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Chapter 147


Jake


"Oh, come on, Mom. You know how fast Dad is!", I smiled encouragingly at Mom and winked at her.

"I'm sure he and Leah will have found Emma by now!" agreed Marcus.

Mom nodded as she tried to appear calm. She wasn't particularly successful now.

"Yes. I know you're right! I worry too much," she admitted, managing a smile.

Charlie was also sitting with us again, waiting for things to come.

None of us were really worried. Well, except Charlie a little bit, who was not quite familiar with the circumstances. And just Mom. I mean, Emma was just three. How far would she walk into the forest? And how fast were Leah and Dad against it? The punishment lecture from her parents would last longer than that she would be sought by Dad!

I went to the kitchen and got something to drink.

Charlie followed conspicuously unobtrusive.

"Jake ... Can I ask you something?" he began cautiously.

I rolled my eyes in advance.

"You want to know why we call Edward Dad!", I stated bored and actually annoyed.

"How do you know that?" he asked, surprised.

"Because pretty much everyone asks that!" I indicated. I wonder how many times we'd have to explain that to someone? "So, Charlie. We call Edward Dad because that's what he is to us. We see the huge age difference, but we don't feel it. Edward may be in the body of a seventeen-year-old, but that's not how he acts. He loves Mom in a way I can't explain, but beyond that, he cares for us. We love him like a father. And he us!"

"And what exactly is the danger about?" he then asked a little more pointedly.

"Leah and I are something other than Edward and his family. Strictly speaking, we are their natural enemies, and we should ... Forget it. That goes into too much detail. You should just know that this danger doesn't play a role in this house - or rather in our big family!" I assured him.

Charlie nodded - somewhat displeased.

I chuckled.

He was displeased because I refused details.

We went back to the others again.

Mom already looked a little more reassured after Becky quietly said they probably couldn't run back with Emma as fast as they actually could.

She was right about that, of course. They would walk back in dawdling human slowness. They would also only be able to search slowly for the last - I don't know, a hundred meters or so. Not that Emma noticed anything else supernatural. Besides, Dad's cell phone was on the table in front of Mom. So he couldn't inform her either.

I just arrived back at the table and was about to hand Mom the little bottle of water when I suddenly felt strange.

Everything was strangely numb. The bottle slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor. Sounds reached me only dully. My vision was blurred.

I put a hand to my head.

What was going on now?

"Ahh ...!" I uttered, as a beastly stab went through my heart, as if it was going to be split in two. But worse was the unspeakable burning in my lungs. There was a painful scratching in my throat. As if I had no more air to breathe.

I narrowed my eyes and fell to my knees. I was still looking for support with one arm, while the other one braced itself against my chest.

"JAKE!", I heard in several voices.

But the agony of my body no longer allowed me to think and distinguish the voices. It was hardly bearable.

'Jake!' I heard again.

Far away. Unreal. As if engulfed by thick fog. As in a dream. And yet the voice had been inside me. In my head. In my heart. Inaudible to others. But as suddenly as all the pain had come, it had disappeared again.

"Leah!" I replied to that last voice, which I definitely recognized. No other voice was as familiar to me as my twin sister's. Not even Becky's or Mom's.

"What about Leah!" was rudely shaken at me.

I opened my eyes again and realized that I was lying on the floor.

Marcus knelt beside me. He looked at me. Angry and attentive at the same time. Behind him, Mom was sitting on a chair. Her hands placed anxiously in front of her mouth. Becky, my star, helpless behind, with a questioning look. Charlie on the edge of my gaze. Confused.

"I don't know," I mumbled as Marcus helped me stand up.

I shook my head, trying to think clearly again.

Something was wrong, but I didn't know what. That my sister somehow supernaturally called for me, however that was possible, could not mean anything good. I had to go to her. Immediately ... But not alone. Possibly Emma had not yet been found or had seen something that she was not supposed to witness.

"Come with me!" was all I said, turning to the terrace and tearing at Marcus' shirt at the same time.

We quickly ran across the lawn and jumped over the low fence.

No time to open the little door. We were running for our lives.

Marcus asked what was going on, but I didn't know.

I looked behind me, no more window to see and I phased. Nimbly Marcus pulled himself onto my back and we ran through the forest.

As quickly as I could justify it with passenger. I did not hear my sister. Not really. A dull faint throb. Nothing else. I had never felt Leah like this before. Either there was nothing because she wasn't a wolf right now, or I felt everything from her as if I were in her place. But this barely perceptible throbbing frightened me.

I ran cross-country through the woods, getting closer and closer to the throbbing, but nothing changed in volume or clarity.

I wasn't far from Leah when I heard something.

A good two hundred meters to my left. A delicate and sensitive whining.

I changed the direction.

Emma! All alone! She walked back and forth nervously and trembling. She was crying bitterly. She looked as if she was incredibly afraid. And as aimlessly as she wandered, she probably didn't know how to get home.

At a safe distance, I stopped and phased back.

Marcus had now noticed her, too.

"Bring her back!" was all I said, and I already started moving again as a wolf.

I continued to follow the faint beat.

Not particularly far. Then the blood in my veins froze to ice!

It could not be true! It simply was not allowed to be true! Leah, lying on the floor as if dead and not moving a millimeter. Dad was kneeling at her side. He looked even more dead than he already was. Desperate. Marked by torment. Broken. Cardiac massage. Incessant. Regular pressure on the sternum, briefly interrupted by ventilation attempts. And the continuously weakening throbbing was the heart of my twin sister.

"Leah! ... Stay with me! ... I'm sorry! ..." Dad muttered steadily to himself.

In a trembling voice.

Edward went on and on.

He refused to allow her heart to leave his service. He did not want to let her go.

With difficulty, I dragged myself toward them.

The ice in my veins seemed to weigh tons. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes, which veiled my vision. My heart stopped and an inner emptiness overcame me. I felt how a part of me was approaching death and would be lost forever.

But I came closer to Leah.

When I reached her, I phased back. I took her hand, but was unable to say anything. I didn't realize how much time passed, but I stroked and squeezed Leah's warm hand while I just sat by her side and blubbered to myself.

"You can't leave me alone!" I demanded through choking tears.

I pulled her hand to my lips, kissed it, and leaned against it with my eyes closed.

A life without Leah? That was not possible at all!

My fingers twitched barely noticeably around Leah's hand, which I continued to place against my face.

I didn't want to let her go. Not to give up on my sister ... No ... Those were not mine!

I wrenched my eyes open again.

It was her! Leah twitched. With her fingers on my face.

Involuntarily, I put a hand on her heart.

Leah burned! From the inside!

I blinked the tears from my eyes.

Her pulse, so damn weak, stumbled. And became stronger again.

Edward noticed it too and ceased his attempts at resuscitation.

For a moment we looked at each other.

Full of hope!

"Leah!", I whispered and put my hands to her cheeks. No response. But her heart was beating. Under its own power. More and more violently.

Out of nowhere, Leah snapped her eyes open and gasped for air.

After so much of it, that she coughed.

I helped my sister turn onto her side and then sit up a bit, since lying on her side was probably not enough for her. She didn't stop coughing, but she wrapped her arms around me in search of support. While I hugged her tightly with relief, I looked at Dad. He didn't move.

The joy of Leah being alive after all was all too clear in his eyes. If I didn't know better, I would say that he was on the verge of crying with joy. But otherwise, there was still dismay written all over his face. Together with unbelievable feelings of guilt. Everything about him seemed tense. Similar to the morning before school when I had shown him my memories. To torture him! What the hell had happened here? Why had Leah almost died? Why was she calling me for help? How had she even done that?

"It was my fault!" whimpered Dad so softly that I barely understood it.

Leah squirmed a little out of my arms.

"No!" she objected, as violently as her subsiding cough would allow. "I underestimated you and held back too much!"

"Don't start like your mother, who always looks to herself for guilt, too!" retorted Dad powerlessly. "I alone bear the responsibility for this! And it's unforgivable!"

"If anyone is to blame here, it's me, because it was my idea!" countered Leah.

"Can you please enlighten me!" I demanded in between.

Leah took a deep breath after her cough finally passed for the most part.

"We didn't find Emma. We were almost through the woods to the back where the little creek is where you once fell in with Bran," Leah said.

"Emma couldn't have walked that far in that time!" I marveled.

"That's why I told Dad to hunt her down so we could find her," Leah explained, and I looked at Edward in shock.

I guessed what that meant and drew in the air sharply between my teeth.

We had once seen him while hunting. Experienced how he functioned under his primal instincts. It was scary, although he had said at the time that he was not completely caught up in his urges. There was always the possibility that a hiker or hunter would cross his path. In this respect, the vampires of our family never completely surrendered to their senses. But if he had now exhausted everything out of fear for Emma, he had possibly gone after Leah himself, although our blood was very repulsive according to unanimous - vampiric - opinion. Or Leah had got in his way when he had smelled Emma.

Dad virtually confirmed my suspicions.

He hid his face in his hands, stood up and turned away from us. He looked so guilt-ridden and could no longer look us in the eyes.

"It was all my fault," Leah looked up at me in my arms. With a look like she was begging me to apologize. "I didn't mean to accidentally kill Dad."

I smiled weakly.

I could imagine that very well. Not only was Dad a bestial predator when he hunted. We were too. I probably wouldn't have given it my all either. In a real fight to the death - and nothing else seemed to have taken place here earlier - I wouldn't be able to do anything to my dad. I loved him far too much for that!

"I don't deserve your love!" I heard Dad mutter weakly to himself.

Leah was about to get up.

It looked a little strange, so awkward, so I helped her.

With an angry face, she stomped - it was more like a careful toddling - toward Edward.

"Now get off your theatrical high horse again!" she cursed and stood in front of him. She took his face in her hands and gave him a truly evil glare. "What you have done is your nature. A nature that you continually suppress so as not to harm any of us. I have counted on the fact that in this state you absolutely don't get anything anymore, except for the blood, which you have purposefully followed. And that you consider absolutely everyone as an enemy in this situation. Also me. I was fully aware of this danger. That is the only reason I told you to hunt Emma. I just didn't expect it to be so hard for me to hold you back. But that's not your fault! I was too squeamish. Because I didn't want to hurt you. And you won't disappear either, in case you should have had the wacky idea again that you are a danger to us and have to stay away from us in order to protect us! Don't even think about it! We'll get you back. By force, if we have to. Because we love you, Dad!" Leah spoke in one go, talking herself into such a rage that she couldn't breathe.

As I agreed with every word, from the beginning to the last, in the meantime I was standing next to my sister.

I held her a little while she struggled for fresh air. But we faced Dad with equal determination.

"You stay!" I confirmed afterwards. We were not ready to give up what we had. Our family. Who cared about such a small insignificant slip?

Dad looked at us in turn for a long time while he put a hand to each of our cheeks.

You could literally watch how it worked inside him.

Until we simply embraced him together.

Whatever he had been thinking about, he seemed to capitulate.

He nodded between our heads.

"And we'll keep what just happened here to ourselves! It's nobody's business! Not Becky, not Marcus, and certainly not Mom!" Leah dissolved our hug.

"I can't lie to Bella!" insisted Dad, though, looking so beat up and guilt-ridden again.

"Mom would just get unnecessarily upset about it. She might have a nervous breakdown or lose the baby from distress ... You don't want that!" Leah asked warily.

Dad's eyes widened before he let his head hang.

"No!" Edward shook his head defeatedly.

"Besides, what's actually happened already? You just attacked me instinctively and what's left of it? Nothing. I'm fine. Why should we scare Mom with what could have happened? Nothing happened!" Leah said with conviction. "That means you absolutely have to take off that grumpy expression before we get home! Otherwise, Mom will know right away what's going on!" the daughter reprimanded her father with a sternly raised index finger and then chuckled.

Like me.

Strange situation, if you thought about it. The daughter was a little bigger and a little older, added at the moment also naked, but issued strict orders.

This also finally made Dad smirk a little again.

"You are impossible. Like your mother!" he murmured and received a kiss on the cheek from Leah.

"Um ... I hate to ruin this idea, but we have to say something at home," I just remembered.

"Why?" shrugged Leah.

"They know something wasn't right. I felt a part of me die," I explained, looking at Leah. "It came so suddenly, so without warning, and so violently. I collapsed under the pain. I didn't know what was going on, but you called out to me ... How did you do it?"

"You always hear me," was all she said.

"But not as a human!" I corrected.

She looked at me with wide eyes. And had no explanation for it.

"You are connected to each other. You are siblings, twins and wolves. But I think the crucial point might be that you are alpha animals beyond that. Namely, together! You are one!", Dad expressed a guess.

I just nodded, undecided whether it could be because of that. But it was logical somewhere. Leah and I had never been like normal siblings. Or even normal twins. I had once read that many twins - even in our different-sex constellation - suffered from the fact that they were only perceived as a pair, but never as individual personalities. Leah and I had never thought about such things. We were always one.

Dad smiled soulfully.

"Even now you're thinking of the same thing," he announced, and the contented pair of twins hugged each other, laughing.

"Emma!" suddenly cried Leah.

Oops ... I hadn't even mentioned that yet.

"I found her on the way and Marcus brought her home," I said immediately.

The two sighed in reassurance.

We ran back, whereby I carried Leah on my back.

Dad forbade her the transformation. They had briefly snapped at each other to make this clear.

We already recognized the houses between the trees when we saw Marcus even go the last meters together with Emma.

We stayed behind so Emma wouldn't notice us.

After all, we had no explanation why Leah and I had gone looking for her completely unclothed.

But I smiled reassured.

Emma was wearing Marcus' sweater, in which she was practically drowning. Instead, my future brother-in-law was shivering from the cold while he had her in his arms. And she got from him explained in detail that she should never again run alone in the forest without telling someone. No matter how many sweet, cute fawns she would see, which she had carelessly run after to pet them!

Typical Emma! I thought.

We also saw David and Sonya, who promptly rushed across the patio toward the two of them as soon as they were in sight.

Dad went to them, but I ran home with Leah.

Mom must have been pretty nervous, to put it innocuously.

Becky was already waiting for us at the edge of the forest with our bathrobes. She looked very relieved when she saw us and smiled, but I saw the slightly reddened eyes of my star.

I hadn't even thought about what Becky could have gotten scared of because of my rather hasty departure. If Becky already had such red eyes, what would Mom look like? But the fear was not for me.

Before Leah could take the handed robe, Becky first took her in her arms and Leah said everything was fine.

"You came here on Jake's back!" my star stated skeptically.

"But don't tell Mom," I winked at her.

"She'd just get unnecessarily upset," Leah followed up.

Becky nodded understandingly and then jumped into my arms. Quickly we went inside.


"Leah! Jake! What the heck was going on?" Mom jumped out of her chair excitedly. "Where are Marcus and Edward?"

"Why are you coming back without your clothes?" asked Charlie, confused.

"Those are details you don't even want to know!" I stated with a smile and motioned for him to follow me.

As we had agreed on the way back. Leah would tell Mom the truth to some extent, since we found no other explanation for my breakdown. Something pretty heavy must have happened, because otherwise I wouldn't have noticed it without being a wolf. However, she would put the serious fight in the bloodlust as merely an intuitive defensive reaction by Dad in which she was injured, whereupon Dad's hunting instinct was ended.

I went up to my room with Charlie.

I had to get dressed again.

"Charlie. No matter what questionable situations you witness here, you should not question them if possible. We would only lie to you, which we don't really want to do. Also, you shouldn't worry too much about it yourself ..." I said calmly while getting dressed.

"So you're telling your mother the truth right now that you're trying to keep from me!" he stated to himself.

I smiled affirmatively.

That Mom should never know the full truth, we agreed on that. But my grandpa didn't need to know that.

"Are you hurt?" he asked after a moment, pointing at my hands.

"No, no. I just scraped my skin a little on some trees," I waved it off. You could barely see anything more of the typical small tears. Only here and there a small droplet of blood, which spread over a large area.

"And you found Emily?" he asked as well.

"Emma," I improved on him. He didn't know our little tomboy yet, after all. "Yes. When she wanted to come over, she saw a fawn and ran after it," I laughed.

I was dressed again, had washed my hands, and heard from downstairs that Marcus and Dad were back, too.

And that Dad apologized to Mom for his attack on Leah. Mom, of course, reacted exactly as we had imagined. She didn't blame him at all, and he should stop asking for forgiveness. He had only defended himself instinctively, which Leah had expected. I wondered if Mom would be so nonchalant if Leah hadn't woken up again. I doubted it!

"And you get in a hot bathtub on the spot!" I heard Dad say as I walked back down the stairs with Charlie.

"He meant him, not you!" I stated chuckling as Marcus approached me. With Leah on his hips, who still had only the bathrobe on. Makeshift.

"I'm just showing him the way," my little sis defended herself meekly.

I wished them a good time and thought about where I could escape inconspicuously so that I wouldn't have to listen to this. Garage!, came to my mind. It would not be far enough away, but I would at least be distracted. First, however, I was hungry. The last hour was a bit nerve-wracking.

We didn't change anything about our plans for the day, only everything was moved to us, so Leah didn't phase today.

So Jazz joined us and strolled through the woods with Becky while they chatted about God and the world. Rosie also came over and retired to her room with Leah and a laptop. Marcus was cleaning his bus in the garage. Mom picked out pictures with Charlie and put them directly into the frames. Dad insisted explicitly and unequivocally that Charlie would hammer the nails into the wall for this! Mom stuck her tongue out at him in return.

And with Dad, I went to the garage.

To my Harley. I didn't give a shit - when or if at all - we would finish it. I just really enjoyed working on it with my dad.


When Carlisle and Esmé came in the early afternoon, we went in with them.

We were curious about Charlie's face, and it was really top! Pale, widened eyes, open mouth, dry swallowing, speechless. Although he had known that the two had not changed. He had looked like that when Jazz and Rosie had arrived, but he had only seen them arrive in the corner of his eye.

We took care of cleaning the Audi and the BMW, after Rosie had driven away with our girls and Jazz ran home. We did not want to disturb the adults talking among themselves and had nothing better to do anyway.

Later, I stood in my room while next door the girls were getting ready for the restaurant.

Marcus had already finished and was waiting downstairs.

I was dressed too, but I packed another bag for Becky and me.

Underwear, our things from the bathroom, normal clothes. Normal, because we had pretty fancy clothes on. I wore my Armani suit. Without a tie, but with my Chucks that matched the shirt. I looked around again. Anything forgotten?

In response to my unspoken question, there was a knock.

Dad.

"What did I forget?" I asked, chuckling. No idea if he might really be here just for that.

He smirked.

"I want to become a father shortly. Not a grandfather!"

My hand slapped against my forehead.

Condoms. I had actually forgotten those.

I took the three steps to the nightstand, took out an undetermined number and threw them in my pocket.

Now Dad was chuckling.

But ...

"Would it be that bad?" I asked.

He looked at me significantly.

Not angry, disappointed, or even serious. Only as if it was important what he wanted to say.

"Basically, no. No one would blame you and everyone would be happy about it. Also Bella and I ... But you are still young. None of us want you to lose a precious part of your youth while you are still so young. No one can give you back this lightheartedness. You still have a few years to grow up and you should enjoy that time. Without the responsibility of being parents carried on your shoulders."

"Thanks, Dad," I said, for lack of anything better to say. It was kind of reassuring, should Becky and I really ever not pay attention, that our parents would still stand behind us without judging us.

"Weren't you already aware of that?" he asked me.

"Yes, actually, I was," I admitted. "But that's not why you came up, is it?"

No, it wasn't, but he just wanted to tell me that the hotel already had his credit card. I should accept the bill tomorrow in silence. And without looking at it. Best I should tear it up directly and throw it away.

"What did it cost you to get a table on such short notice?" I asked curiously.

"Absolutely nothing," he tried to make me believe.

Very skeptically, I raised an eyebrow.

"... When one compares it with what you are worth to me!" he then added after all, smiling.

I hugged my father.

What did this morning's little excitement mean as long as he was just there!

He pulled my shirt collar into place and tugged at the jacket.

"Maybe we should upgrade your wardrobe a bit when you get a chance, so you don't have to wear the same suit every time you take Becky out in an elegant way. Even if it's not really your style, that's how it dresses you. You look fabulous. Really imposing," he meant.

"Imposing?" I laughed. "It's about time you finally arrived in this century!"

I took the bag, and we went downstairs.

I chuckled as we arrived in the living room.

Mom was sitting on the sofa, hiding her face in her hands, and just ashamed to death.

Okay, the term was perhaps a touch too much black humor today.

Carlisle and Esmé, who were still there, on the other hand, smirked to themselves.

Charlie just tried to make it clear to Marcus very eloquently and in best 'Chief Swan' fashion how to behave if he wanted to date HIS granddaughter. If he heard any complaints, disrespected Leah, broke her heart or anything else, he would regret it. For the rest of his life!

Marcus was quite unimpressed.

Sure. The threat of Dad and me from a few days ago at night in the kitchen had been much more effective. But how useless Charlie's warning was, he would soon realize himself. Leah would freak out when she saw Marcus. With black suit trousers and a rolled-up white shirt with a dark red tie, he wore one of those new-fangled double vests. Like the normal vests that went with some suits. With deep V-neck, buttoned, in dark gray. Over it, however, no jacket, but another black vest, which was held together in the front only by a small chain. Besides, he hadn't shaved yesterday. Leah was totally into this three-day beard, which denied him any innocence or childishness. He looked impressively handsome. And as if he basically had a clue about all things of this earth.

"You don't look any different," Dad whispered to me.

I dared - as a blanket rule - to doubt that. Even just that with the beard, I couldn't get it right. I was Native American. Native Americans had no body hair worth mentioning. Granted, on my upper body it was really convenient. But I was forced, since I was only half Native American, to actually shave every day. Because the few stubbles I had on my face just looked ridiculous. Thanks for that, Mom!

Then I heard something from above.

I freed Marcus from Charlie's constraints and pulled him toward the stairs.

Wow ...

Now it was clear to me where the girls were earlier. And why Rosie was still there. Leah and Becky looked just fabulous. I knew I would never be able to tell what Becky was wearing that night. But I would never forget what she looked like. Simply gorgeous. A new long dress. Light blue, matching my shirt. In jewelry she wore only my necklace. Subtle make-up accentuated her own sapphires. Her long hair swayed in soft waves with each step, framing her face and cleavage. Leah, by the way, was wearing a dark red dress, but I was less interested in her right now.

Completely blown away, I put my hands to Becky's cheeks and kissed her soulfully as she arrived on the bottom step of the stairs.

I just couldn't quite believe that this perfect creature belonged to me.

It took a while until we were listening to the clearing of throats or coughs in the background.

Mom, who somehow looked completely touched, insisted that Dad take pictures.

We gave Mom another kiss goodbye.

"Do we need to let you know that we won't be back until tomorrow?", I then stood in front of Edward.

He rolled his eyes in amusement before giving us each a kiss on the forehead and wishing us a good time.


We drove together in the Audi; I steered the car.

'Ocean Park' was right on the beach in Ocean Park. People came, even from Boston, just to eat here.

We marveled.

Actually, we could hardly get out of our astonishment. The owner of the establishment greeted us personally and gave us an equally personal tour of the restaurant after our overnight bags were taken from us and taken to our rooms.

My God, this was distinguished here. Fortunately, we were dressed appropriately.

He led us into a winter garden.

A rather large room that was all ours? It seemed so. A round table for four people in the middle. There were candles on the sides. A pianist sat at a piano, next to him stood a violinist. Discreetly in the background. Three sides of the room were completely made of glass, and we saw the gloomy, roaring sea. The ceiling was also made of glass and offered us an only slightly cloudy, starry sky. Wow ... Just wow ...

During the meal, we understood why people did not shy away from a car ride of several hours. It tasted fantastic. Six different courses and the right wine for each. Too little to get really drunk, but that was not the point.

We even drank water in between to bring the alcohol level down again.

A young waitress showed us how to cut up a lobster with perfect form, without half of it landing on the floor.

Stimulating and fun conversations. Not nearly enough kisses, but we would make up for that later.

Becky even sat at the piano herself at one point and played our song.

Marcus tried to dance with Leah.

Well, unlike us, he could actually dance a little. The classical stuff, with fixed steps and all that. A perfect evening. Just the four of us!

It was only half past ten when we finished dessert and were about to retire to our rooms.

Again, the boss came personally to show us the way. It went to the fifth floor.

The top floor. Only a few doors led off the hallway. Arriving at a door, Marcus was handed a key. In fact, a real key, not a card, as was common in many hotels these days.

"Behave yourselves!" I smirked.

"Would never occur to me!", I received back in the same way.

I could still hear Leah and Marcus marveling before the door slammed shut behind them.

We moved on down the hall. Until the next door.

I was already puzzled in advance.

The doors were quite far apart - for hotel rooms.

I was handed the key and the owner immediately withdrew.

I smiled at Becky as I tensely turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open ...

Okay. That one had marveled next door first, I understood now.

The room was huge. Everything in bright colors and lit beautifully and atmospherically by lamps that looked like candles. Soft music was playing. In the middle was a little table, on which stood a champagne cooler with two glasses. And we were looking at a window front where the ocean could be seen.

But there was no bed?

We went further into the room. On the left was a wide passage to the bedroom with a gigantic bed. On a couch in front of it was our bag. Adjacent to it was a bathroom, also with windows, instead of a wall facing the water. And a jacuzzi embedded in the floor.

"Edward is really the shit!" said Becky, completely gobsmacked.

I just nodded.

I didn't necessarily realize at that moment that Becky could barely hear my nod.

She turned to me in my arms. She looked up at me in love.

In love and demanding.

"If Dad has already spent so much money on us to give us a perfect evening, then we should use everything we have to make it perfect!" I purred.

I turned on the hot tub water.

It would take some time until it was full. So I let myself take a very long time to undress my sparkling star ...

And it turned out to be the perfect night! Several times. A long night. Very long.


When I woke up the next morning, Becky was still asleep, and I pondered my life.

Everything was perfect. I had great parents. A beloved sister. An almost brother-in-law who was more like a brother. And as an absolute crowning glory, Becky lay in my arms. Her head on my shoulder, with her face against my neck. Her arms rested against my torso. One leg over my hip. I was completely happy! I had no idea what time it might be, but I didn't care. The sun was shining and was apparently already high in the sky. Well, for winter conditions just high. We could order breakfast until noon, if I wasn't mistaken. Maybe I should take a look at the clock then.

Without waking Becky, I reached my cell phone.

The clock already showed eleven o'clock.

And a message from Dad in our family chat. Just the little chat … from Mom, Dad, Leah, and me.

Good morning.

I hope the evening was to your satisfaction.

Since we don't know when you guys will be showing your faces, we just wanted to let you know that we are about to pick up Sue at the airport and then head over to Carlisle.

Have still much fun!

I took a picture with my cell phone.

Becky's and my legs on the huge bed with this incredible view from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind. Blue sky, just a few scattered little cotton ball clouds. The sun glistened on the waves in the ocean.

Your message could not be received in Paradise. The subscriber cannot be reached until further notice.

I wrote in addition.

I saw that Leah was also typing and waited.

She sent a similar picture, only with her it was the arms.

I miss the morning coffee service in Paradise.

Paradise has room service! ;-)

came back from Dad.

And a connecting door between your rooms so you can have breakfast together if you want.

still came after.

Leah wrote me directly that she would then make the kitchen get a move on.

I chuckled and threw the phone behind me again.

Time to wake up my star.

Tenderly I let a hand run over Becky's body. Starting at her ankle. With gentle pressure it went over her thigh and her crisp buttocks.

She sighed.

At her hip I pulled her a little more against me. Then further over the graceful back. Until I arrived at her cheek, pushed her head back a little and kissed her gently on the lips.

I wanted to wake up next to Becky every morning. To repeat this every morning. Let the blue sapphires sparkle at me joyfully every morning.

"Good morning," she sighed dreamily and snuggled closer to me.

"Good morning, my star," I replied, kissing her again on the forehead. "Leah is ordering breakfast for us," I added.

"Then I guess we'll have to get up," she sighed anew. This time disappointed.

I said two things:Room service and connecting door.

"So we still have time then," Becky stated enthusiastically, rolling over me and kissing me stunningly.

Nevertheless, she left the bed much too quickly and ran to the bathroom.

Sometimes this humanity was so superfluous, I thought in a huff as I followed shortly after.

We washed up, brushed our teeth, and got dressed a bit before looking for the connecting door between our rooms.

I didn't notice any yesterday, but I didn't look for them either. It was hiding behind a curtain.

I knocked.

Who knows what my little sis was doing right now.

No reaction.

So I opened and stood in a passageway.

Another door.

This was then opened just as I was about to knock.

"Welcome," Marcus grinned at us, seemingly on his way to get us.

A bellboy had brought our breakfast.

I looked around for a moment.

No, that was more like several bellhops. No fewer than six serving trolleys stood around a table.

"What all did you order?" asked Becky in shock.

"All of it?!" replied Leah dryly, as if that were surely a completely superfluous question.

Marcus was only slightly inferior to us wolves as far as hunger was concerned. So at some point all the carts were empty.

"Doesn't the cleaning staff come at some point in hotels?" asked Marcus.

"I guess Dad made sure no one bothered us," Leah replied.

"Well, honestly. With a 'Thank you, Dad!' it's really not done anymore," I stated.

The others nodded.

"But what can we do? How can we thank Edward properly?" asked Becky to the group.

But no one had an idea. Dad had everything he needed or wanted.

Noon was over by now and since we just couldn't think of anything to say on the matter, we decided to leave for home so slowly.

"Shall we say downstairs in half an hour?" I asked.

"Better make that two hours," mumbled Marcus, who had Leah on his lap, who was already thoroughly engaged with his lips.

"Okay," was all I said, and I pushed Becky back kissing into our room after she gave me a prompting, seductive look.


Two hours was a bit tight considering we hadn't showered yet, but somehow we managed.

As instructed, I accepted the bill silently and didn't look at the folded paper.

We waited outside the entrance for our car to be brought while I tore up the paper. To my left was a trash can into which I threw the shreds when a gust of wind came.

Of course, exact the snippet between the four of us had to land on the ground with the final amount printed on it.

Speechless - and without moving - we stared at the piece of paper.

$10,000.


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