There Goes My Life
Chapter Twelve
…
He dropped his briefcase on the kitchen counter and took in the pile of dishes in the sink. He rubbed a tired hand over his face as he took in the general disarray of the house. Toys, clothes, shoes, sippy cups scattered everywhere seemed to be their new artistic style.
He made himself a chicken sandwich, watched as the Keurig brewed a cup of coffee. His eyes skimmed over Asher and Mia's schoolwork. The pictures they had drawn, notes from their therapist and a request to take them to the aquarium from Jacob. Between bites of his sandwich, he added the reminder to his schedule tomorrow to call their therapist, signed off on Jacob's request, and put the required funds in the envelope.
He knew the laundry upstairs was overflowing; the fridge and pantry needed restocking. He put a pod in the dishwasher and started it.
What the fuck was he doing? Five months ago, he had been free to do whatever the fuck he wanted, whenever he wanted. Now, now, it was all about the kitchen calendar, smiley face stickers and text messages about diaper rash ointment, fevers, and have you seen Mia's purple glasses?
He grimaced at his bitter thoughts and shook his head, moving to the living room with his coffee. He stopped in the doorway; Bella, Mia, and Asher were asleep on a pile of blankets in the middle of the floor as the television played quietly in front of them. His phone chimed in his pocket, and he pulled it out and checked his notifications. A new email. Three missed text messages caught his attention,
"Will you be able to make it home for dinner?"
"There's chicken salad or pork chops in the fridge."
"It's Friday. I'm going to let the kids try and stay up to see you. They miss you."
"Fuck," he groaned, rubbing a hand over his face once more. He was an asshole.
He scooped up Mia, who peeled her eyes open. "Edward, you're home," she grinned sleepily as he carried her up the stairs.
"Yeah, tomorrow I'll be home all day," he promised, tucking her into bed.
She cuddled around her stuffed bear, "you work at home 'morrow?"
He sighed, feeling like an even bigger ass, "no work tomorrow, I promise. Now go to sleep princess," he kissed her forehead, turning on her night light before heading down to carry Asher up to his bed. He smiled a little as Asher grunted and turned over onto his stomach not waking as Edward put him down and covered him.
He checked on the twins as he moved down the hall to his room to change. He pulled on his dark gray pajama bottoms and a plain black tee before going down to wake Bella.
He nudged her foot gently with his. His heart stirred as she stretched and blinked up at him with tired eyes, "hey," she murmured, as she moved to her feet, "the kids?" she asked, picking up a few toys and dumping them into a toy bin.
"Tucked into bed," he explained, picking back up his coffee and taking a sip. "You're off until Monday evening," he told her quietly. "I finished that deal I've been wrapped up in the past few weeks. Anyway, I added a little something to your paycheck for all your extra work lately."
She nodded as she stretched, "I only have a few plans this weekend, but I'll try and stay out from underfoot."
"You won't be," he reassured her. He rubbed the back of his neck for a second and then quietly offered, "You're welcome to join us at the aquarium Sunday. Off-duty of course," he gave her a faint smile. He knew he was selfish for wanting to spend time with her.
She returned his small grin with one of her own, "I'd like that." She said as she followed him into the kitchen.
He nodded to her, opening his laptop as he settled at the kitchen table with his coffee. He forced his eyes to stay on the screen and not her tight, yoga-clad backside.
She rolled her eyes before he could stop her, as she dumped his coffee down the drain. "Hey!" He grunted at her. She ignored his protest as she walked over to the stove and started the kettle, a few minutes later she sat across from with him two cups of Sleepytime tea.
"Thanks," he murmured appreciatively after a sip.
Her lips quirked, "Welcome, rest well vampire."
"Vampire?" He quirked a brow, amusement coloring his tone.
"You hardly sleep, eat, and all you wear are suits," she shrugged, taking a sip from her mug, eyeing him over the rim, "for all I know they could be your armor against the sun."
He snorted and shook his head fondly, "Goodnight Bella."
"Night," she replied, heading down to her private quarters in the basement.
He clicked away on the computer, coming up with a to-do list. He jotted down the number of three different maid services, weeded out a few potential nannies from the resumes the childcare placement agency had faxed his way and drafted a potential job ad for someone to come by the house once a week for laundry and grocery shopping.
He rinsed out his cup and filled his water bottle before heading up to bed.
"It's Saturday, we're not allowed to wake Bella," Asher informed Mia as he led her into Edward's room after knocking multiple times. "Wake up." He tugged at Edward's covers as he climbed up on the bed, "we're up."
Edward reached out and tickled them both, "you're both up, huh?"
"Yes," Mia giggled cuddling into his side as Asher sprawled out and turned on the television. "I tell Asher you no work today," she beamed at Edward.
Asher glanced at him, "I've got a couple days off. We're going to go see Pops and Yaya after breakfast." At the excited look that crossed Mia's face, he quickly added, "and breakfast isn't until after Brax and Holden wake up, and we're all ready for the day."
Mia made a face and plopped back down next to him, placing her head on his arm to watch the cartoons. Edward slipped out of bed, "you guys watch, I'm gonna get ready."
...
"It's your day off," Edward reminded Bella as he put Holden and Braxton into their high chairs as she placed breakfast on the table.
She ruffled Asher's hair and pulled Mia's into a neat ponytail, "I know. I thought I'd help out before I go. I'll be back around dinner time," she kissed the top of Mia's head as she placed her into her booster seat at the table.
"What are you doing today? We're going to see Pops and Yaya, you're not coming?" Asher frowned, his gaze bouncing between Edward and Bella.
She shook her head as she finished her coffee, "no, I'm spending my day with friends." She said sliding her rosy aviator to the top of her head.
Edward couldn't help but notice how attractive she looked in her dark, ripped jean shorts, a simple striped gray v-neck and white converse. Her hair was styled, and she had taken the time to do her makeup. It was easy to see she was looking forward to spending time with her friends.
"Are you going to be home for dinner?" Asher demanded, breaking Edward out of his thoughts.
Bella's lips twitched upwards, "I'll be home, have a good day," she promised, kissing the top of Asher's head before going to put a water bottle and a granola bar into her purse.
"Have fun," Edward wished, his smile slipped as he spotted Black on the sidewalk next to an older van with a few others. Bella beamed as a rushed towards them and a large blond twirled her around, "Mikey," she squealed.
Asher shot Edward a look full of annoyance, "you shoulda' asked her to come to Yaya's and Pops," he grumbled dropping his bowl in the sink and sulking off.
..
"Hey Mom," Edward kissed Esme's cheek as she plucked Braxton out of his arms. "How was your trip?" He asked, sitting at the kitchen counter and reaching for a chip.
"Crazy, beautiful, and fun," she gushed as she cuddled Braxton close, "but I missed these babies. I informed your father that when you move next summer to open a new branch in Charlotte, we're moving too. I won't be across the country from my grandchildren."
He raised a brow and shot a look at his dad who shrugged as if to say what-can-I-do?-She's-already-made-up-her-mind. "What about Alice, Em, and Rose?"
"What about me?" Emmett rolled into the room with Mia perched on his shoulders.
Edward's lips quirked upwards at Mia's infectious grin, "Mom and Dad are moving to North Carolina next year," he explained, accepting a glass of wine from his dad.
Emmett nodded and cleared his throat, "actually Rose and I, we've been discussing it, too. It's beautiful there. We could afford to build a house and customize it, have a yard. A pool."
"So. Wait, we're all moving?" He asked, rubbing a hand over his face. He bit back a groan at the pure excitement that lit up his mother's face. "What about the office here? He turned his eyes to his father.
Carlisle placed Holden in a jumper before replying, "Emmett and I won't be following right away. Most of the big names will follow you. Bree and Riley have proved themselves more than capable of running the California branch."
"Now, no more business talk, it's the weekend," Esme ordered. "How's Bella?" She asked Edward as she bounced Braxton on her hip happily. "You haven't been working that poor girl too hard?"
He groaned and rolled his eyes, "Ma, she's out with friends," his stomach soured as he pictured the blond boy swinging her around. "I hired a maid service, and I'm looking into paying someone to drop by once a week to help with laundry. She's helping me find a nanny for when school starts at the end of summer."
"And what will happen next summer?" Esme frowned, thinking of the upcoming move. It was clear she wasn't fond of the thought of leaving Bella alone.
The sourness settled in his stomach as he answered his mom, "as of right now, she's planning to move with us. We have a two-week trip planned in August. We're going to check it out, look at houses, schools." He settled back with a pleased grin. Maybe he can get Jacob into the international tutoring program. He was fairly sure the big guy would love to surf in Japan.
He missed the look his parents shared. They both recognized that he wasn't fully aware of his growing feelings towards his nanny. "That's good."
"Yaya, look," Asher burst into the room with a bundle of freshly picked flowers for her, "Rosie helped me picked them just for you. Aren't they pretty?"
"Beautiful, love them" she praised as she got down a vase, "now little man, I do think you need to go wash your hands," she laughed as Asher wiped his hands on his jean shorts.
"Alright Yaya," he agreed easily without a fuss, "Can I pick one for Bella before we go?" He asked, smiling as Esme wiped his face with a wet cloth.
Esme nodded, smirking at the little boy's antics, "of course. Now scoot, I expect a clean young gentleman to come back down those stairs," she laughed as he darted off through the house, "Oh, how I love that sound."
"Pops, C'mon," Asher called for Carlisle, causing the older man to chuckle and head after the young boy.
...
"Let me help," Bella smiled, coming down to the garage when Edward and the kids arrived home. "I'll get Hold," she said, unclipping the baby's buckles. "How was your day, Ash, Mia?"
"Yaya helped me pick you flowers," Asher grinned at her as he climbed out, giving her a tight side hug. "And we had pizza for lunch, we played ball with Emmy and Jasper, we made kites with Pops. It was so much fun, you should've come too. You would have a really good time."
Bella ran her fingers through his wild hair, "I should have, it sounds like you had an awesome day."
"Next time you'll come," he said decidedly, "everybody missed you."
She nodded, "we'll see, run up and wash. We'll have a picnic dinner."
"Picnic dinner?" Edward asked, following her up to the kitchen.
She motioned out back to their tiny strip of yard, "sandwiches on a blanket followed by watching them terrorize their swingset."
He laughed and nodded, carrying one of the Panera to-go bags out to the blanket that Bella had already arranged. He didn't miss that the kitchen was now clean and reorganized. "Today was your day off, you didn't need to clean. Speaking of which, I hired a company to come and clean. Monday they're coming to deep clean the house then they'll come once a week on Thursdays. Fucking long overdue, I know, I'm sorry," he apologized with a tired chuckle as he sat. "I'm also looking into someone coming to do laundry and possibly do some of the grocery shopping."
"That sounds… amazing," she laughed softly, "what did you think of the classes I'm looking into taking?" She asked, placing Holden in a Bumbo seat on the blanket. "I'm not sure what I want to major in just yet, so I went with basic, generic classes."
He nodded, bouncing Braxton on his knee, "I thought you made wise, practical choices." He approved, "are you excited?"
"I am a bit, and also nervous," she chuckled, "and I'm sure Asher and Mia feel the same way about starting school too."
He smirked, "probably," he dished out their food as Mia and Asher joined them on the blanket.
The conversation flowed around Mia and Asher as they told Bella everything they had done while she had been gone, much the way evening usually went for Edward when he managed to be home for dinner. He vowed to himself to do better.
"Bedtime," Edward called to them after he cleaned up the yard as Bella swung on the porch with the babies, rocking them until their eyes grew heavy.
Bella placed Braxton into his crib as Edward tucked Holden in, "movie?" she mouthed to him and held up a RedBox copy of A Quiet Place.
"Totally," he whispered, "I'm gonna change and I'll be right down."
She grinned and asked softly, "popcorn?"
"Do I ever turn down popcorn?" He snorted. She giggled quietly and went to change and start their snack.
He dropped down next to her on the sofa as she started the movie, smirking as she clutched her blanket and pushed the bowl of popcorn into his lap and curled up to his side.
...
The Aquarium was busy, yet still managed to be rather quiet and relaxing. Edward wore Holden in a carrier as Bella pushed the stroller and held Asher's hand, keeping the curious and impulsive boy close.
"Edward," Mia tugged on his hands, peering up at him through her teal glasses, "I want to, I want to," she said eagerly.
"Want to what?" He asked amused, kneeling down to talk on her level.
"I want to," she paused and stared at the sign. Her button nose wrinkled up as she concentrated on the word. "I want to pet the," she pointed to the picture of a stingray, "s-t-ing-r-ay, I want to pet the stangray," she sounded out, nearly correctly.
He froze and stared down at her in surprise, "holy... did you just read that Mia?"
"I likes letters and their sounds," she smiled up at him proudly. "Jake's been teaching me too," she reminded him brightly.
He cast a look up at Bella who nodded confirming her words, "she's breezed through his preschool prep work. He asked if he could continue working with her with his allotted thirty minutes for her studies. I didn't see a problem with it."
"Oh," He nodded with a small frown.
She flushed and looked away from him, "am I in trouble? I shouldn't have made the decision without you. You're their guardian, and I overstepped. But you've been so busy. I meant to discuss it with you, but you worked late that night, the next morning I told Jake to go ahead; I just spaced it."
"It's fine, Bella. I'm the one who's sorry," he murmured, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "I got wrapped up in work, and honestly it felt good to be away from all this. I didn't realize it at the time what I was doing, but I see it now, and it's going to change. I'll slip from time to time, but if it starts to feel out of hand, bring it to my attention. All right?"
She reached out and squeezed his hand, "all right, but Edward, you have a demanding job, and so much rests on your shoulders. It's just a fact there will be times you'll have to work late, don't let that guilt eat you up."
He blew out a breath and nodded, he knew she was right; he wasn't always going to be able to do everything he wanted.
"Also I haven't said anything with the kids around because I didn't want Asher to feel jealous." She said glancing over to Mia and Asher as the peered into the large tank. "He struggles and tries so hard. I don't want him to get discouraged."
He patted Holden's back as he let out a soft snore against his chest, "true. He'll catch up." He said determinedly.
He placed a hand on her lower back as they walked over to them, "look Alligator, it's Dory," Asher grinned up at Edward.
"I see Crocodile," he smiled.
It didn't escape his notice that they looked like a regular, typically normal family.
And fuck if he didn't crave moments like these, the six of them together.
Author Note ...
Thank you Sunflower Fran for beta'ing.
I hope everyone is doing well.
This chapter was brought to you by Dot's Pretzels and my children's return to school.
Thank you for reading and please leave a Review!
Extra hugs and love,
- Emily