I don't own twilight. What I own is my character's behavior, personality, background, and plot of my story.
Author's Note at the end
They walk down the stairs together slowly. Cece holds his hand as she jumps down the stairs. Once they reach the landing she drags him to the kitchen because she is hungry. They both raid the kitchen together since he is hungry too. Finally, each one of them settles for an apple and a banana. He tries to persuade her to have cake with him, but she lectures him on his sugar level.
The daughter of Bella, Cece is.
He sets to work and cuts the apples and bananas into pieces and places each of them on a plate then they sit to eat them which is how Bella and Marco find them, "Look who told us that she isn't hungry in the car and is now eating," Bella tells her as she bends forward and kisses her forehead her eyes boring into his as she does so.
"Thank you for cutting the fruits for her," She tells him then and plays with her daughter's hair as she stares him in the eyes. He isn't sure why she is staring at him and ends up cutting eye contact with her and turning to the bowl of fruits in front of him.
"I tried to get her to have a cake with me but someone follows after Miss Health freak."
"She is not a health freak. She simply cares," Marco tells him with his tone having a noticeable edge to it. Suddenly, Edward realizes just how much physically intimidating Marco is.
Raising his hands, Edward says, "Hey man. It was a joke. I didn't mean anything by it."
Bella strokes the back of his hands and that does the trick as he slowly starts to relax which is in perfect time as Cece chooses then to turn to her parents and say, "I had to teach Edward that cake is not good for his sugar level like you teached me. Didn't his mummy teach him that?"
Bella tucks Cece's hair behind her ear as she tells her, "taught sweetie, not teached, and Edward mummy taught him many things but he refuses to listen," she finishes looking him in the eye. It's clear that they are no longer talking about cake.
Cece turns to him and tells him, "Eddie listen to your mummy. Mummies know best."
He tears his eyes away from Bella to look at Cece and clears his throat as he tells her, "I will sweetie."
Suddenly he feels his throat dry up and he goes to the fridge and takes out a bottle of water. Bella has told him many things since she has returned. She has delivered many underhanded insults at him, gut wrenching ones, if you ask anyone. Her words were simple, not the cruelest things he has heard.
She said more hurtful things to him when they were dating, yet this simple statement has been by far the most painful one.
Maybe it's because it's inarguably true. Maybe because despite its simplicity, it hits the nail in the coffin. Maybe it's that her statement summed him up. Maybe because it reminded him of all the heartache he caused his mum.
In retrospect, he will realize that this moment will mark a shift in her attitude towards him, especially with what is about to happen.
He turns away from the window. Starting through it won't change anything. They woke up to find themselves snowed in. There is no way for them to leave tomorrow. Even if they shoveled the snow off their cars, it would be impossible to drive them on the roads. They have no option but to miss work on Monday.
"I don't understand why you are so bothered by it. Who says no to an extra weekend day?" Tanya asks as she thumbs through her clothes. Why both she and Bella make a habit to pack for a week when it's only a weekend is beyond him.
He noticed Bella's luggage. Against his better judgment, he still notices such small things about her.
"Maybe because not all of us work for daddy dearest," he snaps back. He regrets it immediately. He shouldn't get angry that quickly, but she knows how to piss him off. He looks at her and her face expression puts him at ease. She doesn't look bothered by him.
That is the one thing Tanya has that he wishes Bella had; the ability to not be bothered by his anger. Bella was easy to affect. All it would take is for him to yell for a minute or two for her to tear up.
Tanya on the other hand strolls toward him, wraps her arms around his neck, and whispers against his lips, "You could work for daddy then that won't be a problem any problem."
"We have been over this Tanya. You know what I think," he tells her.
"You and your dignity," she tells him kissing him between every word, "it's such a turn-on, but also such an inconvenience for me. Think of all the things we could do if you would just listen and join us."
She starts playing with the hair at the back of his neck as she tells him, "I know you won't so I respect your choice, but that doesn't mean I won't keep trying to wear you down," she ends with a wink and spins around and goes back to her closet.
Once done they both climb down the stairs together holding hands. They find everyone else sitting around eating the various food the catering business made. They both fill their plates for food and then leave the kitchen to find a place to sit.
When Cece sees him, she waves at him and pats the space beside her, but Tanya wraps her hand around his bicep and whispers, "You can't sit there and leave me to sit alone. Stop entertaining her. You aren't her dad."
A bucket of frozen water gets thrown at him. Why is he so attached to her when she is no one to him? Being nice to her won't get him any brownie points with Bella. She will never be his, and Cece has a father to take care of her.
He turns away from Cece and stirs Tanya away in the opposite direction. Tanya smiles at him and plants a kiss on his lips.
He doesn't see the heartbroken look on Cece's face, nor the angry one on Bella's face.
"So Bella, what do your parents do for a living?" Tanya asks before raising the spoon to her lips. The group went hiking in the surrounding forest after breakfast and once they returned while some decided to have lunch, most declined and went to rest in their room which left Tanya, Edward, Bella, Marco, Jasper, Alice, and Cece to have lunch together.
"My dad is an FBI agent and my mum was an artist before she died when I was four," Bella answers her, then turns towards Cece and stops her from eating the pasta that was placed on her plate, "Darling, it has peanuts in it. You can't have it remember," she tells her as she picks the plate about to empty it in the serving plate.
"I had that dish specially made for her. Don't worry. It's safe," Tanya tells her.
"Are you sure?" Bella asks her looking skeptical.
Tanya nods her head so Bella places the plate back in front of Cece and watches her like a hawk, but tears away her eyes from her once Tanya tells her, "That must have been very lonely. I lost my mum a couple of years ago and I can't imagine how things would have been like if I lost her earlier, and then your dad is an FBI agent that must have been a lonely childhood," Tanya tells her sympathetically but it comes off as fake.
Bella smiles at her then tells her, "It got better in college. I meet the Cullens. I used to stay at their place all the time."
"You are friends with Rosalie, right? But why not spend time at her parent's house," Tanya probs.
"It's not like she was friends with Rosalie only. All of us are her friends. I will have you know that back then Edward and Bella were attached at the hip. their friendship only cooled off after she left for Italy," Alice interjects. Both Bella and Edward glare at her for saying that. An awkward silence follows that with no one being sure what to say until it's time for the dessert.
Bella gets up to get them and says, "Alice come and help me," and Alice gets up and follows her to the kitchen.
"What was that outside? Are you crazy?" Bella asks Alice stealing glances at them through the doorway as she placed the cheesecake on each plate.
"Don't give me that look. I am sick of this stupid dance. Cece is his daughter and the two of you are still in love. You should get back together and save us the drama."
"Shhh, what is wrong with you? Do you want them to hear that?" Bella tells her as she places her hand on Alice's mouth and then looks toward the dining room to make sure no one noticed.
Alice shoves Bella's hand away then whispers, "If that is what gets him to end it with Tanya and get back together with you I will. I am not going to pretend that I don't see the looks you send to each other when you think no one is looking,"
"You are being delirious. I will never get back with him and you are crazy if you think I will trust a plant, let alone my daughter with him," Bella whispers shouts glaring at her.
"Then why did you come back at Rosalie's wedding but then walk away and leave when you saw him with Tanya?" Alice questions her taking a step towards her.
"That happened four years ago. What does that have to do with today?" Bella tells her as she turns towards plating the cakes and not looking Alice in the eye.
"It has to do with the fact that you regret leaving him," Alice pleads with her.
"That was a lapse in judgment that will NEVER EVER HAPPEN AGAIN," Bella turns towards Alice and glares at her as she hands her the plates and glances towards the dining room as a sign for her to take them there.
"No it wasn't. You still love him, and he still loves you. You can't tell me that Mr. Muscles out there is your forever, because Edward is," Alice tells her.
"Listen Alice. I am content with what I have. I don't," but she is cut off by Marco screaming for her to come.
The pasta had peanuts in it.
It's a cliffhanger, but a good one, so I am going to pretend that I am forgiven.
A guest review was left on the last chapter that the story is dragging. Since it's a guest review, I can't contact you personally and learn more of your thoughts, so if you are reading this tell me in a review where it felt it was dragging. Also, if anyone else thinks so please let me know.
I don't think I am dragging this story. I think that compared to others, this story's chapters are on the shorter side so the number of chapters isn't as important as the word count. I also don't feel like there was any filler chapter, but I am the author, so by default, I am biased, so if you have any thoughts leave them for me.
All constructive criticism is appreciated.
Until my next update,
Stay Safe.