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Parallel Parenting
Chapter 7
Edward POV
I walk Bella and the girls around to the back of Alice's home carrying the big pan of meatballs. I see Alice, so I nod to let Bella know that I am going over to her.
"Alice?" I sigh, "I thought this was for Colton to get to know his classmates?"
"It's nice out, so I thought we could also have a barbecue, too."
I rub my face. "I wish you would have called and told me," I say, knowing Cordie hates crowds.
"What … why?" she asks sounding clueless.
"One, Bella and Kassie are here, too, and they don't need to know you're a complete crazy lady who does things at the level of a full-on energizer bunny. Second and you know this the most, Cordie doesn't like a lot a people being around her in a small space.
"They'll be fine; she can play in the kids' area, with Colton."
"Hi," I turn to see Bella standing there. "Just wanted to make sure these meatballs Edward's holding get plugged back in on low. Here's a list of all the ingredients I put in them, in case there are any potential allergy concerns for people."
"Thank you, so much, Bella," Alice sings out as she takes the paper from Bella.
"Edward, take them over to Jasper and he'll plug them in. After that you two go mingle, I have some other people to greet," she says putting the paper on top of the roaster pan.
I give Alice a nod as Bella gives her a wide-eyed smile.
"Come on, BeeBee, we'll give these to Jasper and I'll show you the play area."
I walk with her and the meatballs over to Jasper who takes the roaster and plugs it in. Bella and I then head to the far left side of the yard. We see the girls playing with Colton. There are several adults in the pool, but I don't think the pool is a good idea for the girls.
"Bella, the girls can go swimming some other time. I think there are far too many strangers and other people in there for Cordie or Kassie to go in right now."
"Yeah, I was just going to say the same thing."
"Well, can I suggest maybe the girls come to my house sometime this week and go swimming there instead? We can always come and get Colton and he can swim, too," I offer.
"Okay," Bella says with a smile before turning to the girls. "Kassie, do not go into the pool today. In fact, go nowhere near it," she says, and I nod along with her.
"That includes you, too, Cordie," I add.
Both girls nod, and walk toward Colton's swing set.
"Would you like to get a drink?" I ask Bella.
"I am fine for now, but I want a turn on the swings, so I'm going to go play with the girls and Colton."
Bella walks over to the girls, and I stand here watching her play on the swings. I smile more as I snap a couple photos on my cell. As I check them over, I can't help but smile some more. "So damn cute," I mutter putting my phone away as I walk to the table to get a drink.
"How are things going?" I look at Jasper as I open a bottle of lemonade.
"They're getting better; Bella and I seem to be more relaxed around each other which is a good thing. Cordie and Kassie, on the other hand, are getting on great. They already seem to have a tight bond between them," I say.
"Teddy?" I hear getting yelled. I turn to see Kassie running my way.
"CeeCee?" I say bending down a little.
"May I have a drink?"
I nod at her. "What would you like to drink, CeeCee?"
"Just some water, please?" I hand her a bottle of water and she drinks about half of it in one go. "Can you come and play with us soon?" she asks handing the bottle back to me. Before I can agree, she's off and running again.
"She's still calling you Teddy?" Jasper asks.
I nod at him and smile a little. "Yep, she is."
"You don't seem to mind anymore, why not?"
"No, I don't mind anymore. I think she just wants a special name for me that only she calls me."
He simply smiles and gives me a shrug.
"I am going to go keep an eye on them." I motion my head back over to where I left Bella, Cordie, and Kassie.
"Edward!" I jump a little and turn around to see Maggie smiling at me.
"Oh, hey," I say surprised to see her at a children's party when she doesn't have any children.
"Hi," she purrs in a not so attractive way. She smiles again and tilts her head. "You're really looking good today, Edward."
"Ah, thanks …" I say turning a little away from her seeing Cordie walking toward me with Bella.
"Daddy," Cordie whines.
"She's okay, Edward, she just had a little fall, and some dirt got on her shorts. I told her it will wipe right off and we're taking care of it," Bella says in such a light tone, I know that Cordie's not hurt.
I look her over seeing that she's just a little dirty.
"Oh, you'll be fine, Princess," I tell her wiping the dirt from her shorts.
"You're not mad, Daddy?"
I shake my head. "Of course not, Princess; I'll never be mad at you for getting dirt on your clothes. Not even the best, most special clothes are as important as you being happy," I say hugging her close to me.
"Oh, Edward, you're such a great daddy," Maggie gushes.
"I'm just going to take her to the bathroom to get her all cleaned up," Bella says, rolling her eyes at Maggie's overly dramatic and loud statement moments ago.
"I can take her," I say quickly, looking for any way or reason to get away from Maggie.
"No, I am okay going with her," Bella smirks.
"Bella—"
"Edward, let the nanny take her," Maggie says cutting me off, and I frown turning to her.
"It's okay, Edward, I need to use the ladies room anyway, and she's showing me the way." Bella answers seemingly not upset about what Maggie said.
Maggie steps closer to me and just smiles. "It's been a few weeks since I last saw you; how are things going for one of Chicago's most eligible and wanted bachelors?"
"Uh, good," I answer sounding stupid. This vapid woman makes me ill and I hope my simpleton answers will help her pick up on the fact that I don't want to talk to her.
"I was just wondering—"
"Teddy," Kassie says interrupting Maggie mid-sentence.
"Cordie, you shouldn't interrupt an adult when they are speaking," Maggie says with a not so friendly look on her face.
"My name is Kassie!" Kassie tells her right away and then turns to me. "Can we play on the basketball court?"
"That's for boys, Cordie. Not that I would mind seeing your hunky dad playing the game myself."
Kassie takes a larger step closer to me. "Can she hear me, Teddy?" she asks me in what would be a whisper to her, but is more like the way Cordie normally talks.
I nod at her, knowing this will be my way to get away from Maggie. "Kassie," I say making a point by saying her name, not a nick-name. "I would love to play basketball with you. Just give me time to change into a t-shirt and shorts first."
"Yay!" Kassie cheers, jumping up and down. "I'll make sure no one takes the court. Hurry up, Teddy!"
"Edward, I don't think it's such a good idea to let her play. She could get hurt, and she'll be all sweaty and dirty after the game, too."
"Maggie, this is just a friendly family NBA tournament playoff game."
Maggie chuckles and wiggles like she is cute or something, but instead it looks like she has ants in her pants. "Oh, you really are a great daddy to Cordie. She's so lucky to have you guiding her, but I think she'll need a mom in her life soon."
"Daddy," Cordie says and Maggie huffs. As I look at her with a raised brow, I know she didn't mean for me to hear her, and she puts a large smile on her face.
"Oh, lookie there, Cordie, you're back again?"
"Yes, I'm all clean now, and Bella got changed so she can play basketball, are you playing with us, Daddy?"
I look at Bella who's in shorts and a t-shirt, and I nod at my daughter.
"Oh, honey, he just told you that he would play. Does she have some special needs?" Maggie smiles and winks at me. She turns a bit and bends at the waist a little. "Why don't you go and play and let me talk to daddy for a few minutes. You know that you have to share his time, or you'll never get a mommy?"
"Come on, Cordie, your dad will play once he's changed," Bella says walking away.
"If you don't mind, I would love to come and watch you play." Maggie stops as she places her hand on my arm. "Oh, Edward, you've been working out," she says running her hand down my arm.
I quickly step away from her. "Maggie, I have to go."
"Oh, I know, Sweetie, I'll see you soon. I've made an appointment with you, too because I want to invest some funds, and I was hoping as you're so great at it, that you would help me out?"
"I'm sorry; but I am not taking any new clients. I'm not sure who gave you an appoint—"
Interrupting me, she says, "Please, Edward, you're a friend, and I know if you help me I would make money. I mean, look at you, so young and yet you have a great business mind. And now you have a nanny; we could even meet for business after hours, and then you could take me out to dinner?"
Maggie smiles as she steps back from me. "We'll have a great time, and I'll show you how great it is to date me. Call me when you're out there playing with the big boys; I would love to see you without your top on and all sweaty. I bet your abs are as great as your arms."
I shake my head and walk past her, only to find a smirking Bella standing about ten feet away with her arms crossed. "You could have helped me," I mutter, and she chuckles at me.
"I'll watch Cordie when you go on your date," she laughs.
"There will be no date with her—ever," I retort.
"I don't think you should pass it up. You know you're on to a sure thing with her," Bella continues.
"A sure thing as in getting an STD?" I question Bella, and she laughs harder.
Bella calms down a little and shakes her head. "No, but I am sure she would give you a spectacular blow job," she says quietly.
I turn and look the way Maggie went and then look back at Bella with a 'what the hell' expression on my face.
"Oh, come on, Edward, with the amount of sucking up she was doing, she's bound to be quite good at it, don't you think?"
This time I bark out a laugh with her. "You may be onto something, but it's still nothing I intend to do. I am going to get changed. I'll meet you at the court?"
Bella nods at me, but before she turns away, I catch her arm. "By the way, I'm sorry I didn't correct her on the fact that you're not the nanny. She couldn't tell the girls apart, and then even after I called Kassie by her name, she still didn't get it, so I gave up trying."
"It's okay, Edward; you've had enough to deal with yourself without adding anyone else onto your plate. Go get changed. I want to kick your A-S-S on the court."
I chuckle shaking my head. "In your dreams, Swan." I quickly get changed and jog to the court. "So how are we playing this?"
"Cordie, Kassie, and Colton, against us two?" Bella says.
I give them all a nod.
"Let's play!" Kassie states.
As the game goes on, it's clear that Bella has some skills in basketball, or it could just be the fact she doesn't like to lose. The thing that surprises me is that Kassie is really good, too, and clearly has a talent for basketball.
"Is she good at all sports?" I ask Bella as we take a drink of water.
"She seems to be." Bella stops and chuckles and I just look at her. "My dad loved sports; he was on his school's football team." She shakes her head at little. "He didn't seem to mind teaching me, not that I was great or anything, but enough not to flunk gym. But Kassie—sometimes when she plays or even talks about sports she reminds me of him, and I forget she's not really his."
"She is—was—his. It takes more than DNA to link you to someone," I tell her.
Bella just nods.
"How about we shoot some hoops? First one to five is the winner." Cordie suggests and I look at Bella.
"Winner picks what we do tonight," I say holding out my hand.
"Okay, ladies and gents, first up is the younger Swan," Kassie announces.
I turn raising my eyebrow at Bella who just giggles silently.
"She bounces the ball, once, twice as she eyes up the shot."
I point at Kassie as I look at Bella with a grin on my face.
"The ball flies through the air. Darn, she misses," Kassie carries on as if she was announcing for the crowd at a game.
"She always does this," Bella says as we continue to listen to Kassie go on.
"Next up is the pretty, younger, Cullen," she carries on as she hands Cordie the ball. "She looks at the basket, making sure she knows where the ball's going to go," Kassie calls and Cordie giggles a little as she throws the ball. "Oh, double darn, another miss."
Kassie does the same announcing when Colton, who also misses takes his turn.
"Right now it's the older Swan's turn. She looks around, aims …"
Bella throws the ball, and it swishes through the net smoothly.
"And what a throw, ladies and gents, nothing but air, and the crowd are going wild!"
I can't help but chuckle at this kid. She gets Cordie and Colton to join her as she jumps up and down clapping.
"Next up, is the crabby, Teddy. Now people, take mind that he is a little older, so he might not do as well …"
"Hey," I say looking at her.
"What you are, you're like twenty," she says back.
I turn and look at Bella. "So twenty is old now?"
All the kids nod at me and I look back at Kassie.
"Doesn't that make your mom old, too?"
"Yeah, but at least she looks younger," Cordie says and I turn to look at my daughter with an open mouth.
I shake my head chuckling. "Okay, make room for the oldie," I say dribbling up to the free throw line.
I hit the basket and sink the shot as everyone cheers.
We keep going like this while Cordie and Colton both help Kassie do the announcing. When we are done with our impromptu tournament, Cordie and Colton both get one basket each, Kassie gets three, Bella four, but I get all five.
"Looks like I win again, unless you want to say we're even since you're a girl?"
"Nope, I'm fine with you winning this round."
"Who's the sore loser now?"
"Still you and I would've got the last basket if you hadn't thrown me off with your patience-trying methods."
I just chuckle. "Come on, let's go eat some food," I say with a nod. We walk a little behind the children heading toward the food table.
"I didn't cheat, just some guys are better at playing sports than some girls." Bella just glares at me. "I didn't say all, I said some," I clarify to her.
"Well, anything you can do …"
"Is that so, Swan?"
She gives me a sharp nod.
"Well, this could be fun," I say rubbing my hands together.
"When I beat you at most things … yeah, it's going to be fun, for me," she retorts.
"Edward," a vapid voice comes from behind me. I groan much to the amusement of Bella. "So, Nanny, you'll watch his daughter so he can have some adult time now, right?" Maggie says sounding as if she is speaking to someone who doesn't understand English.
"Sure," Bella replies.
"I am sorry but I have a lot going on at the moment—"
"Well, I am sure one night away would help relax get you recharged," Maggie interrupts.
I glare at Maggie and turn to look at Bella. "No," I say looking at Bella, before turning back to Maggie. Before I can say anything further, she starts running her mouth again.
"Oh, I see, you don't trust her overnight with your daughter. I understand, after all, you're such a great father. Let's go and talk to your mother, I'm sure you trust her."
I shake my head and sigh before I can tell her to fuck off again. Cordie and Kassie have joined us.
"Oh, Daddy, Kassie was right. These meatballs are the best ever. So yummy!" she says and I smile at my daughter.
"Not so sure about that. The idiot who made them did not add beef to them, which everyone knows is the first ingredient in a good meatball. I like my beef; thank God the man I want trades in them," Maggie says licking her lips.
"Are you Maggie?" Kassie asks making Maggie turn to her.
"Cordie?" she turns and then turns back after seeing Cordie in front of her. "Why are there two of you?" Maggie asks clearly confused.
"This is Kassie, she's my twin. This is her mom, Bella," Cordie tells her. "They're moving in with us," she carries on much to my shock.
"Okay, girls, let's go find a table to sit at with our food," Bella says. "Edward … Maggie," she adds before directing the girls away.
I watch Bella walk away and turn to a still stunned Maggie. "I am sorry but this is just all so new, and I am …"
"Edward, tell me she's not living with you? She's most likely gone to some surgeon to make her daughter look like yours just to pull off this scam."
I open and close my mouth, but am shocked by the way she is suggesting this scenario. "My father has performed DNA testing; but again I have to say right now, I have this on my plate so I will not be able to date now or likely anytime soon."
I walk away and Maggie catches my arm, and as I look at her, I see hardness on her face. "Just watch your back. You're worth a lot of money, and you need to be careful who you let in." Maggie walks away, and I again shake my head at her.
I get a plate of food and then join Bella and the girls at the table they chose.
"When's the big date?" Bella asks sounding cocky.
"Date?" Cordie asks sounding worried, and Bella suddenly looks like she just had the crap scared out of her.
"There's no date, Cordie," I say to my daughter. As I turn to tell Bella, she looks guilty.
"Sorry, DeeDee, I was just playing with your dad. I did not mean to upset you."
Cordie nods at her, and looks at me almost as if she is searching to see if we are being honest.
"Cordie, I don't like Maggie, she couldn't even get my name right," Kassie says. "And she looks like that puppy killer," she carries on confusing me, but Bella laughs and I turn to her hoping she'll explain.
"She's saying that Maggie looks a little like Cruella DeVille from One-Hundred and One Dalmatians," Bella says making me just look at her.
I have to try to picture Maggie, and as I do, I start to laugh. "You know she used to smoke cigarettes and she always used those long filter sticks, just like the lady in the movie does."
Bella keeps giggling as I cut and bite into one of the meatballs Bella made. "Oh, wow, these are good," I say taking another bite.
"Teddy," Kassie says, sounding sweet which makes me arch my brow.
"Yes?" I say.
"Can Cordie stay at my house tonight?" Kassie asks.
I had already planned to spend time alone with Cordie tonight. I feel as if it has been awhile since we had any time with just the two of us.
"Maybe next weekend?" I say hoping to not upset them too much.
"Okay," the girls say together.
"Can we go and play now?" Cordie asks.
I look at Bella and she nods, so I smile and nod, too.
Both girls get up and clean up their plates before walking off to the swing set again.
I start to pull at my hair and look at Bella. "Do you think we should stay together again tonight?" I ask.
Bella just looks at me. "I'm not sure, and hate that they're hurting, but it's not like we can keep staying at each others houses. There has to be a time where they go back to normal everyday life and routine."
I smile feeling more relieved that she agrees with me. "I miss spending time with just her and me. I feel like I haven't really had the chance to speak to her about all of this alone."
"I feel the same," she tells me. "How about we have dinner tonight, maybe play a game or two, but tomorrow we take the time to be with our own daughters alone. They will be able to catch up with each other on Monday, so they're not going to be missing out. What do you think of that plan?" She asks.
"Yeah, and after we get the DNA results, we can work out a plan for when they see each other and how to go about it. What do you think?" I ask back.
She nods and just as I go to speak there's a loud scream, followed by crying and Cordie screaming for help.
"Kassie!" Bella yells and starts to run to where the girls are as I quickly follow.
We get to the swing-set to see Kassie lying on the ground, cradling her arm.
"I'm sorry, Mommy," she sniffs as I hug a sobbing Cordie to my chest.
Bella moves around Kassie and gives her a kiss on her head before looking up at me. "Her arm is definitely broken," she hisses and I nod at her. I pat Cordie's back and hand her off to Bella before moving to Kassie and picking her up in my arms.
"What's happened here?" My father says as he approaches.
"I'm pretty sure her arm is broken," Bella states.
He moves to Kassie looking at her arm. "Let's get her to the hospital," he says.
Bella holds out her arms and I look at her. "Can we go, too?" I ask glancing down at Cordie, knowing she will need to know that Kassie is okay.
"Yes," Bella agrees and grabs Cordie's hand giving it a squeeze.
"I'll carry Kassie to the car, Bella, you lead the way," I say and she nods at me.
"Mommy, it hurts," Kassie says as we make our way to my car.
"I know it does, honey," Bella tells her.
"I almost made it three months," Kassie carries on and Bella chuckles nervously.
"Three months?" I ask as my father opens the car door for us.
"She's had a lot of accidents," Bella tells me as my father snorts.
"That's an understatement," he says.
The drive to the hospital is quiet, and all I can hear is Kassie sniffing and Cordie whispering to her.
My father meets us there and takes us into a room right away. He grabs a nurse and they quickly get Kassie x-rayed. Thankfully, the break is clean, and they are able to set it without surgery or extended trauma. They give her medication that knocks her out for a few minutes to make sure it's fully set, before they start to cast it. When they are almost finished, Kassie is fully alert.
"Okay, Kassie, what color do you want the outside layer of the cast to be? We have at least a dozen different colors," my dad tells her.
"I want it to be pink, because that's Cordie's favorite color, and it will remind me of her. It'll make me feel better tonight when she's not there …"
"I could call you, my dad has video call, on his cell," Cordie says as she tries hard to make Kassie feel better. "Or I can give you my favorite teddy bear to take home with you tonight. Then it will be like I'm there with you," she adds.
I feel my heart break and look at Bella. "Can we stay with you tonight?" I ask her and she looks at me nodding. I clasp my hand with hers knowing that she's putting on a brave face but is deeply worried about Kassie's injury.
~PP~
Later, we arrive back at Bella's home. As Kassie's still in pain, she asked to go to her room and Cordie quickly joined her.
"I'm sorry she got hurt," I tell Bella who shakes her head at me.
"She's fine; however, this is the worst she has had this year."
I just look at her and feel bad for how upset she is.
"In fact, this is the worst injury she has had since she was brought home from the hospital; well, besides the car accident. Most of her injuries have been cuts or sprains."
I don't say anything and rub my face. "I want to ask you something, but I don't want you to freak out on me—do you think you can behave and not be offended, or yell at me?"
"Maybe you shouldn't ask if you're that worried about my reaction," she states.
I chuckle gently at her comment but press on. "Your insurance company is going to be fine with this, right? I mean, they'll still pay; she hasn't had excessive injuries, right?" I ask knowing a few companies that would try to play hard ball.
"So far they haven't denied a claim, but I am waiting for it to happen," Bella answers.
"Well, if they do, let me know and I can handle them … well … that's if you want me to, anyway."
Bella just looks at me. "Do you want to watch a movie?" she says changing the topic.
I am simply happy that she's not kicking my ass over my questioning her insurance again. "Sounds good to me," I say with a smile.
Bella puts in a movie and as I am feeling quite at home in my old home—Bella's new home—I get up getting both Bella and me a drink.
"What are we watching?" I ask.
"Ghostbusters," she answers.
"The original or the remake?" I ask.
"The original of course," Bella tells me with a smile. "As much as I like all the female actresses in the remake, I am not a fan of recycled movies. I wonder at times if Hollywood is running out of ideas. I watched the new one, but I didn't like the movie and it almost ruined the original for me."
I nod in agreement. "They'll never have a remake that will be better; I just wish they would stop trying. Reusing the same names and ideas are destroying great films which should be something we cherish," I add.
"Don't I know it," Bella states.
During the film Bella puts her legs up, and my feet are resting on the coffee table. Bella looks uncomfortable, so I pull her feet into my lap. At some point I start to rub her feet as we watch the movie.
When it ends, Bella turns it off and just looks at me. "I'm going to give Kassie some more painkillers," she says. I give her a nod but I know she has something else on her mind. "Look, I don't have a fancy home with loads of space or spare rooms …"
"Hey, your home is great," I tell her not liking that she is putting down my first and only bachelor pad.
"I only have Kassie's bed, and mine," Bella blurts out. "Mine's a king size, so and I am sure we could share. We could sleep one head up and one head down; or one on top of the covers, and one under. Whatever you think is best?"
I feel myself panic a little. I haven't shared a bed with a woman in a long time.
"I mean, any other time, I would have suggested that Kassie sleep with me, and you with Cordie, but I don't think the girls would go for that tonight," Bella adds.
"Are you sure? I mean … I don't mind sleeping on the sofa …"
"Edward, we're sitting on my only sofa, and it's a two-person sofa. There's not even room for me to sleep comfortably on it, much less you. You are much bigger than me," she says.
I nod at her and take a deep breath. "Okay, then I'll share your bed, but knowing how I move around a lot, and there's a chance of passing wind. I think we need to have our heads at the same end of the bed."
Bella just looks at me like I am nuts. "Okay," she walks away and I shake my head covering my face with my hand.
"Really, dumbass, passing wind could—you be any more of an idiot?" I ask myself.
~PP~
Bella POV
I slowly wake, but something feels odd. As I come to, I feel something on my breast. I look down and see a large hand.
"What?" I ask knowing that this is not my hand.
"Hmmm," comes the moan from behind me.
I look over my shoulder to see Edward, but he is sound asleep. I snort shaking my head and pick up his hand moving. As I slide away, he gets closer and pulls me back to his chest.
"Great," I mutter, "Edward," I say harshly. "Edward!" I quickly repeat.
"What?" he mumbles, but he still sounds as if he is asleep.
"Can you let go of my breast, so I can get up and go pee?"
"What?" His eyes open then he springs away from me. "Fuck, Bella, I am sorry," he says sounding alarmed. "I didn't mean to molest you in your sleep."
I roll my eyes getting out of bed. "It's fine," I tell him as I quickly leave the room. I enter the bathroom and just as I sit down, Edward walks in the room.
"No, Bella, I am really sorry, I …" he stops, pulling at his hair.
All I can do is look at him. He's in my bathroom and I'm naked from the waist down, sitting on the toilet, really needing to pee. "Edward, it's fine! You were asleep and used my breast as your squeeze ball—"
"But it's not okay, you didn't ask to be manhandled in your sleep," he interrupts.
"Edward, you were asleep and unaware of what you were doing." As he goes to speak again, I hold my hand up to silence him. "If it makes you feel better, the next time we share a bed, I'll squeeze your dick. Now since I'm already on the toilet here, can you leave so I can pee?"
Edward looks at me and I see him pale. I know it has just hit him that I am sitting on the toilet with my undies at my ankles.
He walks out flustered and I cover my mouth muffling my laughter.
I do my business and take care of my morning rituals. When I walk out, Edward is standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.
"What?" I ask as he looks at me.
"I'm sorry." he says again.
"Okay, why are you so upset?" I ask.
Edward starts to pull at his hair. "I don't usually walk in on young women doing their toilet business."
"First, I am twenty-four; hell, in a few weeks I will be twenty-five. And for your information, I wasn't doing my toilet business yet. Last, it's fine. I am more upset about the limited breast action you gave. Tip for you in the future, if you're going to touch a breast, make sure you give it the correct attention." I put a smug smile on my face and even wink at him; after a few seconds he chuckles.
"Okay, I'll make sure that the next time, I give you the full-on Cullen treatment." He stops and runs his teeth over his bottom lip and pulls his hair. "We're okay, right?"
I nod at him. "We're fine," I tell him knowing that his actions weren't deliberate.
He gives me a little nod and walks into the bathroom. I make my way to Kassie's room, and when I walk in, I am shocked to see her sitting on her bed crying.
"Honey?" I say moving to her quickly. "What is wrong?"
"It hurts, really bad, Mommy," she tells me through her sniffs.
"Oh, Baby," I say hugging her gently. "It's time for your medicine," I say hoping that it will take the edge off the pain for her.
I move to where I left her pain meds and give her some just as Cordie wakes up.
"Kassie, are you okay?" she asks her sweetly, Kassie gives her a little nod.
"I'm sorry it hurts," Cordie says as she sits close to Kassie.
"What's going on in here?" Edward says lightly, but as I turn, I see he looks worried. "Kassie, baby girl, what is wrong?" he asks moving quickly to her bed.
"Her arm hurts badly, Daddy," Cordie tells him and you can see she's about to cry for Kassie.
Edward looks at her, and a few seconds pass. He leans in and kisses Kassie on her head. "What would you like to do today?"
Both Cordie and Kassie look at each other, almost as if they having a silent conversation with each other.
"Can we stay in our pajamas and watch movies and maybe play a game?" Kassie asks while Cordie nods at us.
"We could do that," Edward says clearly taken back as much as I am. "I would also like to ask my dad to pop over just to look you over, Kassie. Is that okay?" Edward asks as his head turns to me.
"That would be nice," I tell him and chuckle a little. "Having someone that knows a doctor is a good thing; well, at least it is for me. For him, however, he might not think so after a while."
Edward thankfully just chuckles. "Don't worry I take up loads of his time when I am worrying about Cordie, so you'll likely be a breath of fresh air."
He clears his throat and looks back at the girls. "Let Bella and me set the living room up for our day of laid back fun, and then we'll come get you both."
The girls nod at him, and he turns to me. "Have you given her the morning dose of meds yet?" I can only nod at him. "Okay, then let's get things set up for our day of leisure." Edward walks me out and we both head for the living room.
"Do you want to do this together, or should one of us make breakfast as the other makes up the living room?" I ask, before biting my lip.
"It'll be faster if you make breakfast and I rearrange the living room. Where are the extra blankets?"
"They're in the cabinet outside the bathroom," I say starting to walk out. I stop and turn back to him. "Thank you, for …" I wave my hand around to show I am talking about what he is doing and how he treated Kassie.
"It's fine, really. I like being here to make sure she's okay. I've sort of grown attached to her."
I chuckle and nod at him. "I feel the same way about Cordie, too."
I walk to the kitchen and rustle up some French toast and scrambled eggs. I put cheese on some of the eggs, knowing it is Kassie's favorite way to eat them. I cover the dishes and put them in the oven to stay warm. Walking into the living room, I see Edward has done a great job of moving the two loveseats around the television and coffee table.
"Breakfast is done and staying warm in the oven," I tell him.
He nods at me, and together we head for Kassie's room to get the girls.
~PP~
The morning slowly passes by. After breakfast we all sit in the living room—Cordie and Kassie on one of the sofas and Edward and me on the other.
Knowing that Kassie's arm is sore, we stay away from playing games and only watch cartoons, kids shows, and some child-friendly movies.
"Can I sit with you for a little bit, Teddy?" Kassie asks.
"Yeah, and I can sit with BeeBeery," Cordie adds on sounding happy.
My eyes flicker to Edward who nods at Kassie. He gets up and kisses Cordie as he picks her up. He carries Cordie over to me, and places her in my arms.
"Would you like to sit on my lap?" he asks Kassie as he sits next to her. She doesn't answer him, and instead climbs into his lap and hugs him with her good arm.
Edward looks at her, giving her a small kiss on her forehead. "I think it's almost time for your meds, baby girl. In a short while my dad should be here to look you over."
"Okay, Teddy," she says.
I look at Kassie and Edward and I can't help but feel a little sad. The way she is with him is clearly telling me she misses a male figure in her life, and that's something I can't give her. I know many single moms and dads and would never say their child is missing something, but for Kassie, I feel she needs something that she seems to be getting from Edward. I can only hope as time goes on that his attachment to her grows as much as her attachment to him. Maybe he can somewhat fill the role of a dad. My eyes drift back to Cordie, and I know this girl loves her dad and I will willingly fill any role she needs from me. As she looks away from Kassie and her dad, she turns and looks me right in the eyes.
"Are you okay, Cordie?" I ask gently hoping she's not feeling left out by the attention Edward is giving Kassie.
"I'm great," she says. She looks again at her dad and Kassie, and then moves closer to me. "Make sure my daddy doesn't date Maggie," she whispers. "I don't like her," she carries on.
I frown a little hearing something in her voice. "Has Maggie done something to you or something that you don't like?" I ask with a whisper.
She shakes her head just looking at me. "Please, just help keep her away," she begs.
I give her a smile pulling her a little closer. "You know your daddy won't date her if you don't like her. You'll always be first in his life, and anyone he picks to have as his date will have to have your approval."
"What's approval?"
"It means you'll have to like her and say that you'd like him to date her."
"He can date you then, I like you," Cordie blurts out making me blush a little. My eyes go to Edward who is still talking to Kassie and seems to have no idea what Cordie just said.
"Honey, your dad and I are just becoming friends."
"I know, but you need to be friends first, anyway, that's what my granny says."
I clear my throat trying another way. "We'll see what happens," I say hoping that I can have a word with Edward and we can come up with a plan that will let the kids know that we're just friends.
The alarm on my phone goes off. "Would you like to help me make hot chocolate?" I ask Cordie, who nods at me.
I switch off my alarm, and hand Edward the medicine to give Kassie.
"You put two scoops of chocolate in each of the cups and I'll make the warm milk," I tell Cordie after setting her up a little work area at the table.
"Do we need sugar?" she asks.
"No, this recipe is really sweet and yummy without sugar," I tell her.
Once the milk is warm, I pour some into each of the cups. "Okay, DeeDee, next goes the small chocolate covered marshmallows."
She puts a few of them in each cup and smiles as they immediately start to melt. I shake the can of whipped cream and wink at her. "This is my favorite part," I tell her as I spray some in each cup. Once they are all sprayed, we put a few more of the mini chocolate covered marshmallows on them and dust the tops with the cocoa powder. Cordie's eyes get big, and the grin on her face is huge.
I carry the cups on a tray with some cookies, and Cordie carries in the empty trays to sit on our laps. Edward helps Cordie put a tray down for Kassie before helping Cordie with her own. He sits down and puts the other tray in his lap while I set mine on the coffee table.
"Here you go," I say as I place down Edward's, Kassie's, and Cordie's cups along with their own plate of chewy chocolate chunk cookies. I walk back to my sofa and sit down with Cordie and my own tray.
"I love Mommy's hot chocolate, it's the best ever," Kassie says as she takes a small drink of it.
Just as I take a drink of my own, the doorbell rings.
"That should be my dad; can I let him in?" Edward asks.
"Well, yeah, he can't examine Kassie from outside," I laugh and give him a silly face.
Edward just chuckles but heads toward my front door. A few minutes later he's back with his father just behind him.
"Hi, Cordie," he says first giving her a hug and a kiss.
"Are you here to fix Kassie?" she asks.
"I am going to look her over, yes, but her arm will take about six weeks to heal."
Cordie simply looks at him, with worry. "But you're a doctor you're supposed to fix people," she argues.
"Yes, that's right, but broken bones like Kassie has takes time to heal," I tell her. Carlisle moves over to Kassie and looks at her with a smile.
He sits next to her and looks her arm over. "Are you still in pain?"
"Yes," Kassie says quietly, and I wonder if she is trying to not show her pain to keep us from being upset.
"It will be sore for a few more days, but it will get better soon … just keep taking the medicine. I am glad that it doesn't look swollen, and as far as I can see it's healing already." He turns to me and gives me a smile. "She's healing well and I will look at her again in about two weeks, just to keep an eye on her. If the pain seems to be too much, or you are unable to control it with the medication, call me right away."
"Thank you," I tell Carlisle.
"It's my pleasure, Bella. You all be good. I've got to head home. I'll see you again soon," Carlisle says and promptly hugs both girls before leaving.
We get back to watching a movie, and in the middle the girls switch places again with Kassie sitting with me and Cordie sitting with her dad. We decide to order take out for dinner. We all agree that Chinese sounds good, so Edward orders a few dishes, and when it arrives, we eat using the trays from earlier. The girls sit together as we eat, and after we're done, we all go back to watching the movie.
After the movie is over, I get out Kassie's favorite chocolate cake, and we have some. Edward helps me clean up and then looks at the girls sadly.
"Princess, we need to go home now," Edward says softly as Cordie looks at him.
"Who will look after Kassie?" she asks him in a sad voice.
"Her mommy will take care of her, and we can pick them both up tomorrow before school."
"But I'll miss her," she says in a quiet voice.
"I know, Princess," Edward's eyes move to me and he looks distraught. I think it's clear to both of us that we will need to talk to someone as well as the girls.
Kassie and Cordie have a tearful goodbye at my front door. I look at Edward who pulls me to him.
"We'll talk, just you and me, this coming Friday," he says into my ear. I nod at him and he smiles before kneeling down to Kassie.
"You be good tonight, CeeCee," he tells her.
"I will, Teddy," she says hugging him as much as she can with her broken arm.
"I'll see you tomorrow, DeeDee," I say and she looks at me but she's not smiling, so I carry on. "I love you and it's all going to work out just give it time."
"I love you, and Kassie, too," she says before hugging me.
I close the door after Cordie and Edward have left and look at Kassie and give her a smile.
"How about we try to shower you?"
She nods at me, but doesn't look, nor is she acting like herself. I push it off knowing that they just left and she's upset about it. I also know she is still hurting, even with the medicine on board.
She is still quiet when I put her to bed. I read her a story as I do every night, but she doesn't seem to be into it as much as she usually is.
I sit in my room biting my lip and just as I pick up my cell to text Edward, I have an incoming text.
~Hi, just wanted to check on CeeCee?~
~She's okay, but seems down, and sad. How is my DeeDee?~
~Missing you and Kassie. She's quieter than she normally is. It's killing me, because I know you're just down the road, but at the same time, I know she needs her own bed. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed.~
~So am I … what should we do?~
~Not sure, but we can talk more about it Friday night. I was thinking if Kassie is feeling better that she and Cordie could stay with my parents. They could go to their house straight after school. That way we can talk and go meet with the one therapist on Friday and see the other two Saturday morning. I just feel like we need help with this to keep us both sane and help the girls, too. I want to know they will have someone to talk to, and we will be able to discuss it easier if the girls are at my parents'. I really don't want to be talking about it and have them walk in and overhear anything. What do you think?~
~If Kassie's okay with it, then yes, I agree.~
After I have sent my response, I think more about what Cordie said to me about Maggie. I decide to bite the bullet and tell him everything and ask him how he thinks we should address the situation. I know this is a circumstance where we need to be on the same page.
~Cordie asked me to make sure you didn't date Maggie. I am sorry I joked about it. I was worried when she seemed really upset about it. Tonight though, she told me she didn't like her and was worried you were planning to date her.~
~I know you meant no harm and I am sure she does, too. I would never date Maggie. I don't like her in that way, and more so because I know that Cordie doesn't like her.~
~I know I told her that you wouldn't date anyone without her approval, and … this will make you laugh, but … she said we should date.~
~LOL, really? What did you say?~
~I told her we were friends, and she said that her Granny said the best way to start a relationship is to be friends first. But that is something else we can talk about, later. I think we should make an honest effort to make sure they know we are friends. Anyway, I am going to bed; I have young minds to help sculpt tomorrow. Goodnight, Edward, I'll see you in the morning.~
~Night, Bella, see you tomorrow morning.~
I lie back on my bed and dial a number before pressing send. I put my cell to my ear.
"Hi, Bella," Rose says on answering her cell.
"Hi," I say still feeling gloomy.
"What's wrong, do I have to kick his ass?"
I chuckle shaking my head though she can't see me. "No, he's been really well behaved. The girls have bonded, it's just …" I stop and sigh. "They don't like being separated at all. Tonight Kassie was so down in the dumps; if she had a puppy you would have thought someone kicked it. I just hate seeing either her or Cordie sad, and Edward said she was sad when he got home, too."
"Maybe you should move in together, in one or the other of your homes," she says as if it is the most natural of selections.
I sit up and just gasp at my cell.
"Bella, stop acting like a fish. Close your mouth; I can almost smell what you've eaten through the cell towers."
I snap my mouth closed. "Really, Rose, you're suggesting I should move in with Edward? I am on a six-month contract with my lease, and you think I should just break that?"
"Maybe not that fast, but it does give you six months to know him better."
I roll my eyes closed as I pinch the bridge of my nose.
"Why and what about marriage, what th—"
Rose cuts my rant of by laughing. "You're marrying him already?" she chuckles out.
"Stop it, Rose, what if he gets married to someone else? What then? I mean is he supposed to say, "Hey, wife, I love you and I married you, but this is my daughter, her twin and her twin's mother, and we all live together? Like that would work out … ever."
"For what it's worth, Emmett doesn't see Edward getting married soon. Look, you two are not dating, neither of you are even looking so that gives you a few years until you need to worry about it. By that time, the girls will be older and maybe you can then share them fifty-fifty. I am not saying this is the answer; I'm just giving you options to consider. How about we get together this Friday, and we can talk about it some more?"
I groan a little. "I can't this Friday, we are meeting one of the therapists to see if we like them. Edward thinks we should leave the girls with his parents and meet with one of them on Friday, and the other two early on Saturday. He thinks it would be best if we had the time alone without the girls to talk things out and see where we both stand."
"That sounds like a well-thought out plan. I am guessing you will be finished meeting the therapist by six, so we could still meet for dinner. If you guys want advice or input, we can give it then and if not, we can have a nice dinner. Oh, and invite Alice and Jasper, I am dying to meet them. Emmett has told me so much about them."
"I'll talk to Edward and let you know."
"See, you're already sounding like you're married to him," she laughs.
I flip her off not that she can see.
"Stop flipping me off. I love you, get to bed, and call me tomorrow."
"Love you, too," I say before ending the call.
I put my cell down and walk to the bathroom and take a relaxing hot shower. When I get back to my room, I just lie there looking up at the ceiling, finding it hard to fall asleep. I toss and turn but can't seem to relax. My eyes drift to the wall and as I look at it, I smile. I walk to it and peel back the wallpaper, knowing there are spare rolls in the cabinet that I can put up to replace the patch I tear off. It takes me almost ten minutes to pull it carefully back so that it's just the one strip I remove. As I step away, I smile seeing Edward's name.
"Edward soft; five and a half inches and almost four inches around. Hard; nine and three quarters inches and ten and a half around." I read it again and can't help but be shocked. That is like a monster in his boxers!
"He has got to be exaggerating, no one but porn stars are that well-endowed," I mutter.
I shake my head and walk to the cupboard and take out the wallpaper. I read the roll I pick up and see that it's one of those self-stick types, no glue or water needed. I cut the paper to the size I need and put it on the wall. I step back to look over the wall and smile over the fact you can easily see it is newer wallpaper, and anyone, especially Edward can tell I was nosy.
~PP~
As Kassie's still in pain, she wakes up a little earlier than normal for school. I try to distract her, so after she has her meds, I take her out front to wait for Edward and Cordie.
"Kassie, what have you done to your arm?" Jake asks her.
"I broke it," she tells him as she walks over to talk to him.
"Can I draw a picture on your cast? I'd like to draw a spirit guide that will look after you and help heal your arm."
She nods, and smiles at me, so I nod at her. "Yes, please, Jakey."
Jake takes his time and draws a wolf on her cast. "This is the white wolf; it's fearless, brave, and adventurous. It will always guide you," he tells her as he starts to draw again.
Kassie smiles at him and he looks at me as he carries on talking. "This is the white wolf's sister, a twin who is also brave, but uses wisdom, and caution. She grounds the white wolf and in turn, the white wolf helps her twin break free," Jake continues.
"That one must be Cordie, she's always looking out for me," Kassie says.
Jake finished the drawing as Kassie gasps at it.
"That's amazing, Jakey!" she says, "and there's still loads of space for Cordie, Mommy, and Teddy to draw something, too."
"There is," he tells her with a smile just as Edward's car drives up.
"Kassie," Cordie yells running toward us when Edward lets her out. "How are you? Does it hurt very badly today?" Cordie continues.
"Feeling a little better, but look what Jakey put on my cast."
"Oh, that's nice," Cordie tell Kassie with a smile.
"Yeah, and there is still room for you to draw a picture, too," Kassie smiles.
"I'll try, but I'm not as good as Jakey is," Cordie says.
"Cordie, you have to believe in yourself and know that your spirit guide will guide you where you are meant to be. Anything you draw on her cast will come from your heart, and the love for your sister will show through. That my girls will make it more special than if Van Gogh came back from the grave and drew a picture for you," Jake tells them.
"Who's Van Gogh?" Cordie asks.
"He was a painter from France," I tell her, and look at Edward.
"Thank you for the drawing and the touching words, Jake. We've got to get to school now, see you later." I state and start walking with the girls and Edward to the car.
A/N: So how do you think things between them are going, now? We are really looking forward to hearing from you on how things are going, so let us know. Thanks for reading and reviewing. (Nikky) & Kasi~
