CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
"This moment…do you even realize how long it has taken for this moment? I mean countless years we thought were wasted on hoping and dreaming and now it wasn't for not. You and I are about to experience a dream come to fruition." She wiped a tear from her eye and even though I would agree, I somewhat felt that Angela was being a tad dramatic.
"Is she on something?" Embry asked out the side of his mouth.
"Give her a minute. Apparently she is in a moment." I replied.
"Shut it, Swan. You are feeling the exact way I am."
"Uh…Swan?" Edward jumped in.
"She will always be my Swan. I knew her light years ahead of you. She is my ride or die." Angela contested.
Edward gave her a frightful look. "Ben…why don't we leave the dreamers and go and have a drink."
Edward got up from his seat on our plane and made his way back all too happy with Ben towards the wet bar.
"You guys really shouldn't get yourself so pumped up. I mean it's just a concert." Embry tried to tell her.
"You don't understand. Angela and I had tickets to your concert a couple of years back and we were in turmoil when you cancelled…not that we weren't sympathetic and completely understanding but this is a rather important feat for us."
"I have everything all planned out. Bella and I are going to visit some of the places you made infamous in your rap songs. The restaurant you worked at. The house you grew up in…"
I was embarrassed in a way. I knew that Embry knew we were fans; I just didn't want him thinking we were those kind of fans.
"The hell you are." Embry practically shouted.
"What?" Angela asked.
"You ain't taking your lily-white asses anywhere near where I grew up." Embry stated.
"I'm sure we'll be fine. We are just going to drive through and take a couple of pictures…maybe in front of the house…"
"NO. HELL NO! Angela, I love you girl but if you take my baby toten friend…mother of my children anywhere near Bed-Stuy I will make sure that her ride or die is dead…."
"Embry." I tried to interrupt.
"No way. No how! Where I lived, it's not some stupid tourist stop on the bus of ignorant asses. I will make sure that neither of you ever attend one of my shows again. Do you understand me?"
Embry jumped up out of his chair and looked between the two of us. Like two children who had just been scolded we simply nodded keeping our eyes pointed to the floor. Embry huffed and mumbled something under his breath before leaving.
"Man, what a kill joy." Angela huffed.
"Well, we better hope that kill joy doesn't go back and say something to Edward or else we may find something worse than a bodyguard following us this week."
"Bodyguard?"
"Yea…another one of Edward's most epic ideas for keeping me or his baby safe." I explained.
"You don't need a body guard…I'm a Sheriff and can whip anyone ass who even tries messing with you." She said confidently.
"Somehow I just don't see Edward placing trust in you after he finds out about your E.C. Crime fan girl tour."
"I can handle Edward." She dismissed.
"Mommy, I'm hungry." Gracie came running up placing anymore talk about dangerous hoods we will never apparently be visiting, on hold.
"All right let's get you fed my little monster."
"Gracie, how does it feel to know you're going to be a big sister?" Angela asked.
"I can't wait! I want a baby sister but Savannah wants it to be a boy because she said that she can't handle anymore little sisters…I'm not that bad." She replied indignant.
"Oh, you're not bad at all; in fact I would love you to be my little sister." Angela winked.
"I know, I'm the best." My Gracie would never have self-esteem issues. So much like Angela.
"Savannah, do you want something to eat?" I looked over across the row and could see Savannah with her headphones on. "Savannah."
Great we've reached that age.
After getting some food for all of us, I was happy to see Embry not anywhere near Edward and I was sure that if Edward had heard anything then by this point I would have been pulled aside. We were going to be staying at Embry's house in suburbia New York…far away from any of his former dangerous hoods but the night of the concert we were going to be in New York City at a hotel in Manhattan. Even though it would have been fun to spend part of the day going around from fan site to fan site like a couple of fan girls I had a feeling that there wouldn't be time.
We were in New York for only three days. On day one it was all about getting there. Day two was filled with moving the posse down to the Plaza Hotel which had recently reopened its doors. I could tell that Angela was just itching with trying to get me away from our posse. Embry was gone all day for rehearsals and sound checks. My mom wanted to take the girls to Central Park right across the street and of course Edward thought this was a perfect idea. So begrudged, Angela and I took up the rear in the caravan.
"I can't believe every idea for us to get away is shot down. Are you always this watched over?" Angela huffed.
"You have no idea." I sighed. "You're lucky Jacob's not here or else it would be far worse."
"I just don't understand why we can't have just two hours to ourselves."
"Welcome to life as a Cullen." I held out my arms in grand gesture.
"Come on you two…you're holding us up." Edward yelled back to us. Angela and I gave each other a look before continuing on.
In no time we were ready to leave for the concert. My mother of course had no desire to attend a rap concert spent her night taking the girls to see The Lion King on Broadway. It was just the four of us.
Embry had told me that he had lined up a whole bunch of his friends to perform with him. Which meant Darren was coming. I didn't want to see Embry before the concert because part of me felt like it would ruin the moment, kind of like seeing a magician practicing a trick.
"This is so exciting." Angela squealed and clawed my arm the minute we climbed out of the limo at Yankee stadium. It was one of the final events to ever take place at that historical arena before they had moved the location to the new Yankee Stadium. I could see why something like this would be important to home-bred boy Embry Call.
We were escorted to the front of the V.I.P. section and I couldn't help but become overly gitty with Angela.
"So much better than our would have been shitty seats all those years ago." I said.
"It's like a gift for our patience." She replied.
"You guys are so weird." Ben shook his head which was met with the narrowing of the eyes by his girlfriend.
"Do…you guys smell…something…is that weed?" Edward looked soo out of place. He couldn't look anymore out of place. I shook my head and pulled him forward.
"Take this off…what is this?" I pulled at his sweater vest and helped lift it over his head. "Just because you're going to be a father doesn't mean you need to act like a grandpa. Untuck your shirt or else I don't think I can be seen with you."
I ruffled his hair and he dodged my attempts.
"Bella. I look fine. I look cool." Edward defended.
"At a Yacht club perhaps. Maybe you should have joined my mother at The Lion King. I have a feeling you would have felt tons more comfortable there than a rap concert."
"The hell I would…not while my wife is getting jiggy with it across town. I am just fine right here."
"Jiggy with it? Oh lord." Angela turned to hide her embarrassed face.
Going and seeing Embry in concert was what Oprah calls a "full circle moment." Once the lights went down and the crowds started screaming, Angela and I were in our element and no amount of thought went to our significant others who stood behind us. My voice was hoarse after the show and we quickly made our way backstage. Another thing we would never have been able to do all those years ago.
I gave Embry a giant hug and we took a moment to immortalize this moment with pictures.
"We're going to this bar downtown after…kind of a little after party." He explained.
"Well, we are so down." I spoke for both Angela and myself.
"Cool…see you there." I nodded, "Oh and Bella…you might want to take Edward by the hotel first…what is he wearing?"
I laughed and we both looked over to him and then laughed out loud again. You could see Edward was not amused even though he hadn't heard us.
"I think it would be more trouble than its worth to go all the way back to the hotel but maybe you could lend him something…"
Embry gave me an incredulous look and for a moment I thought of Edward dressed in Embry's clothes and I completely changed direction. "Or maybe we could stop by a store or something on the way."
We left backstage and started to walk toward the exit while Edward was bugging me about why we were laughing at him. We had just passed the souvenir shop when I got an idea.
"Wait. Here. Let's go in here for a minute." I pulled Edward inside and started rummaging through the clothes. "I love you, Edward, I do but I have a feeling you will feel a hell of a lot more relaxed if you wear this." I said holding up a men's Yankee shirt.
Edward shook his head and with a smirk took the shirt. "I don't know, Bella. Don't you think this is a tad East Side…we all know I'm from Cali!" He said trying to throw up the infamous gang sign.
"Don't ever do that again." I shook my head and pushed him into a small dressing room. He came out a second later. "So much better. My god, you look hot."
"Edward…so much better." Angela agreed.
"God guys, I didn't look bad before, you know." He defended.
"Of course you didn't look bad…you just looked…too…distinguished." I tried my best.
"Is that a new term for old?" Edward eyed me.
"Old? NO! Never!" Angela started.
"Old...of course not…it's a compliment." I said at the same time. "We just want you to be able to fit in a little more."
"Bella, it's a party full of rap artists…how do you two exactly fit in?"
"We're groupies…duh." Angela huffed offended.
"I know you won't completely fit in but…it's a bar…so I'm sure looking like this will help you fit into a bar scene at the very least." I explained.
"Bro…just go….go with it…or we will be here all night." Ben sighed.
Finally we were on our way and Edward looked a little less stuffed shirt and a little more…EAST SIDE! Sorry, couldn't resist.
We showed up to the bar and we were one of the first one's there which I know is so not cool but I think you could tell by now that Angela and I were maybe a little off with our perception of "cool."
Angela and Ben went over to get drinks and Edward and I sat at a small couch waiting.
"So…was this night everything you had hoped it could be." Edward asked.
I thought for a moment. "Yes…it was but…"
"What?" Edward couldn't contain his curiosity as I tried to figure out the right way to phrase my statement.
"Well, it would have been nice to be a E.C. Crime nerd for the day…but we thought, Angela and I thought you guys wouldn't have wanted to do the stuff we wanted to do…but the concert, yes was everything I wished it could be. I'm happy to see Embry feel confident again up there."
"What kind of stuff did you want to do?" Edward asked.
"Nothing important, just visit some of the places in Embry's songs."
"What places…I couldn't really understand what he was singing tonight. He was speaking so fast and it was so loud…how do you even understand it?" Edward laughed and so did I.
"I guess…it's a gift."
"So what places?" he asked again, "Maybe we could get in the limo and go to a few before we head back to the hotel later this evening.
"Oh…that's nice Edward but it really should be seen during the day." I hid my cringing as I thought about Embry hearing Edward's proposal to take a Sunday drive out to Bedford–Stuyvesant. Of course Edward had no clue what or where that was.
"Hey, we bring drinks!" Angela yelled over the music and I was thankful to end our talk.
I stood up and handed Edward his drink.
"Would you mind going to the bathroom with me, Bella. You know us girls…always safe to travel in packs." Angela was up to something.
I placed my drink down and Ben sat down across from Edward holding down our table as I was pulled along to the bathroom. We pushed our way into this tiny stall.
"You'll never believe what I heard at the bar." Angela started.
"What? Must be pretty good to drag me into this…bed of inequity." I was a tad disgusted by the lack of hygiene efforts from this establishment.
"Bella, you have spent waaayyy to much time around Edward. It's a dive bar. What were you expecting, Four Season monogrammed linen towels?"
Great, now who sounded like a stuffed shirt?
"Forget about the dirty floors and listen to me. Guess who is right across the street at the other bar?"
I waited knowing I could never guess.
"Murder1."
That was Murder1 with a backwards "R." Remember back a couple of chapters when I had discussed that whole pecking order of scariness when it came to rappers and my new-found mission to try to go off and unite the rowdy world of rap? Yeah….this was that moment.
"We'll never get away from the boys long enough to see for ourselves."
We both started to try to devise a plan.
"Can you imagine? Murder1 and DNR right across the street from one another…it could get…hairy."
I sighed. "Well maybe we should tell Embry?"
"No. Bella. We shouldn't. You saw how crazy he went with just the idea that we were going to his mean streets…how about we fake having to go to the bathroom when Embry and his crew show up. We will go out the back and around…just peak in the bar for a second and be back before the first shot of Grey Goose is poured."
It was a plan all right but unfortunately the minute our plan was hatched, Angela was called back on her cell concerning a work issue and since we were already in motion she pushed me out the back door and whispered she would be right along.
I walked over with trepidation to the bar and could see a whole mess of…slightly unfriendly looking folk. Just say hello and establish a possible future connection. Murder1 was just another celebrity. I took a breath in and was just about to head into the bar when Embry pulled me back at the last moment. Not to draw too much attention to ourselves he pulled me along something furious back to his limo and pushed me inside.
"What were you doing?" Embry asked the second we got into the car.
"Uh…uh…"
"Don't lie to me, Bella."
And I couldn't lie because this was Embry.
"I…heard a rumor…I just wanted to see…" I stuttered.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?"
Apparently I didn't even need to finish.
"Look…it worked with you and Silver J…I just want to try to meet him…see if…"
"Bella, his name is Murder1. Where the fuck do you think he got that name? Just because they couldn't stick the charges doesn't mean he hasn't fucking committed the crime." He yelled.
The limo was moving. I looked out the window.
"Where are we going?" I asked softly.
"When we heard he was here, we moved the party."
"What about Edward and Angela and Ben?" I gasped.
"They'll come along." Embry shook his head and still didn't look too forgiving. "I swear, Bella…"
He let out a loud groan slash sound of frustration.
"You know...last year when you came to me and told me what Edward did to you…well it took a long fucking time for me to even try and trust the man but right now…I swear I am so fucking close to understanding why he did that shit. I would like nothing more than to smack you into reality. You just have no fucking clue how dangerous things are. One of these days, you're going to get hurt and there will be no one around to save your ass."
I thought it best to not say anything.
"You're a mother…you're pregnant…use your fucking head!"
I just sat there taking it.
We arrived at the next party location and suddenly I didn't feel like partying all night long. Embry, like I was going to run off and find my next "dangerous" plot to be a part of, held onto me until Edward showed up a minute after us.
"What's going on?" He dashed from the car and I waited to hear what Embry was going to tell him.
"We heard that an unfriendly was near that bar…didn't want anyone getting hurt so when I arrived I saw Bella outside making a call and grabbed her to get her away from there."
I felt a weight instantly lifted from my shoulders and I tried to play it off with a shrug and smile.
"What were you doing outside?"
"Uh…my mom called…you know just to check up but I think she butt dialed me so I didn't get a chance to talk to her."
We went inside to the bar and Embry watched me like a hawk the rest of the night. So much so I couldn't even tell Angela what had happened but she could tell that shit went down.
We arrived back at home and things were still tense between Embry and I. I wanted to apologize but there was never a good time. We walked back into the house and Jacob met us.
"About time…was hoping you'd get home soon."
"Is it ready?" Embry asked.
"What ready?" I asked.
"Birthday gift…we all pitched in." Edward explained.
"Awe come on…what did you do?" I looked between them all with their conspirator smiles.
"Follow me." Jacob led the way and I walked uneasy behind him. We went down a hallway where some of our extra downstairs bedrooms were and stopped at a closed door.
"We know that you had to give up your office when your mother moved in so…we've been working on a new one." Jacob explained.
"Don't go taking all the credit. I'm sure you'll be able to see just who did what when we go through these doors, B." Embry pushed his way in front of Jacob and I was happy to see that he didn't seem too upset with me anymore.
"Okay." I narrowed my eyes confused.
Jacob opened the door and we walked into a beautiful office. Definitely more professional looking then my old one.
"Oh wow…I don't know what to say." I marveled.
"Just hold your gasps of amazement for this…" Embry walked over and there behind what was supposed to be another bedroom was now my piano set into my very own music studio.
I smiled and walked past Embry into the room he took extra care to construct.
"Why do I have a feeling you'll be in here more than me, sir?" I teased.
"Well…now that you have a proper studio in this house…"
"Do you like it, honey?" Edward asked.
"I love it…absolutely love it. Thank you! All of you." I replied sincerely.
"Well we all worked hard on the plans so everyone can take proper credit." Edward replied.
"You two are definitely moving up the list for godfather." I joked. I walked over to Edward and wrapped my arm around his waist. "I'd say that you three are most definitely the top three men in my life so maybe you boys should hope this little bundle of joy is a girl…would hate to downgrade you boys."
"Well if I'm one…what number is Edward?" Jacob joked.
"I'm pretty sure that Edward is one which would make you three since like I said before…I've known her longer."
"True but just remember that Edward and I have over a century of history backing us…so…"
I shook my head. "Okay, all of you out. I want to take my new office for a spin."
I still couldn't believe all the work that they must have put in. I was so overjoyed with how loved I felt. I sat down on the couch and rubbed my tummy.
"What do you say, little pea? Who do you think would make a great godfather? Hell…heck who would make a good godmother?" I slowly was trying to rid myself of foul language since I knew it wasn't right to be around a baby swearing out profanities. I usually was pretty good at keeping my tongue on lock down around Savannah and Gracie but it was something I should work on.
If I was being honest and had to pick right this second, I would say Embry. Embry and I had gone through so many things that I knew he could provide my child with wisdom but I was sure Edward would want to ask Jacob. There was nothing wrong with Jacob. Of course I loved him but this was a very important decision and I was worried about hurting someone's feeling at the end of the day.
This would definitely be something I would need to discuss with Edward…among other things. We hadn't talked hardly at all of baby names or birthing plans, nurseries, day cares…it was all so overwhelming and every time I would begin to think about it my head would swirl. Alice the moment I had come clean at my birthday came straight over the next day to give me her baby books but they still sat in a pile at the foot of my bed, taunting me.
My goal was to take one book with me on my trip to Oregon but deep down inside I hoped that I would be much too busy to read said book. I guess all this trepidation came from flipping through one while Alice was telling me all about them. I came across a "truth" about giving birth and it stated that some women…poop during it. I had issues even going number two in a public restroom and just the idea of all these people already being in the room staring at my who whoo freaked me out and now I had to worry about shit coming out the bottom hole? I really think that maybe there was something to that whole concept of ignorance is bliss.
But I knew Edward and I knew it was only a matter of time before he came knocking on the wall of ignorance I had put up and wanting to break through the barriers. Somehow Edward my somewhat mind reading husband thought the perfect time to have said conversation was on our way up to Oregon. Actually it was pretty brilliant. Me trapped on a plane, thirty thousand miles in the air with nowhere to run…yeah my husband knew me well.
AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. It blows my mind that people are still adding this story on their watch lists because I just can't imagine reading all the chapters that came before. I admire peoples dedication and hope I don't disappoint!