I just want to make one small comment about the new chapter:
When you read this, please keep in mind that Edward will be listening to pretty much every single thought David has. And no matter how minor and insignificant that thought may be.
Sandra
In view of Sandra's hint, I have taken the liberty of italicizing ALL of David's thoughts that Edward will hear.
Verena
Chapter 56
My Family 2
David
I was glad to be here again. Especially earlier than I had actually planned.
I looked at the house, which looked cozy even now in the pouring rain.
Behind this front door I could escape my problems. Again and again. Well, I didn't have many problems in my life. Actually, I was doing pretty well. But this time I really needed Bella.
I grabbed my bag from the back seat, sprinted toward the house and rang the bell.
I could have just unlocked the door with my key, but I didn't want to scare the three of them at this hour. I really looking forward to my little family. Jake, who was growing up. Leah, who became prettier and prettier. And of course Bella. The sweetest angel I knew. Just the thought of finally having her in my arms again let a laugh form on my face. To defend myself against this laughter was so pointless.
"David!" she cried out to me in disbelief, throwing herself into my arms.
As always, I thought enthusiastically. Her incredulous look was so delightful.
"Hello, Bella!" I replied and enjoyed this warm greeting.
I would have loved to never let go of her again, but I could already hear the kids coming running.
I quickly gave Bella another kiss before I didn't get another chance.
"Hey, you two."
I let go of Bella, who backed away for safety and leaned against the banister.
"Have you grown again?" I asked somewhat incredulously. I hadn't been gone that long, however. They were even a little taller than me now, and both Jake and Leah had gained a fair amount of muscle mass. Their facial features were also slightly different. More mature. And all that in just seven weeks?
"You must be hungry?" asked Bella laughing in the background.
She knew me too well. I had driven all the way without a break. And without eating anything.
I nodded with a grin.
"We went out to eat, but we still have chili in the freezer," Jake offered proudly.
Well, whether he had finally managed the fine line between pleasant sharpness and internal burns? Did I even have a choice? After all, I had shown him how to cook a decent 'Chili con Carne'. I was brave enough to take a chance.
The kids disappeared into the kitchen and Bella looked at me curiously, "What are you doing here? You're a month early."
I pulled her back into my arms with one hand.
This gentle embrace alone already did me good. I was already feeling better overall and had only been here for three minutes.
"I need to talk to you!" I said seriously.
She took my face in her hands and looked into my eyes for a long moment.
"About what?" she then asked intently.
"Not this evening ... in private," I asked. Apart from the fact that I was too tired for that today, the twins had no idea. I also wanted to leave it at that.
A clearing of a throat brought me back from the benevolence of Bella's eyes.
I looked up and recognized a boy who looked at me somehow strangely.
Only conditionally friendly, rather forced polite. He was undoubtedly good looking and would have to be Jake and Leah's age. Probably in the same class with them. Tall and pale. Even paler than Bella. He had interesting eyes. Did I know him? He was definitely not one of the twins' friends. At least until now. Still ... I felt as if I had seen his face before. A long time ago. But it could not have been so long ago, since he could be at most twenty. But at the very most! Probably just a coincidental resemblance. So anyway.
I kindly extended my hand in greeting, letting one arm rest around Bella, which he shook with firm pressure.
Ouch ... And cold.
"Edward, this is David. My best friend ... for a very long time."
I bristled.
It kind of sounded like Bella was apologizing. As if she would give an account in front of this boy.
To avoid his suspicious gaze, I turned back to Bella.
"Tell me, what do you feed the kids? Protein shakes and anabolic steroid pizza?" I asked with a grin.
"Weirdo!" she titled me and punched my chest.
I gave her yet another kiss on the forehead, entered the living room laughing, reached into a bowl of popcorn as I passed, and continued into the kitchen.
I knowingly ignored Bella's strange tone. Today I no longer felt like discussing. I just wanted to be happy about being back here today.
"Then tell me. What have I missed the last few weeks?" I asked the kids after I grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down on the countertop.
Bella and this Edward also came into the kitchen and the fellow looked anything but thrilled.
Had I done something to him? Hard to imagine, except that I had overlooked him earlier. However, I would have overlooked just about anyone. Maybe he was just mistrustful and reserved towards strangers. But he should get rid of that soon, otherwise he would have a hard time in the big wide world out there.
The twins narrated as usual. Excited, wildly mixing and interrupting each other. I had trouble keeping up.
They could grow as old as they wanted, I still saw them standing in front of me as little children. I just loved them both. I smirked in my thoughts about a very distant memory. When I had stopped by after a few weeks, Leah opened the door and yelled throughout the house, 'Daddy's home!' It was a long time ago.
Jake told me about his girlfriend.
Becky. How great she was and how pretty. She was the woman of his life.
I smiled indulgently, but in my thoughts I briefly calculated whether I was not his father however.
He could have gotten that youthful naive way of thinking about girls from me. I had not been together with many, but with each one I had thought it would be forever. Even with my first girlfriend. In kindergarten. I was five or so. But I couldn't be his father. When I got to know Bella, she already had the two.
I took Leah comfortingly in my arms when she mentioned Ben.
I felt so sorry for her. I wondered what was the reason for their breakup. They appeared so much in love the last time and it had nothing to do with a rosy world that was far away from any reality. The world I suspected Jake was still in at the moment. I would certainly get to know Becky and then see for myself how badly he had been hit. And with Leah, I would definitely have a moment in the next few days to have a quiet talk with her about Ben. She appeared very unhappy, even if she tried to hide it. This was not how I wanted to see my little Leah.
Jake, visibly confident, handed me a plate of chili and tensely awaited my judgment.
So far, I had always had something to complain about, but this time he seemed convinced of his own cooking skills.
I carefully took a spoon and let the spices have their effect.
Perfect!
I raised my hand and Jake slammed it euphorically.
"Wait a minute!" I said, setting the plate aside for a moment.
I went to Bella's chocolate stash and came back to the kitchen with a bar. I broke off a few small pieces, spread them on the plate and waited for them to melt. I put another piece in Bella's mouth.
She never said no to chocolate.
Then I stirred briefly and asked Jake to taste. He was thrilled.
I had come to this little secret ingredient by accident.
When I put my plate in the dishwasher, the kids were already sitting on the sofa with their friend.
Bella was still leaning against the kitchen counter, looking at me curiously.
"Forget it, Bella. Not today!" I said firmly and propped my arms on the countertop to her right and left. What I had to discuss with her was nobody's business but ours. I had been silent for far too long. And I was afraid of her answer.
She nodded, fortunately.
I was about to turn away from her when Bella suddenly slumped a bit and grabbed onto the kitchen counter.
"Bella!" I whispered worriedly as I was already putting my arms around her.
"It's over already!" she shook her head defensively.
Gently, I put my hand under her chin and lifted her gaze to me.
She didn't look the least bit ill, which she wouldn't otherwise voluntarily tell me, and she never really had any problems with her circulation. With one exception!
"You're on your period!" I stated.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Bull's eye! It calmed me down, because it meant that it was really over.
Offended, she freed herself from my arms and wanted to join the others in the living room.
"Bella!" I held her back by one arm for a moment. "You forgot your medicine!" I teased her and held out the opened chocolate bar to her.
She paused for a moment, narrowed her eyes in a huff, gave me a nasty glare, and snatched the bar out of my hand before she really left.
I looked after her with a smile.
Halfway she stuck her tongue out at me.
Could any man who had their head on straight not fall in love with Bella?
I took yet another glass of water and followed her.
Bella sat facing backwards in front of me on the sofa and between the kids sat Edward.
We talked for some time.
The kids talked and talked. Again and again they came up with something new. About their vacation in Canada, a week spontaneously in La Push, Jake had gotten into a fight at school, the tent trip, and the car had broken down again.
I shook my head.
How many times had I told Bella that she had to start looking for a replacement? Or for a car for herself, so that there was a replacement if necessary? I don't know. Too often we had already argued about it. But Bella was stubborn. Last time, I had been on the verge of simply putting a pretty little car in front of her door. Sender unknown! Not that she wouldn't figure out on her own that I had bought it, but by then I would have been gone again.
Then they told me about today. They were shopping and Jake proudly showed me his new watch.
I marveled.
A Tudor. Depending on the model, they easily cost two to three thousand dollars. Had Bella won the lottery? She wouldn't even buy such a fine piece for herself. She rejected any superfluous luxury. I regularly argued with her about that, too. Told her again and again that she had to treat herself. But that always fell on deaf ears with Bella. From her point of view, I could understand that. She was afraid of the college fees that were coming her way in the not-too-distant future. She had already rejected my commitment to help her with this before I had really pronounced it. I trusted in time on this point. After all, I knew her finances because I had helped her with them in the beginning. I wasn't a millionaire, but I had been taught how to handle money from an early age. My uncle was a manager in a large bank and knew his business very well. I had given her some tips on how to invest her money. I still wanted to tear down Jake's pride because of the watch. He should know that one didn't brag about such a thing. It was one thing to own it, but another to let on to everyone about it.
I slipped the sleeve of my sweatshirt over my watch so he could see it.
It was also a Tudor, even almost the same model, only I didn't peddle it. Judging by Jake's gaze, he had understood my imaginary blow. Judging by the look on Jake's face, he had taken my imaginary strong broad hint.
I thought it was kind of strange the way Leah and Jake looked at this Edward. Not like he was a friend of theirs. Like they had respect for him. Not afraid or anything. It appeared somehow ... familiar and intimate. But maybe I was also just imagining things. It was very possible. Because I was pretty tired.
It was already well past eleven o'clock when Bella gently fell backwards against me. I smiled and tenderly put a hand on her cheek.
She had fallen asleep. And I also had to finally go to bed. After all, I wasn't here just for pleasure, I also had to work. I didn't really think about what I was doing. It was just like most of the time when I was here so late. I would put her to bed. Who else would do it? The children would probably find it rather unpleasant to bring their mother upstairs.
I took my cell phone off the table and put it in my back pants pocket.
"Don't stay up too much longer, you two," I whispered to Jake and Leah. "Edward ... maybe we'll see each other again ... Good night," I wished, lifting Bella gently in my arms and walking with her carefully upstairs.
Gingerly I put her on the bed and looked for her pajamas. Otherwise, they always lay in the big armchair. I finally found then in the bathroom and they were, if you looked at Bella's graceful body, quite large.
I paused as I took off her jewelry.
Rings, a watch, and a bracelet. Anything else she would only wear on special occasions. There was a new ring. I looked at it for a long time. Aside from the fact that it matched Bella and was very pretty, the longer I stared at it indecisively, the more I began to suspect that Bella must have had something to tell me.
I sat Bella down on the edge of the bed, leaning her against my torso so I could pull her T-shirt over her head.
She helped me a little. What you could call help when you were half asleep. It would be easier if she was really already asleep.
"What are you doing?" she mumbled drowsily.
I smirked.
What was I supposed to do already? "Undressing you," I whispered.
With one hand I undid her bra and pulled it over her arms. I reached for the pajama top and guided her arm through one of the sleeves.
"It's not like this is the first time I've done this," I said, shifting her a bit against my chest to repeat with the other arm.
"But ... Ed ...," Bella wanted to say, more asleep than even remotely awake.
But Ed? ... Ed what? I didn't know what she was trying to tell me. Whatever, it would have to wait until tomorrow.
Carefully, I laid her on the bed and buttoned up the top.
I concentrated on the buttons. Not paying attention to Bella's silky skin was hard for me. Luckily, Bella was already wearing sweatpants. Dealing with the fastening of a pair of jeans would just go over my mind. Carefully I pulled them over her legs. However, to put on her pajama pants was also beyond my yet existing strength. It was not exactly ice time, so Bella could sleep like this. After all, she lay in a warm bed.
I shifted her a bit so that she was lying properly on the pillow and covered her carefully.
"Good night, Bella," I whispered and gave her a kiss on the temple.
I just entered the guest room when I realized that the bed, of course, didn't have any sheets.
Logical. I had come as a surprise. The bedding was in the closet. I was really too tired to do that. I almost fell asleep standing up already. I was apparently getting too old to drive all the way from Philadelphia to here in one piece.
So, I went back to Bella. I stripped down to my boxers and lay on the other side of Bella's bed.
Until I fell asleep, I was still considering how lucky Bella and I were. Most friendships break up as soon as sex is involved. But our friendship lasted.
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