Morning, Cuties! Let's jump in and see what those crazy Swan-Cullens are up to!

Chapter Six

Renée wasn't quite sure what the Cullens ate, but she was starting to get a sense of what they didn't eat. After watching them only take salad for dinner, she was determined to find a dish they would try.

So she whipped together her famous macaroni-n-cheese-casserole, making two dishes—one without sausage for the Cullens, the other with the sausage for normal people. She'd won contests with this recipe. No one could deny how good it was, and she was certain it would be a home run with her house guests.

When the two families gathered for dinner, Renée watched Carlisle and Esme's faces, hoping to see the delight in their eyes that validated her as a good provider.

Instead, she saw curiosity and uncertainty, and she felt her stomach drop.

"Shit," she heard Bella mutter, and she turned to her daughter who let out a breath. "Hold on, I'll grab the salad from last night," she offered. The Cullens looked grateful, and Renée couldn't fight back her scowl. Why didn't they like her food?

Esme looked up and saw Renée's frown.

"Everything smells lovely, Renée," she offered.

"Are you not hungry?" Renée couldn't help her passive aggression. When she was younger, she might have been called flat-out aggressive, but as she'd aged, she'd learned to hone that aggression in socially acceptable ways.

"Well, no dear, it's not that," Esme started, shaking her head. "It's just that we don't eat dairy."

Who the hell didn't eat dairy?

Renée looked at Charlie, who was busy shoveling food into his mouth, not looking up at the strange Cullens at all.

"I…" Renée didn't know what to say to that.

"It's okay, Mom," Bella said, putting the salad on the table.

Renée looked at her daughter. Was she also starving herself on this insane diet?

But both Bella and Edward took some macaroni with sausage, leaving Renée to wonder why it was Carlisle and Esme who didn't like her cooking. Did they not like her?

"How was your hike today?" Bella asked. Renée frowned, glancing at her daughter. Then realized the girl was speaking to the Cullens. Hiking? Who elected to go hiking?

"Oh, it was lovely," Esme said. "We spotted all sorts of interesting plants, didn't we Edward?"

Edward coughed, reaching for his drink.

"Mum," he choked after sipping his water. Esme smirked and Carlisle chuckled quietly beside them. Renée had no idea what was going on. Had they found drugs in the woods? Were they all high?

It would explain a lot.

"How about you, dear? How was work?"

Bella shrugged. "Normal, I guess. I did get an email about a new contract though."

Esme lit up, looking interested.

"Really? I can't wait to hear all about it…"

"Bella, what are you doing for work these days?" Renée asked, annoyed that Esme seemed to know everything about her daughter while she still didn't even know what she did for work. Bella looked up at her mother.

"Oh, well I…"

The landline rang, interrupting her, and Renée jumped up, running to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Renée," the voice sneered, and Renée rolled her eyes.

"We're in the middle of supper, Amanda," she said, her tone firming. "I know your family has gone the progressive route and stopped having civil interactions together, but my family still finds value in connecting over a home-cooked meal."

She could practically see Amanda Stanley's porky face scowling.

"Well, I'm just calling because I saw some suspicious activity on your property today, and I wanted to make sure all was well."

Renée's teeth grit. She knew what this was about, and she hated Amanda and her fat, gossiping mouth more than ever.

"Oh?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"Mhmm, I saw some unusual people out on your lawn this morning. Looked like some cult sort of behavior."

"That wasn't—"

"But don't worry, Renée. I've already informed the HOA to be on the lookout for suspicious activity on your property. Wouldn't want you and Charlie being taken hostage by some cult!" Amanda let out a shrill laugh that grated on Renée's last nerve.

"Amanda, I wish I too had nothing better to do than watch more interesting lives than mine out my window. Our community is so lucky you don't have a life to interfere with your snooping." Renée's tone was poisoned syrup, and she imagined Amanda's mouth puckering. "But right now, I have to get back to my family. Goodnight."

Renée hung up harder than necessary, her anger pushing her to lash out at the landline. She took a breath, then another, glad Amanda couldn't see her in the kitchen from her front window.

When Renée had her composure, she turned around and headed back into the dining room.

"Everything okay?" Bella asked, glancing at her mother.

"Everything is fine," Renée said, plastering on a smile. "What are we talking about?"

Charlie cleared his throat. "Billy invited us all to his place for a barbecue," he said, glancing around the table. "If you are all interested in going."

Bella nodded. "I'll text him to let him know dietary restrictions," she offered, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

Renée let out a breath. "When?"

Charlie looked up at her. "This weekend. Saturday, probably."

Renée nodded, making a mental note to add it to her calendar. "And what should we bring?"

Charlie shot her an annoyed look, spoon halfway to his mouth. "I don't know, Nee. I figured you would do what you always do and try to do everything," he grumbled.

Renée's mouth puckered.

"Honestly, Charlie," Renée hissed, her eyes flashing nervously toward the Cullens, who were chewing their salads with small polite smiles on their faces.

"I texted Billy," Bella announced. "He'll let me know what we can bring."

Renée turned her attention to her daughter, surprised but grateful for her help.

"And maybe tomorrow Esme or Carlisle can go with you to the market, Mom. Teach you about being a vegan."

Renée felt the back of her knees sweat at the idea, but when both Carlisle and Esme agreed, Renée found herself doing so too. "That would be lovely. It's always exciting learning new things."

Her voice was slightly flat, but if anyone noticed, they were all too polite to say anything about it.

"How are your other daughters, Renée?" Esme asked, leaning forward to sip her water. Renée blinked, and grabbed on to the topic change like her life depended on it

"Oh, they are wonderful. Simply perfect, as usual," Renée gushed, the words falling from her lips automatically.

Bella rolled her eyes, but Renée ignored her.

"Wonderful to hear. How is that grandson of yours, Liam? He was just an angel," Esme murmured, her eyes flickering toward Edward and Bella. Renée glanced at her own daughter, confused. Was Bella pregnant? Or was Esme just pushing for grandchildren?

God, what would Renée do if Bella was pregnant out of wedlock? The scandal of it all!

"Liam has his father's genes," Bella said around a bite of sausage. "He's fucking huge."

Renée scowled. "Boys should be healthy," she said tartly.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Liam is massive. I bet he busted Rose's—"

"Enough," Charlie coughed, reaching for his beer. Bella shot her dad a sheepish look, but Esme nodded.

"It is certainly amazing what the female body can undergo," she mused. "You wouldn't believe how big Edward's head was," she laughed, reaching out to lightly tap his shoulder. "But it wasn't long until I was back to normal, isn't that right dear?"

Carlisle nodded in agreement, and the table was silent. Edward was the color of a pomegranate, Bella nearly purple with the laughter she was trying to keep in, while her parents were pale as ghosts, gaping at their house guests, speechless.

"Mum," Edward finally managed to choke out. "Please."

"Oh, pish posh, Edward," Esme said, waving a hand in front of herself. "We're all adults with healthy sex lives." She shot a look at Renée, winking at her. "Five daughters speaks for itself."

Charlie's chair scraped back as he scrambled to his feet. "Sorry, I need to go… chop some wood."

They watched as he ran out of the dining room, food still on his plate, beer only half empty.

"I think you've pushed our gracious host a bit too far, Es," Carlisle mused.

She let out a soft sigh. "I apologize, Renée. I don't mean to overstep. These topics are so natural in our home, that I forget it's somewhat of a taboo for some still."

Renée was at a loss for words.

"If it makes anything better," Bella said, reaching out to rub a hand over Edward's thigh. He was nearly puce from embarrassment. "I like talking sex with you, Esme."

Esme shot a grin at Bella, and between them, Edward shook his head, letting out a long breath.

"I think I should get dishes started," Renée said, standing from the table.

"Oh, let us, please. You've prepared this lovely meal, it's the least we can do."

Renée looked at Carlisle in slack-jawed surprise. She'd never seen a husband elect to clean up or do dishes, let alone insist on it. She sank into her seat as Carlisle and Edward rose, quickly clearing the table. Bella leaned an elbow on the table, watching Edward leave the dining room, a smirk on her mischievous face.

Renée was quite sure she didn't want to know what was on her daughter's mind.

"I should probably go check on Charlie," she said, glancing toward the backyard. She could just see the woodshed, which was low after winter. There wasn't a need to refill it yet, but she knew Charlie's go-to escapes. He'd chopped wood many times throughout the years the girls were going through PMS.

Bella's gaze broke when Edward left the dining room, and she turned her eyes on her mom.

"I'll go," Bella offered, pulling herself upright. Before Renée could object, Bella headed into the kitchen. She stopped to grope Edward's ass as he started the sink, making him jump in surprise. She grinned at him before she went to the fridge and pulled out two beers, cracked them open, then went outside to the backyard.

The sound of her father's axe hitting wood met her ears the moment the screen door creaked shut. He glanced up at her, and she held a bottle up.

"Peace offering," she called to him, climbing down the concrete steps and moving over the dry grass. Charlie huffed, but set the axe down, taking the beer.

"Thanks," he said, taking a long swig.

Bella nodded, sipping her own bottle.

"Dad…" Bella's voice died off as her dad looked at her warily. She took a breath, her gaze wandering over the still-dimming sky before traveling to her father. "I wanted to say thank you," she said, her voice slightly taught, verging on awkward. Charlie's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I mean, I know I've always had the option of coming home even though I was pretty determined not to take it," she said, looking a little sheepish. "But it means a lot to me that you would open your home to Edward's family too." She reached up, running a hand across the back of her neck, a habit she'd picked up from her fiancé. "I know it's not ideal for you, but I really appreciate it."

Charlie shifted, surprised and slightly uncomfortable with the sentiment. He would have preferred her to come out and continue to be vulgar and crass. This tenderness made him more nervous than anything else.

He opened his mouth, then shut it, at a loss for words. Finally, he took a breath before letting out a long exhale.

"They're family now," Charlie said, grudgingly admitting it out loud. "That's what you do for family."

Across the yard, his youngest daughter smiled, and for a moment, he saw her at five years old; round-faced, angelic smile, and a devilish glint in her otherwise innocent eyes.

When had his little girl grown up?

Bella lifted a thumb over her shoulder. "I should get back and help with dishes," she said, gesturing to the house. "Besides, it looks like you've got a whole forest to chop up."

Charlie glanced back at the pile of felled branches he'd been collecting all spring to chop up. He turned back to Bella, nodding.

Bella turned to head back inside, and Chalrie let out a breath. This summer wasn't going at all to plan for him, but maybe some of that was okay. After all, anything that brought his little girl back to him couldn't be all bad, could it?