Dear readers!

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas 🌟, which I hope you can celebrate healthy and with your families.

Merry Christmas!🎄 Verena


Chapter 143

Boys ... Big, Little and Medium


Edward


The actual farewell to the ladies dragged on a bit.

Emma jumped into the arms of every being who stayed here. Sonya hugged me and promised while doing so to take care of Bella. Esmé gave me her word to regularly remind Rose and Alice not to be too cocky and to give the moms enough downtime.

I kissed my angel goodbye and also kissed my baby.

It hurt me to let her go, but on the other hand, it seemed easier than after Thanksgiving.

So the ladies left, and ten male beings stood in the living room.

Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Daniel, Luces, Deacon, Jake, Marcus, David, and me. Seven of them looked a little awkward, only Carlisle was in the loop.

"So what do we do now?" asked Deacon boldly.

Emmett showed him a little respect for that. The youngest among us had taken the floor.

"Now then!" David began solemnly, rubbing his hands together in a driving manner.

We spoke in turn, with some pairs of eyes widening in anticipation.

David: "We have twenty-six hours, from this point on, with no one telling us what to do or not to do!"

Me: "No one 'Be careful not to get dirty'."

David: "No one 'Don't act like a little kid!'."

Me: "Don't go to bed too late!"

David: "Don't eat too many sweets!"

Me: "Be a role model for the younger children!"

David: "Don't go on a rampage or you'll fall!"

"That would be a point I would agree with, though!" I interrupted our happy listing.

"We have Carlisle and you with us!" he rebutted my objection.

"And what does that mean exactly?" asked Daniel.

"That you determine what we do! Everyone has a free wish for today," I clarified.

Incredulous silence.

"Are there any restrictions on that?" Emmett asked intently.

"A little bit. At ten o'clock sharp tomorrow morning, they expect us all right back here. If possible in one piece and without arrest. So maybe we shouldn't necessarily leave the country or anything like that," David explained.

A grin settled on their various mouths, while possible ideas arose in their heads.

There were a few things to keep in mind, though. Even if David's boys were allowed to stay awake as long as they wanted today - mine anyway - they would still go to bed at some point. Preferably, they should have eaten something by then.

In this respect, the humans discussed dinner for a short time.

"Pizza," Daniel suggested.

Raclette was Luces' idea, who thought it was so funny with the little pans.

Marcus and Jake pulled back a bit to confer.

Because of David's even younger children, they were somewhat handicapped in terms of what they wanted to do. They did not want to propose anything that would exclude the smaller ones. To that extent, they agreed to demand their desire in terms of eating.

"Spareribs!" announced Marcus.

The Pulled Pork had been terrific, and Beef Brisket would be too elaborate. Therefore, the two chose the last of the dishes that among professional grillers was called the Holy Trinity.

"And the good ones!" added Jake with a stern face.

Ten pairs of eyes glided to the windows. It was snowing and these were not just a few contemplative flakes. Counting the little white ice crystals floating to the ground would already demand considerable concentration from me.

"Now don't act like barbecue depends on the weather for you!" huffed Jake afterward.

Something like enthusiasm was heard from Luces and Deacon, and they said that spareribs had not been served in a long time.

Daniel was undecided.

He didn't know his dad's, but he liked Spareribs. Very much so.

"Okay, okay. Then I'll have to see if I can get them on such short notice," he said and disappeared into the kitchen with his cell phone.

I heard him ask for Baby Back Ribs.

The children pondered for so long what they could ask for that Sonya might not otherwise readily allow them to do.

Meanwhile, I cast a critical glance at Emmett. He already had an idea.

"Jake and Marcus were kind enough to think of the little ones. Why not you?" I asked him.

He thought of a 'topless' bar, when we 'men' were among ourselves after all, since my bachelor party was on hold. For their event, whenever that would be, I would probably have to set up very clear rules in advance.

"The Spareribs are fine. But if you don't want to eat in the middle of the night, that means that we have to be back here in the afternoon. After all, they take four hours ... What are we going to do until then?" asked David, after he had successfully ended his phone call.

He looked at Daniel invitingly.

"Go Karting!" this one determined.

Carlisle offered to get the ingredients needed for dinner and not join us again until afterwards. That way we wouldn't have to interrupt the wish list to pick up the Spareribs and bring them here.

David explained the way to the butcher shop and gave him our key to his house. The store was in Wells and since Carlisle also had a penchant for speeding, he would not be on the road very long.


The Go Kart track was in an old factory building between Saco and Portland and at this early hour there was nothing going on yet. So we would be able to let off steam on the track alone.

However, Deacon was not yet allowed to drive; at seven years old, he was too young and still too small. The minimum age had been set at ten. Because of Luces the employee was reasonable, as long as he didn't drive the vehicle on his own.

Deacon was pretty offended by this, which we all could sympathize with and were already considering cancelling Go Karting altogether.

But it saddened David.

It had been Daniel's wish. The son who he had neglected for the last twelve years.

Then I saw the proprietress of the plant.

A young woman in her early twenties who ran the business with her parents. But the parents were not there.

I raised my camera in front of my eyes, which I had fortunately still thought of, and took a picture of the lady.

She noticed it, that's how it was planned, and narrowed her eyes venomously.

"I guess we're driving after all!" muttered Emmett behind me as I walked toward the young woman, who was clutching her hands angrily at her sides.

"How dare you take my picture like that?" she asked enraged.

I smiled captivatingly.

"I beg your pardon, but I believed I was meeting an angel. I had to record that photographically. Otherwise no one will believe me," I purred sweetly.

"Who are you going to tell, little one?" she said disparagingly in a tone of voice that probably would have sent any man running for the hills.

Anyone else. Not me. Because I heard that she was quite receptive to compliments. She knew various pickup lines, since she mostly ran into young testosterone-driven men here, who additionally got their courage from the adrenaline in their blood. But with none had it sounded as amiable and convincing as with me.

"Well ... you!" I whispered, taking her hand and breathing a light kiss on the back of her hand without breaking eye contact.

And I continued to smile without releasing her hand.

It only took a few seconds for her to smile as well.

I chatted a little with her. About the hall, the track, and whether she had a boyfriend. She didn't. She rarely did not look me in the eye, played with her hair, smiled constantly.

I said - inhumanly quietly, of course, and with my hand held out while clearing my throat - that now would be the perfect time for a little heartbreaking tantrum.

This is what Deacon got right away, and so convincingly that even I would have believed him.

I explained that my little cousin was quite offended because he was not allowed to drive, even though he was only two years younger and only slightly smaller than his brother.

I looked at her rather sadly. My gaze was better than Deacon's, although he was really trying.

So she gave in, and Deacon was allowed to ride along.

We drove out different races and the boys visibly enjoyed it. Regardless of age. Deacon and Luces kept switching buggies so they could ride on others' laps. Emmett, for whom brakes were something superfluous and who was fully in his element, was the preferred companion for both. Only David rode alone because of his still damaged ribs.

After some time and always changing race participants - Carlisle had joined us again in the meantime - I sat with David at the side. His ribs hurt a bit and I wanted to take a few photos.

"How many times have you enforced your will that way?" he asked, sipping a glass of water ... grinning.

He wondered what Bella would say to that.

"I refuse to testify!" I declared.

"That often, then?!" he noted, smirking under his posed suspicion.

He would not betray me to Bella. These were things that, for him, belonged in the secrecy of a true male friendship. Moreover, he knew that this had nothing to do with Bella.

When I heard the young lady approaching, I pressed the camera into his hand.

That was the disadvantage of such actions. I had gotten what I wanted, but I couldn't get rid of the girls.

I went, as if I hadn't seen them, to the start/finish area. The current race was over after that lap, and I wanted to race against my two sons.

It was a terribly hard, but also terribly fun fight for victory. My victory!


Carlisle wished to visit a museum, which the children commented on with a bored sigh.

The weary enthusiasm continued until we arrived at the building.

A candy museum. Confections of all kinds, chocolaty, savory, and so on. From their discovery, the first and evolved manufacturing techniques, promotional activities to different eras, national and foreign products ...

The mascots of various brand products were ready for photos. Everywhere you could nibble what was just explained. New creations and how they were created was shown through a film. At provided computers, visitors could think up their own sweets. The fact that a market launch depended on the opinions of groups of test persons and that the visitors to this museum were such a group all the time was explained in another room.

To that end, Jake was eating a bacon praline and answering some quick questions. He immediately took another one to underline his enthusiasm.

Luces had been a bit unlucky with his choice. The strawberry-flavored chips were not his cup of tea.

It ended in a sales room where pretty much every kind of sweet could be purchased. A huge hall, in which we then had to search the children. Here you could try all sorts of things first before buying them. In this respect, all the humans and wolves were busy. Also, some products could be individually wrapped or made here. So Luces and Deacon got sweets that were wrapped in paper, which had their respective names on them.

So that there was no confusion. Very important!

Daniel picked out a big permanent lollipop. For the green-eyed girl with the blond braids from his Halloween party, who, according to the latest information, was his steady girlfriend.

For Sonya, David took a gingerbread heart that had a little love note made of sugar writing on it. Emma would unwrap a cupcake with a princess crown tomorrow. The biggest gem emblazoned on it was a piece of edible paper that showed a picture of Emma that was taken from David's phone.

Marcus ordered a bar of caramel chocolate that read 'Leah!' on the individual broken pieces. A single piece in the middle had his own name on it.

For Becky, Jake let yellow marshmallows form a star. In the middle sat a red lollipop with the words 'I love you!

And Bella would get chocolate, of course. Dark chocolate with hazelnuts. This was my angel's favorite. It was without preformed broken edges, but the whole surface could be customized.

I quickly sketched the template for the computer that would transfer my drawing onto the bar with white chocolate.

On the sides of each a baby. Both with a teasing upstanding strand, but I put a bow on one to illustrate it as a girl. And between them were the incredibly crappy names that she had suggested. Kunigunde and Agamemnon!

I asked Jake and Marcus what they would wish for today.

They answered the same.

To be here! Nothing more. Their thoughts from this morning where they didn't want to name anything that would exclude Deacon and possibly Luces had been reinforced when they went Go Karting. So when it came to laser tag, paint ball or the like, they were sure that the two of them would not be allowed to participate. Besides, it was winter, which limited the possibilities. A rafting tour or a theme park was therefore out of the question. Likewise, they saw a time problem if everyone really had a wish free here.

So I promised them that we would repeat this day.

Just the three of us - or with our beloveds. As they pleased.

"Both!" they clarified in response.


Noon was over, but since all those of us who ate had already snacked on numerous sweets, we postponed lunch for a bit.

So we complied with Jasper's request, for which we had to go to downtown Portland.

We parked our three cars separately due to space and met in front of the building. Next door was a branch of Dunkin' Donuts. Of course I picked up Jake then from there, when David arrived with his sons.

The Escape Room. Here you are locked in a room for a maximum of sixty minutes, where you have to find clues, solve puzzles, and work together to escape the room.

We were lucky. A group had dropped out on short notice, and we took over their reservation. Otherwise we would have had to lock ourselves into the public rooms with the spontaneous visitors.

We represented detectives locked in the office of a journalist. We had to find the evidence against a crime syndicate that the journalist had left here partially encrypted and hidden. During the briefing, we were told that we could disfigure and mess up the room as much as we wanted.

The seven- to eighteen-year-olds didn't need to be told twice!

There was utter chaos, but we found all the hidden clues very quickly.

After about eight minutes, the connections of the crime syndicate were clear to Jasper and me, Carlisle took just a moment longer, and Emmett just let Luces and Deacon confuse him too much to get behind the solution in any acceptable vampiric time. Still, of course, we continued to play along, feigning ignorance and giving the smaller ones a few hints.

Jake, Marcus, and David took a very focused approach, with Daniel also being able to contribute a lot.

After forty-two minutes the case was solved, and we were free.

We had thus set a new record. Only by one minute, but still.


Emmett allowed himself a lot of fun with Marcus and Jake. He had swiped the handcuffs from the Escape Room. In an inattentive moment, he handcuffed the two together. Jake's left wrist and Marcus' right wrist were inseparably linked. Em had 'accidentally' not thought to take the key as well.

While we were thinking about where we would stop for lunch, the two of them a little apart from us - surrounded by the other three guys - tried to get rid of the handcuffs.

Circumstantial, but useless attempts.

Jake couldn't use his wolfish muscles in the open and under supervision to get free.

"If you can keep this up until tomorrow after breakfast, I'll do your homework for three months!" bet Emmett right away, grinning all over.

Two of his favorite things. Betting and grinning.

"Otherwise, you'll do mine! And you'll be sorry if it's not at least a 'B'!"

My children looked at each other, just for a moment.

No homework, more time for Leah and Becky!

"Deal!" they said firmly and absolutely convinced that it was not a problem after all. These few hours.

They took each other by the hand and held them up in evidence.

The bet would be as good as won!

I doubted it would be that easy.

After all the two would have to go to the bathroom, they usually showered every morning, Jake would certainly make his rounds as a wolf this evening. Changing clothes should also prove to be impossible.

However, I kept my concerns to myself.

It was certainly amusing when they noticed these little quirks of the bet on their own. And Emmett would personally check that there was no cheating.

"Do I actually have a wish free, too?" asked Emmett sanctimoniously as we considered where to stop for lunch.

Some eateries were in the immediate vicinity, within walking distance. Some others, like 'Pizza Hut', 'Subway', 'Burger King' and similar popular franchises, in a commercial area not far away, where we would have to go by cars though.

I saw Emmett's desire already in his mind and rolled my eyes.

That was so typical!

"Well, sure, Em. Where do you want to eat?" smirked David, though.

"'Hooters'!" Em announced.

'Hooters'. A franchise restaurant in an industrial park. The work uniform consisted of – and this is the complete outfit! - white sneakers with white cuffs, orange hot pants, a very tight and skimpy white top with 'Hooters' logo and wide neckline. That's it.

I had never entered such a place, but knew the working conditions there. Rose had once worked in such a branch, as she very much appreciated the attention she received from the predominantly male clientele. The girls who were allowed to work there were cast. Unless there was something to do as a waitress and an important sports program was being broadcast, the ladies were instructed to entertain the audience in other ways. There was a special 'Hooters' song that the waitresses danced to at least once a night, they let tires gyrate on their shapely hips and offered other male friendly distractions. Touching was strictly forbidden! Emmett had been kicked out of the establishment for this, with a subsequent ban, even though he had only touched his own wife.

"This could get interesting," Jasper reflected.

Our eyes turned by themselves to the children and young people.

Luces and Deacon wouldn't really be able to do anything with the pretty staff. But the other three! And we were equally curious after all.

So we drove without saying where we were going.

The first obstacle of the bet made me smirk right away.

Jake and Marcus walked ahead of me toward the car to get in the back.

I stayed back a bit and pulled out my camera.

This had to be recorded for posterity.

They slowly walked apart the closer they got to the BMW - one on the left, one on the right. The wolf was stronger, and Marcus stumbled backward after Jake, barely able to stay on his feet from the sudden jerk on his wrist. Their first confrontation ensued, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

In addition, I took a snapshot of the squabblers with my cell phone and sent it to my angel.

Although I had laughed a lot with and about my family so far, I missed her incredibly. She had left the house just five hours ago, and yet it tugged at my temper that I wouldn't have Bella and my baby back with me for another twenty-one hours. I couldn't really imagine my angel in the midst of our ventures, yet a part of me was missing.

My children are already arguing. And yours?

I wrote to the photo.

Until I was in the car - Jake and Marcus were just laying out rules for getting in and out of the car - I got an answer.

Seems to run in the family.

I also received a picture.

I chuckled.

My princesses were seemingly bitching at each other, wildly gesturing with their arms, in the middle of Times Square. I didn't assume it was a serious argument. More like a temporary tiff, like mine.


It wasn't until we got to the parking lot that Marcus and Jake had identified 'Hooters' as the destination.

Their thoughts were kind of cute for the fact that it was a better snack bar and not a strip club. They were familiar with the place as such. Of course they were. They weren't little boys anymore. However, they were beyond uncomfortable being here with us - especially me, their dad! - and wondered how they should behave in there.

"Do we have to? ... Can't we eat somewhere else?" Jake even asked.

"Come on!" they were impatiently prompted by Emmett, though, before I could say anything.

We entered the well-attended restaurant.

"Jakeeeeee ...!" one of the waitresses rushed up to my son, jumped up on him and clung to him with her arms and legs, whereby she pressed a kiss very close to his lips.

In the affect - at least that's what I assumed for the time being - Jake held the girl, which he inevitably pulled Marcus' wrist with, whereupon he found himself on the floor in front of Jake and under the scantily clad waitress. This had drawn a little attention in the entrance area. The persons in the immediate vicinity turned to us curiously.

"Marcus!" another young employee immediately thundered, walking up to him and giving him a resounding slap.

The girl with Jake was frightened, in addition came the force of the blow on Marcus. After the girl had freed herself from Jake and she had let herself be pulled along by the other, my two sons were now lying on the floor.

Emmett was still wondering if he should be impressed now, while I crouched myself between Jake and Marcus wordlessly.

With one very raised eyebrow!

"Um ... I've been here before," Jake hummed and hawed.

"More than once," Marcus said, embarrassed, rubbing his cheek.

Smirking, I helped the two of them up from the floor, although they refused to give me any thoughtful explanations of this scene.

I knew well enough what effect Jake had on the opposite sex. He was part of many of the female student bodies thoughts at our school. However, none of the girls dared to approach Jake since he was unambiguously together with Becky. Even the large group Jake was always surrounded with made some shy away. With Marcus, the effect seemed to be similar? Or rather the opposite?

It was lunchtime, so the place was only manageably frequented. By Hooters terms manageable.

Jazz and Em walked through the eatery, my sons preferring to hide behind us, but there were only a few scattered empty seats. Even if the vampires among us would retreat, the rest could hardly find a coherent place.

"I'll handle it," Marcus meant confidently after recognizing a girl behind the bar and walking over to her.

He smiled charmingly on this so short way.

Jake stumbled along rather involuntarily.

"How's your girlfriend, by the way?" meanwhile, David asked his oldest son.

The latter had not yet decided which of the girls he found the prettiest in here. He was still gathering the facts in this regard and was very attentive.

"Just look. Don't touch!" Emmett indicated to him.

Daniel nodded absentmindedly and mumbled an almost incomprehensible "Good" in response to his father's question.

Luces and Deacon stood rather bored between us.

A diner like any other. Only with TVs and screens on the walls, on which all kinds of sports were playing. These were the highlight of the locale for the two of them.

"I wonder if he'll get another slap?" Em immediately pointed in Marcus' direction.

"Hello, Di," purred Marcus, who by now had arrived at the bar.

"Marcus Carter!" the addressed woman stated in surprise. "We haven't seen each other in a long time!"

"Way too long, I'd say!" confirmed Marcus, and it clearly sounded double-meaning as he ambiguously stroked his fingertips over her hand that was resting on the counter.

The girl nodded - dreamily.

"Say, can you maybe help us, Di? We're looking for a table. Surely you have a place free for us in the back?" Marcus asked, his smile becoming almost insolent.

'In the back?' Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle, who could hear him, just asked themselves.

Me too, by the way.

How did he know the mentioned 'in the back'? Di - or Diana - as her name tag fully indicated, followed the touch on her hand very closely with her eyes. And increasingly wished those warm gentle fingers were somewhere else entirely, but definitely on her.

She blinked a little and pulled a thick book out from under the counter.

"Is about an hour and a half enough for you? Then the room is reserved?" she asked, smiling sweetly, with an attractive look in her eyes, and leaned toward Marcus.

"You'll be rid of us soon enough, Di. I give you my word !" he promised.

"And what else will you give me?" Di mustered all her courage.

Marcus feverishly thought about how he could get out of the act again now. He remembered this morning and me.

Gently, he picked up the hand without breaking eye contact and breathed a light kiss on her hand.

At the same time, he prayed that Leah would never find out about it.

But it worked.

The girl just became quite warm.

To cool off, she turned away from Marcus, grabbed some menus from a sideboard behind her, and took a deep breath.

Didn't quite work out with the cooling.

She took Marcus' hand and purposefully picked her way through the many guests.

We followed them.

Smirking and grinning. With lots of questions. And a very small amount of pride, which was certainly not appropriate, but Marcus had apparently paid very good attention at the Go Kart track.

Diana opened the door to a back room where there was a long table.

"Let's get you inside, then," she prompted us, having lost some of Marcus' magic along the way.

She even had a boyfriend, as she had remembered in the meantime. Probably not very long, which is why it had slipped her mind.

Yet she stood very close to Marcus as we entered the room.

"Are they friends of yours? I've never seen you with them?" asked Diana.

"You could say that. Although ... actually, it borders more on family. It's my girlfriend's relatives," he said directly but gently.

She looked a tiny bit saddened by the last words.

He raised his hand to show her the handcuffs.

"This is her brother Jake. We're trying to win a bet right now," Marcus smirked captivatingly cheerfully, which then rubbed off on Diana somewhat delayed after Jake gave a cheerful and charming "Hi."

"So ... Marcus. An hour and a half, otherwise you'll get me in hot water!" Diana then said - rather sobered, but still friendly.

Marcus promised that we would hurry and thanked her for the table.

David and his boys threw their jackets, which had already been taken off at the entrance, onto a chair - due to the work clothes and the large number of people it was quite warm - and first urgently disappeared to the bathroom.

"Respect!" murmured Emmett to Marcus appreciatively.

"Quite the Daddy!" opined Jasper.

"I'm hungry!" Jake just clarified, walking past him to the table.

He naturally pulled Marcus along with him as a result.

They wanted to take off their jackets, which we watched with great amusement. It took them a moment to realize that this would not work chained together. So they pushed the jackets as far as they could towards the handcuffs and sat down. The two of them immediately delved into the menus with great concentration, as if the salvation of the world depended on their choice.

Emmett and I sat across from them, pressing down the cards and looking at the two of them with equal prompting.

But they said nothing.

"We might as well ask you tomorrow at breakfast why you're getting jumped on and slapped by 'Hooters' girls!" I pointed out. With Becky and Leah in attendance. That would certainly be worth watching.

They looked at me, quite startled. They hummed and hawed a little.

"I've been here a lot, mostly with the guys from basketball," Jake began to say, chuckling increasingly. "... When the Portland Sea Dogs had their first game in the Major League in the spring, we watched it here because we couldn't get any more tickets for the stadium ... Olivia, who had jumped on me, was looking for one of her colleagues and suspected her to be in the bathroom, where I had just come from ... However, someone had just done it with his girlfriend in there. I suspected that maybe that was the one she was looking for and distracted her a little. We chatted quite animatedly in the hallway in front of it ...""

"Chatted?" I inquired, seeing his understatement, one could also simply call it a palpable lie, in his thoughts.

To save the two strangers in the bathroom from unnecessary trouble, he had flirted with Olivia and kissed her. That part about the 'Don't touch!' was apparently time-barred. Rose had been a Hooters girl in the eighties.

"Well ... one thing led to another ... and Becky didn't exist then ..." he stuttered sheepishly. The scene continued a little further. "And afterwards I actually had to listen to the guy saying, WE better get a room!", he stated a little offended.

My gaze went promptly to Marcus, who had listened to Jake's explanation in amazement and bewilderment.

"They weren't together ... and the guy was me," he admitted, running his hands through his face awkwardly.

A conversation between him and Marcus went through Jake's mind that had happened a few weeks ago. They were standing in the ocean with a surfboard between them. 'That one-night stands are not my thing, I just know not only from conviction, but from experience. But it was only once, and I was not with anyone at the time ...' Jake recalled Marcus saying.

Marcus seemed to understand what Jake was thinking about and nodded slightly.

"Lily had just moved away, I was drunk, more than stoned, and thought it would be a good idea to distract myself. Didn't work out too well ... I was so embarrassed by the action that I never contacted Nicole again after that and never came back here. Hence the slap in the face. And I was here a lot before."

My sons smirked at each other, and both thought the same thing.

Even without Leah, they would have become pretty good friends. If they had somehow gotten to know each other without facing each other as opponents on the basketball court.

With another waitress in tow, David returned to us with his boys.

"Hey ...! Jake ... Marcus ..." the young lady greeted my sons cheerfully and gave them both a suggested kiss on the cheek! "You guys know each other? Didn't know that?" she further remarked, taking the beverage requests.

Those addressed lowered their gaze, embarrassed and blushing.

Did the two of them know the entire staff?

"What did I miss?" asked David, who couldn't help but notice their embarrassment.

"I'll tell you later," I said, pointing to his boys.

The meal passed in good spirits.

Jake and Marcus ordered so much that it would have been enough for the vampires, if they had to eat. We also hurried so that Diana really didn't get any problems.

Jake and Marcus peeled their jackets straight off their bound hands and put them on.

"This could be really harder than expected," Marcus reflected regarding the ongoing bet.

Jake nodded, dismayed.

We were setting off and left the joint, with Marcus thanking Diana again.


On the way to Luce's wish for today, my two thought of the same thing again.

"Are you going to tell on us to Becky and Leah?" spoke out Jake their common thoughts.

"As long as you don't rat me out to Bella about this morning, no!" I stated truthfully. The evening in question was at the beginning of April. At that time, they were both single. It therefore had as little to do with my princesses as my flirting action this morning with Bella. "Have you thought about how you're going to skate with the handcuffs on?" I asked though as I parked the car again.

They looked at each other and raised their joined wrists.

"Shit!" they both said, and I laughed heartily.

Luce's wish was a trip to the skate park Jake had told him about during his first lesson. He wanted to show what he could already do.

By Jake's own admission, he had spent a lot of time here when he was still actively involved in the sport.

Various sports equipment could be borrowed, and we took skateboards and inline skates for everyone.

And, of course, sufficient protective clothing.

Carlisle preferred old-fashioned roller skates. However, he would look no less silly in inline skates.

Daniel showed that he really knew how to handle a skateboard and Luces that he had already learned quite a bit from Jake and Daniel.

Emmett and Jazz quickly learned the basic techniques and I guess I didn't cut a very poor figure either.

David knew by himself that he was much too old for that. He remembered very clearly the scratch on his forehead and the banged-up knees with which he had shown up at our house three weeks ago. He therefore concentrated his energy on my camera.

Just watching Marcus and Jake was pretty funny. They were standing on a board with their thick jackets, which they couldn't take off. Jake tried some tricks, but with Marcus on hand it just didn't work. They switched to inline skates in the meantime, but the picture was no less amusing. They lay tangled up with each other on the hard floor a few times. Actually, they fell more than they moved upright.

Em, of course, knew Jake could skate and challenged him.

"Sure thing, Emmett!" commented Jake sarcastically, rolling his eyes, but Em agreed to separate the handcuffs until then without considering the bet a failure.

They adjourned to the restroom, where Em removed one of the chain links from them.

Jake and Marcus stayed there a moment longer when they were already there.

Jake asked for a few minutes to warm up and familiarize himself with the foreign board.

Em was generous and considered himself unbeatable.

Marcus used the time to get comfortable with this vehicle, which he had never stood on before. Even without Jake, he lay on the ground most of the time.

That was more difficult than he would have thought.

Jake took very benevolent note of this.

Finally, a type of sport that Marcus couldn't do better than him.

In the meantime, Marcus sat with me, and I cooled his fingers after he fell clumsily.

Jake, by the way, was finishing Em up on the extended parcours.

I was extremely impressed with my son. He rarely fell and when he did, he knew how to do it without hurting himself.

Jake was surprised himself in places. He suspected his unexpected skill behind his wolf genes, to which he owed a great deal of body balance, strength and precision. He flipped the board in all possible directions, casually grinded over existing railings and even in the ramp he caused an impressed sensation. A few of the skaters who were here knew Jake from before. They welcomed him into their circle as if he had never been away.

He called Marcus in, and the teenagers kept to themselves. So our attention was again on the younger ones, who had a very clear goal.

Become as good as Jake.

And they practiced very specifically.

At the end we went around together a few rounds in the disco hall.

I felt like I was in the seventies or eighties.

Colorful lights, disco ball, couples holding hands.


It was time for the last wish of the day.

And that Jake and Marcus were chained together again.

At least the two thought of being tied up without jackets.

Deacon's wish was pretty simple. He wanted to go to the big toy store where you could try out all kinds of things.

We drove the short distance over and all the kids spread out in the many cluttered aisles to explore the store at length.

Jake and Marcus had no choice of company because of the handcuffs, but the two didn't mind.

Again and again, the others ran across my path, heavily occupied.

Deacon and Carlisle were at the big trampolines or riding bikes through a test parcour.

Luces and Jasper sat at a Lego table and busily built or checked all the available balls for functionality.

Em and Daniel chased each other with softball rifles or delved into a duel of a popular trading card game.

Jake and Marcus preferred to fight their battles on the various game consoles.

Attached to the shop was a baby supply store, which I walked through with David.

I became increasingly more fascinated.

What all there was!? Various furniture, baby phones and methods of transportation. So far clear! Bottles and diapers, rompers and toys. Also clear, but then! Maternity briefs and pelvic floor training balls for the Mom. Breast pumps, nasal aspirators, and special pillows for breastfeeding or sitting.

"The little ones Marcus and Jake would like to be picked up from the ball paradise, please!" sounded through the loudspeakers.

I became increasingly angry at the parents who belonged to them.

It was the third time they had been called. It was getting close to Christmas. The parents would probably gather up the presents and be very happy to drop their kids off at the children's playland. David had similar thoughts going through his head.

We kept walking, chatting, until the loudspeaker made a whirring sound, signaling a new announcement.

What was wrong with those parents?

"Please! Would someone please pick up Jake Black and Marcus Carter! Please!" the voice rang out again, sounding very stressed.

I swallowed dryly.

And thought of escape.

David laughed lauthally.

Immediately we went to the ball paradise.

It was delightful to watch the two of them.

In the large pool full of small plastic balls lay two full-grown teenagers. They threw each other, pushed each other under the surface, noogied each other, dived under, laughed boisterously. As if they were at least ten years younger.

I unpacked the camera.

There was no other way, I had to capture it pictorially! Why was the childcare worker so stressed that she was biting her fingernails? There was an age restriction. Up to twelve years old were allowed to play here and they had asked her to turn a blind eye. They only wanted to run through the entire obstacle course once. Just like in the old days. But they had already been romping in the balls for fifteen minutes and the lady was afraid of labor law consequences.

Desperate, the lady approached David.

Of course. He looked more like he could be their father.

"Why did you only come after the fourth shout-out?"

"You said 'the little ones' or called them siblings ... But these two are neither of those," David calmly replied. "Besides, I'm not responsible for them!" he chuckled afterward, and the lady became even more desperate.

Did that mean they would stay in there longer? If their supervisor saw that!

I handed my camera to David and jumped over the low barrier while the employee was on the verge of a heart attack.

Another seventeen-year-old who wanted to use the superstructure and playground equipment prepared for real children.

One saw me coming already and Marcus and Jake, chuckling to themselves, trudged toward the edge.

They knew they were behaving totally silly here right now, but they didn't care at all.

"How old do you feel right now?" I inquired.

"Five?" speculated Jake.

"Maybe six?" pondered Marcus.

"At the most!" added Jake, still determined.

"At five or six you go to bed tonight at eight, right? Besides you wouldn't need your cars anymore ... or your cell phones," I immediately insinuated.

The guys disagreed and pulled me into the basin in a huff.

We discussed this matter-of-factly amidst the balls until I yielded. It was more like giving in, since I could barely move with so many balls stuck between my clothes.


Unless the dinner was desired in the middle of the night, we had to leave soon.

Jake, however, wanted to make a quick trip to the CD store to complete his 'The Three Investigators' collection.

Of course, he could purchase the audio dramas online as a stream, it cost less and technically he was equipped in that regard, but he wanted to own this series in its entirety as CDs until it was discontinued. This could not last too much longer. Since the beginning of the series, the same men lent their voices to the teenage detectives, but they were now approaching sixty.

In front of the cash register, we saw an unruly brother and sister trying to obtain a toy by sheer obstinacy. The accompanying mother's face glowed turkey red, while the children grew louder and louder.

David told us that he had also had this experience, as had probably just about every other parent. Luces had thrown himself on the floor screaming in the middle of the store because he desperately wanted a toy.

"... I just wanted to go on and pretend that I didn't belong to the child. But fiddlesticks! That's not going to work. Luces noticed, stood up and pointed his finger at me hard as nails while loudly proclaiming, 'My daddy hates me!' I would have been so happy to disappear down a hole there until the other angry parents were gone," he recounted, having learned to laugh about it by now, although the surrounding parents must have been shaking their heads in great dismay.

"What did you do?" I inquired.

"Well what else? I bought the toy!"

I laughed.

So much for his educational strategies.

We left the store whereby all our children looked beaming with joy. Everyone had gotten something, but mine were big enough to renounce such revolts.

"Thank goodness my kids are out of that age!" I stated with a laugh. "I'd probably have to go to the store across the street with them for reactions like that!" I commented, imagining Jake throwing himself on the ground next to the sports coupé in a huff. A convertible, of course, so he could cruise the coast with Becky in nice weather.

Jake looked to the opposite side of the street.

A Jaguar dealership.

"Then let's try it out!" he suggested directly.

He wanted to see how I would actually react then. If he could bring himself to such a childish behavior. He did not believe … so in public.

David was already driving home with his boys. He had to prepare the Spareribs for dinner and fire up the grill.

Jake's suggestion to give in was still a mistake! A very serious mistake! Well.

Jake didn't have the courage to freak out like that, although the sports coupé did appeal to him.

The echo of the room had as much of an intimidating effect on him as the vehicles polished to a high shine and the salesmen in expensive tailored suits.

But I was sitting in a Jaguar XJ Limousine pretty quickly.

Jasper was quite a help in getting my reprehensible hedonism under control. He quoted the technical details while I gently held the steering wheel in my hands.

"So the back is roomy!" chuckled Jake, who was sitting in the rear bench.

With Marcus, of course. Both of them were already envisioning in their minds how they would drive my princesses around in it. And what else you could do on the spacious rear bench.

"Bella is going to rip my head off!", I stated grumpily.

"Who's the man of the house with you, anyway?" asked Emmett, gurgling.

I replied without any delay, "Bella!"

Everyone laughed except me.

I was quite serious about that.

One of the gentlemen in expensive clothes came up to us to ask us to leave.

We young people were seen as a danger to the integrity of the coveted demonstration cars.

I got out and walked around the beautiful limousine again.

I said goodbye to her. Wistfully!

"I'll take one!" I heard myself say all of a sudden, just before the vendor was about to remove us.

I was startled at myself and clapped my hands in front of my face.

"Excuse me?" the merchant asked.

He was sure that it was a joke.

"I would like to order one of those limousines, if that is possible in this place," I said firmly.

"And for me, please throw in an F-Type Coupé!" Jazz had also picked out a Christmas present for himself.

Jake gasped a little and Marcus probably wasn't breathing at all.

How should I confess this to my angel?

"Please excuse my question, but how do you intend to pay for these vehicles?" the gentleman asked formally, feeling rather taken for a ride.

I pulled my wallet out of my pocket and held up the Black American Express between two fingers.

"That won't represent a problem!" I declared.

Another salesperson was called for Jazz, and we disappeared into the sales offices.

Jake and Marcus, who had not said anything for an eternal moment, helped me with the configuration.

Jake chose the car color, Marcus chose the rims, and they also gave their opinions on the other equipment. Sound system, blacked-out windows all around, interior and so on. My children had exquisite taste. I selected the engine. I took the smaller one, even though it was pretty weak. I would rather trust my children with 340 hp than 550 hp. As a father, you had to pull back sometimes. Furthermore, I still had the BMW and the Maserati to drive really fast. Contrary to my purchases of the last decades, this time I paid attention to the available safety packages. I ordered everything possible in this regard.

"How are you actually going to tell Mom that you just bought a slick car?" asked Jake on the way home.

"I ... haven't ... got ... a ... clue ...!" I replied, putting together my arguments and already imagining various scenarios. In each of them, I was losing. I might have won the car somehow. A contest or something.


"I bought a car," I begrudgingly confessed afterwards in David's kitchen.

He knew Bella's views on disproportionate spending, and I expected - I hoped - that he would immediately send me back to the car dealership to cancel my order.

But first he grinned.

"For you or for Jake?" he wanted to know.

I answered by handing him the documents for it.

Attentively, he flipped through the brochure and went through the list of optional equipment.

"Nice piece!" he complimented my choice and wanted to be there when I told Bella about it.

Oh great!

We played with the boys and their newly acquired treasures while Jake and Marcus listened intently to the new radio drama episode.

The two big boys actually fell asleep in the process.

David kept going to the grill on the terrace to check and readjust the vents. Once new coal had to be fired up and put into the grill, which he asked me to do.

I had the impression that he was explaining life-changing wisdom about it. In his opinion, at least. I still thought this effort was excessive overall.

Around 7:00 p.m., all of our phones rang, which rudely awakened Jake and Marcus.

Everyone withdrew a little with the voice of their beloved.

The vampires went outside, David sat among his children.

Jake and Marcus weren't quite awake yet, got up, tried to move away from each other, and fell back on the couch. They had forgotten all about the handcuffs. They went into the study.

Together ... After all, there was little room for them to maneuver.

I went to the kitchen.

"Bella, dearest!" I accepted the call.

They just ate in the hotel room and rested a bit. It would have been exhausting to walk the streets all day, but very fun at the same time. Bella was looking forward to the revue, but would love to sit on our couch right now. Just the two of us.

"New York is only three hundred and fourteen miles away. I could be with you in a good two and a half hours," I offered. I meant it far more seriously than my voice suggested. I would so love to be with her.

"But no, my heart," she lied to me.

I was not sure. Was I hearing her lie through her voice or was it my longing that made me take it that way. Either way. I would follow her words.

"Just one night, then we'll be back with you. We will hold out!" she continued.

"We will!" I persuaded myself. "How is our baby? Is it happy to see something different for a change?" I then asked, trying to be cheerful.

"It's struggling quite a bit in between," Bella laughed.

"I told you so!" I said. It was so good to hear her voice. To hear that she was doing well. To hear her laugh and imagine her face when she did.

I told her a little about what we had experienced today, and she told me about her day. New York was beautiful. Totally crowded, with completely kitschy Christmas decorations, but still beautiful. They had watched the 'Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony', been to one of the Holiday Markets, tried many of the Street Foods offered ...

It was almost inaudible that Bella had no regrets about being in New York.

I went into the study and smirked directly.

Marcus and Jake stood as far apart as the handcuffs would allow.

Bella wanted to talk to her son, I wanted to talk to Leah, so Marcus talked to Becky.

"Hello, Little one. Has the credit card already been cancelled for lack of funds?" I asked.

"What do you think of me, Dad?" my princess asked indignantly.

"I just want to make sure I can still afford Christmas presents or if I need to get a job so my family doesn't starve!" I clarified.

I heard Leah's embarrassment as she said she had used the card. But she immediately became combative again when she clarified that Rose had urged her to do so.

"Leah!" I curbed my impulsive Spirit Warrior. "I don't care how much money you spend!"

Silence followed for a moment.

I'd like to look Leah in the eye right now. And into her thoughts.

"How is Bella?" I now asked my daughter. To be on the safe side. I knew the martyr who was my fiancée well enough.

But Leah assured me that her mother was doing excellent. It had probably been a bit much, all in all, to be on her feet all day, which is why Rose was giving her a transfusion right now, but Bella would recover quickly.

On my way back to the kitchen and again with my phone, I reprimanded my angel.

She had not mentioned a word about how she felt weak or uncomfortable. Just so as not to worry me. I reminded her crossly of her promise that she would tell me how she felt at any time.

"And if I were dying right now, there's nothing you could do!" she gave me to understand defiantly.

She was right, but that was not the point. I was losing this debate.

Tomorrow morning I could bully her again about her well-being and tell her how she should feel, but not today! She was fine. Period.

If she had an old-fashioned phone, she probably would have angrily thrown the receiver on the hook. As it was, she just pushed me away.

For a moment I looked vaguely at my cell phone.

Bella had hung up. Without a goodbye word. Something had just gone completely wrong here. Was I responsible for it? Was I too controlling? I was just worried!

David whistled behind me, I turned around and he tossed me his phone.

"The ... connection ... was ... somehow severed," Bella muttered haltingly.

"How could that happen?" I rhetorically asked, smiling in doing so.

We skipped over the little exchange of words from just two minutes ago, but I could hear the stirrings of departure in the background.

"I love you, Bella. Have fun at the theater and dream about me," I said softly.

"As always, my heart. I love you, Edward!" my angel said goodbye, without any resentment against me.

I was relieved. Thirteen hours to go. We had one half behind us, but the second would not be so easy. That's where Bella had the advantage. She would sleep through most of it, but what was I doing that night?

I turned and looked through the doorway into the living room.

David and his boys frolicked on the big rug on the floor, and he suppressed the pain his ribs were giving off. He was such a great father. It didn't matter what his kids asked of him, unless it went against general parenting, he did everything for them or with them.

My eyes fell on the documents of my newest car.

Money! I had more of it than I could ever spend and also David was not exactly poor, as far as I had taken it so far from his thoughts. Money made David's life easier in the sense that he could pay for his children's wishes and experiences with it. But that's not what mattered. Just this moment - lying on the floor with his sons while they tickled and teased each other, and the new toys lay unnoticed at the side - was priceless for David! Could I ever compete with that? Did I have more to offer than all my money, which I used to give them a carefree life?

Memories distracted me from my thoughts, and I followed the origin.

Jake and Marcus had come out of the study, and Jake was leaning sentimentally in the doorway between the hallway and the living room.

Jake thought about how he used to play with David. Often when he was here. With Leah together. How much fun it was. But that it had been a long time. That he would definitely be too old for such nonsense. Therefore, his memories continued. To the moments that were important to him today. How I sat with him on the patio at Carlisle after he attacked me. The Armani suit I adjusted a bit. The held open door one night when I picked David up from the airport. We had gone together to pick up wine with the Maserati. His panic attack one night and how I had simply wrapped him in my arms the next morning without being angry with him. The costume rehearsals for Halloween. Working on his Harley together. Studying for school. And much of today - especially the ball paradise.

Marcus' thoughts also received my attention.

He was happy for the three boys that they had such a loving father and could experience such moments. He wished his own father had been like that. And yet he was not unhappy. He loved Leah incredibly, but she gave him so much more. He got to know with us what he had searched for in vain at home. Cordiality and connection. That one was there for each other and not everyone doing their own thing without consideration for the others. That everyone helped each other. While thinking, for example, when I visited him with Jake and Becky at his parents' house. How I had questioned him at the first breakfast we had together. Our conversation in private, when he revealed his life to me. How he refused Bella coffee two weeks ago when she was giddy after early morning exercise on the Pulled Pork Day when I wasn't here, being sure I wouldn't have done anything else. The cooking together and how close and fun it was. Our nightly conversation so few days ago. And much of today - especially the ball paradise.

The two of them noticed me one doorway over.

They noticed how I looked at them while doing so. Participating overwhelmed.

Wordlessly, they stepped toward me and hugged me.

It was not my place to make a judgment about my own father qualities, but I had great kids!


Thank you for reading!