Chapter Four: Soul Connection
With my phone tucked between my ear and shoulder, I wrestled my three-year-old to the floor in an effort to get her undies pulled all the way up. She giggled and kicked her legs out, turning onto her tummy, effectively mooning me. She tried to army crawl away from me, but I grabbed her by the leg and pulled her back to me.
She yelled happily.
"Maisy Renee Newton, you stop right now," I grunted. "Mom, I'm going to have to call you back."
"I'll just see you at the barbeque," Mom tittered back.
I let go of my daughter so that I could hang up the phone and drop it to the floor. Maisy took that time to push her undies all the way off and run stark naked across the room. I reached for her but she was too fast. I just grasped at air.
I huffed, sending a tendril of my hair flying from the exertion. I put my hands on the floor, my eyes never leaving the demon seed I was squaring off with. I jumped up and quickly darted over to her. She screamed gleefully and tried to run again. I caught her around the waist, spinning us both and dropping to the floor. With my legs and arms wrapped around her squirming body, I scooted back over to where her undies lay and grabbed them up.
"Hold still," I breathed roughly. I forced her legs through the holes and then shimmied them up. "Now sit," I ordered, plopping her down on the floor.
She only giggled and waved her hands excitedly while I went over to her bed and grabbed the clothes that I had laid out for her. First, I put her thermals on and then her powder blue tracksuit. She fought me a little bit when I tried to get her socks on, but once she was finally dressed, she ran out of the room cackling like the evil spawn she was.
That girl was getting crazier and harder to handle every day, it seemed. I walked over to Connor's room and smiled when I saw him already dressed and sitting crisscrossed in the middle of his bed, smashing his action figures together and making exaggerated fighting noises.
"Hey, buddy," I knocked lightly on his door frame. He looked up at me and smiled that sweet smile of his that never failed to melt my heart. He and his sister couldn't be more opposite. "You about ready to go?"
He nodded enthusiastically and jumped off the bed. "Can I bring my toys?"
"Are you going to leave them lying around?"
He shook his head emphatically. "No, momma. I'm sponsible."
I grinned down at him and ruffled his soft hair. "I know you are."
I leaned down and kissed his temple. His face lit up brighter and he grabbed his Hulk and Iron Man and skipped out of the room. I followed behind him. Maisy was halfway down the stairs, her little butt scooting down each step. When Connor got to where she was seated, he took her hand and helped her walk the rest of the way.
He was such a good big brother. It always made me feel like I must've done something right. All the mistakes I've made in my life, and all the bullshit that Mike put us through, we still had some bomb-ass kids, and I took so much pride in that. Yeah, one of them was an absolute lunatic, but she was my special baby girl and I wouldn't change her for the world.
"Get your shoes on," I told them as I walked into the kitchen. "I just need to grab the fruit dip and then we can go."
"Yay!" Maisy screamed. She ran to her shoes and Connor helped her put them on.
I grabbed the fruit dip and containers of strawberries, grapes, and pineapples off the counter. I made enough for an army, but I just wanted to make sure everyone got some. I turned off the lights as I walked back to the entryway. The kids were standing there waiting for me with excited looks on their beautiful faces.
"Ready?" I asked them.
"READY!" They yelled in unison.
We walked to the car, and I handed a few containers to Connor so that I could open the trunk. We loaded everything in the back and then I helped Maisy into her seat while Connor climbed into his. I made sure both were securely buckled in and then hopped into the front and set up my GPS. I basically lived at the Cullen home growing up, but I had to admit, it had been so long since I had been there that I forgot its exact location. Not totally my fault. It was on the outskirts of town and hidden behind so many trees that you wouldn't even know it existed unless you were invited over.
It took me twenty-five minutes and a few wrong turns before I finally found the long driveway that led to the Cullen home. The driveway alone took a good three minutes to drive through. It was nicely kept though. No branches, sticks, or rocks in the way.
"Wow," Connor breathed when I parked the car. I looked back at him. He had his hands and face pressed into the window, his big blue eyes wider than ever. "This is a house?"
I snickered. "It sure is. Nice, huh?"
He nodded wordlessly.
The large two-story house was more like a mini castle with a mixture of light and dark brick on the outside and a pond underneath the small bridge that led to their front door. Memories of Alice and I pretending to be princesses waiting for our princes flooded back and I couldn't stop smiling as I got out of the car.
I had just set Maisy down next to the car and opened the trunk when a loud scream startled all three of us. I looked over to where the loud noise came from and rolled my eyes when Alice came barreling down the bridge in the highest heels I had ever seen. She was, of course, dressed to impress in a silk white shirt tucked into a high-waisted leather skirt and dark nylons.
"Hey, lady," she yelled as she stopped in front of us. She looked down at Connor and Maisy and squealed. her hands tucked under her chin. "OMG! They are so precious," she cooed, touching their cheeks softly. Connor smiled bashfully, looking down at his feet and Maisy scooted herself behind my leg with a confused look on her face.
Alice was a vibrating mass of excitement. She grabbed a few containers from the back and then took Connors's hand and led him up the bridge. He looked back at me, unsure. I nodded encouragingly at him. Maisy grunted, pulling on my pant leg. I looked down at her and she held her hands up. I picked her up and carried her on my hip with the dip in my other hand and walked after Alice.
The barbecue was already in full swing, the back patio and large backyard packed with people, a jungle gym, and a massive bouncy house full of kids. I could see the excitement in my son's eyes and the way he started to jump on his tippy toes. Maisy just turned her face into my hair, wrapping her strong little arms around my neck. I set the dip on the table that was set up with a bunch of sides and patted her back soothingly.
I walked over to where Alice had my child on full display. She was showing him off to everyone at the picnic table closest to the back patio door. A smile lit up my face when I saw Esme and Carlisle, Alice's parents. I saw them every now and again, but it had been a good long while.
"Bella," Esme smiled at me. She stood up with her arms outstretched and kissed my cheek. "Your son is one handsome little devil, isn't he?"
I laughed and nodded. "He sure is."
"And this little one?" she questioned, trying to get Maisy's attention.
"Well, she's decided to be shy today," I snickered. "Which is very much the opposite of what she usually is."
I ran my hand over her soft curls and lightly pulled. She peeked out from my hair at Esme. She must have noticed the warmth of Esme's comforting smile because she gave her a little smile in return before turning back into the safety of my hair.
"Hey there, Bella," Carlisle waved at me with a wide smile. He had Connor tucked between his knees showing off his action figures close to his face. Carlisle didn't seem to mind at all.
"Hiya, Carlisle," I waved back. "This is one big party you've got going."
He shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea to invite all Edward's old friends and their kids for my granddaughter to get to know."
"Where is Edward and Lena?" I asked.
He shrugged again, his eyes going to the second story of his house. I looked up but didn't see anything or anyone.
Alice spoke up. "Edward and Lena haven't come down yet."
"Oh, okay." I hoped that they would join the party at some point. I wanted to give Edward the permission slip for the field trip and get to know Lena before she got to my class. I hoped to make her feel more at ease and comfortable.
"Bella, I want you to meet my main squeeze," Alice chirped next to me. I looked over and was stunned by the tall man that towered over Alice. He had ear-length blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and dimples that softened his otherwise strong features.
"This is Jasper. Jasper, this is Bella."
He held out his hand and I took it with a smile.
"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," he grinned. "I've heard a lot about you." I could see what Alice saw in him. Especially with that southern draw of his. He was absolutely swoon-worthy.
"It's nice to meet you as well," I agreed with a nod. I could feel the heat pooling in my cheeks.
I looked at Alice and she winked knowingly at me, a satisfied smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around his waist and introduced my kids to him. Connor was too busy with Carlisle, but he politely waved and said hi to him before going back to telling Carlisle about why the Hulk was the best. Maisy, on the other hand, seemed enthralled by the man. She finally took her face from my hair and gave Jasper a wide smile. She leaned away from me, her hands going out to Jasper, asking to be held.
He laughed and looked at me for permission.
"Please," I said, handing her over.
He set her on his hip, and she smiled even brighter. She touched her finger to the dimple on his cheek and giggled. Her little face turned a slight pink color. Alice snickered and I rolled my eyes.
My daughter was apparently a little flirt.
Connor went over to the bouncy house when Carlisle had to go tend to the grill. Maisy was attached to not only Jasper, but Alice as well once she warmed up to her high energy. She even let Alice put her hair up in an adorable bun atop her head with loose tendrils down her face.
It was better than anything I could do.
I lost count of how many pictures Alice took of Jasper and Maisy. She kept getting them from all angles and insisting on them smiling for a new picture every few seconds.
My parents showed up around ten minutes after I did. Dad went straight to the grill to converse with Carlisle and Mom stopped briefly to talk to Esme before going to join the kids in the bouncy house. She said she needed to make sure they were all okay in there, but I knew better; Mom was a big kid at heart.
I was listening to Alice talk about the new line she was designing when I heard the back door open again. I looked over and my breath caught in my throat.
Edward stood just outside the door with one hand in his dark jeans pocket and the other wrapped around a little hand. His daughter was halfway behind his leg, her other hand holding onto his pant leg for dear life. She was a gorgeous little thing with long, wavy strawberry blond hair, dark green eyes, and a cute little pink pout. She wore a light purple sweater and jeans with butterflies at the flared bottoms.
The only feature I could see that they shared was the deep green of their eyes, but their expressions were the same. Trepidation and mourning. It was clearly written all over their faces.
Alice set Maisy down on my lap and walked over to her brother and niece. They talked quietly for a few moments before I saw Edward take in a big breath. He looked down at his daughter and waited for her to nod before they walked over to the table.
Esme held her arms out and Lena ran into them. She hid her face in Esme's chest and Esme rocked her from side to side. Edward stood awkwardly off to the side of the table as person after person came up to him. He shied away from touch but was kind and polite, allowing his old friends to at least speak with him even though it looked like the very last thing he wanted to do.
I decided to stay back and give them a chance to settle into the swing of things. They both looked terribly overwhelmed. It was heartbreaking.
The table broke into a conversation about Alice's adventures in New York. She lived a high-class, fun life. She admitted to sometimes missing the calmness of Forks but stated that she wouldn't move back permanently, although she planned to visit a lot more often.
I switched Maisy to my other knee and glanced up at Edward. He was still standing in the same spot, his head down now that people seemed to get the hint that he didn't want to talk at the moment. He shuffled his feet, his hands deep within his pockets. I must've been staring too hard because his eyes drifted up from the ground and locked on mine.
My eyes widened at being caught staring, but he just smiled a tight-lipped but kind smile. I smiled back and scooted closer to Alice gesturing with my eyes for him to sit. I was only being polite with the gesture, so I was shocked when he actually walked over with minimal hesitation and sat down next to me, facing outward. he stretched his long legs out in front of him, rubbing his hands down his face.
He breathed deeply, his large chest stretching underneath the thick dark fabric of his thermal shirt. He clasped his hands together and held them between his knees. How could someone look so much like a man and a boy at the same time?
"You alright?" I whispered. I was careful not to reach out or get too close to him. I didn't want to scare him away again.
He met my eyes once more and nodded.
"I will be eventually," he answered honestly.
"I understand. It takes time."
He frowned and looked away. He brought up one hand to scratch at the light stubble on his cheek. He seemed lost in thought, so I busied myself with joining in on the conversation at the table. Mom had come back with Connor and a cute little girl in tow. The little red-headed girl seemed smitten with my boy, her hand holding onto the back of his shirt. And he didn't seem to mind.
Great. He's going to have his first girlfriend before I know it.
That thought alone made me uneasy.
I wasn't sure how I would handle my little man becoming someone else's little man. I wasn't one of those overbearing mothers who had a creepy hold on their son, but I was pretty protective of his youth.
"But no matter what I got into in New York," Alice tittered gleefully, breaking into my thoughts. "It doesn't hold a candle to what Bella and I used to get into."
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Please. Do NOT start talking."
"Oh, come on. We're adults now. We can't get in trouble," she elbowed my side before turning to the table and before she even opened her mouth, I knew the story she was going to tell.
"So," She started, leaning forward. "When we were like fifteen, Bella got a serious case of sticky fingers. Whatever store we went to, she had to take something."
There was an audible cacophony of gasps around the table, and I dropped my head into Maisy's hair, hiding my blazing cheeks and grin.
"What are sticky fingers?" Connor asked my mom, his trustful face gazing up at her.
"Stealing," she answered.
"Mom," I admonished. She only shrugged and smirked.
"No, no, listen," Alice continued with her hands in front of her face. "I would distract the workers and she would fill her purse and pockets. Well, anyway, she developed a guilty conscience about a month into it and I had to distract the workers again so that she could return every. Single. Item. She stole."
There were snickers and giggles around the table. I looked over to my dad who was standing next to the table with a small grin on his face, his mustache twitching. He had that "oh, really?" look in his eyes. I shrugged.
"Mommy," Connor called from his grandma's lap. "You said stealing is bad." He was obviously not ready to drop the subject.
"It is," I nodded once. "Don't you ever do it."
"Hippopotamus," he pouted and pointed an accusatory finger at me before crossing his arms over his chest.
"No, honey," Mom piped in, patting his cheek. "She's a hy-po-crite."
"Thanks, Mom," I groaned. "Real nice."
"You're the one with sticky fingers," she argued, laughing.
"I returned everything!"
"Guys!" Alice called the attention back to her. "I was in the middle of a story here." She used both hands to point at the top of her head, her face clearly telling everyone that she wanted all attention on her for the remainder of the story.
I groaned again and looked away, catching Edward's eye once more. He had a small smirk on his face. I returned it with a rueful one of my own and shook my head. We both rolled our eyes when Alice started talking again.
"Anyway, so, as I was distracting one of the workers, Bella got caught taking something out of her purse and putting it back on the shelf. Even though she was returning it, we still got chased out of the store and down the street."
My cheeks were on fire by the time she finished the story and all the people laughing at me sure didn't help matters.
After a few minutes, the jokes about my thieving days died down and for that, I was very grateful. People couldn't believe that the chief of police's only daughter had a case of sticky fingers.
"So," Edward said, moving his body to face me slightly. I perked up. I was the first person he was willingly speaking to outside of his family. "Alice told me that you're going to be Lena's teacher this year."
"I sure am. I'm excited to have her."
He smiled at that. "She's a really smart kid. Well behaved and gracious. She won't be a problem at all. She is a little withdrawn these days, but I'm hoping she'll come out of her shell and achieve things and succeed like I know she can."
"I'm sure she will," I assured him. "It will take some time for her to work through this difficult time, but I'm sure she will be just fine."
"I really hope you're right."
"She has a wonderful support system. And as I've recently learned, when you have people who love you and will be there for you, you can overcome anything. She will never forget, but she will heal. Of that, I am sure."
He seemed to breathe a little easier, the smile on his face becoming much less forced.
"You know what kills me?" he asked, leaning in closer. "My baby has to grow up without her mom and that just sucks. She didn't do anything to deserve this. And I can see the pain in her eyes, I can feel it in the way she moves. She doesn't have to say anything. It's plain as day. She's hurting very badly and there's nothing I can do about it."
"I completely understand what you're saying. When my husband left, I could see the pain and confusion in my children, and it's such a helpless feeling to not be able to just fix the issue and make life better for them. It's terrible to have to watch the most important people in your life suffer. But I know I'm there for my babies just by being there. And from what I can tell, you're doing just that."
Edward looked over at his daughter as she sat on Esme's lap; her face was somber and contemplative as she gazed back at her father. I wasn't sure how long she had been looking his way, but something about her expression when her eyes darted to me for the smallest second made me feel like I had done something to upset her.
"Lena," Edward waved his daughter over. She immediately slid off Esme's lap and walked right into Edward's arms. "Lena, I want you to meet Bella. She's going to be your teacher." He turned her to face me more and I could see a little sneer on her face that surprised me.
I decided to ignore it. "Hello, Lena." I held out my hand. "It's very nice to meet you, sweetie."
She took my hand, her smaller one squeezed mine with enough force that I could see my fingers bending together. My eyes widened. It didn't hurt, but the action startled me. I looked up at Edward to see what he thought of it, but he just smiled down at his daughter.
Could he not see the mood she seemed to be in? or was I imagining things?
"Manners, Lena," Edward encouraged her with a nudge.
She smiled slightly. "It's nice to meet you." She let go of my hand and turned to face her father. "Daddy, I want to go back inside."
"You don't want to play with the other kids?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "I just want you to read me a story, Daddy." She laid her head on his chest. She sniffled and pushed herself further into his chest.
"Okay, baby." He looked at me with a small smile. "I suppose I will see you when I drop her off Monday?"
"Oh! Wait," I said. I stuck my hand into my jacket pocket and then handed Edward the permission slip. "I didn't want Lena to miss out on the field trip next week and these slips need to be turned in by Monday."
He took the slip and looked it over. "Port Angeles Fine Arts Center? I've been there."
"Really? So you're into that kind of thing?" I asked hopefully.
"Yes," he hedged, unsure of himself. Probably because I was looking at him like the second coming.
"It's just, that we need some more parent supervision for the field trip, and if you're not busy, then I was hoping you could come with and lend a hand?"
He pursed his lips, still looking over the permission slip. He bit his lip and looked up at me, and that combination was lethal. I felt like lightning had struck my heart. I tried my best to ignore it, but even I could hear my breathing speed up.
"I'll go. I think it would make Lena more comfortable." He looked down at her head. She was still pressed into his chest. "Would you like that?"
She nodded minutely.
"It's settled then!" I clapped my hands together probably a little too enthusiastically. Edward laughed quietly. He stood up, taking Lena with him. He held her to his chest and said his goodbyes to everyone. He saved me for last.
"I look forward to the field trip. I'll see you."
Lord have mercy on me, I watched his backside as he walked to the door. I didn't take my eyes off of him until he was behind the closed door. When I brought my attention back to the table, I noticed Alice looking at me. She had that all-knowing look about her.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," she said quickly, then winked at me.
"Alice, what?"
"Nothing," she said again. "Nothing at all." Her smile only grew. Before I could press further, she jumped up from the table and started walking over to her dad. "We ever going to eat, old man?"
He pointed his tongs at her. "Perfection takes time."
"I know. That's why I was born after my due date," she retorted. He laughed a full belly laugh and grabbed her around her shoulders, bringing her to his side. He kissed her on the top of her head and her bright red lips stretched into a wide smile. She jabbed him in the ribs with her sharp elbow and he doubled over, laughing. She took off at full speed when he tried wiping the tongs on her perfectly crisp white shirt.
I turned to Jasper. "You sure you're ready to be a part of this family?"
"More than ready," he grinned, his eyes trained on Alice. I saw so much love and sincerity there that I had to look away. It felt like an intimate moment.
It made me ache for that type of connection. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I never experienced that type of all-encompassing love. I have unconditional, insurmountable love for my children, and I know the feeling is mutual, but I've never connected with another soul on that level.
Too bad I gave up on men. Because, God, do I want that for myself.
If you all enjoy my writing, maybe you can take a look at my other story that I just posted. It's called 10 Things I hate About you. Let me know what you think of this chapter, please! It's awesome to get your feedback and it fuels my muse.