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Word Prompt: Discount

On the day of Charlie's party, I decorate the backyard in pink and green streamers and balloons. The sky's blue, gently brightened by weak sunshine, but there was a ton of rain last night. Rose and I squelch through the saturated grass, arranging chairs and games and things, trying to work with what we've got.

Charlie's invited four little girls from her class at school. I'm secretly thankful she never really hit it off with Lauren Mallory's kid. Having them attend would've been massively awkward.

Looks like poor Embry's the only boy beside Edward and Emmett. He sits sullenly on the couch, channel surfing.

"He wanted to bring a friend," Rose says, filling a cooler with ice.

"That would've been okay," I say, shrugging.

"Nah. He'll be fine." She shakes her head. "It's only for a couple of hours, and I want him to help Charlie celebrate - not wreak havoc with his friends."

By two o'clock my yard is filled with music and the exuberant laughter of little girls. There's no real theme to the party, other than Peppa cake, so they sort of just run around, playing with the piñata and musical chairs.

Edward, my Dad and Emmett keep to one corner of the yard for the most part, and when one other dad comes along, they pull him into their dude-clique. Meanwhile Angie and the other moms - the rest of whom I know only very casually - ooh and aah over my ring and the "engagement story". I know they're all taken with Edward. Angie told me once, over coffee, that there's been talk about us ever since Nessa's birthday months back. The attention is fun, but it also makes me feel very self conscious. With the exception of my trip to LA, a lot of my relationship with Edward has existed within the bubble of our homes. Well, ours and Emmett's. A lot of the time we're busy working, so when we do come together we just want each other.

Things evolve, though. Now that we're getting married we'll always be one another's plus one, and that's going to include everything from Charlie's social events to Edward's high profile engagements.

Eventually it's time for cake, and then gifts. I'm not the biggest fan of opening presents at birthday parties, but today I'm outvoted.

Charlie, who's a total ham anyway, sits perched on a chair in the middle of it all. "Remember to say thank you, okay?" I whisper, grabbing paper and a pen so that I can remember who gave what.

"Okay, Mom."

"Don't forget."

"Yah, Mom."

Satisfied, I plop down on blanket beside her, handing over the gifts while Rose takes pictures. Edward hands her a little box at the very end.

I stare at him in disbelief. "You did not."

"What?" he asks, shrugging. "I said I would, and..." he leans close, running his nose along the shell of my ear, "I'm a man of my word."

I shiver, trying to maintain my irritation, and look at Charlie, who's ripping the satiny, pink wrapping paper with the grace of baby rhino. I rise to my knees, afraid she's going to fling the contents of the box in her excitement, but she slows down at the last second.

She peeks at Edward, little legs swinging from her chair, and opens the box. Nestled against the tissue paper inside is a delicate little ring. Upon closer inspection, I see it's a pale green heart set in silver.

"That's your birthstone," Edward's saying, but Charlie's bouncing around and making a big deal out of putting it on - her ring finger, of course - and screaming her thanks. She leaps from her chair and dashes to where he sits beside me, tipping into his lap.

"Thanks, Edward. Thanks!"

I glance up. Everyone's watching, smiling, looking all touched and sweet and amused.

"I got her a chain," Edward says to me. "So she can wear it as a necklace for awhile. Okay, Chuck?"

She nods, letting him slide the ring back off.

"Okay, Mom?" he asks, shouldering me.

"Okay." I nod, tempering my smile.

"You mad?" he jokes, threading it through a silver chain so he can put it around Charlie's neck. Parental conversations have resumed, and the other girls are clamoring around us now, their bare little feet clammy from wet grass.

"How could I be?" I murmur, soaking in Charlie's joy. She gives him a kiss on his cheek, starts to run off, returns to kiss me, and then leaves, followed by her little entourage. "You just made her day."

"I think you made her day with all of this." He leans back, settling on his elbows. "I wasn't trying to discount your feelings. I just think she...deserves special things, too."

My heart squeezes, and I look down at him. "Of course she does. But Edward, special things at this age can be, like, a milkshake after school. You know?"

He cocks his head. "You guys are a package deal, right? Isn't that what you always say?"

"You fight dirty."

"Always." He tickles his fingers down the back of my jeans, making me grateful no one's sitting behind us.

On Monday, Edward hits the road with his team again. Saying goodbye is never fun, but it's easier this time...maybe because I know he'll back in four days. The Sounders have another, longer road trip coming up, but it's closer to October.

Summer's over, more or less, so Charlie's in school full time again. In another year she starts kindergarten, but for now she's back at preschool, chilling with Nessa and her other little friends. It's not hard to stay busy, because I take on extra jobs, some apart from the catering business. Em doesn't mind. Aside from keeping busy and genuinely enjoying what I'm doing, he knows I like the extra cash, making it and having it myself.

On Thursday night, I've just gotten Charlie out of the bath when my phone rings. Wrapping Charlie in a towel, I pluck it from my back pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella? It's Esme."

"Hi, Esme." For second I wonder if she's calling about the wedding, which is still a small eternity away, not that you'd know it from her excitement and planning. When she doesn't say anything, I frown, balancing the phone as I towel dry Charlie's tangled hair. "Esme? Are you there?"

"Yeah, honey. Listen, I've been trying to reach Edward...his father's in the hospital."

"What? What happened? Which hospital?"

"Harborview. He..." She sighs. "He's been having chest pains."

Charlie squirms away and I let her go, leaning against the sink. "Is he all right? I mean, is he under observation or something?"

"He's stable. We think he had a small heart attack...they've been running tests all afternoon."

It's hard to imagine someone as healthy and vivacious as Carlisle Cullen suffering from heart problems.

I leave the bathroom, flipping the light off. "What can I do? Do you need me to come -"

"Oh, no. Nothing like that." She says something to someone else and then returns to the phone. "Are you picking Edward up tomorrow?"

"Yes, around four."

"All right. He usually calls me back, but I'm guessing he hasn't had time to check his phone. Please...just let him know what's going on in the event he calls you first."

"I will."

"Thanks, sweetheart."

"No problem. I'm here if you need me."

"I know."

We hang up. I stare at the dimmed hallway, at the pictures of my Dad and me, and then I give him a call.

"Bella? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Dad. Just wanted to hear your voice."

why did i think the MLS season ended around august? hey, if any of you are soccer/football fans - feel free to enlighten me :)

thanks for reading...

xoxooxo