Chapter 13: Family Affair

"Are you nervous?" Jasper asked, laughing.

I was fixing my tie . . . again. It was crooked and pissing me off. I fucking hated ties, but Rosalie's glare when I said I was wearing a clip-on honestly scared the shit of me. Apparently, clip-on ties were not acceptable for your parents vow renewal. Who knew?

"No, this thing is just pissing me off," I said, undoing it again. "Think Rosalie would notice if I wore the clip-on?"

"Your sister? Yes, yes, she would. I wouldn't even attempt it."

"Well, then she can fucking tie it for me when we get there," I said, giving up.

Yes, I was admitting defeat to a damn tie. Jasper laughed as he passed me Little One, who was refusing to be put down. I was praying she'd cut it out soon because if she disrupted the ceremony, I'd be a dead man, thanks to my sister. Rosalie had planned every single detail with Mom, basically making this thing her mission. She was fucking insane when she got married, and I never thought she could get worse, but I was so damn wrong.

When I told her I was bringing someone — effectively screwing up her seating arrangements — I thought she was going to jump through the phone and strangle me. She was pissed, and then she pissed me off by insinuating Bella was another one of my "whores". The chick was going bat-shit crazy. I had to wear a blue tie, and Sofia had to be in a blue dress because apparently, I needed to coordinate with my daughter. None of this made any fucking sense to me, and I was so damn happy this was about over. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for my parents, but my sister was making this the second worst occasion in my life — after her wedding, of course.

"I'm so glad you're bringing Sofia," Jasper said. "She'll occupy my mom and keep her from interrogating Alice."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not allowed to use my kid to keep your mom busy."

"Come on, she loves babies." He smirked. "It's win-win. You'll get a break from Sofia, and my girlfriend won't break up with me."

"I thought your mom wasn't that bad?" I asked as someone knocked on my door.

"Yeah, I lied. I'm fucking worried," he laughed as I opened the door.

My jaw about hit the floor when my eyes landed on Bella, who was standing there with a smile. I barely even noticed Alice standing next to her. Her hair was down and curled, and she wore a blue dress that . . . was cut just fucking right, let's just say. The fact that it was blue made me want to laugh. Did Rosalie get to her? Honestly, she looked beautiful. As I stared, she blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You look . . . beautiful," I said, smiling.

"Thank you, Edward," she said. "You do, too. And Sofia looks so cute! Can I have her?"

"Yes, please, take her," I said, passing Little One over. "She's been clingy today."

"Oh, Bella!" Alice said. "You said Sofia was cute, but this little thing is precious."

"She looks like her father," I said, smirking.

"Oh, yes, Edward, you're precious, too," she laughed.

As the two of them fawned over Sofia, I finished putting the things into her diaper bag so we could leave. I had extra everything, just in case. I was prepared for anything Little One could throw at me — even put in a t-shirt for myself in case things got messy. Over prepared? There was no such thing when it came to the little one.

"You're not wearing a tie?" Bella asked as I threw the bag over my shoulder.

Jasper laughed. "He couldn't tie it."

I narrowed my eyes at him as Bella asked, "Do you want me to?"

"If you wouldn't mind," I said, breaking my glare at Jasper and smiling at her.

I grabbed the tie from the diaper bag and passed it to Bella, who commented on the color matching Little One's dress. Her hands worked quickly to have it in the perfect knot as I watched her face. She bit her lip as she concentrated on getting it just right. When she was done, she put her hand against my chest and looked up, smiling at me. Her eyes looked different, brighter, I guess — really beautiful.

"Perfect," she said, letting her fingers trail down as she dropped her hand. Well, the touching was nice. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said, putting the diaper bag over my shoulder. "I just have to load Little One's things into the back of my car."

. . . . .

When we got to my parent's house, I headed upstairs towards Mom's room with Little One in my arms. She was attached to me. I was going to leave her downstairs with Bella, who was going to go ahead and sit down, but she started crying. She never cried with Bella, so I didn't know what the hell was up. Maybe it was all the people? The backyard was already crowded, and Little One had never been around so many people before.

"Oh, good, you're here," Rosalie said as I met her in the hall. "Mom has something to ask you."

"What's that?" I asked.

She smiled and opened the door, motioning for me to go in. "It's actually really sweet," she said. "Do you want me to take Sofia?"

I shook my head. "She won't let me give her to anyone."

"Well, she better figure out how to let go for a little while."

When I walked in, Rosalie headed down the hall for the stairs. I found Mom standing next to her mirror, making sure her dress looked okay.

"So, you're going to marry him?" I teased. "Are you sure about that?"

"Considering the fact that I've been married to him for forty years, yes, I'm sure," she laughed softly. "Aww, you two look adorable!"

I kissed her cheek before sitting down on the bed. "Rosalie helped. And you look beautiful, Mom."

She smile and held her hands out for Sofia. "Thank you, honey. So, how's my grandbaby today?"

I passed Little One along and waited for the crying to start. Amazingly, it didn't. "Fussy, actually."

"She's just a little confused. That's all." She kissed her softly before returning her to me. "The bow is precious."

"Is it straight? She gave me a hard time when I put it in."

That was an . . . understatement. At one point, I accidentally pulled her hair, making her cry. Well, scream was more like it. I wasn't planning on telling Mom that, though.

"It's perfectly crooked like only a father could do," she laughed. "So . . . is Bella here?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She's already outside with Jasper and his girlfriend, Alice."

"Your dad told me what all you said about her." She grinned. "Introduce me to her as soon as you can, okay? I want to meet the girl who you consider a friend."

"The way you and Dad are so proud of me makes me think I should be getting a cake," I laughed.

"You can have some of mine." She smirked. "I'll even let you take some home."

I scoffed. "I wasn't planning on asking. So what's this you wanted to ask me?"

"Well, as you know, your dad and I didn't have a big wedding the first time."

I nodded. "Judge's chambers for you two kids, since Grandpa didn't approve."

"We were only eighteen, but yes," she said. "Since I didn't have that the first time, I was wondering if my favorite son would want to walk me down the aisle?"

I smiled. "Do you honestly think I'd say no?"

She shook her head. "No, but I figured I should ask."

"Yes, Mom, I'll walk you down the aisle."

She smiled and leaned down, hugging me. "Thank you, honey."

"Okay, I'm going to go try to leave Sofia with Bella. I'll meet you downstairs."

I brought Little One back downstairs with me, walking out to the backyard where the ceremony was being held. I found Bella in the first row, where Rosalie must have led her.

"Hey," I said, catching her attention.

She looked up and smiled. "Is it about to start?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and I'm walking my mom down the aisle, so I have to leave Sofia with you. Is that okay?"

"Yep," she said, holding her arms out.

I passed her the little one. "If she starts to get fussy, would you mind taking her into the house?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks, Bella. Hopefully she won't, but you've seen her today. Mom thinks she's just confused."

"I'm sure she is," she said, kissing the little one's head. "It's a new and maybe frightening experience. She knows Daddy will protect her."

I smirked and ran my fingers over Sofia's cheek. "Of course I will, but Bella will keep you safe from all the scary people, Little One," I chuckled. "So I'll sit down after I give Mom away."

She smiled. "That's so sweet of you to do."

I shrugged. "I can be a sweet guy."

"And you don't look half bad in a suit, either."

I grinned, smugly. "Why, thank you, Bella. And I told you that you look beautiful, right?"

Her cheeks flushed again for me. "Yes, Edward."

"Good, because you do."

. . . . .

"He snores," I said, putting Mom's arm through mine.

"Are you really trying to convince me not to marry your father again?" she laughed.

"I'm just having fun."

"Okay," Rosalie said. "Dad's up there and everything is ready. When the music comes on, start walking."

"We should prance down the aisle, just to get on her nerves," Mom teased.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I've spent two months planning this thing. You prance, and I will never talk to you again."

"Lighten up, Rosalie," I said. "It's not like it's your wedding. It's not even a wedding."

"Just . . . walk, okay? I'm going to go sit down."

"Thank you, sweetie, for everything you've done," Mom said.

She smiled. "You're welcome. I had fun."

Once the music began, Mom and I started walking. When we could see down the aisle, I looked over and watched Mom smile with her eyes glued on Dad's, who had his glued on her. It was nice that they were still so happy after forty years of marriage. They just got it right, and early, too. When we reached Dad, I kissed Mom's cheek and let her go.

"Thanks, son," Dad said, smiling.

"You're welcome."

I went back to the first row and sat down next to Bella, taking Little One and holding her in my arms. Surprisingly, she looked tired. Her eyes drooped as she snuggled into my chest.

"Nap time," I whispered to Bella.

She looked over and smiled. "That's good."

I rocked Sofia a little as Mom and Dad said their vows, retelling their love and happiness. I noticed Bella had a constant smile on her face as she listened. She even laughed along with everyone else at some of the ridiculous things my parents said to each other. She was really beautiful when she laughed like that — when she smiled like that.

Once the ceremony was over and everyone started to gather for the reception, I took my sleeping little one inside and laid her down in one of the extra bedrooms where I put her portable crib. I put the baby monitor next to her and carried my part in my pocket, so I could hear when she woke up. She'd probably be hungry or need to be changed in an hour or so, so I knew I didn't have long.

"I'll be back, Little One," I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Love you."

. . . . .

"Dinner was delicious," Bella said as we stood off to the side, watching Mom and Dad have the first dance.

"Yeah," I said, smirking. "Too bad we have to wait for cake."

She laughed softly and shook her head. "Did Sofia take all of her bottle?"

"Yep, and now Mrs. Whitlock is having a field day with her."

We looked over to one of the tables where Jasper's mom was currently kissing Little One's cheek. She had woken up, crying just as I finished dinner, so I had to bring her back down with me. Thankfully, Mrs. Whitlock was all over her, offering to watch her for me. Jasper just put his hands together and pretended to bow down to me, basically thanking me for keeping her occupied. So far, she seemed to adore Alice, but he didn't want to test his luck by having her be Mrs. Whitlock's sole focus. Well, now the woman was thoroughly distracted by Sofia, so he was good for a while.

"You need to stop letting women hold your daughter, or they'll all fall in love with her, and you'll be out a kid," Bella said. "It's pretty much impossible not to love her, especially after kissing those chubby little cheeks."

I chuckled. "The woman might actually steal my daughter, so let's keep an eye on her."

"My eyes are glued," she said. "Well, partially. Right now I'm watching your parents. They're so in love, you know?"

"Yeah, they've always looked like that."

"Forty years is a long time. It's kind of . . . heartwarming to see that." She smiled. "Makes you believe in soul mates."

I cocked my eyebrow with a smirk. "Why, Bella Swan, you're a hopeless romantic, aren't you?"

She shrugged. "Not really."

"I guess I should have figured, what with your choice of books."

"Maybe I just have a thing for the classics."

"I didn't see any Homer on your shelf." I smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe you didn't look hard enough. It's not like I allow you in my bedroom, after all."

"I'd find Romeo and Juliet in there, wouldn't I?" I teased. Her cheeks turned my favorite red once more. "Knew it. You're a hopeless romantic through and through, huh? I'm not judging."

"Fine," she sighed. "I'm a hopeless romantic . . . sometimes."

"Is that why you're single? Can't find your Romeo?"

She looked up and cocked her eyebrow. "What? Maybe I'm not . . . looking for that."

I smirked. "All women are looking for that. I used to be the man that kept them occupied while they waited."

"So you're saying you're no one's Romeo?"

I laughed. "I'm not sure I'd fit that category."

She smiled. "Two months ago, I'd have agreed with you."

"And now?" I asked as she jabbed her elbow into my side. "Ow."

"Your parents are coming this way."

My mom came up with a grin, tugging my dad along. She instantly put her arms out and hugged Bella, whose eyes bulged a little in surprise.

"Thank you for coming," Mom said, letting go. "It's so good to meet you, Bella."

"It's good to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen," Bella said. "Thank you for having me. It was a beautiful ceremony."

"You'll have to make sure Rosalie knows that," she laughed. "And call me Esme, please."

"Thank you for coming, Bella," Dad said, holding his hand out. "And before you try it, my name is Carlisle."

"Of course." She nodded.

"Congratulations, you two," I said. "It was nice."

"Thanks, son," Dad said. "Where's Sofia?"

I pointed to Mrs. Whitlock. "If you want to hold Little One, you may have to pry her from Mrs. Whitlock's arms," I laughed.

Mom smirked. "I can take her."

"Down, tiger," Dad laughed. "Are you two having a good time?"

"Yeah, dinner was great," I said. "Bella here was about to start crying as you two danced."

Bella blushed again as she avoided eye contact with Dad. "No, I wasn't. I was just saying that you two looked so in love."

Dad smiled and pulled Mom closer. "Because we are."

"Well, I'm going to try and steal my granddaughter back," Mom said. "You two go dance."

"Are you opposed to dancing with me, Bella?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, but I can't be held responsible if I step on your toes."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." I winked, taking her hand and leading her out to the dance floor.

I placed my left hand on her lower back, keeping it in a respectable place — even though part of me wanted to go a little lower. Her hand tightened in my right as I started swaying us to the slow music. Did I mention how fucking beautiful she looked today? I was finding it hard to keep my mind from wandering. I starting imagining what she was wearing under the dress, since you know, I was a man. I wanted to bet that though she looked like a nice girl, she had a little naughty in her. Maybe she wore a thong . . . or nothing at all. My dick was suddenly coming back to life, and I had to put a stop to my thoughts.

"So, the school year is over?" I asked, trying to think of anything that would get my mind out of the fucking gutter.

She nodded, pressing her head to my chest. "Yep. I survived my first year as a teacher."

"How about that? I technically survived my first year as an attending surgeon, too," I laughed. "We should celebrate."

"I was planning on celebrating with cookie dough ice cream and a movie marathon. That is, until you invited me here."

"Hmm, sitting home alone with a tub of ice cream or dancing with me . . . I'm glad you chose me."

"I'm actually pretty glad I chose you, too."

I smiled to myself as the music changed to something else. It was still slow, though, so I kept moving at the same pace. I was actually pretty fucking thankful that my sister helped pick the music. She liked this kind of shit. This slow . . . romantic crap.

"You're a pretty good dancer," Bella said, looking up at me as I looked down.

I smirked. "My mom made me take ballroom dance lessons when I was a kid," I said. "Would you like me to dip you?"

She laughed softly. "I think I'm good. So dance lessons? I honestly didn't take you for the type."

"I have a few surprises left. Surprise me with something about you."

"I like to fish."

I cocked my eyebrow. "Fish?"

She nodded. "It was something my dad and I did together. Actually, we still do it. We're . . . quiet people. It's nice to just sit and think out in a boat. I rarely catch anything, but when I do, my dad looks so proud. I honestly only want to catch something to see that look."

"Well, you definitely surprised me." I smiled. "So Bella Swan likes fishing, romance novels, cooking, children, and teaching said children. What else?"

"No, now it's your turn. Tell me something else that'll surprise me."

"I played piano when I was younger."

"Were you any good?"

"My mom likes to think so," I laughed. "She thinks I should still play."

"How long did you play for?"

"I started lessons when I was six. I was actually a very well rounded child, so you can't blame my parents for how I turned out."

She laughed. "I wasn't planning on it. But really, you're not that bad. If you were, even a baby wouldn't make me enjoy your company."

"It's good to know you like me for more than just my baby," I chuckled. "It's your turn again."

"I keep a cactus, to remind me of my mother."

"Do you remember her?"

She rested her head against my chest. "Not really, but I keep the cactus because she moved us to Arizona when she left Forks. My dad says she liked the sun and warmth. She always talked about how, someday, she'd leave Forks and go somewhere like that, so he wasn't surprised that she did."

"Were they . . . together?"

"Yeah, high school sweethearts, actually."

"And she just left him?" I asked. "I'm sorry. I know this is a touchy subject."

She shook her head. "It's all right. I'll let you know when I don't want to talk about it anymore. And yeah, she just left. She was a free spirit and wanted to get the hell out of Forks. He knew it wasn't right to stop her, so he didn't."

"And she never told him about you? I mean, personally, I wish Kate had told me she was pregnant. Maybe I wouldn't have been so blindsided then. Fuck, actually, I have no idea what I would have done."

"I don't know why my mom didn't tell my dad, but he wishes she had. He said he would have left Forks for her . . . for us."

The music had changed again, but Bella and I kept dancing like we were. She was talking to me, letting me get to know her, so I wasn't about to change how we were. She did eventually change the subject back to me, asking me when the last time I played piano was. I couldn't even fucking remember.

"Is there a piano here?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

She pulled away, keeping my hand in hers. "I want to hear this."

I laughed. "Are you serious?"

She smiled, nodding. "Yes. Play me a song, piano man."

I looked over to see that Dad was dancing with Sofia as Mom watched, smiling. I figured we had a little bit of time, so I led her into the house to the old piano.

I pulled the bench out for her and said, "Sit. I can't promise this will sound good, though."

She walked around and sat down on one end as I sat near the middle. "I won't judge," she said.

I cracked my knuckles and pressed a few keys, starting off simple, making her laugh, actually.

"Even I can play Mary Had a Little Lamb," she said. "Impress me."

I smirked. "All right. I think I remember the song I wrote for my mom. We'll try that."

"You wrote your mom a song?" She smiled. "That's so sweet."

I shrugged. "I've been accused of being a momma's boy," I laughed.

I started playing, fucking it up massively. I missed a few keys, forgot a few others, but kept playing. It wasn't even close to perfect by the time I finished, but I looked over and saw Bella smiling as she watched my hands. I started again, doing a little better. She wanted to see me play, so I figured I'd keep going for a few more minutes. I kept looking up at her, fucking my playing up, but it was worth it to see her.

"So . . . as you can tell, it's been a while," I said.

"It was good," she said, meeting my gaze. "I enjoyed it."

I smiled. "I'm glad."

She looked back down at my hands on the keys, biting her lip, doing that fucking nibble that I was starting to love. Her hand went over mine, pressing down a key. She moved closer, putting her other hand between mine. She pressed a few more keys. I kept my eyes on her, though, not giving a shit about what she was doing. Without giving it a second thought, I dipped my head, pressing my lips to hers. I felt her stiffen for a moment, but soon, her lips started moving with mine. She didn't fucking push me away and slap me, which could have been an outcome of this. Instead, she lifted her hand and pressed it to the side of my face, turning her body a little. Eventually, she broke the kiss. I looked and noticed her eyes were closed as she panted softly. Her hand was still on my face as I moved mine to hers, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"I . . . um," she whispered. "That was . . ."

I pressed my lips back to hers, keeping her from saying anything. Our tongues met this time. She was . . . getting aggressive. She moved her hand to my neck and pulled me closer. I heard a quiet moan from her as I rubbed my thumb behind her ear. We parted again, and her eyes met mine. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"I'm not apologizing," I whispered.

Her lips curved into a smirk. "I wasn't going to tell you to. In fact, I was going to say that was . . . nice."

"Edward?" Mom called. "Are you in here? Sofia needs to be—" She froze when she saw the position we were in. "Oh! I am so sorry. I'll just . . . go."

She grinned before turning around, leaving the room just as quickly as she entered.

"I . . . uh, think Sofia needs to be changed," Bella said.

"That was my guess. Do we . . . need to talk about this?"

"Later."

I nodded. "All right, later, then. I'll meet you out back, okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

I smirked. "Thanks for not slapping me."

She laughed softly. "You're welcome."