There Goes My Life
Chapter Eleven
"Bella!" Edward's voice carried through the air, pierced with just enough panic to cause Bella to drop her phone onto the sofa. She took the stairs two at a time, the soft patter she heard behind her let her know that Asher had stopped watching his morning cartoons to follow her.
She let out a low chuckle as Edward turned towards her as she stepped into the twin's nursery. He held Braxton out, away from his tidy, fresh from the cleaners, Armani dress shirt. His expression was mixed with disgust and panic, "Bella, please," his voice tight with a hint of queasiness. She bit her lip and reached for the plump baby who had nearly doubled his weight in the past nine weeks.
"I've got this. Can you handle running his bedsheets down to the washer without making the situation worse?" she carefully took the grinning boy, carrying him to the large sink in the bathroom across the hall.
Edward took in a few breaths, settling his stomach and awful gag reflex. He watched her walk away in her tight yoga pants that clung to every curve. Pants he had a great love-hate relationship with. He shook his head and called after her, "thanks, Bee."
"That was so gross," Asher commented with a smirk, rolling his toy car across the dresser as Edward stripped the crib of the soiled bedding.
Edward lips quirked, "agreed." He carried them down the hall to the laundry room. The baskets were overflowing with dirty clothes, two clean baskets set on top of the washer and dryer ready to be folded, another waited in the dryer to be put in another basket.
He pre-treated the sheets before tossing them into the wash, then threw in the rest of the twins' dirty clothes, dropped in the infant detergent and started the machine. He took a minute to quickly fold a few items from the overflowing baskets of clean clothes.
They had found a nice rhythm of housework and childcare before he had returned to work. But in the two weeks, since he had returned to the office, the house was starting to slip as Bella did her best to juggle everything.
He could see how hard she was trying; it could be seen in the bags under her eyes and the new stains on her shirts. He stepped back into the nursery, put away the clothes and lifted Holden from his crib. He changed his diapers and clothes before settling into the rocker with his morning bottle. "Why so serious all the time?" He cooed at the frowning boy. He chuckled, kissing the crown of his head when he received a grunt in response.
"On your way home tonight, pick up more diapers, please," Bella asked as she placed Braxton on the changing pad, drying him with a Mickey Mouse towel.
Edward frowned a little, his eyebrows lifted in curiosity, "why?" He asked, "I just picked up that giant box Monday."
"Well, this isn't the first or even fifth diaper leak in the past few days. I read online that if they start to become frequent, which they are, then you should move up a size." Bella explained, her eyes finding his as she fed Braxton.
"Gotcha," he nodded, "I'll go to the store this evening, text me if we need anything else." He moved Holden up to his shoulder, patting his back, "What's today looking like for you guys?"
"Asher's tutor will be here from nine until eleven, then we'll have lunch."
"I thought we agreed the instructor would come for four hours?" Edward interrupted, pausing his game of peek-a-boo with Holden to look at her.
Bella rolled her eyes and sighed before explaining calmly, "he does, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but on Tuesday and Thursday, it's two hours in the morning because of counseling and playgroups in the afternoon."
"Right," he blew out a breath, reaching for his coffee after placing Holden on his playmat, "forgot it was Thursday, so that means today you're taking Mia and Asher to the optometrists."
She nodded trying to burp Braxton, who was more interested in pushing away from her shoulder, "at two. I'll text you with the results. Rosalie's going to watch the twins while we're out."
"I'd try to get off, but I can't miss my meeting this afternoon. I was hoping to have all this sorted before returning," he raked his fingers through his hair as guilt flashed through his eyes, making them a shade darker.
Bella pulled her eyes away from him as she placed Braxton down by his brother on the colorful mat, "both Branson and Dr. Seth agreed that it was best to settle into what will be the children's truest schedule as quickly as possible." She scrolled through her phone, "in two months, I've got the kids into my old dentist, you've found a pediatrician you trust, she led you to Seth, who's an excellent child therapist. He helped you find a tutor Asher actually listens to."
"We have been busy," he chuckled tiredly, taking a bite out of his blueberry scone.
Bella took a sip of her sweet coffee and stretched her legs out as she sat on the floor. "Not counting counseling, we only have three doctor appointments scheduled this month, the eye doctor today, and," her eyes darted over to Asher who was rolling a car around the floor, "next Thursday Ash gets to go to sleep and wake up with all his teeth fixed." She ruffled Asher's hair as he crawled past them, still dressed in his pajamas.
Asher turned his head and smiled at them. "Yes! I'll get my cracked tooth fixed, finally," Bella did her best not to cringe outwardly as she thought of his poor teeth, especially his back molars and the pain they caused him if he ate something too hard, crunchy or sweet and chewy. She didn't miss the pain in Edward's eyes or the way his jaw clenched in anger.
"Yep," Bella nodded, turning her conversation back to Edward who was finishing his breakfast, "and on the fifth of next month, the twins go to the doctor for their vaccinations."
"We still need to pick a school," Edward grumbled, looping his tie around his neck as he looked in the mirror to finish getting ready.
Bella snorted as she stood up and stretched, "We?"
He pulled out his phone and forwarded her an email, "I trust your judgment. You know Ash and Mia and can help find a good fit. My dad sent me a list of the top five private schools in the city. He's spoken with the head of the schools and their admission teams. I've received personal emails from each of them, but I just need to arrange tours and decide which school we'd like to schedule an evaluation with."
Bella wrinkled her nose, pulling her hair up into a funky bun. She opened her email and clicked on one of the school's websites, "French American International School, wow, that sounds intense."
"I'm sure it is but they're all excellent choices," Edward shrugged, "a bilingual education is a gift. It gives them an advantage in life."
She snorted and turned her phone around, showing him her screen, "it literally says that right here," she tapped the school's website. "Most of these schools have a waiting list, aren't they hard to get into?"
"Most do, yeah," he shrugged, "but money buys privileges. It's an ugly fact. So in between my meetings today I'll go over both of our schedules and pencil in the school tours. I'll send you a message."
"Sounds fine," she agreed with a wave of her hand. He gathered up their coffee cups to carry down to the kitchen. "Asher, go get dressed. It's time to start our day," she instructed, wrapping the twins up in a carrier and heading across the hall to wake Mia. Once the older two were dressed, she led them downstairs and shut the baby gate after them.
Mia followed Edward around as he finished gathering his things, a pacifier clamped between her teeth. "I thought we got rid of them all," he pointed a thumb over his shoulder at his little shadow, his question directed towards Bella as she scrambled eggs and plucked toast from the toaster.
"We must have missed one," she shrugged, "it'll disappear," she promised as Edward filled his coffee mug. She smirked as she caught him sneaking a dried fruit pack into his pocket.
He ran a loving hand over Asher's wild hair, "be good for Bella, Bud. Work hard for Jacob." He scooped up Mia and cuddled her before dropping her into her booster seat at the table and buckling her in, "and you, princess, have fun, I'll see you guys at dinner."
"Bye, bye," Mia waved after him, Asher gave him a simple, "later alligator."
"After while crocodiles," he agreed, "text me if you need anything." He paused in the doorway to watch Bella dish out eggs and toast before leaving. He needed to do something nice for her soon.
"Don'ts touch me," Mia grumped at Asher, giving her older brother some serious side-eye and Bella's eyes rolled upwards in a silent prayer.
Asher smirked, his lips curling up, "I'm not, whiny."
"Wells, stop looking at me," she folded her arms, "Bella, he's 'othering me. He really, really is."
Bella rubbed her face, "guys, it's too early for this today. Ash, put your plate in the sink and go brush your teeth, Jake will be here in a minute."
"Ugh!" Asher stomped across the room, dropping his plate into the sink with a clink.
"Thank you," she called sweetly after his retreating form. She helped Mia wipe her face and hands, "now, why don't you play with your little kitchen," she steered her towards the playroom, "Brax, Hold, and I, we'll come play once I get this kitchen clean."
"I's make you a cake," Mia agreed rushing off to play.
Bella placed Holden in a swing and wore Brax in a carrier as she picked up the kitchen, and threw dinner in the crock-pot. She then slipped Mia's pacifier into her pocket. The loud knock at the front door startled Holden awake, and he let out a fussy cry. It was as if that single cry triggered a train reaction amongst the children as Braxton let loose and began screaming. She lifted Holden from his bouncer and started for the door.
She patted the twin backs trying to calm them and took a step back as Mia sprinted passed her shrieking at the top of her lungs. "Give it back, Mia!" Asher yelled red-faced, chasing after his little sister.
"Both of you stop, pause, hold on," she called after them as she pulled open the front door, trying to shush both Braxton and Holden. "Hey Jake come in, things went nuclear," she joked with the large tattooed surfer. He was handsome, with a carefree grin, his long hair tied up in a messy bun. He smelled like the ocean.
"Sounds like it," he flashed her his white teeth, reaching for Braxton. "Hey big boy," he grinned at the baby, bouncing him gently as he followed Bella into the living room.
Mia rushed her, hiding behind her legs. Asher snarled, Bella caught him by the shoulder gently, "deep breaths, Bud."
"She took my snack," He folded his arms angrily, tears glittering in his eyes. "I hate her!"
Mia gasped, dropping the bag of animal crackers on the floor as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Whoa, little dude, not cool, she loves you," Jacob stepped in, his smile flattening as Bella put a calmer Holden into a swing.
Asher ducked his head; he squeezed the palms of his hands to his eyes to keep himself from crying as Bella comforted Mia and sent her to the sofa to start a show. She knelt in front of Asher, tipped his chin and uncovered his eyes, so he was looking at her. "Help me understand Ash, what made you so upset?"
He shrugged, picking at the hem of his T-shirt, "she took my snack," he muttered out slowly, reluctantly. Bitterness ate at his words.
"And why did that bother you so much?" she brushed the hair out of his eyes, her voice gentle and curious.
He wiggled his left foot back and forth, watching it, "because," he spat out without anger but full of frustration and pain, "because, it did. I don't like anyone taking my snacks," he explained the best he could after some thought.
Bella nodded, scooping up the ziplock baggie of crackers and handing it to him, "can you tell me why you like to keep those crackers near you all the time?" She asked gently, her heart twisting. She knew the answer, but she wanted to know if he understood it himself, so she pushed a little more.
He sniffed, clutching the bag and wiping his nose with the back of his hand, his words came out quiet, "I don't ever want to be hungry again, I don't, Bella, I don't."
Bella pulled him into her arms, hugging him close as if it would somehow heal them both, "you won't be, ever again," she promised, "and I'll talk to Mia about not touching your stuff. Let's go wash your face and get you ready for your lessons with Jake. He has lots of fun games he wants to play with you today." She glanced up at Jake, who looked as if Asher soft words had colored his sunny world a few shades darker.
"Yeah, right," Jacob gave her a nod, putting on a smile, "lots of fun things today," he agreed. "We've got an art project to start and a math game to play."
Bella gave him a grateful grin and lifted Asher into her arms, "we'll be right back."
When they returned, Jacob had put Braxton into his swing. "C'mon kid, we're going to do math with M&M's today," he spoke to Asher holding up the bag of candy. Asher's eyes widened with excitement.
Bella groaned and shook her head, "Jake, you know how Mr. Cullen feels about junk food."
He shrugged and wiggled his fingers towards Asher with a wink, "I think he'll understand today."
She nodded, giving in reluctantly as Asher's hand clasped Jake's. She watched as they headed to the back office that had been converted into a personal classroom. She cleaned up the living room and fed the twins, changed them and put them down for their morning naps.
She turned the television off and settled Mia at the kitchen table, together they sang the alphabet and worked on shapes and color recognition before Bella chose a simple worksheet for her to color as she prepared lunch.
"Great work today kid," Jake said letting Asher out of the classroom, "go get washed up, I'm sure Bella has your lunch almost ready." He instructed as he led him back to the kitchen. He handed Bella a few colorful pages filled with clumsy, messy writing.
Bella smiled, looking it over, "Good job, Ash," she called after him as he rushed up the stairs after Mia.
"Thanks," he called over his shoulder.
Jacob smiled at Bella, tilting his head curiously, "do you work Saturday?"
"Saturday?" She murmured surprised, "typically, every other one."
"Don't you miss it?" He asked, pulling a Gatorade from his backpack and taking a long drink, his gaze settled on her.
She gave him a funny look, "miss, what?"
"The ocean," he smirked, his brown eyes warm and inviting, "listen if you want, text me Saturday and we'll hit the beach."
"I'll," before she could finish her sentence, Edward cut in, stepping into the room from the hallway, putting his briefcase on the kitchen counter. "She's busy this weekend." His words fell out of his mouth, full of possessiveness and claim, and it was something they all noticed.
"Mr. Cullen," Jacob said, he stood up straighter, his carefree attitude washing away. "Asher's doing well, he's struggling to learn his alphabet and their sounds, but he excels at counting, numbers. He's mastered tying his shoes, zipping up his own jacket." He reported, sounding more professional than Bella had ever heard him, "tomorrow, we're going to the library to attend storytime, and next Friday I'd like to take him to the Zoo."
Edward nodded looking over Asher's schoolwork, "thank you, Mr. Black. Asher has made great strides with you."
"He's come a long way in a short time," Jacob agreed. They all thought back to when they had discovered Asher was unaware of how to even hold a pencil or crayon. "Now that he can write and his coloring skills are improving, I was interested in seeing what you thought of supplying him with a tablet to expand on how we do coursework."
Edward frowned thoughtfully, he cast a glance at Bella who shrugged, "I'm unsure, I, we try to keep them electronically free as possible outside of a few cartoons."
"I understand that. I even respect it, Sir." Jake rubbed the back of his neck and shot Bella a look at which she simply shrugged and turned away from their conversation. "It's just, nowadays, schools are going more and more paperless, he'll be working on tablets and laptops from the second he passes through his school doors. While I'll keep working him the way I have been, I was thinking of some of the really neat learning apps I use with some of my other kids that he could work on in the evenings and weekends when I'm not around. The cool part is, he will just think he's getting to play."
Edward rubbed his jaw as Bella wiped down a counter and added, "It could work. It's not like we're going to let him have it whenever he wants. Jacob's right, the internet will be a good part of his education. It was with mine."
"Right," He agreed, reluctantly on board but swayed by their argument, "I'll have one here by Monday. I assume you'll construct some sort of syllabus for its use." He leveled his gaze on the young surfer.
Jacob nodded, "yes, I'll write what I'd like him to accomplish on the whiteboard in the classroom. If you don't mind me saying so, Bella could use some of these apps to work with Mia." His phone dinged, and he glanced at the time, "I'm sorry Mr. Cullen, but I really must be going, can't be late for my next kid. Bye guys," he waved at Asher and Mia and headed for the door.
"Bye Jakey," Mia grinned, waving at him from where she was hugging Edward's leg. Her big brother didn't miss the small crush she carried for the surfer.
"Laters Miss Mia," he winked as he slung his bag over his shoulder and exited the house.
Edward placed Mia at the table, "is he really the best guy we could come up with?" He asked Bella playfully, his tone light and teasing.
She rolled her eyes, "Asher adores him, and Jake keeps him engaged and progressing. I really don't think we'd find anyone better."
He grunted, not liking how she called him Jake, "he's young."
"You think everyone's young." Bella quipped handing him a plate.
She dished out the grilled fish, rice, and vegetables, placing a Pediasure shake in front of both Mia and Asher, to help them both gain weight, "I thought you had an important meeting this afternoon," she inquired towards Edward, while sipping her coconut water.
"Moved it to this morning, pushed this morning stuff to this evening, simple things I can do on my laptop after the kids are in bed tonight." He explained, "I texted, said I was headed home early."
She frowned a little and patted down her pockets, "Oh."
Edward snickered, "well, well, well, this must be a first," he teased at the sight of her without her phone nearby.
"Laugh it up," she muttered, shaking her head, "I've been busy." She looked around the messy kitchen guiltily. It certainly didn't appear that she had done anything.
Edward cut up Mia's fish. "I'll take over from here, go get cleaned up, unless you plan to wear the yoga pants to the eye doctor," he shrugged watching her toss the dish rag into the sink and hurry down to her room.
He settled Holden into Emmett's arms and Braxton into Rosalie's, "you sure you two got this?" He asked them, having already explained where they could find everything downstairs.
"We'll be fine, Ed, it's only for a few hours," Emmett grinned, stroking the baby's cheek. "Damn these are some cute babies," he chuckled when Rose swatted his arm and chastised him for his language. Emmett fist bumped Asher with a wink, "good luck at the doc, small fry."
The door to the kitchen opened, and Edward turned his head and smiled at her. She had changed into a simple sundress with Converse sneakers on her feet. He frowned a little. What the hell was he going to do come summer when she was all short shorts and flowery tank tops, dressed unapologetically young, and sinfully delicious to look at.
Asher's giggle pulled him from of his dangerous thoughts. "See you later, Big Mac," Asher told Emmett as he followed Mia and Bella out to the SUV.
Emmett gave him a knowing smirk, which he ignored, "take care," he said shutting the door. "Call if you need anything."
The family vision center was bright and colorful, the receptionist was cheerful, and greeting both Mia and Asher warmly, motioning them towards the children waiting room filled with toys and activities to keep them occupied during their wait, while both Edward and Bella filled out forms.
"Asher, come back with me, bring your dad, I'm Adam," the optometrist assistant introduced himself. "Your mom and sister will wait here until Minnie is ready for them," Adam explained as he led them back to a room. Asher squeezed Edward's hand hard, stopping Edward from correcting him.
"Now bud, I'm going to run a few fun tests, and then the doctor will come in and look them over," Adam explained, directing him through the test with an ease that marveled Edward. Asher laughed and giggled his way through the exam.
"Relax, Dad, from what I can see, this little man has excellent vision," Adam said, "Dr. Dora will be in with you shortly."
Edward nodded as Asher climbed up on his lap, "I did good?" He asked, seeking Edward's approval.
"Very well," Edward praised ruffling his wild hair, "I'm impressed." A few minutes passed as Edward listened to Asher talk about the art project he was making with his tutor, "and when we're done, I get to enter it into the contest at the library."
"Exciting," he smiled, as the door opened and Bella, Mia, and the optometrist joined them. "I thought I'd make this easy and go over both of them with the both of you." She said looking up from her tablet where she was reviewing their results. "Let's get right to it, then," she said after they were all situated. "Asher's eyes are normal, I don't see any issues we need to discuss or watch. Mia's eyes, however, have a bit of anisometropia going on. That means that her two eyes have a different refractive power, so there is unequal focus between the two. Her dominant eye is doing all the work. We're going to correct that by prescribing her glasses. It's important that she wear them the majority of the time. If she does, her eyes will strengthen, and she may grow out of needing them in a few years."
Edward nodded, "thank you," he said accepting the prescription card. "How bad is her sight?"
"She can see well enough, but the world is probably a little blurry with the small details. Like she can see that door, but the words on the poster are fuzzy." She explained. "Now we don't offer glasses here, but we're partnered with the shop next door, so you'll get a nice discount and same day lenses." She passed them another card. "And Mia, I'll see you again in six months."
Mia waved shyly from Bella's arms.
"Please see Minnie on your way out, and she'll schedule your next appointment."
Edward slipped the discount coupon, prescription card, and appointment reminder in his wallet as they walked next door to the eyeglass store. Bella helped Mia try on multiple pairs of glasses; pink ones, circular ones, square-shaped, blue, yellow, heart-shaped.
"I think these will last, the Miraflex brand." Bella handed Edward a plum pair of rectangular glasses. "They're soft, have no metal, so no screws or pads, nearly unbreakable. The elastic strap will help them stay on." She read over the pamphlet and the warranty they were given.
He tested them in his hands and gave her a nod of approval. "Pick from these, Mia." He instructed, pulling down all the pairs in that brand for her to choose from.
"Looking cute, Bug," he lifted Mia up as she tried on a pair of soft pink oval glasses, so they could look together in the taller mirror, "do you like these?" He inquired.
"I dos, princess," she grinned around her thumb as they looked in the mirror at her reflection, "and I like the green ones, purple, and that pretty blue," she pointed out the colors she liked.
"All right," he scooped up the pairs she picked and handed them over to the salesperson along with the coupon, lens prescription, and his credit card. "And on the teal pair, add the light adaptive option too."
Bella smiled after he swiped his card, "they'll be ready in two hours. The teal pair will be ready tomorrow afternoon."
"That's fine," Edward agreed, "let's go get frozen yogurt, I saw a place down the street, and we can play at the park while we wait." He spoke to the kids giving them a grin as he led them out of the store.
Bella tossed their melted mess in the trash can as Mia and Asher bolted towards the playground. She settled their shopping bags on the bench next to Edward as she sipped on her daily, afternoon dose of sanity and caffeine. "She didn't need four pairs of glasses," Bella chuckled.
"She didn't, but she's a little lady and women love their accessories." He remarked. "Don't give me that snort, Bee, that's exactly what you said when you talked me into buying her more shoes to match all those cute outfits. She's little, we're going to misplace pairs, and even though they seem unbreakable, they're going to break or get scratched, having backups is important."
"True," she agreed, she fiddled with her straw before glancing over at him. "You said I was busy this weekend..." she trailed off quietly.
Edward shifted uncomfortably and sighed, "You're not, I … changed my plans. So, if you want, you're more than free to spend your weekend any way you choose to spend it." He said evenly, forcing himself to look away from her and to keep his voice unattached.
"Oh," she said sucking in a breath and letting it out slowly in disappointment. "Okay. Cool."
They sat in silence for a long moment before he stood, "I'll be back in a few minutes," Edward said after glancing at his watch. "Tonight, order whatever you guys want for dinner," he said by way of an apology.
She smirked, "pizza it is," she told him as he walked away.
He returned a few minutes later with a bag and pulled out the case with the pink oval glasses, "Mia over here, bug." He called her over and slipped the glasses onto her little face. "Adorable," Bella praised, chuckling as Mia's eyes widened as she took in the world in full detail for the first time.
Her head was tilted back as she looked at the tree above them, "whoa," she whispered.
"Pretty awesome, huh?" Bella smiled, watching Mia face as she took everything in, but her eyes kept going back to the tree and sky above her.
"So's many, pretty," she breathed in wonder.
Edward lifted an eyebrow and glanced up, trying to see what Mia did, "So many what?"
"Those," she pointed to the tree and the thick green leaves, swaying in the breeze.
He shot a puzzled look at Bella who shrugged but looked up with Mia before it dawned on her, "oh ... she can see all the leaves on the tree."
Author Note ...
Thank you Sunflower Fran for beta'ing.
I pray everyone is doing great and enjoying the warmer weather.
This chapter was brought to you by Southern Pecan Coffee, my baby's Jumperoo and occasionally hiding from my children and husband in the laundry room/office.
Thank you for reading and please leave a Review!
Extra hugs and love,
- Emily