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Chapter 97
Wedding Chitchat and Breakfast Interrogation
Edward
"I got kicked out of the house!" Jake stood pissed off at David's front door.
"I'm banned from the house!" I replied in the same way. After all, they had given him our suits.
David then sent his boys into the bathtub.
David mentally cursed that Sonya had somehow gotten the hang of stopping the water fight between the two better than him.
Naked, soaking wet and with plenty of bubble bath on his head, Deacon suddenly ran through the kitchen where I was sitting with Jake. And David ran after him.
"Were you also like that at that age?" I asked intermediately.
Jake grinned.
"At least Mom couldn't complain about being bored."
"Can one of you guys give me a hand maybe!" complained David as he then ran through the kitchen for the third time.
Deacon had plenty of a head start.
"Just stand still and wait, " I meant with a matter-of-fact smirk.
No sooner said than done.
Deacon came scampering around the corner, David slung him over his shoulder and carried him back to the bathtub.
"I guess I would have run all the way if I had gotten to know you guys when I was that age!" I said - admittedly to tease Jake, but God knows it wasn't true. I envied David and was saddened that I had missed so many years with Jake and Leah.
"I don't believe you!" stated Jake seriously.
As long as David was in the shower himself, we entertained the boys.
It was not easy, because we had to prevent them from having to wash again. But David knew his sons and therefore hurried.
Then Jake and I went into one of the guest rooms. I also quickly jumped into the shower.
It was a strange feeling. So alone.
Jake, on the other hand, only had to change his clothes.
Alice had even thought to pick out a tie for Jake. I didn't think that was necessary. He was still young, but the way Becky would probably be dressed, it would probably be more appropriate. I watched him try his hand at it. That was funny.
"Come on. Show me how it's done!" he then asked me, on the verge of an absolute nervous breakdown.
I showed him, he tried it himself, I tied it again and he never touched the knot anymore.
Luces and Deacon, meanwhile, sat on the kitchen table fully dressed, whereby David was tying their cute little ties.
Esmé announced to us by text that the ladies were ready.
David then went to Sonya's purse again, repacked a few things into another, grabbed his cell phone, keys, wallet, and then knotted his own tie as he walked.
Jake watched him in amazement.
"Why can you able to do that?" he complained.
David didn't understand what it was about at first.
"My father taught me. And then it was just practice," David then said.
"Then maybe there's hope for me yet!" Jake stated, looking at me over his shoulder.
I nodded and we walked back over to our house.
The five of us stood excitedly at the bottom of the stairs.
I deliberately did not look into the thoughts of the ladies.
The first to come hopping down was Emma. In a cute pink little dress. Of course. She wore a little princess crown and grinned like a Cheshire cat. A little angel.
"Are you taking me with you like this?" she asked sugary sweet, still standing on the fourth step so she was as tall as we were.
David held out his arms and Emma jumped in, giggling happily.
"You'll be the prettiest lady at the whole party!" replied David, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Wait until you see Mommy first!" still meekly stated Emma.
Next came Leah. She looked beautiful.
Her short hair was boldly styled, and her bright eyes were certainly only due to the subtle makeup.
Not from her new boyfriend! Just like the enraptured smile.
At least that's what I told myself.
The last steps I held out my hand to her, kissed her on the forehead and truthfully said that she looked like a beautiful butterfly.
She smiled at me.
And her next thought was to consider what Marcus would say.
I rolled my eyes, annoyed.
A small irregularity immediately distracted me.
Jake's heart skipped a beat when Becky appeared above. A beautiful star in yellow silk. Her long dark hair braided into an intricate braid. Gorgeous.
Jake pushed his way to the stairs and Becky hurried to join him. She stood still on the last step, where Jake immediately put his arms around her and kissed her.
Extensive.
David cleared his throat loudly.
"I hate to bother you, but the poor kids are waiting for their mother and I'm waiting for my wife!" declared David tonelessly, looking at the two of them with a played sternness.
They cleared the area in front of the stairs.
David squatted down by his sons and looked up with them expectantly.
Sonya appeared next.
Like a rose in the morning dew. A tight-fitting pale red taffeta dress that clung to her body and concealed her little tummy with sewn-in folds. Her lush wavy blonde hair tamed in a tasteful braided hairstyle, whereby some strands framed her face.
"Wow ..." David murmured in front of me, looking up at his wife.
He was thrilled and for a long moment had eyes only for his Sonya, who came closer and closer to him. Luces and Deacon also looked in amazement at their mother. Emma giggled happily.
"Will you marry me?" asked David dreamily as they had each other in the arm.
"Anytime again!" replied Sonya and kissed her husband.
I looked tensely up the stairs.
Only my fiancée was missing.
Why did I have to wait the longest?
Meanwhile, I forgot to complain about it when Bella was visible at the top of the stairs. I stopped breathing and slowly walked towards this goddess.
I was already familiar with the dreamlike dress, but I had apparently forgotten how it highlighted the seductive body of my loved one. Her hair elegantly and very feminine pinned up and decorated with pearl hairpins.
She was so graceful. So very beautiful. I doubted the existence of a God. Never could a God approve of such an angel falling into the arms of a creature like me.
I put one arm around her waist and pushed the other hand to her neck.
She was not breathing!
"Bella, breathe!" I whispered to my angel, also reminding myself as well.
Although I kept a reasonable distance from Bella throughout the evening, I enjoyed myself.
All the grown-ups sitting at our table knew that I didn't eat anything. So, I was able to keep passing my plates to Jake and Leah in front of inattentive children's eyes. Except for dessert. That became Bella's.
Chocolate Mousse.
I danced the first dance with Leah since I was officially her date.
This decision had been the right one. I heard in some thoughts that they would have preferred not to come at all. A same-sex couple did not meet with acceptance everywhere. And my love for Bella would certainly be seen as equally critical. But these were only isolated voices that did not represent the general opinion of the numerous guests.
"You dance exquisitely ... for just one evening's class," I praised Leah.
"Must be the teacher," she smiled back.
At one point David had Emma in his arms and danced with her. Right after the song, Emma ran away, and he sat back down at our table. He appeared very calm, even though his children were barely within his line of sight. All three of them were running around with the other kids, playing outside unsupervised and doing all kinds of shenanigans.
"Aren't you worried about your children?" I inquired in amazement.
Again and again I cast a - mental - gaze at my children, who were also more up and about than sitting with us.
"Why should I?" he said unconcerned, then began to smile. "With each child, one becomes more relaxed. No matter what happens to them, whether they skin their knee when they fall, hit their head when they romp, fall into a creek. They learn from it. And if something really bad happens, they know where to find us," he explained.
"And what are you going to do when Emma starts getting interested in boys?" I asked, having just seen Emma on the dance floor with the small ringbearer. They looked really cute together.
David laughed uproariously.
He had already heard about Marcus. And of my reaction to it so far.
"I've got a plan," he said. "I'm going to lock her in her room."
"And what does Sonya say about that?"
"She suggested the basement so Emma couldn't pull a Rapunzel," he meant, still laughing. "But seriously. Do you realize that you have a huge advantage over every other father in the world?" he then asked.
"That I can take the boy out of the world without anyone noticing?" I asked seriously.
"No. You hear what's going on in that Marcus guy's head. So, you know what he wants from Leah. Whether he's serious or not. Or let's say serious enough for that age," he began and paused for a bit, eyeing me. "The thoughts of Marcus probably don't provide you with any reason to object, do they?"
"What makes you think that?" I asked indignantly. But he was right. Until now! I had not been able to grasp many lines of thoughts from Marcus so far. After all, I had only seen him briefly on Tuesday night and then again yesterday when he had brought Leah home.
"If it were any other way, you would have said something by now," he meant and stood to get a whiskey from the bar. They had his preferred brand. "You're not worried about Leah getting involved with the wrong guy. You are afraid that she has found the right one! But if you can't handle the really right one, Leah has been your daughter for the longest time!" he indicated to me.
Ouch! That hurt!
I chatted with all sorts of people and strolled through the crowd of guests as did Bella.
With the bridal couple, who introduced me to their immediate family. Mr. Prescott and his wife. A few of Bella's work colleagues. I danced with all the ladies I knew. Even with Emma, which was huge fun for me. Also with Daphne, which in retrospect was probably not such a good idea. Immediately afterwards, I asked Leah again for a dance to take away Daphne's hope.
"What do I get for playing your girlfriend?" Leah asked me cheekily when I explained my intention. "DAD!" she added emphatically afterwards.
Only Bella stood with us, which is why she called me that so directly.
"My breakfast tomorrow won't be Marcus!" I said, pulling her onto the dance floor at the same time. I had the most well-behaved daughter in the history of the world! "Thank you for the dance!" I said afterwards and, making sure Daphne saw it, gave her a kiss on the cheek.
In her thoughts she still admonished me that she would call Daphne if I didn't show my sweetest side tomorrow.
To underline her threat, she immediately asked Daphne for her cell phone number and gave me a victorious gaze.
Then I finally danced with my angel again.
I had a hard time sticking to etiquette.
My hand was firmly on her waist, but there was too much distance between us to my taste. With a long and gentle kiss on her hand, I thanked her for the dance, whereby her delicate fingers stroked my cheek. With my eyes closed, I enjoyed this little moment.
Since I was very much maintaining my human facade, I disappeared every now and then in the direction of the washrooms. I was just heading there again when I saw Jake and Becky sitting on the table in a hallway. I joined them.
"You realize you're interrupting!" Jake asked sarcastically.
"Why should you be better off than me?" I said likewise. "Don't let me disturb you," I then said. After all, I only had to burn a few minutes until I could return to the ballroom.
"Okay," Jake murmured, chuckling, and promptly busied himself with Becky's lips again.
I rolled my eyes and left again.
I was looking for Bella. I had not seen her for some time. I found her outside. She was clinging to one of the bar tables and looking stubbornly in one direction, as if in shock.
"Bella?" I spoke to her. I guess she wasn't in shock. Or at least it wasn't a very big one. She reacted immediately. "Is everything all right?" I still inquired.
"Yeah. Sure. It's all good. My boss just caught me a little ... off guard," she explained chuckling and finishing her glass.
Bella didn't want to go back into the crowd just yet, so I gave her my suit jacket and we walked around the park for a bit.
To my chagrin, too many other couples got the same idea, so we went back. Unkissed! We were pissed. Both of us!
"May I please!" I then asked Sonya for a dance.
She danced - as did David - really excellently. She told me that they took to dance classes together after David asked her to marry him. They had taken a liking to it and had continued to go there after the wedding. They had also been able to teach Bella a little of it, for which I thanked her warmly.
I was cut in on. By Luces and Deacon. They left Becky with me in return.
We watched them with amusement as the three danced and the boys spun wildly in circles with their mother.
Sonya's face suddenly turned white, and she broke away from the boys.
I hurried the few steps to her, which I was only allowed to overcome at human speed. Fortunately, she slumped together only when I reached her. She was only unconscious for seconds and was already looking at me again when I lifted her in my arms and brought her to our table. The music had stopped. A small band was engaged, and numerous guests gathered around us.
Voices buzzing.
"That was probably a few too many spins!" I opined, and she smiled weakly.
David came running toward us, but I immediately calmed him down. I sat her down on her chair and made room for David.
The wedding couple came to us just as anxiously as other people. Also, a waitress, to whom I took one of the glasses from the tray and handed it to Sonya. She looked at me skeptically. It was a champagne glass.
"Just a little sip for your circulation," I explained.
Sonya recovered quickly and the excitement subsided. Soon she danced again, but now omitted all superfluous turns.
It was already after midnight.
After Emma fell asleep on David, they drove home.
We joined them after saying goodbye to Stan and Peter and wishing them a fun honeymoon.
Bella and Leah fell asleep on the drive.
Jake took his sister in his arms, and I took Bella. Becky carried all the handbags and high-heeled shoes. As soon as we left the venue, Bella had taken them off.
I had a hard time just changing Bella for bed and not falling all over her.
I did not even get a 'good night' kiss! Impudence!
But I smiled. While Bella slept snuggled up to me, I thought about tomorrow's schedule.
I had not been able to ask Leah when or if she wanted to be woken up. She had a planned meeting with Marcus at 10:00 o'clock. And I had unfortunately promised to be nice.
So, I got up at eight o'clock and prepared breakfast.
Like every Sunday, when we all had breakfast together, it was extensive.
After all, in this house there were two predators to sate.
I didn't look bad when Emma suddenly stood in front of the patio door - in pink pajamas, Teddy under her arm, and wearing only socks. She complained that everyone was still asleep over there.
"You don't love me anymore!" she accused me heartbreakingly when I said she couldn't just come over here.
"Of course, I love you, little angel," I gently pinched the little dimpled cheeks. "But you can't run out of the house without telling someone where you are. If your parents wake up and they can't find you anywhere in the house, they'll worry about you," I explained.
"But I am here! They only have to come here, though!" Emma tried to clarify.
Childlike logic. There was nothing to add to that.
I smiled, made her a cocoa and sent David a text message. At just before nine o'clock everything was ready except for the scrambled eggs, and I woke everyone up.
Sorry. WE woke everyone up. Did I ever mention that Becky drinks her coffee with milk?
On a small tray, Emma balanced the two cups for Jake and Becky and her own mug.
The two were already awake and Jake had also heard Emma. In this respect, they were no longer completely undressed.
They pulled Emma between them on the bed and let them talk at length and patiently about last night, so that Bella and I could get ready undisturbed.
I went to Leah, who was still fast asleep. I woke her up as usual with a kiss on the forehead and stroked her cheek a little.
She opened her eyes, sat up tensely, looked for the time, which she didn't find right away - something was over her alarm clock - and became frantic.
"Leah. Take it easy. It's only nine o'clock. You still have plenty of time!" I tried to reassure her.
She took a deep breath and turned her attention to her coffee.
My angel was also still asleep. She was lying on her stomach, as always without a blanket when I was not there, and the pajama top had slipped up a bit. I gently stroked the free part of her back. I had no idea how Bella would feel. She had drunk some champagne and was getting cuter and tipsier the later it got.
"Coffee?" she mumbled.
"No ... Edward," I replied matter-of-factly.
She lifted her head a little, pulled the curtain of her hair from her face and a charming smile settled on her sensual mouth.
"Hi ..." I smirked.
I let her pull me onto the bed, she wrapped her arms and legs around me and kissed me.
Probably didn't have a headache.
"Okay, I'll just let you get away with that," I forgave her for the little mix-up.
We took a quick shower so our pets could still run and picked Emma back up, who by now was sitting with Leah.
At 10:00 sharp, the bell rang.
Well, he was on time.
After Bella urged me to be nice, Emma was the first to stand at the front door.
I hid a bit while Bella handled things in the kitchen. I was curious how Marcus reacted to the unexpected Emma.
"Hello!" she said, a little unsettled. She had expected one of her parents.
"Good morning," Marcus replied, considering whether Leah had told him anything about a little sister. But he could only think of Jake. "I'm Marcus. And who are you?" he asked therefore.
"Emma ... Are you Leah's boyfriend?" Emma immediately asked with more confidence.
Emma had grilled Leah about why she was so jittery today.
"Yes. That's me," Marcus said - not without pride in his voice.
With such a pretty girl like Leah, one could also be proud if he would show her off to his immature friends.
"Are these for Leah?" asked Emma further.
Marcus had brought a small bouquet of flowers.
"No. Not all of them," he replied, and I saw through his eyes that he was tucking a flower behind Emma's ear.
A small gesture that made Emma melt.
Well, he could steal innocent girls' hearts already.
Emma thanked her well-behaved and called for Leah.
But I heard in her thoughts that she wasn't done yet.
Emma ran into the kitchen to proudly show Bella her flower.
So now I showed myself.
Leah had told him about me, but he didn't seem to be very interested in the fact that there was a not inconsiderable age difference between Bella and me.
I chuckled to myself.
He had no idea how to address me. Because of my age, he was leaning toward a simple first name, but since Leah had referred to me as her father, something in him refused to address me in such a relatively disrespectful manner. A small plus for his manners.
"Good morning, Marcus. I am Edward. As far as I know, you've already heard of me!" I introduced myself and held out my hand to him in a friendly manner, thus taking the decision away from him to a certain extent.
"Good morning. Yes. You are Leah's ... father, Mr. Edward," he hesitated and shook my hand.
"So to speak," I confirmed, leaving the 'Mr.' uncommented for now.
To address me only by my first name seemed to him all the more impolite.
Bella joined us from the kitchen.
"Hello, Marcus. I hope, however, you brought an appetite with you," she held out her hand to him.
"Good morning, Mrs. ... Bella," he corrected his words himself as Bella already raised a finger in admonishment. "Thank you for inviting me," he said, handing Bella the small bouquet of flowers, whereby he retained an orange gerbera.
Bella politely thanked him, however meant that was not necessary and immediately asked Marcus to come in properly.
At the same moment, Jake and Becky came down the stairs. Jake walked backwards in front of Becky, his hands intertwined with hers, kissing her over and over.
They 'argued' about who would take longer for their hair in the morning. I would say: Jake! But I wasn't asked.
Jake missed the final step. He thought he had already reached the bottom and fell backwards onto the floor. But since Jake endured quite a bit and an ignorant human was present, I only saved Becky from falling with him.
"Looking ahead, Jake! Should help!" I chuckled, as he already started to get up again.
"It was more interesting behind me!" noted Jake, however.
The two of them said hello to Marcus first and we headed out to finally leave the hallway when Leah was done as well.
Focusing on two people at once required a bit of attention. I didn't want to overhear any thoughts.
So, I just stood there for a few seconds.
Leah had already been on the lookout for Marcus, and her heart actually didn't miss a beat.
Slowly she went down the steps, not averting her eyes from the young man.
All the excitement of the previous morning had fallen away from her. She wanted only one thing. To be in his arms.
I gestured for Marcus to look up.
His pulse quickened when he caught sight of Leah and he walked back to the bottom of the stairs, transfixed.
His eyes concentrated on little things. A reflection of light in Leah's eyes. The long lashes that framed the chocolate. It annoyed him that he hadn't come up with anything else besides chocolate. The smile around the corners of her mouth. A single freckle on her cheek.
For a moment they just looked at each other, seemingly unable to escape the gaze of the other. He lifted the orange gerbera and let it drive gently over Leah's cheek as he whispered a soft, "Good morning, Leah," which she returned just as softly.
Leah drove her index finger over a scar he had on his eyebrow.
He hesitated.
He would like to take her in his arms, but it seemed indecent. Especially in front of her parents.
I made a line on my mental list again under the term 'behavior'.
Leah, on the other hand, knew her parents well enough and simply took what she wanted. They kissed lovingly and I turned away.
"Well, what do his thoughts say?" Bella asked me quietly and Jake and Becky immediately stood with me to hear my answer.
"At least he doesn't give me a reason to throw him out of the house right away!" I answered diplomatically. But I did not admit defeat yet!
"Too bad, mmm ...?" chuckled Jake.
I pushed him out of the kitchen towards the dining table.
"Aren't you eating?" Marcus asked me after some time.
"No. I've already tried too much during the preparation," I stated, which Marcus believed without hesitation.
After all, the table was very richly set. If I had actually tasted everything, I would certainly be satiated for a time as a human being.
They talked about yesterday in the best mood. About the wedding, the beach, the move - Emma.
Marcus, who didn't quite know how to behave at first, became more and more relaxed. Still, he remained rather distant.
He was fascinated by how casual and happy a Sunday breakfast could be. There was laughter, gentle kissing now and then, holding hands, feeding each other, intermediately Becky sitting on Jake's lap, Bella or Emma on mine. That was, as far as I could see in his thoughts, unthinkable at his home. He considered when his family had last sat completely at one table.
Time to stop the small talk and get the important issues on the table.
"So, Marcus. Tell me. What do you do and what does your future look like?" I asked with raised eyebrows and a stern tone of voice.
Leah choked and coughed. Jake chuckled. Becky looked at me in disbelief. Bella punched me in the shoulder. Emma continued to nibble on her chocolate croissant with relish and looked challengingly at Marcus with eyes just as curious as mine.
Marcus, on the other hand, was not surprised. He had apparently expected to be grilled a bit. Even if he had rather assumed to hear such questions from Bella.
"What can I say about it. I'm eighteen, I live in Portland with my parents, I go to high school, I play a lot of sports, and I'm going to college next year," he informed with a friendly smile.
"What do you want to study?" I continued to ask, because so far this corresponded to the usual life of an eighteen-year-old. Even Emma could have thought of all that.
"Sport Sciences."
He always limited his answer to these two words, which was of course also completely sufficient for most. Me, however, not.
"In which field?" I therefore inquired.
Marcus looked at me drolly. A mixture of amazed and confused.
"I mean, do you want to be a better gym teacher? ... Or a doctor?" I specified my question.
Marcus swallowed, dumbfounded.
I was the first against him to even consider these two possibilities from the term sports sciences and his answer surprised me.
"Both," he admitted.
I encouraged him to tell how he came up with this combination.
It was actually quite simple. He had always been a sports enthusiast and also played on various school teams. Last year during the summer vacations he had an accident. Cruciate ligament rupture. The doctors argued with the trainers about when he could get involved in sports again and start training. His wasn't an isolated case, of course. In the international sports media, one heard about such disputes again and again. He knew that he would not get there with the average study time to get the highest possible degree in both fields. He hoped to complete the first few semesters in parallel, but it would certainly become more unmanageable with each successive one. But when he would then be finished, he had very far-reaching and promising possibilities.
I agreed with him.
Admittedly, I was honestly impressed by how focused and thoughtful his future plans looked, even if it would be a long, sometimes arduous road.
The doorbell rang.
Since I was the only one not eating, I naturally stood to open and interrupted my interrogation to do so.
"Morning. Do you have one too many children?" asked David cheerfully.
"How about an eighteen-year-old sports-minded young man?" I offered - in exchange for his 'smooch ball'.
"Forget it!" David laughed me down and came in.
On the way to the dining room, he gave me another teasing look, thinking to himself that he wasn't so crazy as to mess with Leah.
Emma immediately climbed off the chair and ran toward her father.
He wished everyone a happy good morning, gave Bella a kiss, introduced himself to Marcus, and then likewise tried to explain to Emma that she couldn't just run off like that.
"You found me, though!" stated Emma.
"Only because Edward told me you were here!"
"Then it's all fine!" insisted Emma further.
David looked at me seeking help.
"I can't beat that!" I declared, raising my arms defensively. Emma brought even the mind of a vampire to its limits.
While Emma was still finishing her cocoa and eating the last of her croissant, David sat down with a coffee and chatted with us. He also thought of one or two other questions that he wanted Marcus to answer. Then he took Emma in his arms and said goodbye.
At the front door he whispered to me quietly that Marcus however made a very nice impression.
"We'll speak again when Emma comes home with her first boyfriend!" I threatened him.
He laughed and left.
We cleared the table. Or ... we let it clear. Leah and Jake did that alone every Sunday.
Bella sat on the kitchen counter, and I stood in front of her. Her arms were over my shoulders, her hands intertwined with mine and I kept kissing or stroking over the backs of her hands.
Harmoniously we watched the four young people. The planned surfing literally fell into the water. It was raining cats and dogs, still they all disappeared through the front door in a good mood.
Evilly I looked now at my angel.
"What?" she immediately asked, startled.
"I didn't get a 'good night' kiss!" I complained.
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