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Word Prompt: Empire

Scenario: Write about someone who is on the brink of making a difficult decision.

Charlie sprints across the yard, arms wide open, the second she sees me.

"Hey, baby," I say, kneeling in the grass to hug her.

Wrapping herself around me, she nuzzles her face in to my neck. Having time to myself felt so good, but being here, like this, with her soft hair and her Charlie smells - today it's cinnamon, play dough and fruity lotion - is the best ever. I squeeze her tightly, swallowing back the lump in my throat, sighing inwardly at my mommy-melodrama.

"Miss me?" I whisper. "I missed you."

"Yah," she whispers back. "I colored."

"You did? Can I see?"

"It's inside!" She wiggles from my arms and runs back to the tire swing, where she tussles with Embry for a turn.

Standing, I glance over at Edward, who's disappearing into the house with my brother. Emmett catches me looking, and grins, waving.

"Where's Rose?" I call, waving back.

"Right here," she says, coming up beside me with what looks like an armful of old kites. "I was in the garage, looking for this stuff."

"Cool. It's certainly windy enough."

She nods, tucking blonde wisps behind her ears. "And we should have clear weather, too. I promised Charlie when she started getting a little antsy earlier."

"You should've called me." I punch her arm lightly. "Was she okay?"

"She was great, I promise. Just one little moment this morning... she's little. Of course she missed you. But then Em gave her extra juice and I told her about Makenna's kites, so."

"Okay." I nod, looking at Charlie again. "Thanks for keeping her, Rose. I love you guys."

"No problem. How was your night?" she asks casually, leading me to the deck so we can sit.

"Really great. We went to Campagne."

"Oh, really? I've heard about that place! Was it amazing?"

"So amazing. You and Em should go."

"And...did you do anything after?"

"Just hung out at his place."

She nods, patiently untangling the strings and plastic streamers tangled around the kites.

"I stayed there."

Grinning devilishly, she snaps her head up. "I knew it. How was it. How was he?"

Blushing, I keep my eyes on her, not even daring to glance at the kitchen windows where Edward and Emmett probably are. "It was...perfect. We had a lot of fun." I lean in, dropping to a whisper. "And a lot of sex."

"Oh, Bella." She sighs, squeezing my hand briefly. "I have a good feeling about this one. He's legit."

"Yeah. Just, you know. The soccer thing. If he starts playing again. That's the only thing holding me back, really. But he seems willing to work with me, as long as I work with him. So, yeah. I think...this could be good. Really good."

Rose gazes at me, listening to me babble. "Just...this is your life, right? Go with it. You have options. You can always travel."

"I know. But, Charlie..."

"Military families move around."

"Okay, Rose." I snort, making a face. "We're not a military family."

"I'm just saying."

"Sounds like you've put a lot thought into this."

"Not really, but, Em and I were talking..."

"Do you discuss me a lot? Me and Edward?"

"Yes. Shut up. So, we were talking, and he mentioned that Edward wanted to stay in the area, but that if he got an offer elsewhere he'd want to go. And I get that, you know? If you got an offer someplace else, wouldn't you want the freedom to go?"

"An offer to what, make cookies and cakes elsewhere?"

"Yes." She's totally serious.

"I guess. Probably."

"So, it's the same. Anyway, Charlie's in preschool. She's not learning anything you couldn't teach her, Bella. Don't over think this."

I'm about to argue with her, but then I realize that she's right. I won't haul Charlie all over kingdom come, but if we get the chance to go somewhere for a time, or to visit Edward when he's away, then why not? It feels good having Rose in my corner, encouraging me to just - dammit - have my cake and eat it, too.

Our catering business receives a flurry of orders stretching from spring right into mid-summer. Emmett, Mike and I are inundated with work, so much so that Maggie becomes a permanent fixture, assisting me regularly, and Edward steps up, putting in hours daily.

In fact, I'm so busy that I opt to put Charlie in preschool full time, which really just means letting her stay until two instead of noon, and every day of the week instead of just a couple. She doesn't seem to mind, and I wonder how in the world I got so lucky. Of course, she's pretty demanding of my time when she is home, but that's assuaged by Edward's presence.

He's taken to working from the extra bedroom I use as an office. When he's not at the gym or physical therapy, he's in there, overseeing our schedules and dealing with the accounting. All of the paperwork Em, Mike and I kind of shared throughout the years falls to Edward now.

"You sure you're okay with this?" I ask him one night, after putting Charlie to bed. It's late, later than usual, and he's still working.

Shrugging, he pushes back from his laptop. "Might as well put my business degree to use."

"But there's so much paperwork lately."

"Yeah," he agrees, pushing his hand through his hair. "With the amount of clients you guys have, it might be time to consider hiring an accountant - officially. I don't mind doing this, but it would be more efficient."

"Okay. I'll talk to Em."

"Already did." He smiles. "We'll start looking next week, on Tuesday. There aren't any jobs that day, so, it's clear."

It's amazing how seamlessly he's fit into our lives. It makes me wonder how we did it before he came, and I realize that we didn't; his presence has given us the freedom to grow.

On a rare day off in the middle of May, I take Charlie to the park to meet up with Angela and Nessa. We lounge on the grass for hours, watching the girls squeal and play, pausing only to eat lunch before returning to their games.

Afterward, I take my girl to her favorite spot for milkshakes. She gets chocolate, as always, and manages to finish it by the time we get home, where she chats my ear off and runs around the house like a wild, sugared up banshee.

"Want to watch Frozen?" I ask, desperate for her to calm down.

"Peppa, Mom."

"All right." We find her DVD, and I set her up on a blanket in the living room.

"Can I have toys, Mom?"

"Which toys? I kind of want you to settle down a little. It's been a long day."

"My animals." Jumping up, she runs down the hall and returns with a little bin full of plastic animals.

"That's fine, but let's have quiet time, 'kay?"

"Okay."

I adjust the volume so that Peppa's precious little voice isn't overbearingly audible from the kitchen, and then I escape into my favorite cookbook and a bottle of beer. It's hard for me to concentrate tonight, though. Edward called earlier, before Charlie's play date, letting me know about his physical therapy and then an important meeting, so I'm hoping things went smoothly.

"Marcus DiLane. He represented me when I first got started, right out of college, and he's interested in working with me again."

"Is he local?"

"Yes and no. I told him about my preferences, so, we'll see."

"Fingers crossed. I'm sure it'll go well, right?"

"I hope so. Anyway, I'm not sure how long it'll take."

"Do you still want to come by afterward?"

"Yeah. I'll call when I'm on my way."

I finish my beer, toss it in the recycling bin, and get to work on dinner. It's a chicken soup kind of night, with salad and fresh bread. I don't make bread often, but it's a good way to occupy my mind. I wish I wasn't so anxious.

My phone rings. Brushing flour from my hands, I answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. I'm on my way - do you need me to pick anything up?"

"Nope; we're all set."

"Okay. I'll see you in fifteen."

We hang up, and I marvel, not for the first time, how easily we became a couple. It's only been a couple of months, and of those we've only had a handful of "sleepovers", but he's a natural part of my life now. I suppose it helps that my kid adores him, and that he's had the seal of approval from Em and Rose from before we even met. Even my father likes him, although he prefers baseball to fútbol.

The doorbell rings, prompting Charlie to yell my name. I hurry out, nearly tripping over the animal empire she's amassed near the front door. "Charlie, put these away. I almost fell."

"It's a parade, Mom. They're fighting."

Glancing first through the peep hole, I kick a pair of giraffes away from the door and open it.

Edward grins, dropping a kiss on my cheek and then another, slower one on my mouth. He's windblown and gorgeous, cheeks ruddy from the cool evening.

"Hey, Chuck," he calls as we pass through the living room.

"Hi, Edward. Wanna watch Peppa?"

"Maybe later, okay? I'm kind of hungry. And tired."

"You can't eat in the living room," she says gravely. "So come back later. You can be a lion."

"Deal." He ruffles her hair as he passes.

"Want a beer?" I ask as he slides on to a stool.

"I'm okay for now." He sniffs the air. "That smells really, really good. What is it?"

"Chicken soup. With dumplings. And..." I point to the counter, where my unbaked loaf sits, awaiting the oven. "There will be bread."

"Can't wait. Haven't eaten since lunch."

"So, how'd it go with your agent?" I ask, preheating the oven.

"It went well. Really well. Couple of things I have to think about, but...yeah." He smiles a bit. "We should talk about it. You and me."

I tighten up inside, nervously. "Okay. Are you...do you have to leave?"

He comes to me, taking my hands. "Not for awhile. And if I do, it won't be for long. Nothing is definite."

"Okay." I stare at his chest, biting my lip.

"Hey." He bends so that we're eye level. "I promise."

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