A/N: Okay, I'm not doing too bad. Still on track. All good. Nothing else to report. So let's get into it.
Enjoy.
Footprints in the Sand
Chapter 25
"Bells," Jessica opens the bathroom door a crack and peeps in, passing my phone through as she does, "someone called 'stupidly handsome' just called."
"Thanks, Jess," I say with a chuckle, taking it from her without getting up from the footstool I'm sitting on.
"You all good in here?" she asks, opening the door a little wider.
"Almost done," I reply motioning to Addie's hair lathered in conditioner as she sits before me in the bath tub. "What time are we leaving?"
"About twenty minutes." Winking at Addie, Jess retreats and closes the door fully behind her.
Blushing, Addie turns her curious green eyes to me. "Bella?"
"Hmm?" I ask, continuing to massage her hair before using the plastic jug Mrs. Brandon supplied me with to rinse it.
"Who's stupidly handsome?" she asks, accommodating me and leaning her head back.
"Um, Jess read that wrong, sweetie. It really says incredibly handsome, and that's your daddy," I'm forced to improvise, as Addie giggles.
"You can ring Daddy back. I won't mind," she says sweetly, clumsily attempting to finish rinsing her hair herself, and getting water all over me as well as the bathroom floor.
"Just let me rinse you off first, okay?" I say, placing a folded washcloth over her eyes—she hates getting soap in them—as she once again leans her head back.
"'Kay."
We arrived at Alice's parent's house just after five, making great time. Luckily, we beat the peak-hour traffic, and Edward's car is an absolute dream to drive. I didn't feel a single bump in the road the entire way. Addie and I distracted ourselves from the long stretch of road by singing Disney songs, mostly Moana and Encanto, and what I quickly realized is she can really belt out a tune.
The instant we arrived though, and she realized how many people were in the house, she clammed up, clung to my sweater and wouldn't come out from behind me. Naturally, like Alice, Jessica, Angela—Alice's cousin—and Mrs. Brandon all fell immediately in love with her, but no matter how much they fawned over her, Addie wouldn't loosen up.
Until she saw Jessica's baby.
That's when Jessica had the great idea of taking a photo of Addie with four-month-old Caius, in a misguided attempt to sway Mike into agreeing to try one more time for a girl.
Addie was delighted to hold the baby, until he decided to spit up on her, and suddenly she had regurgitated breast milk all through her hair.
That's how we ended up here.
Thank heavens Edward had the foresight to pack Addie two extra changes of clothes, and after hastily drying her off, I help her into a pair of jeans, long-sleeved shirt and Gap hoodie before calling her father back.
"Hey," I say brightly over loud speaker the instant he picks up. "What's up?" I called him just after we arrived, and I'm finding it hard to believe he's this much of a neurotic parent.
"Hey, sweetheart. Listen, I left my wallet inside your apartment. You don't mind if I go in and get it?"
"Of course, I don't mind," I insist. If he decided to stay over for the night it wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I'm pretty partial to the smell of him all over my sheets.
"Hi, Daddy!" Addie pipes up.
"Hey, Tiger."
"Guess what, Daddy? Caius frew up on me," she fills him in, giggling a second time.
"...Who's Caius?" Edward asks dubiously.
"Jessica's baby," I answer. "It got in her hair—we needed to wash it."
"Ah... I remember that well," he says ruefully as I laugh lightly.
"What are you doing tonight?"
"Going out with Jay and Emmett for a few drinks. You?"
"We're heading out soon for dinner, and the rest of the night we'll know doubt be keeping Alice calm."
He chuckles, the husky sound of it turning the phone static. "Well, have fun. Oh, by the way, I'll be picking the car up tomorrow to drive it to the church, so tell Alice's parent's not to call the police or anything, thinking I'm stealing it, okay?"
"Will do," I reassure him. "Are your parents driving you down here?"
"Emmett is."
"I doubt anyone will be here—the limousine's coming for us just after three, I think—but I'll let them know."
"Thanks, sweetheart. I'd better let you go. See ya, Tiger."
"Bye, Daddy!"
"Your daddy is gorgeous," I tell Addie, as I kneel before her and tie the laces of her bright red chucks.
"Bella," she suddenly whispers, leaning close to me and cupping her hand to my ear, "you love my daddy, don't you?"
"Yes, I love your daddy," I confess against her ear in return before kissing the side of her brow quickly. "Let's braid your hair first, 'kay?" I suggest. It's still wet, and it looks like rain, and I really don't want to send her back to Edward with a chill.
"Okay," she says cheerfully, and after digging out a comb and a couple of hair bands from her toiletries bag, I quickly part her hair and begin. "Bella...?"
"Hmm?" I say as I'm tying the first Dutch braid.
"Do... you love me, too?" she asks, sounding so hopeful but uncertain that my heart comes infinitely close to breaking.
"Hey," I say softly, turning her around so she's facing me. "Addie, I love you as much as your daddy," I promise her.
Breaking into an enormous grin, she wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me to her tightly. "I love you too, Bella. As much as Daddy, too."
"Do you?" I tease her, bringing her giggles back as she nods fervently.
"Uh-huh. Where are we going for dinner?"
"It's a surprise," I reply with a wink, and taking her hand, I lead her back downstairs.
. . .
After wrangling Addie into her coat and strapping her into her booster seat, I slide into the driver's side of her father's car and follow Alice's parents only a couple of miles north to Dockside Bistro—a mostly seafood restaurant directly on the waterfront of West Bay.
We're seated at a long table by the window with views of the dock and marina, and despite the gloomy weather, it really is beautiful.
A lot of Alice's extended family are in attendance. Most I haven't seen for years, and all of whom mistake Addie for my daughter. After a while, I give up correcting them and simply smile and nod over the repeated "what a beautiful little girl you have" and "I didn't know you had a baby, Bella".
Addie, of course, thinks it's funny, and giggles to herself constantly, but with Alice beside me, I'm quickly distracted. She's in the anticipation stage of her pre-wedding emotions and is more fidgety than Addie.
She tells Addie more than once that tomorrow she's going to be Mrs. Whitlock, and therefore, related to her, while Addie only tilts her head in understandable confusion and repeats her mantra.
"Daddy's gonna marry Bella too, Alice."
"I know he is, Ads," Alice replies, pinching her cheek playfully. "I know he is."
"Don't encourage her, Alice," I murmur to her in confidence after Addie's attention is diverted by the paper coloring placemat and crayons the waitress supplied her with.
"Bells, that little girl is in tune to what's in her father's heart. You just need to go with it," she dismisses me with a playful swat of my shoulder. "Oh god, I hope I don't forget my vows tomorrow."
"Aren't you reading them?" I remind her skeptically.
"Oh... Yeah." Laughing to herself, she turns back to Addie, and leaning over me, tugs one of her braids. "Ads, you going to stay up tonight and party with us?"
"Yes, I will," Addie says without deviating her eyes from her coloring, as I only sigh pointedly.
"She'll be asleep by eight. Daddy's orders," I add just as a folded menu is placed over my shoulder before me. I open it and scan the children's meals first. "What would you like, sweetie?"
"Umm... Chicken nuggets?" Addie says after a moment of contemplating.
"I don't think they have any, but they have fish fingers."
"Okay," she happily agrees. "Do they have French fries too."
"They do."
"Bella...?" she puts to me apprehensively after a moment with a subtle blush to her cheeks.
"Hm?"
Pulling herself clumsily to her knees to mitigate the height between us, she leans against me and whispers in my ear. "Can I have Mountain Dew? You don't have to tell Daddy."
Alice of course hears and chuckles openly to herself. "It's my pre wedding dinner, Ads. Whatever you want, you can have."
"Really?" Addie says sucking in her breath, her tone going up by several decibels.
"Really," Alice insists, joining in on her enthusiasm.
"Are you aware of what Mountain Dew will do to her?" I say, quirking a very emphatic brow, but someone has to be the voice of reason.
She shrugs. "So, she'll be as hyped as me. You're not allowed to be a killjoy tonight."
I groan just barely beneath my breath and turn back to Addie with a solid compromise. "Okay, sweetie, but what if we share it?"
"Okay, Bella," she says, nodding her head in excitement, and I reconcile with it knowing Edward didn't stipulate any rules while I had her.
He trusts me with his daughter, and it means more to me than every one of his 'Bella's he texts to me.
While Mountain Dew not only gives Addie a very noticeable boost in energy, it instantly reverts her from shy and hesitant to a complete social butterfly.
After ten minutes I give up trying to keep her in her chair, and let her explore the immediate surroundings. She flits around the table, introducing herself to all of Alice's family, telling everyone about her father's impending nuptials to me, and ends up sitting on Alice's great Aunt's lap—who pulls out a long string of pocket photographs and goes through them all with her.
It gives me a moment to breathe and finish my dinner.
"I should make you run after her tonight," I tell Alice, elbowing her good-naturedly.
"The bride is absolved from all responsibility," she jokes before her tone turns somewhat serious. "Bells, you need to relax. You're more uptight than I should be."
"This is my first time with her overnight," I mumble in explanation as my gaze subconsciously finds Edward's little girl as she feeds Alice's aunt a shrimp.
I'm smiling to myself before I'm aware of it, and noticing my attention on her, Addie waves and holds up a single coin. "Bella, Aunty Mable gave me a quarter."
"Aren't you lucky, sweetie."
"See? She's fine, now have a drink, girl!" Alice says with an edge of exasperation as she thrusts a martini in my hand.
"I'm driving—Edward's car, don't forget."
"One's going to hurt?" She arches a cynical eyebrow.
"I'd rather be safe. I'll have one when we get back—after Addie's gone to sleep."
Shaking her head, Alice half rolls her eyes and blatantly tutts at me. "If this is what parenthood is all about, I think I might put it on the backburner for a few years."
"That lasted long," I say with a chuckle. "I still give you six months."
Alice is cluckier than a hen, after all.
"Well... Caius is pretty cute—despite how up-chucky he is," she admits with a cheesy grin.
"Most babies are up-chucky, Al."
"That smell though. How does any mother get used to it?" She wrinkles her nose and suddenly I'm reminded of Edward, wondering again how he did it all alone.
"And father."
She hums, her smile taking on a wistful edge. "Yeah... I can't wait to see Jay as a daddy. They say it adds so much more depth to them and you fall in love with them all over again."
"Hmm, well I can totally understand that," I say as my expression mirrors hers. I don't know what Edward was like prior to Addie, but as a father, he's absolutely edible.
"I know you can. You know what Rosalie Hale told me?" she suddenly changes course without warning, as I go notably tense.
"Please don't bring her up—oh god, what did she say?" I hate myself for wanting to know, but I do.
"She said that half the women at the office are in love with Edward, and the other half are afraid of him," she relays with a snicker.
"Have a guess which half she is?" I say dryly.
Alice's face turns momentarily blank before her mouth falls completely open, but I forgot to mention that one tidbit where Edward's soon-to-be sister in-law is concerned. "Wait... she's...?" she leaves it unspoken to scoff back her laughter. "Holy shit that explains so much."
"Doesn't it...?" I mutter, rolling my eyes, and thankfully the topic of Edward's partner is interrupted by Alice's father as he gets to his feet and raises his glass in a toast.
. . .
Just as Dessert is about to be served, Alice's Aunt dutifully returns Addie to me by her hand.
"Thank you for letting her entertain me, Isabella. She's darling—simply darling," she gushes, patting Addie's cheek gently. "She has the most beautiful eyes. She must have gotten them from your husband, dear."
"Oh... um, she did," I say, quickly reminding myself of her terrible short-term memory.
"As I told your little one, I've known Isabella since she was knee-high to a grasshopper," she informs Addie of the latter, who's expression morphs with as much confusion as curiosity.
"You have," I agree, laughing warmly to myself.
"Well, I'll let you finish your dinner in peace. It was a pleasure meeting you little Miss Adalyn," Aunt Mable says tickling Addie under the chin this time and making her giggle.
"Good bye, Aunty Mable. Thank you for showing me all your photos." Addie awkwardly offers her a hug and presses her lips to the old woman's weathered face, practically turning her to water.
She definitely has that effect on people.
"Quickly, sit down, sweetie," I encourage her, patting the empty chair beside me. "Your ice cream is coming in a moment."
Her eyes immediately light up, but instead of taking her seat, she climbs onto my lap instead.
"Look what else Aunty Mable gave me, Bella," she pipes up, pulling a handful of caramels from her pocket. "Do you want one?"
"Of course, I do," I play along, letting Addie unwrap a candy and place it to my lips. Taking it from her, I pop it into my mouth as my mind begins to conjure memories of a time when I wasn't much older than her. "Aunt Mable used to give these to me and Alice when we were little too."
"Really?"
"Really, really."
"I've never had them before," she adds, slurping loudly on hers. "They're really nice, aren't they?"
"They are, but not too many, okay?"
"Okay—guess what, Bella?" she abruptly changes the subject.
"What?"
"Aunty Mable said I shouldn't call you Bella but Mommy instead." She giggles again in sync with Alice's not-so-subtle throat clearing beside me.
. . .
I half expect Addie to fall asleep in the car on the way back to Alice's parent's house, but with Mountain Dew, choc-chip ice cream and several caramels in her system, she's a livewire of energy and not even remotely tired. Add to that left-over sugared almonds Mrs. Brandon gives her as she helps her tie them in colored tulle, and she's all but bouncing off the walls.
It's past nine when I convince her it's time for bed, but it doesn't go down well. Alice, Jessica, Angela and I are all sleeping in the living room in fold-outs, but Mrs. Brandon prepared Alice's old bedroom for Addie, and she's not keen on it in any sense of the word.
After tucking her and Gooby in and reading her a book, she suddenly gets panicky and immediately clings to me.
"I don't want to stay in here all by myself, Bella. Please stay with me!" she pleads, wrapping her arms tighter around my neck.
"Sweetie, I'll just be downstairs. You can call me anytime you need me," I promise her.
She shakes her head adamantly as her eyes well with tears. "But... Please don't leave me here."
"Sweetie..." I sigh to myself beneath my breath, but I can hardly blame her. It really is hard to sleep in a strange bed, especially when you're so little. I was exactly the same and used to cling to my father, refusing to let him out of my sight. "What if I stay with you until you fall asleep?" I suggest, feeling like an absolute monster.
She considers it for a moment, but she's reluctant, and only agrees because Addie's the type of little girl who doesn't like to disappoint you. "But what if I wake up?"
"Then I'll come straight up and get you. 'Kay?"
She nods warily, her eyes becoming enormous in her growing anxiety. "Okay..."
At her insistence, I climb under the covers with her as she immediately curls her little body against mine and grabs two very tight fistfuls of my shirt.
We chat for a few moments as I lull her to sleep by running my fingers through her hair and over her forehead. It works like a charm on her father, and for Addie it's no different. After roughly twenty minutes, her grip on me begins to slacken, and releasing one hand, she drowsily props her thumb in her mouth. I had no idea Addie's a thumb-sucker, but I take it as a good sign. After another ten minutes or so when she's fallen completely quiet, I gingerly ease myself out from beside her and tiptoe toward the door. I glance back at her before I close it as my heart completely swells; she's well and truly off to hush-a-bye Mountain and is even sweeter when asleep.
I couldn't possibly love her more even if she really were my biological daughter.
"Finally asleep?" Alice asks as I'm descending the stairs.
Jess is in the process of giving both her and Angela a pedicure, with a bottle of wine opened on the coffee table before them.
"Finally," I answer placing my finger to my lips, but I'm on tenterhooks, and if truth be told, what I really want to do is head back into the room and scoop her up into my arms. I hate the idea of her being even a couple of rooms away from me.
"I've dreamed of having a blonde little girl since I was pregnant with the boys, and this afternoon, you walked in with her," Jess says, flashing me a wry smile.
Chuckling, I sit beside Alice on the sofa, tucking my feet beneath me and taking the glass of wine she passes to me. "She's honestly the sweetest child in existence. I could eat her."
"Instead, she eats her father," Alice quips.
"Stupidly handsome?" Jess ventures, as I contemplating choking.
I laugh awkwardly instead, and am forced to explain my nickname for Edward. "Before we were seeing each other we started texting. One night he asked me what I thought of him, and I told him he was stupidly handsome. He's been teasing me over it ever since.
"It's sweet," Angela decides.
"He's sweet," I say, smiling discreetly to myself.
"Sweet?" Alice questions dubiously, elaborating for Jessica and Angela's benefit. "He's the kind of guy who, when you see him, you're not sure whether to jump him or hide from him. Bells hid from him. Behind her coffee." Snickering, she nudges me with her shoulder.
"That's because he looked like he was coming over to hurl abuse at me," I point out in my own defense.
"He looked like he was coming over to take you angrily against the wall," Alice corrects me, and I come infinitely close to letting it slip that it's exactly what he did only a couple of weeks later.
"Okay, change of subject. Angela," I turn to her, "I heard you're seeing someone new?"
"I am," she admits, blushing furiously. "Ben. He's a cop." Opening her wallet, she produces a small photo of a sandy-haired, handsome man in a police uniform.
"He's good looking, and that uniform definitely suits him," I say, with a nod of approval.
"Doesn't it?" Angela agrees.
"He's adorable. Shorter than Ang, but still adorable," Alice adds.
"Everyone's shorter than me," Angela says good-naturedly, referencing her 6'1 height.
I don't mention that Edward isn't because if I get onto the subject of him again, I won't be able to stop.
Unfortunately, Jess veers the topic back to him only a few minutes later. "Are you really getting married, Bells? Addie told everyone tonight."
"Addie's been telling everyone I'm marrying Edward ever since she figured out I was kissing her daddy." I quote with my fingers.
"Edward, coincidently, never denies it—did I tell you he's Jay's cousin?" Alice asks Jess and Angela, as they both shake their head in unison. "They make handsome men in that gene pool."
"They do," I'm forced to agree.
"My ovaries burst the first moment I saw Jay." Alice sighs and bites down on her lower lip seductively. "Those blue eyes, that smile..."
"My uterus burst with Mike. Literally and figuratively," Jess deadpans, making the four of us burst into laughter.
My phone pings, effectively cutting off my reply. Edward's sent me a text, and at first glance, it's obvious he's, at the very least, tipsy.
How's my grils? It reads, and with my grin broad, I hastily type my reply.
Your little girl is asleep. I'm fine. Hanging with Alice and the girls.
Fine? I don't liek that word, woman.
It's a very foreign thing to see Edward make typos, but I immediately decide it's a positive.
I know you don't. Having a good time?
So-so. Jay's a basekt case, but at least he's not marrying satan's spwan like I did.
So, he spills when he's drunk. I file that one away for future reference.
You okay? I ask, but I'm honestly not sure how else to respond.
I'm ok. Headign home.
Have some coffee.
Will do. See you tomorrow sweet haert.
See you, stupidly Handsome.
Belal.
I break into laughter, realizing three pairs of eyes are all gauging me closely.
"She can go hours with him," Alice teases me.
"He might be a tad drunk," I say, switching my phone to silent and stuffing it inside my purse.
"God, I hope Jay's not overdoing it," Alice says gravely. "The other night I had a nightmare that he was hungover at the wedding and puked all over my dress."
"I'm sure he's fine," I tell her, as Angela muffles her reaction beneath her breath.
"I think you dreamed of my wedding, Al," Jess says drolly. "Okay, who's next. Bells?"
Jessica's a beauty technician by trade, and after she gives the three of us manipedis, she moves onto facials. Alice is first, naturally, and as we fuss over and pamper her, Addie's tearful voice suddenly hollers out my name.
"Well, she lasted an hour," Alice mumbles behind her face mask as I'm up and out of my seat in an instant and racing toward the stairs.
"Hey," I utter, my voice flooding with concern as I open the door and flip on the light. "Sweetie..."
She's sitting up on the bed with tears streaming down her cheeks and her chest hopelessly shuddering with each intake of air. "Be-Bella," she stammers, holding both arms out to me, "I-I d-don't l-like it h-here. Can I p-please sl-sleep with y-you?"
"Of course you can," I assure her, taking her in my arms and rocking her gently back and forth. "There's nothing to get so upset about, silly," I soothe her, wiping her hair behind her ears and out of her eyes.
She only hiccups and presses her face further into my chest, hanging onto me for dear life.
She's really worked herself into a state, and I can't budge her an inch until she begins to calm down.
"Do you want to hang out with me, Alice, Jess and Angela downstairs?" I offer, cupping my hands to her face and inching her back to see her daddy's beautiful, clear green eyes all red and puffy.
She nods, and clumsily wipes away several stray strands of hair. "Will Alice be mad?" she asks innocently
"Why would she be mad? You're her favorite little girl in the whole world."
She almost cracks a smile, and getting to my feet with her propped on my hip, I carry her from the room.
I'm not exactly happy with the presence of alcohol in front of her, but being the night before Alice's wedding, I make a very rare exception. Addie doesn't appear to pay a lot of attention either way. She's more fascinated by Jess as she nurses her baby.
"Do you want to see, honey?" Jessica offers, motioning for her to come closer.
Addie nods eagerly, and scoots over to get a look at the logistics of it all, and all I can think is how the hell am I going to explain this to her father.
"Does your boobies do that, Bella?" she asks as Alice nearly snorts wine through her nose.
"Not yet, sweetie. I'd have to have a baby like Jess," I answer, struggling to hold back my laughter.
"I want to have a baby brother like Caius," she decides, letting him wrap his fingers around her thumb, and behind his mother's nipple, he flashes Addie a gummy smile.
"Maybe you should ask Santa, Ads," Is Alice's suggestion.
"Uh-huh." Addie nods her head in full agreement. "I told daddy, and you know what he said?"
"What did he say?" I prompt her, more curious than I'm willing to admit.
"He said, 'you're giving me grey hair here, kid'." She does her famous Edward imitation as we all laugh easily in response.
"Okay, I definitely need one of these," Jess concludes, running her fingers through Addie's long hair.
I untied her braids before she went to bed. I don't want her hair crimped tomorrow; she's having it curled.
Addie is the distraction Alice needs. She keeps us so entertained Alice's pre-wedding jitters don't even get a chance to set in. Alice gives her a glass of warm milk in an identical wine glass, as we include her in the facials, paint her toe and finger nails light pink, and let Jessica live vicariously through her as she continues to play with her hair.
She lasts barely an hour before she tires again, though, and crawling onto my lap, she snuggles into my embrace as we all settle down to watch Alice's favorite romcom.
Five minutes later, she's completely out cold. I decide not to disturb her further by moving her to the fold-out bed, and leave her to sleep in my arms.
"Bells..." Jessica whispers, a warm knowing smile pulling wide on her lips as I realize she's cradling her baby almost identically.
I only raise my eyebrows in silent question.
"You're a mommy."
A/N: Yay? Nay? Leave me a review, or lurk if you want. You know your poison.