I've been having a bit of writers block lately. Every time I sit down, I can't seem to make the words come out. Hopefully it will pass.
Perhaps more reviews would motivate me. ;)
Chapter 12
"We're here." I announced.
Alice stood on the edge of the wagon as we approached the farm. Her eyes glowed with excitement when the animal pens came into view, filled with tired pigs, cows, and goats. Chickens roamed free around the property-although they should've been locked in their coop by now. That was something I was going to talk to Charlie about.
We stopped in front of barn. It desperately needed a new coat of paint. Any hint of color was blanched by the sun years ago. Some paint remained, although peeling and no longer red, clung stubbornly to wood, destined to be eventually blown away by the wind.
When I opened the barn to put Firerain to bed, the rusty hinges shrieked and protested loudly, sending red dust into the air. My face grew hot in embarrassment. I hoped Alice wouldn't notice how bad the shape of the barn was.
With the help of the setting sun, the barn cast an ominous shadow over the small cottage several yards away, making it appear even more dilapidated than usual.
No, this was no place for a princess. I peeked at Alice, terrified she would demand for me to take her home as soon as she realized how bad it was, but she merely smiled at me, her eyes still lit with excitement. There was no hint of unease in her face.
"Are you ready to meet Charlie?" I asked nervously.
"Yes." She said confidently.
Before I opened door, I hastily removed the arm splint. Alice tried to stop me. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I don't want Charlie to ask questions." I pleaded. "Besides, it's fine now."
She glowered at me. "Bella…."
"As soon as we're out of his sight, I'll put it back on. Promise."
She sighed, but let me finish removing it. I tried not to wince when I maneuvered my arm. But she noticed, and shot me an angry glare.
Charlie's voice sounded from down the hall. "Is that you, Bells?"
"Yes, dad." I padded down the worn stone floor with Alice at my heel. "And I brought a friend. This is Alice."
Alice smiled at him and held out a hand. Her smile was so beautiful it made my knees weak. I immediately felt bad for my father. He seemed dazzled beyond function.
He gaped and blinked for several moments, and then rubbed his eyes as if trying to clear away a false image. When she didn't disappear, he took her hand.
"Oh, err…" He stammered, "Nice you meet you, Alice."
I excused us to start preparing dinner. When Alice and I were in the privacy of my ratty old kitchen, I spoke to her quietly. "How are you holding up?"
She smiled at me. "Perfect."
I raised my brow in suspicion. "You don't have to pretend for my sake. I know this is nothing like your home in—"
She silenced me with a kiss. I was immediately absorbed in the feel of her perfect, soft lips. And the taste. She tasted so sweet.
And much too soon, it was over.
"It's perfect." She repeated, her tone daring me to argue.
I sighed and got started on dinner. With the game Mike Newton had so generously brought to Charlie that morning, dinner was going to be more plentiful than usual. Alice assisted me, dutifully taking over the tasks that required two arms.
It didn't help my concentration that her every touch sent sparks down my body. Even something as simple as our hands touching as I handed her a bowl. Our kitchen was small, and brushing against her was unavoidable. But when her small body grazed mine as she passed me to wash the peas, I set my knife down to touch her, placing my hand against her back, relishing the feel of the soft fabric and warmth of her body. I tried to play it off as natural gesture. "How are the vegetables coming along?" I whispered in her ear. I moved my hand lower, resting it on her hip.
She shivered. "Great." She seemed a little out of breath. "But if you don't move your hand, it won't make it to the stove."
I smiled, thinking of all the things we could do instead of cooking. I gave her hip a firm squeeze. She shivered again.
"Bella." She warned in a stern, but husky tone.
"Alright. Alright." I backed away. As much as I wanted to touch her all night, dinner needed to be cooked.
Soon, shepherd's pie, baked yams, and regretfully, the always plentiful artichokes that I would not touch, was laid artfully on the table. It all looked very good—to the Swans at least. To Alice, who was used to king-sized feasts, it must've looked like pig feed. But when I peeked at Alice again, she looked modestly pleased.
Charlie tried to eat politely around our guest, but it was apparent that he had not eaten a real meal since I left on Friday. When he thought Alice wasn't looking, he couldn't shovel food in his mouth fast enough.
When he no longer in danger of starvation, his eating slowed, and he looked at Alice, eyeing her new, perfectly tailored clothes with suspicion.
"So Alice, you're Dr. Cullen's daughter, right?" He asked her.
"That is correct, sir." Alice said in a voice like warm honey.
Charlie blushed furiously. "Please, just call me Charlie." He stammered.
"Yes, Charlie."
Still blushing, he popped the question. "What brings you here to our little farm today?"
Alice deliberated for a moment. "To spend more time with Bella."
He gave me a dubious look, the unspoken question of why someone such as Alice would want to spend time with me in his eyes. I returned his confused look with my own. On that regard, I was just as clueless as he was.
"We met at Centre Court, and we've been acquainted since. You have a very lovely daughter. My parents adore her."
Both Charlie and I blushed. She was stretching the truth. Alice and I didn't start off on the right foot, having argued about Firerain's treatment, nor have I spoken to her parents much at all. But she said it with such sincerity, it was impossible to doubt her. Even I believed it. Charlie's chest puffed up with pride.
"Yes, she's something. Those poor boys don't stand a chance." He shook his head.
"What boys?" I snorted.
Charlie rolled his eyes.
Alice filled the silence, complementing our home, the food, and even Charlie. Minutes into the dinner conversation, Charlie was no longer wary of Alice. In fact, he was absolutely smitten. Alice had my grumpy old father wrapped around her tiny finger. She was very charming—alarmingly so.
"Where is she going to sleep?" Charlie asked me as we stacked dishes.
"I'll give her my bed." I assured him. Did he think I was going to make the Doctor's daughter sleep on the floor?
Satisfied, he waddled into the family room to perform his normal evening routine of reading papers about past football games.
As I led Alice to my room, my heart pounded frantically. Why was I so nervous? I had slept in a room with her before.
When I opened the door, she danced inside ahead of me. I hastily followed her, hoping there was nothing embarrassing left out. My room was small and dingy. "It's not muc—"
"It's just like I saw it!" She twirled around in the small space, looking ridiculously happy.
I blinked. What was she talking about? She had never seen my room before. I was just about to ask—but she turned on me.
"Now put that splint back on before I make Carlisle glue it on you."
I sighed and did as she said. While I fitted it back on, Alice danced around the room, admiring the old wooden dresser, the peeling wallpaper, and the various junk on the shelves. She stopped at a black and white framed photograph. It was a picture of my mother, Renee, with Charlie's arm around her. I sat on Renee's lap. This was taken nearly ten years ago, when I was still a tyke.
Alice traced the dusty glass with her finger. "You are sooo cute." She cooed.
"You mean I was cute."
Her tinkling laugh filled the room. She stepped closer to me, a very sexy grin on her face. "Well, I suppose I would use a different word to describe you now…" her eyes trailed hungrily over me.
I had to suppress a groan. Her hungry eyes were a very dangerous weapon. I could feel the wetness accumulating between my legs already.
"And this is your mother." Alice pointed to woman whose lap I was sitting on. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah." I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, but it did not go away. Here we go. She was going to ask me about my mother. And no matter how many times I've explained the story to friends and strangers, it never failed to strike a hole in my heart. She had abandoned us. That was it. When they asked why, Charlie and I never had the answer. There was no concrete reason, no forewarning. Of course, we could speculate. Renee had always been kind of a wayward spirit. Her interests and passions changed like falling leaves. She was like a gust of wind, always moving, always searching for the next grand adventure. My father was the opposite, a rock, a steady and constant force of nature. Of course someone like Renee couldn't stay here, cooped up in the farm with a child forever.
But the questions never came. When I looked down at Alice, she was staring at me with a thoughtful expression. Her blue eyes were knowing and sympathetic. That was another strange thing about Alice. She seemed to know things where it shouldn't be possible.
"You look a great deal like her." She told me.
"I get that a lot." I stared at the smiling woman. Her fair hair was tousled, and her blue eyes bright and shining. We did look alike—except for the hair and eyes of course. I got the dark curls and brown eyes from Charlie.
"You are much prettier, though."
I snorted. "Right."
She frowned. "You don't think so?"
"It's hard to tell when I'm usually covered in manure by the end of the day." I smiled at her.
She laughed.
She sat cross legged on my beat-up bed. It seemed so strange—this goddess in my shabby bedroom, sitting on Grandma Swan's quilt that should've been demoted to rags years ago. She looked mouthwatering in an elegant skirt and long sleeved shirt. I averted my eyes. It was too early in the night to indulge in her sinful beauty.
"Tell me more about your family." I sat next to her, but careful not to sit too close or I would be much too tempted to touch her.
Sensing my hesitance, she snuggled up to me, placing her head on my shoulder and a small hand on my thigh. My mouth went dry. I could feel the answering prickle of arousal between my legs. She was slaughtering my attempts of self-control.
"What would you like to know?"
"How about Edward and Jasper." I gulped. "Are they… together?"
"Yes." She said.
"And your parents are fine with it?"
"Of course." She said confidently. "They love both their sons very much."
"So which one is their… real son?" When I pictured the Cullens, none of them seemed to resemble each other—except for the pale skin and amber eyes.
Alice paused, deliberating. "If you mean biological, then neither."
I stared at her, confused.
She gave a regretful sigh, and continued. "We're adopted."
I stared at her in disbelief. "All of you?"
"Yes." She said quietly.
I wrapped my good arm around her shoulders, pulling her into me. It made more sense now. How the Cullens seemed to have a great range of hair colors and features. And how the lot of them seemed to be in the same age group—teenagers. My heart clenched for Alice. Why would anyone abandon a sweet girl like her? Maybe they didn't have a choice. Maybe her parents had died. I opened my mouth to ask about her predicament, but immediately closed it. Alice didn't press me to talk about my mother—so I would give her the same respect. Instead, I leaned my head against the top of hers.
"You see…" She continued in a soft voice, "I don't remember much of my past. Just glimpses here and there. My life started when Carlisle and Esme found me—or rather, I found them."
…and the night will continue in chapter 13. Leave a review please :)