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Word Prompt: Haggard

Dialogue Flex: "I'm losing my patience with you."

I step back, wondering if stringing lights around the back yard is too girly. And then I figure, whatever. I like it, and anyway it'll add atmosphere. And light, obviously.

Alice and Rose help me put them up. We clear Charlie's outside toys, set extra tables and chairs up - one of the perks of being associated with catering - and put out the coolers.

"Hope the weather holds up," Rose says, peering up at the sky. It's clear for the time being, and the chance of rain is low, but you never know around here.

I take a bite of my granola bar, sustenance I stole from Charlie's snack drawer. "Hope so."

Inside, the kids are making a mess of Charlie's room while Emmett and Edward, and Alice's beau Jasper, start carrying food outside. They just got back from running errands, grabbing extra beer and chips and stuff. I didn't want Edward to have to do anything on his birthday but he'd just looked at me like I was being ridiculous, kissed me good and hard and somewhat wet, and said, "I'm not the king of England, Bella."

"Not, definitely not the King of England. More like...Ragnar of the Vikings."

"Yeah." The laser gaze focused in on my cleavage. "There you go. In fact, I plan to plunder this later..."

"Bella." Rose voice breaks through the fog.

"Hm?" I smile at her, wondering what I missed.

"You want the cake table here or here?" Alice asks, stealing a carrot stick.

"Oh, this is good."

They arrange it accordingly, and then we're finished. It's not that overdone - well, not for me, anyway - but it's good. Perfect. I hope. I glance back at Edward, who's shooting the breeze with Jasper. He looks at me, giving me a thumbs up, so I figure it's okay.

"You're such a good girlfriend," Alice gushes, once we're in the kitchen.

"I just..." I shake my head. "I really like doing this kind of stuff. It's fun for me, and I don't know. I want him to know I appreciate him."

"It's great." She grins, kisses my cheek, and disappears.

Catching sight of my reflection in the microwave, I cringe. Running around all day has left me looking a little haggard, but it's nothing a shower won't fix.

By eight, my modest sized yard seems to have shrunk considerably due to the amount of people in it. But it's working out. There's music, and the lights - so glad I followed my instincts on those - and the happy hum of many conversations. Plenty of food, plenty to drink, kids running around...it's good.

Edward is the star. I see him this way tonight, especially now that he's amongst "his kind." Em had expected a couple of his old teammates to show, but a whole crew of them arrived, complete with girlfriends...or groupies. I can't tell with some of them. Some of them have wandering eyes, eyes that follow Edward like he's the sun. I don't know if they're actually acquainted with him or if they just want to be. And then there are the frat bros of yesteryear - good ol' boys cutting up with Mike and Emmett, their laughter carrying over the din.

Edward's been good about introducing me, though. Everyone's friendly for the most part. The fraternity brothers keep to themselves, though they're polite about it, but his old teammates are mingling. My favorite is Garrett, a tall, built blond with an equally attractive, blonde wife named Kate. She's sweet, very easy to talk to, and seems thrilled that I exist.

"He's always been such a nice guy," she confides, sipping a glass of white wine. "I mean, you know. None of these boys were saints, but some were brought up right you could tell."

"Like Garrett?" I ask, smiling to let her know I'm just kidding.

"Well, I had to tame Garrett. But he's all good now."

Laughing, I reach for a handful of chips. "How long have you guys been together?"

"Eleven years."

I nearly choke on a Frito. "What? Wow!"

"Yeah. Practically unheard of in this world." She sighs. "I'm not going to say it was easy, but...worth it. We were high school sweethearts...broke up when he went national...got back together. Now we've been married for five years."

My heart flip flops. I watch Edward make his way toward me, slowly, stopping every so often to catch up with someone new. Our story is nothing like Kate and Garrett's. I mean, for one thing, we both came in to this relationship older, with a little more life under our belts. Some might call it baggage, but I just see it as experience.

But there are still aspects of their lifestyle that are about to be my lifestyle, things I've heard about but know nothing about on a personal level. And I'd be lying if i said those things didn't intimidate me.

"You guys seem well suited," I say finally.

Kate's pretty face relaxes, her eyes warm despite their icy blue hue. "We are. He's my best friend."

Eleven o'clock and Charlie is being a pain, refusing to go to settle down even though Makenna is sleeping over and promising to watch Frozen with her in bed.

"I'm losing my patience with you, Charlotte. Get in bed now!"

Making a face, she crawls into the mess of sleeping bags she's sharing with her cousin. "I don't wanna miss the party, Mom!"

"You didn't!" I explain, for the eightieth time. "We sang happy birthday! You had cake!"

"C'mon, Chuck," Makenna says, rolling her eyes. "I'm not gonna watch Frozen if you don't chill out." She glances at me, giggling. "Get it? Frozen? Chill out? Hahaha!"

Snorting in spite of myself, I nod. "Yeah, yeah. You're a real comedian. Anyway, goodnight, guys." I kiss them both, giving Charlie an extra squeeze. "You know I love you, right? But I don't like when you're bratty. You have to be good for Mommy. Okay?"

"'kay, Mom."

"'kay. Love you."

"Love you," she echoes, looking sleepier by the minute.

If it wasn't for Makenna, I'd probably be battling her all night - or at least until most of our guests were gone, but as it stands, she'll probably watch her movie until she passes out. I'm closing her bedroom door when Edward rounds the corner and comes down the hall.

"She asleep?"

"Yeah, right."

Opening the door, he peeks in. "Goodnight, Chuck."

"'night, Edward."

He starts to close it again, then opens it and goes inside. I watch as he kneels down and whispers something to Charlie. She nods, her eyes on the TV screen, but a smile on her lips. She wraps her arms around him, kissing his cheek.

I back out, returning to the hallway, heart thumping, mind a mess. This is surreal to me. I mean, I know Edward likes Charlie, and I know she adores him, but I've never put my hopes into it too much. Hope can mean disappointment, and it was difficult enough getting past that to allow myself to love Edward. But Charlie and me...we're a package deal. Her own dad wasn't interested in her, so I've had this wall up, I guess, an assumption that it might take some time to find a guy that wanted us both. I've never believed in love at first sight, or fairytales, or even in fate. We have to make things happen.

This, though, is happening.

He comes back out, closing the door, and I launch myself at him, hugging him, pushing him against the wall.

"Whoa," he whispers, his eyes dark in the dim hallway light. Responding to my intensity, he kisses me deeply, filling my mouth with his taste...Edward with a touch of Irish cream or something. And also filling me with his feel, and I don't even know. Maybe we should kick everybody out and just get it on.

"Promise me we will make this work. Promise me we'll always talk about stuff. And that you'll be honest with me. That you'll...just...be patient with me and get mad if you need to get mad, and let me be mad if I need to be mad and just...love me. I love you."

"I promise," he says, smiling, amused but also bemused. "Hey. It's us now, right? Look at what you did tonight, Bella. This...he glances back down the hall, toward the party. "You know how long it's been since someone did something for me like this? Most girls..." He exhales harshly, letting go of me, leaning on the opposite wall like what he's about to say is unsavory. "They wanted things from me. But you...you're all heart."

"I can be selfish," I say, thinking about the ways I want him. And how badly.

"So can I. I'm selfish with you. I want you, all the time. You make me want...things."

"What things?" I ask, getting a little horny by his passionate, if not a little tipsy, declarations.

"Everything." He yanks me close, throws an arm around my shoulder, and leads me back outside.

thanks so much for reading. i appreciate it. truly.

xoxoxox