Chapter 14: First Step

After changing Little One's diaper, I came back outside and found Bella talking to Rosalie. I rushed over, hoping to spare Bella from anything rude she'd say. I quickly realized the conversation was going great, though. Bella was commenting on the ceremony and reception, telling my sister how beautiful it was. Rosalie was, of course, soaking up the praise.

"There he is," Rosalie said. "And he has my adorable niece. I haven't held her this evening. Can I?"

I passed Little One along. "Where's Ben?" I asked.

"We had a babysitter watch him. I knew I'd be busy, and I didn't want Emmett to have to watch him all evening. Plus, he's been wanting to get into everything. It was just better to leave him with someone."

Did I wish I could have done that with Little One? Hell yes, but I didn't trust anyone with her except Bella, my family, or her daycare. Besides, it was nice to have my daughter around. I kind of fucking loved how everyone flocked to her, calling her cute, precious, or adorable. It was just true. She really hadn't caused much of an issue today anyway, except for right when we got here, and even then, she didn't disrupt anything.

"How old is he?" Bella asked.

"He just turned a year old," Rosalie said, smiling. "He's getting so big."

"Oh, do you have pictures of him?"

"On my phone. I'll go get it." She grinned, passing me back Sofia before turning around and hurrying over to Emmett.

I put my arm on Bella's back and lowered my lips to her ear. "You realize you just made a new best friend by asking to see a picture of Ben, right?" I chuckled.

She tilted her head and smiled. "She's really nice."

"To you, maybe," I scoffed.

"Do I sense some sibling issues?" she laughed.

"She gets on my nerves sometimes."

"That's just because you're her little brother, and I think big sisters are supposed to do that."

I shrugged. "Maybe, but I can guarantee you she won't shut up about Ben for a while, so I'm going to take Sofia here and dance with her. She seemed to like it when my dad did it."

"Oh, I'll be watching that."

The music was now upbeat, so I held my little one in my arms and had fun with it. I was making a fool out of myself, but Sofia was giggling, so I decided not to care. I kept looking over at Bella, who was talking to Rosalie again. She looked up from the phone in her hand and smiled, waving her other hand. I waved Little One's back at her and laughed as Mom came over. She took Sofia's hands, clapping them together.

"You don't know how much joy I get out of this, do you?" she asked.

"Out of what?" I asked. "Me and Sofia, or what you just saw?"

She smirked. "Okay, both. But watching you with your daughter is truly a joy I can't explain."

"You know, I kind of can't imagine my life without her now."

"Good. And now onto the other thing."

"Please, don't?"

"I'll just say I think she could be good for you." She caressed Little One's cheek. "Good for both of you. She seems very nice. Mothers know this type of thing."

"You've barely spoken to her."

She looked over at Bella and Rosalie. "You're right, so I'll go talk to her some more."

"Don't say anything, okay?"

She shook her head. "I won't."

"Because she's shy, and I don't want to scare her off."

She walked away, laughing softly.

Fuck.

. . . . .

"You know, Jasper, I want one of these," Mrs. Whitlock said, holding Little One as we sat at a table.

"Mom," he said, glaring.

"It's all right, Jazz," Alice said. "What mother doesn't want grandkids?"

Obviously, Alice was fucking perfect for Jasper. She seemed to handle anything his mom said with a smile on her face — even the insulting things. Like when she asked if Alice was technically a midget. I about died laughing, and Alice did, too. Jasper didn't find it funny, though. He quickly made sure his mother knew Alice wasn't a midget and that was a rude thing to say. Mrs. Whitlock just took another sip of her wine and gave a half-hearted apology.

"She's a smart one," Mrs. Whitlock said. "So you want kids?"

Alice looked at Sofia and smiled. "Yes, someday."

"Well, you might want to hurry. You're not getting any younger."

"All right," Jasper said. "I think you've had enough to drink. Give Edward his daughter back."

Mrs. Whitlock rolled her eyes as I stood up to get my daughter. "I haven't had that much," she told me, handing Little One over.

"Of course you haven't, Mrs. Whitlock," I said. "We're just being safe. Besides, I need to feed her."

"Aww, I used to love feeding Jasper! He took the boob like a champ."

I tried so hard not to laugh because I knew Jasper would be pissed, but I couldn't help it once I walked away. The woman had no filter, so shit like that kept flying out of her mouth all night, embarrassing the hell out of Jasper.

After feeding Little One, it was time for cake. The evening was about over, and I could tell Sofia was ready to get home. She was getting fussy as we watched Mom and Dad feed each other.

I patted her bottom softly, bouncing a little to calm her. "I think she's worn out," I told Bella.

She took Little One's hand and smiled. "I bet. She's seen all kinds of new things tonight."

"Can we, uh . . . save that talk for tomorrow?"

To be honest, I was kind of fucking nervous about what that talk would entail. Did I want to be in a relationship? Wasn't sure. But did I want to hear the words "let's just be friends"? No. Fuck no, actually, and I feared that. I was being a pussy by trying to put this off, but I just wasn't ready for what she might say.

"Of course, Edward," she said. "We can talk tomorrow. Is that all right?"

She seemed to look relieved, so I didn't know if that was a bad sign or not. Seemed like it'd be a bad sign. Maybe she was just as freaked out by seeing where this could go as I was.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. I just want to get Sofia in bed and maybe try to get a few extra hours for myself," I lied.

She nodded as Dad began to speak, pulling our attention to him.

"We'd like to thank you all for coming and sharing this momentous day with us," he said. "Now, my wife and I will be heading out for our second honeymoon. If any of you have had too much to drink, feel free to use our house phone for a cab. Again, thank you all for coming and making this a day to remember."

Rosalie and Emmett agreed to stay and make sure everyone headed home, so Bella, Jasper, Alice, Little One, and I were some of the first to leave. When we got back to the apartment building, Alice and Jasper left, leaving Bella and me to head upstairs together. I stopped outside of our doors, trying to figure out how to say goodnight. I could kiss her again, right? Or was that too much without talking about last time yet?

"Sleep well, Sofia," she said, kissing Little One's cheek. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" she asked.

I nodded. "Do you want to come over for coffee in the morning?"

She smiled. "Sure. I'll be over around nine. Is that all right?"

"Sounds great. Maybe she'll let me sleep in," I laughed.

She caressed my little one's cheek. "Be good and do that for your daddy."

"Well, goodnight, Bella. Thanks for coming."

"You're welcome. I had a great time, so thanks for inviting me."

After a few awkward seconds, I decided to lean down and kiss her cheek. Yeah, that worked. Her cheeks flushed and she turned around, unlocking her door as I went for mine.

. . . . .

Little One was watching me with drowsy eyes as I took her dress off and put her in the pink onesie. She kept yawning, making me laugh a little. It was fucking cute, okay? Her little lips were just . . . yeah. You try not feeling something when seeing that.

"Thank you for doing so well," I said, buttoning her up. "And I'm sorry for letting Mrs. Whitlock assault your cheeks."

I ran my fingers over her chubby cheek, and she sighed, closing her eyes. I picked her up off the changing table and swayed with her.

"So, I kissed Bella today," I said. "She said she liked it, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm not a . . . relationship kind of person, but I think I could be for her. She's great, right? You like her. Part of me is just afraid I'll lose her as a friend if this doesn't work out, and I don't want that."

She snuggled deeper into my chest as her hand grasped my shirt. I kept swaying, knowing she'd fall asleep soon.

"Sometimes, I wish you could talk to me," I sighed. "But other times, I'm glad you can't. You'd probably have some words for me." I laughed. "Words I've taught you."

I looked back down to find her eyes still closed. She probably wasn't completely asleep yet, so I sat down in the rocker with her, laying my head back.

"I love you, Little One. You've changed my life for the better. You've made me a better person, a person someone like Bella might want to be with." I smiled. "I think I want to try this. I just . . . feel something for her. Thanks for listening," I laughed. "Well, for falling asleep on me."

I lowered my head and kissed hers softly before standing up and going over to the crib, laying her down and wishing her a good night.

. . . . .

Little One did let me sleep in some, giving me a full eight hours, which astonished me. She was ready to be changed and have her bottle around eight. After she was happy, I laid her down in the swing and grabbed a quick shower. When I was done, I got on the floor and played with her for a little while before starting coffee. Just before nine, a knock came on the door. Bella was right on time, of course.

I opened the door and found her there with a smile. "Good morning," she said.

"Morning," I said. "Thanks for coming over."

I opened the door wider for her, motioning for her to come in. She walked over to Little One, leaning down and kissing her cheek as I went to grab two cups of coffee.

"How do you like yours?" I asked.

"Black."

I cocked my eyebrow. "Black?"

She shrugged. "I learned to like it because of my father."

I smirked. "Same here."

After filling both cups up, I came back into the living room to find her sitting on the couch, bouncing Little One on her knee. She kept kissing her cheek, blowing a raspberry on it, making my daughter giggle loudly. I liked seeing her with Sofia. She was a natural, and I couldn't help but think how lucky it was that she moved in next door to me.

"So... we need to talk," I said, sitting back down on my couch.

She nodded and laid Little One down in the bouncer by her feet. "I think we should. I'm not sure . . . what that meant."

I nodded, taking a sip. "Well, I kissed you because I wanted to — because I like you," I said. "I sound like a fourteen year old boy, huh?" I laughed.

She smiled, setting her cup down after taking a sip. "This is a little awkward."

"I'd have to agree. I've never had to talk about why I kissed someone."

"I'm glad you did, you know? I um . . . wanted you to, but to be honest, I didn't think you would. I thought we were just friends."

"If that's all you want, then we can leave it there," I sighed, hoping that wasn't all she wanted. I liked Bella, and not in the normal way I liked woman, which honestly confused the hell out of me. This . . . kissing a chick . . . it wasn't me. Not even fucking close, actually. But with Bella, I couldn't be that guy. It just wasn't right.

"That's not all I want," she said. "But, to be honest, I don't know what I want. I know I won't be like those other women you've been with, though."

I shook my head. "If there's one thing I have decided, it's that. You're nothing like them, and I won't treat you that way."

"Then there's our start." She smiled, taking another sip. "We can just see where it goes from here, if you'd like."

"Just let it happen?"

She nodded. "I like you, and I want to see how this turns out."

"So we'll give this a shot?"

"I'd like to."

"Well, then I guess I should ask you on a proper date." I smirked. "I promise my mom won't interrupt us again."

She laughed. "God, that was mortifying!"

"I think she liked it," I laughed.

She blushed and nibbled on her bottom lip. I moved closer, brushing my fingertip over her lip. "I fucking love when you do that, Nibbles."

She released it quickly. "Nibbles?"

"Let's just say it's a term of endearment."

She smiled, laughing softly. "I'm not sure I love it."

I pressed my forehead to hers, leaving my lips just centimeters from hers. "Just give it a chance," I whispered before kissing her again.

She wrapped her hand around the back of my neck, weaving her fingers through my hair. I pushed her back against the arm of the couch, spreading myself over her. I ran my hand down her side, bringing it back up and pushing her shirt with it. Her skin was soft and warm. I fucking loved the feel of it. Apparently, I went too high because she brought her hand down over mine and lowered it, but she didn't break the kiss to tell me to stop, so I figured this was okay. I just had to keep it respectable. I could do that. I could do that now, and tonight, spend some time in the shower, imagining what I'd actually like to do.

"So . . . a date?" she asked as we parted.

I nodded. "Yeah, do you want to?"

She smiled and pressed her lips back to mine for a moment. "I'd love to."