smiled at her consideration for our puppy. I saw great nurturing skills in her, whether she thought she was capable of it or not. What truly surprised me was the concept of Lauren being in the park – unless she just happened to run into Bella as she passed by.
"He's good around the other dogs, by the way. He watches everything they do. He's a little skittish when the small dogs come over to him, but he's not afraid of the big ones. Weird, huh?"
"That's our puppy."
Bella chuckled, rubbing at his ears affectionately. "So, Lauren says hi. You didn't tell me she was such a good artist."
I gave her a questioning look. "That would be because that's news to me. How did you find this out? Were you in her apartment?"
"No. Nothing like that. Actually, she gave me this." Bella reached for the satchel she always took on her walks, extracting a piece of paper carefully before handing it over to me.
Accepting it, I examined it closely. The rough pencil sketch of Bella with her arms protectively wrapping Don Everly startled me for several reasons. My first thought was that even I underestimated Bella's capacity for nurturing. Through the eyes of an outsider, the love and devotion to our pet was blatant. She looked radiant and proud, yet ready to through herself in front of any challenger that opposed our furry little guy.
My second thought was that I should be ashamed of myself. To have dated this woman for months, and known her for years, I should have known this talent of hers, yet I honestly had no idea. It made me realize I'd been a shitty boyfriend even before Bella had arrived on the scene. I hoped I wasn't so ignorant to Bella and all that she was. Perhaps I only saw what I wanted to see in her and not the full picture.
The final thought, I knew was a reflection of the old me. Paranoia. Dread. A sick, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that Lauren wasn't the woman I thought she was, and she was going to cause trouble for me and Bella now that we were in a happy place.
"It's good, right?"
Bella's soft voice jarred me from my drifting thoughts. "Yeah. Yeah, it's amazing. She's very good."
"From what Lauren said, I think that was the second time we were at that park. I take him down there a few times a week, but she said she sees me and Don walking by her restaurant all the time. I didn't know New Moon was hers. I knew she had a business nearby, but I didn't know where. Anyway, she said she's been cutting back on her long hours there – spending more time at home. She did this sketch watching us from her balcony, but she was afraid I'd think she was stalking me or something."
Bella's laugh was much more natural than mine.
"So, she waited to give it to me."
"Uh-huh." I had nothing else to contribute. My stomach was roiling as I contemplated telling Bella to stay the hell away from that park – from that whole area. My mind raced to different neighbourhoods I knew of that would keep us away from Lauren, and keep my loved ones safe.
"You okay? You look sick." Bella cupped my face, drawing my eyes to hers. "You think this is creepy, right? You're afraid she's up to something?"
I hesitated momentarily, licking my lips in an attempt to draw moisture into my mouth. I felt dry. "Bella, I'm thinking that if I knew nothing about her drawing abilities, there could be other things I didn't know either. What if I didn't really know her at all? What if she's a raving lunatic?" I was aware that my voice had raised an octave in tone, but Bella merely smiled affectionately. She didn't mock me and my paranoia.
"Sweetie, if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that you would not put yourself with a lunatic. Well, aside from me."
"You're not a lunatic."
"Just a little loonie."
"Maybe a little." I smirked at her knowing she'd understand I was teasing.
"If you were there, you'd have seen it for yourself. Edward, she was nervous about approaching me. I'm sure she knew that you'd freak out. I give her a lot of credit for reaching out this way. It was sweet of her to draw this for me – a portrait of Don when he was new to us… just a baby. And it's free!" Bella smiled, very sure of herself and her own intuition. "It's fine, Edward, I swear. This was simply a hidden talent that Lauren kept to herself. She's not a different person – she's still the woman you knew." Her hand stroked my forearm gently as I let her words soak in. "Are you okay with this?"
"Are you going to see her again?"
"I'm not having an affair," she replied teasingly.
"I know. I'm just saying…"
"I'm sure I'll run into her again. At the park. Or by New Moon. Now that she's reached out, I'm sure she won't hesitate to speak to me when we cross paths and I'm cool with that. Are you?"
"Are you… going to be… friends?" I sounded covetous. I knew I sounded like a jealous control freak.
"I don't think we'll be sitting at the lunch table together every day, but we may hang out sometimes. Maybe go shopping or do each other's nails."
"Okay." Finally, she got a laugh from me. "I get it. We're not in high school."
"This woman was important to you. And from what I've seen, you meant the same to her. It's silly to cut all ties just because you're not sleeping together anymore."
"It's not weird for you?" My concern was genuine. In all honesty, I felt like the world's biggest shit about how things had worked out with Lauren. She had been good to me, as a friend and a lover. But Bella came first.
She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Really? The only guy I've ever been with is your –"
"Okay, okay!" I waved my hands to cut her off. The irony of me being concerned about Bella knowing an ex-lover hit me hard. If I could handle her losing her virginity to my brother, I felt certain she could manage cocktails with my ex on occasion. "The drawing is really good. I like how it's rough in places, but she's still captured emotion. I'd know this was you and Don if I saw it hanging on a wall somewhere. It's just how I see you. And more… somehow."
Bella slid over and kissed my lips softly. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"
I smiled with just a hint of cockiness. "I actually think I do."
"Good. Because the waiting is almost over. I had another visitor this morning."
"Who now?" Christ, had my girlfriend from college appeared out of nowhere?
Her throaty laugh against my ear sent tingles up my spine. "God, I love your innocence. I got my period, Edward. That means –"
"You'll be crabby for a few days," I quipped proudly. That, I knew about women. I also knew the look she shot me meant I should shut up. She looked remarkably like my sister when she'd give me reproachful looks for commenting on her odd behaviour at times. It made no sense to me. I was merely pointing out the truth, but for some reason it was a touchy subject for them.
~ 0 ~
Bella had been as shocked by the revelation of Aro's love for Gran as I'd been, but after it sunk in, it drew tears. She'd never known her grandfather, but she'd grown to love Aro. It broke her heart that he'd never had his true love realized. Knowing Gran as well as she did, and now Aro, she thought they would have brought each other happiness. I still hated the sight of Bella in tears, but with some comforting, they didn't last. My girl was getting stronger day by day. Of course she would still cry from time to time – she had an endless capacity for feeling others' emotions.
I wasn't sure which version of Bella to expect when I got in from work the next day. She'd been planning to speak with Aro about Gran. It may have stirred up a lot from her past. It also could have helped her learn a new side of Gran – a young and vibrant woman with stories to be told. She could be weepy or nostalgic. Either way, I was anxious to get home to her.
Entering the apartment, I saw neither of my visions were the case. She was on the couch, laughing as she made faces at the baby on her lap. Don Everly dropped his rag doll the moment he spotted me and rushed over for his greeting.
"Hey! I hope you don't mind – Rose asked if we could watch Nathan for a couple of hours. There's some seminar at the hospital she wanted to attend, and Emmett's working."
"Sure. That's fine." I loved up our dog before heading over to place a kiss on Bella's head.
"You're not going to say hi to Nathan?" she asked when I continued on towards the bathroom.
"Hi Nathan," I called out before turning on the shower. I stood in the doorway to talk as I began to undress. "You know he probably doesn't even know I'm here."
"Of course he does. His eyes went right over to you as soon as he heard your voice."
"Well, I want to wash up before I touch him. Germs… you know." Even though Nathan was developing at a healthy rate, I still worried for him. I didn't want him to catch anything from me. I showered off quickly and took time to scrub at my nails when I rewashed my hands in the sink. I had my running shorts hanging on the back of the door, so I just pulled those on to go return to our visitor.
Bella had him turned around with his back against her chest. Her hand was wrapped around his belly, keeping him secure on her lap. I smiled at both of them as I sat on the floor at her feet. Nathan focused on me intently with that same expectant expression he always had for me.
"What?" I asked him, not expecting a response. "Why do you look at me that way, huh? Am I funny looking?"
Bella chuckled. "You do have a farmer's tan."
I glanced down at my bare torso. She was right. "I've never been a beach sort of guy."
"You don't have to be. I wouldn't want other women gawking at you anyway."
That was Bella's form of complimenting me. Her jealousy, even in jest, turned me on. "We need to change the subject. I'm having inappropriate thoughts."
Waggling her eyebrows at me, she bit down on her lip in that sexy but innocent way she had. "It won't be long now."
"When's he going home?"
She rolled her eyes at me, chuckling. I knew I'd misinterpreted her statement. "We've got him for a couple of hours, Edward. Your sister just left. You probably walked right past her car on the street. Anyway, we've still got a few days to go. I have no idea how long to expect this to last."
"Right." I cleared my throat and tried to bury my thoughts of consummating our new relationship. "Well then, what are we going to do with him?"
The other time we'd babysat ended up being cut short. Rose claimed stomach cramps were the reason for them not finishing their date night, but I believed it was a case of nervous mommy. She probably feared returning to another scene like they'd had when I'd watched him on my own. I'd tried to convince him not to poop again when his parents weren't around, but the likelihood of him abiding to that was slim.
"I don't think we need to do anything in particular. He's already had his bottle. He shouldn't need to eat again for a few hours. You must be starving though… and I don't have dinner ready. There's some left-overs."
An idea popped into my head. I'd promised myself to take Bella on actual dates when we got home, but that hadn't happened. "We should go out. Try that place on the pier that I told you about. We can take Don with us."
"And Nathan. You want to take Nathan out?"
Her hesitance didn't sway me. "You don't think we should? Did Rose say we should stay in with him?"
"She didn't specify. I'm assuming she'd just think we would."
"I'll call her –" I stood to go the phone but Bella grabbed onto my wrist.
"She's in a meeting, Edward. If we call, she'll think something's wrong."
"Right. Emmett, then." I'd really admired the way Rosalie and Emmett worked as a team. There was nothing one-sided about their parenting. It was similar to how we'd been raised, only without the obsessive fussing that our mother bestowed on me.
As expected, Emmett gave a hearty approval and wished us a good time. He did, however, give a rundown of what was in the diaper bag in case anything was needed. Father of the year, he was.
Luckily, Rosalie had left Nathan's car seat since it doubled as a chair for him to sleep in when he napped. I carried it and led Don Everly down the stairs to the parking garage while Bella carried Nathan and his baby paraphernalia. A lot of stuff for a little guy.
"I watched Rose do this once," Bella explained when I stared in shock at her expertise strapping in the car seat. "I'll sit back here with him. Don can ride shotgun."
As if she had a choice. He was already sitting in the front passenger seat looking anxiously out the side window. I opened it enough for him to feel the breeze, but not jump out. I also didn't want a heavy draft blowing on Nathan. Bella assured me they were fine. Still, I took the short drive to the restaurant much slower than necessary. Being cautious was worth the few angry horn blares and dirty looks from other drivers. They didn't have precious cargo like I did.
We secured a corner table on the patio, and Don Everly chewed away on his Milkbone. He was lying across my feet, his tail happily slapping against the pavement. I figured I was forgiven for not putting any music on like he expected when the car started up. Nathan was snoozing in his carrier seat on the chair in between Bella and me.
"This was such a great idea. I'm so glad we're doing this." Bella looked gorgeous with the breeze softly blowing some lose tendrils of hair across her cheek. Her smile was radiant. "I'm thinking fish… maybe salmon. I don't know whether to get rice or a salad. What are you getting?"
I hadn't even glanced at the menu. My attention had been focused solely on the beautiful lady in front of me, the slobbering go on around my shoes and the way Nathan's little lips pouted when he slept. The double cheeseburger being served at the next table looked just up my taste buds' alley, but I'd cheated at lunch, diving into the extra chili dog Ben brought in after eating my own packed lunch.
"Salmon sounds good actually. You get the rice, I'll order salad. We can share."
"I'm not sharing the chocolate pie I'm getting for dessert – just so you know. Order your own."
Just like that, Bella had managed to put my mind at ease about my overeating and potential weight gain. She had faith in me to stay healthy, and if I carried a few extra pounds, she'd still love me.
"Your baby is just lovely. A boy?" The waitress appeared out of nowhere, startling me with her question. I glanced under the table at Don. His package was hidden, but to me it was obvious he was a boy. If he was a girl, we'd have gotten a prettier collar and leash for him.
"A boy, yes. Don Everly. He was abandoned. We adopted him."
The waitress gasped. "Oh my! Who on earth would leave behind a tiny little thing like that?"
"I know, right? He's mixed. His legs are too long for his body, but he'll grow into them. He might look a little awkward now, but I don't know how anyone could look into those eyes and just leave him."
Joanne, as the tag on her uniform read, blinked at me. Bella was leaning on her elbows, her fists covering her mouth, but I could see the amusement in her eyes.
"Edward, I believe she's talking about Nathan."
"Oh!" I chuckled at my own stupidity. "Sorry. That's our nephew – yes, a boy. This is our boy here." I pointed below. "Nathan wasn't abandoned. Nor is he awkward. Well, he doesn't have very good control over his arms – they're always flying around when he's awake, trying to find his mouth. He's a sucker. Thumb. Fingers. Anything. Nathan, that is. Don Everly's a chewer. We're training him to only chew on his own toys and not my shoes or Bella's dirty –" I felt a very distinct kick under the table that didn't come from Don. "Laundry. He gets into the laundry."
I thought I had done well by generalizing rather than revealing our puppy's perverted fondness of Bella's scent on her panties, but I received a blank stare from Joanne and a raised eyebrow from Bella.
"Why don't you order first?" I suggested, ending my version of small talk.
We were on dessert before Nathan woke. Despite Bella's initial protest, she did offer me the first bite of hers when I declined to order anything myself. A taste was enough. I kept Nathan amused while she dug in. Bent over him, I stuck out one of my fingers to test out his hand-eye coordination. He was quite determined to grab onto it, but it took several attempts before he actually grasped it. His tiny fingers wrapped around it, and I turned towards Bella to comment on how he'd be able to fit both hands on one finger when the smell hit me.
"Ugh. Someone's dinner smells horrible. Glad I didn't order that."
"I don't smell anything," she replied, carefully scooping off some of the mint chocolate shavings that topped her dessert. "What is it?"
"I don't know. Smells like… sour something."
We named off some things from the menu that may be the offender but couldn't come up with anything definite. In the meantime, the odour passed so we dropped it and moved on. Bella was enjoying the patio, as well as her coffee and dessert. While it wasn't exactly romantic, it still felt more like a date than anything we'd had before. I ordered us both a second cup of coffee to prolong it. Even Don was enjoying himself, having met a new friend a few tables over. He was currently playing a doggie version of hide and seek around diners' legs. It wasn't until I reached for the cream to add to my coffee that the smell reappeared. This time, the breeze blew Bella's way, and she caught it, too.
"Oh no."
"It's him, isn't it?" I asked, even though I knew the answer. Nathan had gone back on our agreement and here we were without either of his parents again. "Do you think everyone else can smell him?"
Bella motioned for the waitress, ordering our drinks to go. She declined the use of the washroom to sort out our problem. Changing table or not, this wasn't something either of us wanted to stick the other with on their own.
The drive home was quicker than the drive over. Still reluctant to put Nathan in too much of a draft, the noxious odour from his diaper quickly filled the car. The salmon sat heavy in my stomach, reminding me of Charlie's lingering fish fry and the nausea it caused. I wanted to drive straight to the fire station to let Papa Emmett take care of business, but Bella wouldn't let me. I sulked until we pulled into the parking garage. In that few minutes, I resolved myself to the fact that I was about to be involved in my very first diaper changing.
Windows left down in the car to air out, I removed the car seat with Nathan still strapped into it. Bella attached Don's leash to his collar, and we bolted up the stairs. Even our quickest climb couldn't help us escape the smell. It followed us. It surrounded us. It seeped into my nose, my lungs. I could even taste it. It took all my might not to gag like I had the first time he dropped a load on me. I tried to wipe that memory from my mind. It was a horror story – this couldn't possibly be a repeat of that blow-out.
Bella reached the apartment door first and quickly unlatched the lock to let us in. "Spare room?" she suggested as I unlocked the straps across Nathan. Fuck. I wouldn't be able to use the treadmill until the smell went away. How long would it last? However long, it was better than performing the task in the living room, or worse… our bedroom.
"The bag!" I panicked, realizing I hadn't picked it up with Nathan.
"Got it. Don't worry." My girl was already removing Nathan from his chair, the bag slung over her shoulder. "Edward, you don't have to –"
I huffed out a breath of resolve. "We're in this together."
The smile I got was worth my false bravado. I would honestly rather pick ticks from a dog than see what was in Nathan's diaper, but it was unfair to leave Bella alone with that. Little did I know what I was in for.
"Dear God!" I exclaimed once Nathan was laid out on the bed and his pants removed. He hadn't exploded through the layers like the previous time, but the smell was horrendous. "It didn't even smell this bad last time. How can that be? There was much more of it then. He's a baby – it's not like he's expelling bad guacamole and too much beer. How can it reek like this?"
Snickering, Bella extracted what we'd need from his bag. "Yeah, Rose mentioned he's been… different lately."
"Nathan… buddy…" I leaned over him, shaking my head. "We talked about this. Are you going to do this every time we're together?"
"Keep talking to him, Edward. He's calmer when you're talking. I don't want him kicking around while I'm working on him. Calm is good."
"Tell me, what did I ever do to you, huh? I've never crapped my pants when you're here. A little courtesy, please."
Bella was chuckling as she got busy. Don Everly turned up bedside, sniffing at the offensive odour in the room. He was quick to narrow it down, and then Bella was trying to shoo him away while pulling the dirty diaper from under Nathan.
"Crap! His foot just went in it."
"Don's?"
"Nathan's. Get with it, Edward. Don's got to get out of here, and you stopped talking and Nathan started squirming. And now there's a heel print in his poop."
I made a disgusted face, tugging Don away from the bed. I picked up his doll that he'd dropped by the door and tossed it across the living room to make him go for it. One problem solved – the simpler one. I had no idea what to do with a baby with a poopy foot.
~ 0 ~
"Why is Nathan in your kitchen sink?" My sister hung on my shoulder, peering over as I held onto a naked, wet baby. Bella had gone to let her in, leaving me to keep Nathan secure in the inch of warm water. He was squirmy.
"It's a marinade," I retorted. "We're cooking him up for dinner."
"He doesn't need a marinade. He's tasty enough as he is. Hi, Nathan! Mommy's back! And coming in for a nibble – watch out!" She ducked in, making nom-nom noises around his little fisted hand. "Are you having fun? You love your baths, don't you? So nice of Uncle Edward to give you a bath. We should bring some bath toys over so he has them for next time."
"Not necessary," I commented dryly. "Can you take over now?"
Rose planted a kiss on my cheek before reaching for Nathan. I waited until she had a good grip on the slippery little eel before I let go. There wasn't much room for her to grab – my hands were bigger than his torso as it was. She pulled him out and wrapped him in a towel expertly, whispering soft words against his head as she snuggled him closely against her chest.
"What?" she asked when she caught me staring.
"Nothing. I just love watching you with him. You know what you're doing. It's amazing."
She smiled warmly at my compliment. "You have to be a quick learner. This is totally a learn-as-you-go experience. Every day is different. You're doing great with him too. Both of you." She squeezed past me as I drained the sink and reapplied the disinfectant. I'd meticulously cleaned the sink before putting him in it, and now it was time to do the same for our future meal preparations in Nathan's new tub.
"By the way, I love watching you with him, too."
I felt my cheeks heating up over my sister's statement. "I'm getting more comfortable with him. Except when he… you know."
"Well, he shouldn't you know again today, so could you give him his bottle while I talk to Bella for a bit? I may have secured some medical volunteers to help out with the clinic until it's fully staffed. I can't outright steal them from the hospital, but they can do what they want in their off-hours." Rose's smile lit up the room. Her dream was one step closer to being realized. I figured now was the time to ask her for help with my own next step.
"Speaking of off-hours… you know Bella's taste pretty well, right?"
"Yeah, sure. I think you do as well, but what are you looking for? Birthday shopping already?"
I shook my head, my stomach quivering with something other than odour-induced nausea. Aro had never steered me wrong, and I trusted that moving forward this way was for the best. "I want to look for a ring."
A/N ~ Again, my apologies for updating late. *sigh* Truthfully, I'm addicted to weekly Monday morning updates as well, and I'm crabby without them. I hope you enjoyed today's suspension of reality. Thanks for reading! XX ~ SR