Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Stephanie Meyers does. However, I do own this plot and storyline. I also own my own original characters.
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Chapter 17: Get Your Feet Wet
EPOV
"You need to rest for a minute before you make yourself sick." I gently chide Bella, noticing how pale she is. "Everything will get done, pretty girl."
"Fine," she growls, throwing herself on the couch in the office.
"You want me to step out so you can throw a tantrum?" I ask, amused with her behavior and I receive an eye roll in return. "While you're lying there sulking, you can help me prepare what Jasper and I need for next weekend."
"Do you have any camping equipment?" she asks, sitting up and directing her attention to me.
It's the week after my birthday, and we're in the process of preparing for the water camp for the kids this weekend. I found out that the boxes we picked up from the pool supply store are actually a splash pad and all the accessories. Jasper and his team installed it next to the activity center pool yesterday. Cassie and Emmett have been testing it out all morning.
Jasper decided that he wants to become a certified diver as well, so we have both busted our asses to get the online training complete. We'll be doing the water instruction part next weekend in Huntsville. It'll be two days at the Blue Lagoon and then we're going to be camping out, hence, why we need the camping equipment.
"Nope. Just an ice chest," I reply, looking up from my laptop and pouting. "So, are ya gonna come help your boyfriend figure out what he needs? I mean, I'm gonna have to sleep in the heat on the hard ground."
"Wuss," she mumbles, walking over to the key box hanging on the wall. "Come on, Prince Edward. Don't want ya to have to rough it or anythin'."
"I'm not a wuss," I rebut as we climb on the XUV parked outside the office.
She just smirks at me, and then drives us over to the utility building. As we pull up, Jake and Eric are loading paddleboats onto a trailer, so I jump in to help them. Once they're all loaded, Bella leads us to a locked door, and uses the key she retrieved from the office to open it.
I'm amazed as I step into the room. It's a well-organized storage room, full of everything you could possibly ever need for outdoor activities. The guys start pulling out the life vests and carrying them over to the trailer as Bella points out the camping equipment.
"If you don't find everything on your list in here, maybe we'll have it somewhere else," she states, wrapping her arm around my waist.
I pull her closer and kiss her temple. "Thanks, pretty girl."
"You're always welcome to anything I have," she confirms. "Now, let's go get everything ready for tomorrow."
We spend the rest of the afternoon preparing for the campers, who will be arriving in the morning. This camp is a little different from the one we helped with in January. The next three days are planned around water activities: boating, fishing, and swimming. It seems everyone on the ranch is just as excited as I'm sure the kids will be.
We're sitting under the pavilion resting. The tables have just been arranged and covered with tablecloths in bright, summery colors. "I wanna buy a boat," Bella blurts out.
Billy snorts. "And why do you wanna boat?"
"Not a boat for here. I mean, I want one of those small yachts that you can sleep on. You know, take a vacation on," she explains with a small smile. "Remember when daddy wanted to buy a boat and take me on a vacation, just cruising the ocean?"
Billy frowns before answering. "I remember. We even took yachtin' lessons together."
Bella wipes a tear away and leans into my side. "I wanna take Cassie on a vacation, cruising the ocean, but I'm not sure I'll have time to take the lessons beforehand."
"What if Sarah and I went with ya?" Billy asks hesitantly. "It'll be safer if y'all weren't out there by yourselves anyway."
Her smile brightens as she looks over at Billy. "That would be perfect. We can start lookin' for a boat next week. One that you can put a jet ski on the back of."
Everyone just laughs at her excitement, but she's out of her seat in an instant. She scoops Cassie up and spins her around. "We're gonna go on a boat trip, baby girl. Would ya like that?"
Cassie just giggles, hugging her mother. "Let's go eat, Edward made pulled pork."
Bella and I walk hand in hand back to the house with Cassie planted firmly on her hip. "Hey," she calls softly, getting my attention. "Will ya go with us? On the boat trip, I mean? We can even go divin'."
"I'd love nothing more than to go on vacation with you," I answer just as softly. "When do you wanna plan on going?"
"Maybe September," she states. I can tell she's thinking aloud. "All the camps will be over by then."
We make it to the house just as everyone is starting to fix their plates with the pulled pork I've had in the crock pot since this morning. I direct Bella and Cassie to the table. "I'll fix y'all's."
"Edward," Bella whispers.
"Sit," I command playfully. "I got this."
Dinner is full of excitement; everyone is discussing the upcoming camp and their hopes that the kids will have a good time. Cassie is a mess by the time she's finished eating, which puts a smile on Bella's face. If I'm being honest, it puts one on my face, too. I love when everyone enjoys the food I make.
Bella and I are sitting, talking about the upcoming diving class Jasper and I will be attending next weekend, when Alice sits next to me. I can tell she's nervous about something because she is wringing her hands, which is a tell of hers.
"What's up, short stuff?" I ask, hoping to alleviate her agitation.
"Um … I um," she stutters out. "I … um ... have a favor to ask. You can tell me no, if you want to. I mean, I won't be mad or anything. It's all right. I'll understand if you don't want him to."
"Whoa," Bella commands gently. "Slow down, sweets. Take a breath then you can ask your favor."
Alice does as Bella directs, looking calmer instantly. "Sorry, I hate asking for things." Alice laughs, her voice still a little hesitant.
"It's okay," Bella calms, using the same voice I hear her use with Cassie. "Just ask us."
"I wanted to know if y'all would mind if Jasper went on the trip with ya." Alice finally states. "He loves the water like you and Edward. And, I know he would love going diving with y'all."
"Would you not want to go, too?" Bella clarifies, but I already know the answer before Alice even answers her.
"Um, no." Alice states firmly, shaking her head. "I'm a feet planted on solid ground kinda girl."
"Actually, Alice gets sea sick," I blurt out, which earns me a glare from the woman herself. "She and Jasper went on a cruise for their honeymoon. They ended up having to fly back from the first port because she was so sick."
"I love to swim, just in a pool. I even like the beach, but boating makes me sick," Alice explains to Bella, ignoring my snorts at her playing it down a little.
"Jasper is more than welcome to come along," Bella agrees. "I didn't mean for it to sound like I wanted it to just be me and Cassie. So you tell 'em we're plannin' on goin' the first week in September."
"Would you mind inviting him?" Alice asks, worry lacing her tone. "He'll be upset if he knew I asked."
"You leave it to me," I interject with a smile, knowing how my brother would react.
Alice leaves after thanking us both and kissing Cassie on the cheek. I help Bella get Cassie cleaned up and ready for bed, reading her a story while Bella tends to the pups.
I make my way upstairs to my room once Cassie is asleep and I've kissed Bella goodnight. This is what a family feels like.
The next morning, I'm wide-awake and downstairs, putting the final touches on breakfast when the others start to emerge. Jasper makes himself a cup of coffee then takes a seat at the bar, quietly watching me finish plating the cut fruit. I decide this is the perfect time to invite him on the boating trip since no one else is really around.
"Bella has all the camping stuff we'll need for next weekend," I comment. It's always easier to ease him into things. "Remind me to ask the instructor if we'll need to buy wetsuits for our trip in September. He should know what the temps will be like in the Gulf."
"Wouldn't Bella know what you'll need?" he asks, clearly confused.
"Probably," I surmise. "But she won't be with us when we buy our gear. I figured since we'll already be at the shop, we can just do it then. I mean, we would want to try it on, make sure it fits."
"I thought they provided the gear for our underwater certification?" he questions, and I laugh internally, because he hasn't caught on that I'm talking about the two of us.
"They do, but afterward, I'm gonna use that gift card to buy what you and I need for our trip," I answer, hoping he gets it. I love fucking with him.
"Whoa, dude," Jasper blurts out. "What the hell are you talking about? That's your birthday present."
"I know," I agree, smiling up at him. "But there's enough on there for our gear. Jazz, there's no reason to let what I don't spend sit on a card to waste away. Bella said the gear lasts a long time if you take care of it, and we both take care of our stuff."
"Thanks, man," he concedes. "Not sure when I'll get to go diving again after we get certified. I know Bella said to practice in the pool to make sure we're comfortable."
"Well, since she is taking us offshore diving, we better get in all the practice we can," I finally divulge. "You gonna be alright with leaving Alice for a week or more to go on this trip?"
His head snaps up to look at me, but before he can answer, Alice make her presence known. "Of course he's going on the trip. It's not every day you get to go on a week-long cruise around the ocean with a dive master to show you all the cool places."
"Babe," Jasper whispers, pulling her in front of him. "Are you sure? I don't have to go."
"Oh, hun," she breathes out. "I want you to have this experience. Maybe you'll get comfortable enough so that we can take a trip somewhere, one where I can lay on the beach and you go diving. However, I want pictures of all the things you get to see. They have underwater cameras, so make sure you get one of those."
"I have one ya can use." We all turn as Bella walks into the kitchen. "The Gulf reefs aren't as big as some of the tropical ones, but they're still beautiful. Plus, I keep a scrapbook of all the places I go," she states, shrugging her shoulders and walking over to fix her coffee.
"Good morning, pretty girl," I whisper, kissing her softly on the lips. I can never get enough of her lips. "Breakfast is ready. Help me take it into the dining room, please," I announce to everyone in the kitchen.
Everyone is here for breakfast and to get ready for the campers. There's only gonna be ten families this time, but that's because water is involved and Bella wanted to be cautious.
We're starting to clean up when Sam breaks the silence, "Bella, are ya really gonna buy a boat and jet ski?"
"Yeppers," she answers, smiling. "I wanna be able to take Cassie, and anyone else, out whenever we want. I figure that if I buy a boat instead of chartering one, I can have any modification done to help Cassie get around and feel comfortable. And, havin' a jet ski will not only be fun, but we can use it to get to a beach to swim or explore."
"Emily and I are sellin' our WaveRunner," Sam explains to her. "It's fairly new and runs great. It'll fit perfectly on the back of a cruiser yacht, or somethin' similar, that has a swim platform."
"Really? Wait," Bella frowns as she studies him. "Why ya sellin' it? Y'all love the water as much as I do."
Sam looks at Emily before turning back to Bella, "We need to find a house before the baby is born. I don't want to raise a child in an apartment, especially not a one bedroom apartment."
"Bring it out whenever ya get a chance. We can play with it on the lake," Bella concedes, smiling softly. "Where ya lookin' for a house?"
"Not sure," Sam answers with a frown. "There's not much around Hilltop for sale, but we need to stay close for both our jobs."
"Okay," Bella comments, glancing at Billy with a smile. "Let us know if you find somethin'."
We finish cleaning up from breakfast as Jake, Leah, and my dad leave to go pick up the families that are staying here for the weekend. Sarah and I decided to keep the menu simple and easy for the weekend. We were able to prep most of the food yesterday, so we just need to either cook it or put on the finishing touches.
All the camp staff is wearing blue T-shirts, with the guys in board shorts and the girls donning swim shorts, with their bathing suits underneath.
Jasper's excited to be trying out the newly finished dock, which is perfect, according to Bella. Cassie's already climbing onto one of the XUVs, clinging to her life jacket. Talk about a water baby. She absolutely loves the water. Billy said she gets it from Charlie and Bella, who I've learned, could live in the water.
Billy and I climb on the back as Bella gets in the driver's seat. As we make our way over to the activity center, I listen as they discuss what I can only assume is a vacation home. I've learned over the past few months that they love to travel and visit different places. Most of the ranch family loves to travel, from what I've been told. Jake, Leah, Eric, and Tyler being the exceptions. Those four would rather go hunting, fishing, or just playing around the ranch. Jake told us one night while we were just chilling around the fire pit that Bella has to force them to take a vacation every year.
I help Cassie out of her seat, and she immediately starts heading for the splash pad until Bella's voice halts her. "Whoa there, missy. We hafta wait for the others."
She comes back toward us with a pout, so I scoop her up, making her giggle. "We'll play when everyone else gets here, baby girl."
She just wraps her arms around my neck and continues to pout, so I tickle her. I walk us over to the pavilion, where the others are sitting around laughing and chatting. Emmett and Rose have Heidi for the weekend. This is their first unsupervised visit in the process of adopting her. She's such a sweet, timid little thing. That is, until she and Cassie get together. Those two can play for hours, getting along great. In addition to seeing the girls play, watching Rose with Heidi is something else. That woman is a wonderful mother, already.
The bus arrives an hour later. Jessica and my mother get everyone checked-in. Bella hands out accommodations immediately, and we help get the campers and their luggage to the cabins. With getting wet all day, the families will have a place to dry off and rest if they need to, plus they need to change into and out of their swimsuits.
Once everyone is settled and changed, we meet under the pavilion where Bella has a PA system set-up on a table in the corner, out of the way. This camp seems less formal than the previous one, but Bella says it's because there are not as many people.
"Welcome, everyone," she starts her announcement. "We're so excited to have ya here. This is our second year havin' water camp, and we have added a few new things. Along with paddleboatin', fishin', and swimmin', we have a splash pad and water slide.
"We're not gonna have a water balloon fight this year because, honestly, it hurts," she states, getting laughs at her remark. Her excitement is contagious.
"We're gonna have lots of fun, though. There are drinks and snacks inside the activity center if you need somethin', and lunch will be served at noon. So, have fun and enjoy yourselves," she finishes, placing the microphone down next to the speaker and makes her way over to the families.
"Whatcha wanna do first, baby girl?" I ask Cassie because she's gonna be hanging with me today.
"Ride," she whispers, bouncing on my knee. I guess we're heading to the paddleboats. I buckle her life vest and scoop her up into my arms, carrying her down to the lake.
Now, I pride myself in keeping in shape, but paddling a lap around the lake, yeah, I'm gonna be sore. I could feel the burn before Emmett and Heidi decide to race us, which unfortunately, they won.
This weekend's camp doesn't necessarily have staff at each activity, but each family has a staff member helping them throughout all the activities. This is something that Billy and Bella wanted to try different this time; to see if it works out better.
Cassie and I play in the pool and then the splash pad. When I notice her slowing down, she's getting either tired, hot, or hungry. "Let's dry off, baby girl, and get something to eat," I coax, hoping she'll agree without having a meltdown.
"Yeah," she agrees softly. "Bites."
I grab us both towels from the numerous stands Bella has set-up, drying the both of us off and then wrapping another dry one around Cassie's shoulders. Billy and my dad are manning the grill, cooking hamburgers and hotdogs. Sarah and my mother are setting out the fixings for both. There are two new water troughs, full of different drinks packed in ice.
As I walk up, Sarah immediately hands me Cassie's sippy cup, full of cold water and directs us to have a seat and she'll bring us both a plate.
"Thanks so much," I say when Sarah returns with our food and a big smile. "I could've gotten it. I feel like I'm not helping out like I should."
"Hush that, now," Sarah abolishes. "You're making sure that baby has a good time. You can't imagine what that means, not only to her mother, but to all of us. You two have a special bond. She trusts you, which makes her feel comfortable and able to have a good time."
"I love her as if she was my own," I respond, taken back by my own admission. "She deserves to have a good time, and I wanna make sure she does."
"And, that's how it should be," she states firmly before getting up to help someone else.
Bella walks up behind me, wrapping her arms around us both. She leans over and kisses me hard on the lips quickly before taking a seat next to her daughter. When I look over, I notice she's a little teary eyed. "Hey, pretty girl, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect," she stresses, glancing between Cassie and me with a bright smile. "Just perfect." Uh, that's weird.
Bella fixes herself a plate and joins us. Every time Cassie speaks to me or pats my arm to get my attention, Bella's smile just gets bigger.
"Go sides?" Cassie asks once she's done with her hotdog.
"Once our food has settled, we can go slide," I explain gently, and she turns back to finish her cup of water.
For the rest of the afternoon, Cassie and I bounce from activity to activity. Most of the time, we end up in the pool or on the splash pad. About an hour before dinner would be served, Jessica and I take her back to the house for a bath and dry clothes. I'm brushing out Cassie's hair when Jessica breaks the silence.
"Ya love her, don't ya?" she asks, a smile playing on her lips.
"She's the sweetest little girl in the world," I answer, at a loss as to why she would question how much I care for the little girl sitting in front of me. "I honestly don't think I could love her anymore if than she was my own flesh and blood."
Jessica's smile grows as she shakes her head. "Although I'm happy to hear that, I wasn't talkin' 'bout Cassie. I'm referrin' to her mother."
"Oh." Yeah, that's my brilliant response. "It's too soon to tell her that."
"I know," she agrees quickly. "I just wanna make sure ya do. Love 'er, I mean."
"I do." Surprisingly, those words sounded so right coming out of my mouth. "And I'll tell her when we're both ready."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Jessica agrees. "Now let's go eat some grub. Aunt Jess is hungry, baby girl. I might have to get me some belly meat."
"No," Cassie squeals, squirming to get away from Jessica's tickling hands. So I stand, scooping the wiggling girl up and throwing her gently over my shoulder, dodging Jessica on the way out the door.
Bella's waiting for us by the time we make it back to the pavilion. Cassie's still red-faced and giggling, "What did y'all do to my baby girl?"
"Ess gets me," Cassie blurts out, rushing to her momma as soon as I place her on her feet.
"And why's Aunt Jess gettin' ya?" Bella asks, clearly amused by her daughter's demeanor.
"Belly eat," Cassie explains in her own way, wrapping her arms around her belly to protect it.
"Well, we need to get some food in that belly or there won't be any meat for Aunt Jess to get," Bella states, tickling her daughter's belly.
Barbequed pulled pork and baked potatoes are being served for dinner. It's easy to fix enough for everyone and stay under budget. Jessica explained to us during a staff meeting that there's a budget for all three summer camps and that we need to work together to not go over what's allowed, per the charity's guidelines.
After dinner, Bella takes Cassie home, since they are both tired, while the rest of us help the families back to their cabins before heading to the barns to get the evening chores done.
I'm completely wiped out by the time I make it back to the house. I give a sleeping Bella a goodnight kiss before making my way upstairs to clean up and sleep. Tomorrow will be just as busy, seeing as this is a three-day camp.
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