16 Investments
Edward hated Linda Fernall. He hated her with a passion he usually reserved for clowns and people who kept spiders as pets. He had been taken in by her easy manner and her bribe of those delicious spiced nuts, and he hadn't even seen it coming when she'd blithely handed Alice the worst gift that a person could ever give to a child.
A motherfucking drum.
Alice had hardly put the thing down since she'd gotten it. He'd had to fight her to keep her from taking it to daycare, and though he'd tried to hide it in the closet while she was gone, she'd gone looking for it the moment she'd gotten home. She was on the verge of a tantrum when she couldn't find it. Edward had felt too mean to keep it from her after that, but the incessant pounding on the drum was driving him up the wall.
The previous day, Rosalie had left after only an hour at the house, and Esme had fled to the public library to do some of her background work. Edward, though, didn't have an escape. The kid was his responsibility, so he'd had to live with the noise.
Saturday morning, after working out to the accompaniment of Alice's drum, he was ready to do anything to make it stop. He'd already tried to trade her drum for her tablet, but the drum was still new and novel and it had won that little showdown.
"How about we go to breakfast?" he suggested. "We haven't gone to the diner in a while."
She paused in her drumming. "Iss Souday? Doh-a dinoo?"
"Yeah, you want to go?"
"Doh-a pote?"
It took Edward a minute to remember what that was. "Oh, yeah, park. Sure, we can go to the park after."
"Oh, yes!" Alice leapt up from her spot on the floor and ran to the bedroom, drum in hand. She reappeared a moment later, dragging her pendy puss behind her with her drum poking out of the open top.
"No, we can't take your drum."
"Yes. Hattoo."
"No, we're not allowed to play drums in the diner." That was almost definitely true.
"Yes."
"You have to pick. Either we can go to the diner or you can play your drum. You can't do both."
"Inna pote."
"Oh." Edward paused. The park was actually a really great place for the drum. The open air would probably disperse the noise a little. In fact, this was an opportunity. Edward glanced out the window. The skies were gray, as usual, and it wasn't terribly unlikely that there would be some drizzling rain. But Alice would enjoy the opportunity to wear her new Quileute rain gear, so that didn't seem like a deal breaker. "That's a great idea, Alice. We should make the drum an outside toy."
"Yes," Alice said, though he was pretty sure she didn't know what she was agreeing to. She just knew he was relenting and allowing her to take the drum.
"You can only play it in the park, though. When we go into the diner, you'll have to leave it in the car."
"Hassum cheaches?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they'll have peaches."
Compromise found, they got Alice dressed in some park-friendly play clothes and headed to the diner. Alice fought him a little bit when he made her leave her drum in the car, but when he promised her that she could come back to it after she had her peaches, she agreed. She really wanted those peaches. Edward made a mental note never to feed her peaches at home so they would always feel like a special treat.
The waitress, Naomi, made a fuss over Alice and brought out a high chair for her. Alice ordered "awoni" and Edward asked for a loaded omelet. "Chilaquiles would be too much to ask?" he muttered after Naomi walked away, though he couldn't really complain too much. The omelets here were boring, but they tasted pretty good.
When their food came, Edward barely managed to snag Alice's peaches before she could get to them. "Have a bite of your macaroni and cheese first."
Alice was getting used to this routine, so she complied with his request and then turned to him to receive her reward. He let her fish out a peach chunk while he dug into his omelet.
A few bites later, the front door opened and Carlisle walked in. Had he been with someone, Edward would have left him to his breakfast. He was alone, though, so Edward waved to catch his eye and beckoned him over.
"Hey, Carlisle. You want to join us?"
"I'd love to." He accepted a menu from the host and took a seat across from Edward.
"Tah-why, see it! Hassum cheaches!"
"Those look delicious," he said warmly. "Maybe I'll get some too."
Alice chattered at him while he glanced over the menu, but once he had placed his order, Edward leaned toward him.
"So . . . what's going on with you and Esme?'
Carlisle gave a few rapid blinks and dropped his gaze.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, it's fine. It's just . . . Ted only passed a couple of weeks ago. I haven't even gone back to work yet."
"Oh, yeah. How long are you out for?"
"I'm starting again tomorrow morning."
Edward chewed on a bite of bacon. "Still feeling a little too raw to start something new?"
"It's not so much that."
He didn't continue right away, so Edward waited.
"I think she deserves better. She should be with someone who's wholly devoted to her, not someone who's still grieving for another person."
Edward nodded. He let a few more seconds of silence pass before he said, "Can I ask you a question? And I'm not trying to make a point or anything, I'm just curious."
"Go ahead."
"What would you have done if you'd met Esme while Dad was alive? Do you think you would have even felt that spark?"
"I . . . think I would have." He considered his answer for a moment and then dipped his chin in confirmation. "Yes, I think I would have."
"Would you have acted on it? Asked her out or anything?"
"Maybe. Ted and Alice would probably have always come first for me, but if she and Ted got along and if it didn't interfere . . ." He sighed and shook his head. "But that's what I mean. She shouldn't have to come second. She should be with someone who would choose her."
"That comes with time, though, doesn't it? I don't think anyone would expect you to prioritize someone you just met over the people you've loved for years. Especially in this situation where she's planning on leaving town before too long."
He nodded, but he looked unconvinced. "I suppose. There's that too, though. I'm not sure I'm cut out for casual relationships."
"That's fair." Edward shrugged and leaned back again. "They're not for everyone."
"Muzzmay pity," Alice declared.
"Yes," Carlisle murmured. "Esme is very pretty."
"Hassum pitchoos. Onna omes." Alice stuck her arms out in front of her.
"That's right," Edward said. "The pictures on Esme's arms are called tattoos."
"Tattoos?"
"Yep."
"Hassum tattoos?"
Edward barked out a laugh. "Maybe when you're older."
"Oh, I almost forgot," Carlisle said. "Carol gave me your assignment for the historical society lunch." He withdrew a stack of papers from his messenger bag. "Your topic is La Push, so Harry put together some info pages for you, and he included some images that you can use when you're presenting."
"La Push, huh?" Edward glanced through the pages. "I don't suppose he also had influence on what my assignment would be?"
"I suppose he could have. Why do you ask?"
He smirked. Harry was going to make sure that Edward knew at least a little bit about Alice's heritage. "No reason."
They lingered over breakfast for a good long time, but when Alice started spending less time eating than she spent teetering from side to side in her high chair with her arms stretched out like an airplane, Edward figured it was time to take her out to play. He paid for their breakfast and said goodbye to Carlisle before loading her back into the car and driving her to the park. Then he spent another few minutes dressing her in her poncho and hat and talking her out of trying to take her pendy puss full of toys out to the play yard with her. He managed to convince her to take the drum only, and then he turned her loose and followed her as she took off across the grass toward a jungle gym full of climbing rungs, slides, hidey holes, and all kinds of other fun things for kids.
They weren't the only ones there. A few other kids were already climbing around on the jungle gym, and Edward recognized Colin among them. He glanced around for Jacob or Grace, but it was Bella he saw sitting on a bench nearby, quietly reading from a book and glancing up every now and then to check on Colin. A baby seat was on the ground next to her, covered in a cloth canopy, and Edward assumed Phoebe was inside.
He settled onto the bench next to Bella, dropping Alice's diaper bag at his feet, and smiled when she glanced up at him.
"Hey," she said, and went back to her book.
He raised his eyebrows. "Go ahead and read. Don't let me stop you."
"I won't." But she grinned and shot him a look out of the corner of her eye. "Book club tonight. I need to finish."
She was close. She only had a few pages left in what was a pretty sizable book. Edward leaned forward to check out the cover.
"Oh, right. Notre-Dame de Paris."
"Uh-huh. Or The Hunchback of Notre Dame to those of us who aren't elitist snobs."
"Ouch. Okay." He deserved that, really. He had been showing off a little about having read it in the original French. "You focus on your book. I've got my own stuff to read anyway." He pulled out the pages from Harry and settled in to learn his spiel.
He was right about Alice's drum; it really was less bothersome outside. Of course, it helped that she wasn't playing it constantly. She'd bang on it for thirty seconds or so, then get distracted by a slide and leave it behind while she ran off to play. But she'd invariably come back to it, and bang on it for another minute before suddenly feeling compelled to swing on a dangling rope. Edward worried a tiny bit about it getting stepped on, though a malicious little part of him didn't want to put all that much effort into protecting it. Still, if he'd thought it were really in peril, he'd have moved it. Alice always managed to toss it out of the way of foot traffic, though, and the drum was remaining unscathed.
And Edward was getting pages read. It was actually really nice to have Alice's attention on something else so that he could go through Harry's papers. The man had put together a pretty good presentation on the history of La Push since the arrival of white settlers. He was reading through it for a second time when a couple of small raindrops splattered on his arm. He glanced up at the sky, considering taking Alice home, but she had her rain gear and she didn't look anywhere near ready to leave yet. He saw Bella glance up as well, so he pulled an umbrella out of the diaper bag and opened it up. He scooted closer to her so it would cover them both, and she rewarded him with the sweetest smile he thought he'd ever seen from her.
If he hadn't wanted to kiss her before, he sure as hell did then. If she'd been anyone else, he'd have flashed his most charming smile, leaned in close, and started campaigning to get her into bed. Almost anyone else would have gone for it, and they'd have had a hell of a good time.
If they'd been able to get someone else to watch the kids . . .
But she wasn't anyone else. Bella absolutely had his number, and she'd have no qualms about calling him on his bullshit. Plus, he was surprised to realize that he didn't want her to fuck him nearly as much as he wanted her to like him. Bella was worth winning over. So he held the umbrella and left her alone to finish her book.
A few minutes later, he had a pretty good idea of how his presentation was going to go, and Bella closed her book with a satisfied snap.
He looked over at her. "Finished?"
"Yep. All ready to discuss themes and techniques."
"Just like that? As soon as you finish the book? Without even preparing any notes?"
"My bachelor's degree is in literature. I've been preparing notes all along."
He gave her his most winning smile. "All right. I see you, Bella Swan. So do the kids go with you to book club?"
"Nope. Tonight's my night off. I'm just looking after them for a couple of hours while Grace puts in some extra time at work."
"Jacob can't watch them?"
"He works a lot of night shifts. I'm letting him sleep."
"You know, they wouldn't have to work so much if you'd let me take care of that remod—"
"Stop!" She threw up a hand to silence him. "I'm not in the mood to argue about remodeling my dad's house. I finished my book, and Phoebe isn't crying, and Colin isn't peeing on anything, and I just want to sit here and have a nice day."
"Know what the fastest way to get me to stop talking about it is?"
She arched an eyebrow. "Do tell."
"Say yes. We'll get all the details hammered out and then I never have to mention it again."
"You're insufferable."
"You're beautiful."
That caught her off-guard, and she froze for a moment, mouth open in surprise. Then she snapped it shut and shook her head.
"Flattery will get you one douchebag pass. It's a shame you've already used it up."
Edward laughed out loud. "I'll take it." He shook his head, still grinning, and then turned the subject back to more neutral ground. "So what did you think of the book?"
"I think . . . I'm glad it's a book club book."
"Yeah? Why's that?"
"There's a lot to unpack here. I'm glad I'm going to get the chance to talk about it with someone."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Good that we'll get to talk about it. Obviously there's some problematic content, but there are moments in the book that I suspect will spark some lively debate."
"Love a good debate," he said with a smile.
"You should come." She glanced at the jungle gym. "If you can get a sitter."
"I don't know. I'm not sure I'd want to go to a book club where they let in any old riffraff off the street."
"Riffraff is all we've got around here. I thought you knew."
He found himself grinning again—or maybe he'd never stopped. "Sounds like a good time. I'll see what I can do." He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Leah.
"Uh-wud!" Alice called from the top of a slide. "Uh-wud! See it!"
"What am I seeing?" he called back.
Alice ran toward the slide and dove onto it, belly first, sliding nose-first down the twisting plastic to the end. Edward winced, wondering if the collision with the slide was going to make her cry, but she got to the bottom and pushed herself to her knees with a delighted laugh.
"Look at you!" he replied with the requisite enthusiasm. "Ten out of ten! Perfect form!"
"Yes!" She clapped for herself and then clambered off of the slide and headed back to a ladder to climb up again.
His phone buzzed and he lifted it to see an enthusiastic response from Leah, asking to know what time he needed her.
"When is the book club?" he asked Bella.
"Seven o'clock at Blakeslee's."
Edward paused, poised to send a text. "Blakeslee's? That's a bar, right?"
"And grill, but yes."
"So you're not even trying to pretend this is about the books."
"Oh, it's about the books," Bella said emphatically. "But we're opinionated people, and the drinks help keep the peace."
Edward laughed and let Leah know that he'd pick her up at 6:30.
"Dad!" Colin yelled from the top of the jungle gym. "Over here!" He waved and then dived down the plastic slide, followed a little too closely by Alice. There was a brief collision at the bottom of the slide, but then Colin took off running toward the parking lot, where Jacob was sauntering over. Alice snatched her drum from where she'd dropped it behind a crawling pipe and ran after them.
"Jaytub! See it! Habba jwum!"
Colin reached him first, and Jacob wrapped him up in a growly bear hug. He squatted long enough to let Alice get to him, and then he scooped her up and stood, a kid in each arm.
"See it!" Alice insisted.
"Oh, hey, you got a cool drum!"
"I have one of those," Colin said, his tone a little defensive.
"Yep, you sure do. Maybe you two can play them together sometime."
Alice banged on her drum with enthusiasm.
Jacob strode to the bench to join Edward and Bella. He plopped Alice down on Edward's lap and then sat beside him with Colin on his knee. "I heard you were making it rain at the art market the other day," he told Edward.
Edward shrugged. "You all told me to honor Alice's roots. I listened."
"Looks like you honored some bank accounts while you were at it. That rain gear doesn't come cheap."
"Yeah, but it makes her so happy. Alice, show Jacob your thunderbird."
"Oh! Iss funnoobood!" She scrambled down from his lap and turned her back so he could see it, craning her neck to try to catch her own glimpse of the back of her poncho.
"That's dang cool," Jacob said seriously.
"Dane too-oh," Alice agreed.
"Dad, watch me!" Colin cried, scrambling down off of Jacob's lap and running off toward the jungle gym.
Alice was unable to bear being left behind. She tossed her drum aside and ran after him on her baby legs.
"Did you guys hear about Emily?" Jacob asked as Edward rescued Alice's drum and tucked it into the diaper bag.
"Did she have the baby?" Bella asked, perking up.
"Yep." Jacob pulled out his phone and swiped to a picture of a red, wrinkly, squawking thing cradled in what was probably Sam's arm. "Jonathan Samuel Uley."
Bella practically melted into a puddle. "Look at how darling," she cooed.
"I know, right?"
And Edward had to agree. The kid looked raw, like he wasn't quite done baking, but there was something undeniably sweet about him. "How's Emily doing?"
"Dunno. Sam's text was only about how awesome the baby is, but I assume that means nothing awful happened."
"Do you know if she's going home today?" Bella asked. "I should take dinner over."
Edward smiled. He remembered how much he'd appreciated all the neighbors bringing frozen meals over after his dad's death, and he suddenly felt like he ought to to return the favor. "Yeah, me too."
"You cook?" Bella asked.
He straightened up haughtily. "I can order a Williams-Sonoma beef wellington with the best of them."
"Ooh, that sounds delicious," Bella said, and, having earned her approval, Edward pulled up the website and placed an order for a handful of frozen meals.
And then he ordered some vegetarian meals for himself because they looked good and because he didn't need to lean so hard on Esme for the cooking. She deserved a break. Also, they had a coconut curry stew, and it had been a woefully long time since he'd had Indian food.
"Colin, buddy, finish up," Jacob called up to the jungle gym. "We need to go."
"Okay! Just a minute! Just . . . five more slides, Dad!"
"Five more slides," Jacob agreed with a grin, and while Colin began his first slide, Jacob peeked under the fabric that covered Phoebe's car seat. "Hey, there, baby girl. Are you waking up?"
Edward heard a coo and Jacob pulled the fabric off of the car seat. He lifted it up onto his lap and started chatting with his sleepy-eyed daughter.
"We need to go too," Edward called to Alice.
"No! Hattoo pay!"
"How about five more slides?"
"Um. No." She crawled into a little plastic cubby beside the largest slide.
"We have to go to Port Angeles today."
She peeked out a porthole in the cubby. "Junjawiss?"
"Yeah, I have a quick meeting and I need to hit an art supply store."
"Hassum toys?"
Bella laughed beside Edward and he shot her a questioning look.
"Ted always took her to a toy store when they went to Port Angeles."
"Ah, it's bribery, is it?" He looked back at Alice. "Sure, kid, we can hit a toy store."
"Oh, yes!" Alice scrambled out of the cubby and hurried to the slide. She dove onto her stomach and slid down, then eased herself to the ground and ran over to him. "A-weddy!"
They said goodbye to Bella and Jacob and headed back home to change Alice into a proper shopping dress and collect a DVD for her to watch on the way. Edward stopped long enough to let Esme know his plans for the day, and to make sure that she wasn't going to need a ride anywhere while he was gone.
"I know how to get an Uber, Edward."
"Sure, but does this town even have Uber drivers? I don't know if you can rely on that."
She rolled her eyes and waved him away.
"A-djwaddon!" Alice called from the entertainment center, where she was selecting a movie.
"Let's see." Edward took the DVD from her. "How to Train Your Dragon? Sounds like a winner."
"Yes!"
"Okay, let's go get in the car. C'mon, munchkin."
"Mon munchin." She took his hand and let him lead her out to the car.
Edward was glad to have brought her tablet along on the trip. He needed to have a meeting without letting Alice know what the meeting was about, lest she lose her damn mind over it. So when he reached the home of the breeder he wanted to speak to, he got her started on a game before he even knocked on the door. He knew there were kennels behind the house, but the yard was fenced and there didn't seem to be much noise to give away the secret.
The door was answered by a tall, broad-faced woman with a friendly grin, and Edward knew from a few quick email exchanges that her name was Gloria. "Hello! You must be Edward and Alice!"
"Yes, and Alice doesn't really know what this is about, which I assure you, is for the best. We'll never get her out of here if she sees the p-u-p-p-i-e-s."
Gloria laughed good-naturedly and ushered them into the living room.
"Hassum tooties?" Alice asked.
"No cookies today," Edward said, "but you can have some raisins if you want."
"Um. Yes."
Edward fished a little box of raisins out of her diaper bag and she settled in to nibble on them while she played her tablet game."
"So you have some Yorkies," he said, pretty sure Alice wouldn't know breed names.
"Yep. In a couple more weeks, they'll be ready to leave their mother."
"I'm concerned about . . ." If he said "allergies," would Alice know what he meant? "About potential intolerances to them, so I want to make sure that they're not mixed with any other breeds."
"Of course. I've got papers." She took a few pages from the end table beside her and handed them to him.
Edward knew fuck-all about dog breeding, but he was willing to trust her to a certain extent.
"The next page is about vaccines and reproductive health," Gloria said. "I'll have a vet in to give them their first round before you take your little one home." She shot a side-eyed glance at Alice and Edward appreciated that she was trying to be discreet. "There's a schedule on there for when to give them boosters and when to consider spaying or neutering."
"Oh, perfect." He flipped to the page and looked over the schedule. He'd never had a dog before, even as a child, so he was grateful for the guidance.
"And behind that are some tips on housebreaking."
He grimaced. That would be an unpleasant chore.
"I know. No one's favorite job."
"I really appreciate you providing the information, though. Like I said, I've never had—" he caught himself. "I've never done this before."
"It's no problem. Do you intend to breed?"
He shook his head. "That's way out of my league. This is just to make the kid happy."
"Has she played with . . . this kind of friend before?"
"Yeah, kind of. Some people we know have a golden retriever, but she lets Alice get pretty rough-and-tumble. I'm going to have to teach her to play more gently with the smaller variety of friend."
Gloria nodded her approval. "Do you have a preference of sex? I've only got one female in this litter, but you're paying for first choice."
"I'm less concerned about sex than about how they interact with Alice. I'm hoping we can find one that's not too aggressive but not too shy."
"We'll be ready to try them out in a couple of weeks. If you want to come over, say, next Friday? Two weeks from yesterday?"
"Sure, that works for me."
Alice's game made a triumphant sound and she held up her tablet. "Uh-wud! See it!"
"Hey! You won! Great job!"
She grinned and took her tablet back.
Edward and Gloria settled the financial details after that. A few thousand dollars changed hands, a contract was signed granting Edward first pick of the puppies, and they reaffirmed their plans to let Alice come play with them after a couple of weeks.
They shook hands again once the deal was struck, and Edward stood.
"Hassum toys?" Alice asked eagerly.
"Almost. We need to go to an art store first."
"No. Toys."
Edward laughed and waved goodbye to Gloria as he walked her back outside. "I know it's hard to wait. We have to do one more boring thing first, and then toys. But you can play with your tablet the whole time, okay?"
"Um." She deliberated for a moment. "Tay."
Edward drove them to an art store and got himself stocked up on Bristol board and Deleter paper, bought a few more non-photo blue pencils and some fresh ink nibs, and added a couple of sets of Micron pen replacements. He would typically have ordered all of this online, but Carlisle's lecture about spending money in the local economy lingered in his mind, and he was trying to do his part.
You know, since he'd had to go to Port Angeles anyway.
He wondered if this store had a website where he could order materials to be delivered, because he really didn't want to have to drive an hour each way every time he needed art supplies.
Once he was stocked up, though, he drove Alice to a toy store to find her a bribe. Alice headed straight for the pink aisle, which Edward wasn't thrilled about. He was listening to another parenting audiobook while he worked out in the mornings, and this one had mentioned how girls were socialized into feminine gender roles that could potentially limit the career paths that would eventually be available to them. Alice, of course, had enough money that she could choose to have no career at all if that suited her, but Edward didn't like the idea of her being limited. Still, what was he going to do, tell her that girl toys weren't good enough and she had to pick something else? He wasn't about to go around stigmatizing all things feminine. That wasn't any better.
So he let her get excited over the Barbies and the princess toys and the baby dolls, and he smiled to himself when she pointed out a plush dog with a pink plastic carrying case. He tried to vaguely discourage that toy. In two weeks it would be far less interesting than the real dog she'd be getting, and if she wanted a pink carrying case for that one, he could arrange it.
But the thing that ultimately caught her eye was a pair of purple and silver pom-poms. She shrieked when she saw them and darted over to the shelf, plucking the pair of unboxed display models off the shelf. She shook them wildly, grinning like a maniac as she did.
"Oh, pom-poms! You're a cheerleader!"
"Oh, yes! A chee-weedoo!"
"Look at that," Edward said, pointing to the shelf. "You can get a little uniform, too." He very much didn't mention the plastic megaphone, because Alice didn't need any more noise-enhancing toys.
Alice was gasping with excitement now. "Habbit! Habbit! Pease!"
"Is this the one you want?"
"Oh, YES!"
"You got it." Edward grabbed a box with unused pom-poms and selected the one of three sizes of cheerleading uniform that would be the least big on Alice. When he started to walk away, though, Alice nearly lost her mind.
"No! Uh-wud! Habbit!" She was still clinging to the display model pom-poms, and Edward realized that she didn't know the box he'd grabbed had the same thing inside. So he took a few minutes to explain it to her, and when that didn't work, he opened the box there in the store to show her that she was getting the pom-poms that she so desperately wanted. Only after she'd stuck her hands inside the box to feel the plastic strips was she satisfied that she wasn't being cheated out of her toy.
Edward decided that the best route out of the toy section was via a non-pink aisle, and he led Alice through it, assuming that the toy trucks and action figures wouldn't catch her eye. They had nearly made it out when Alice stopped short and let out a high-pitched squeal.
"Alice, come on," Edward said. "We already found you a toy."
"Uh-wud!" she said breathlessly. "Uh-wud! Dote-doh! Dote-doh! Yite Tah-why!"
Edward looked back at her, glancing at the shelf to see what she was looking at. There was a play doctor kit on the shelf, the box showing myriad blue plastic medical implements that could be stored in a little blue case. And he stopped. If he was worried about socializing Alice into narrow choices, this might actually be helpful. And Alice was so excited that she was dancing in place, her little feet paddling the ground in her enthusiasm.
"A doctor kit," he said.
"Yite Tah-why!" Her voice was all squeaky and excited.
"That's right, just like Carlisle. And look, the box says the stethoscope really works."
"Habbit!" Alice said desperately. "Pease!"
"You want this instead of the cheerleading outfit?"
Alice looked at him as though he'd asked her to murder a puppy. "Uh-wud," she said, her voice squeaky with tears this time. "Pease."
"What, you think you're going to get both?"
"Uh-huh." She looked at him with such hope in her eyes, and what was he supposed to do?
"Okay, fine. You can get them both."
He'd have bought out the whole damn store to put that delighted smile on her face.
"Oh! Deenchoo!" She threw her arms around his knees and hugged him.
"I'm pretty sure buying you whatever you want is bad parenting," he muttered. But he couldn't actually bring himself to be bothered by it. If he was creating a spoiled monster of a child, well . . . that was a Future Edward problem.
And then he turned right around and showed that he was every bit as spoiled as Alice was, because when he passed a car lot on the way out of town, he immediately pulled over.
"Alice," he said resolutely, "it's time to get rid of this eyesore."
Alice was engrossed in her second viewing of How to Train Your Dragon, and she didn't answer.
Her tablet wasn't the favored toy this time, so Edward couldn't count on her sitting and playing quietly while he spoke with a car salesman. He had to unpack her doctor toy for her, and while they discussed features and pricing, Alice alternated between the two of them, climbing on their laps and peering into their ears with her otoscope or whacking their knees with her reflex hammer.
"A-diss?" Alice asked while Edward was discussing pros and cons of electric cars with the salesman.
"It's a blood pressure monitor."
She looked at it for a moment. "A-doo?"
"Here. You put the cuff on like this, and then you squeeze this pump . . ."
Alice giggled when the cuff filled with air and started to squeeze her arm. She insisted on trying it on Edward, though it would only fit around his wrist, and she pumped air into it while he asked about driving range and charging time. He asked the salesman about installing a charger at his house, somewhat hesitant to upgrade a home he didn't expect to be living in much longer, but found that it would probably only be a couple of thousand dollars. That seemed reasonable to him, and it might be useful for when he brought Alice back for visits to La Push.
"A-diss?"
"That's a tongue-depressor."
"Tun?"
"Yeah, it helps the doctor push your tongue down so he can see into your mouth." He took the wooden stick from her and told her to open her mouth, then pushed her tongue down with it.
"See? Isn't that cool? That way the doctor can see—no, Alice, don't put that in his mouth."
Alice, who was thrusting the tongue-depressor up toward the salesman, stopped and looked back at him.
"We don't need to be sharing germs," Edward told her. "How about you give him a shot instead? Here, look at this hypodermic needle." He showed her how to use the plunger on the needle-less needle to give someone a shot, and Alice accepted it as a suitable replacement. The salesman allowed himself to be given half a dozen shots before Alice traded the needle for a plastic scalpel.
In the end, Edward purchased a hybrid SUV with in-car Wi-Fi and a video package for Alice. He requested every last luxury upgrade, because yes, he was spoiled, but the drawback was that there was no fully loaded model at the dealership at the moment. There was one in Seattle, and they could have it on the lot next week, or for an extra fee he could have it delivered to his house the next day. He paid the extra fee, because in addition to being as spoiled as Alice, he was just as lacking in impulse control.
He added a couple hundred dollars on top of the agreed-upon price because the salesman had been so patient about being poked and prodded by Dr. Alice, and then he and the kid were back on the road.
He made it to La Push to pick up Leah by 6:30, but then he had a terrible time actually getting out the door once she was at his house. He got a call from Morgan's financial planner asking whether he should approve a significant cash withdrawal request, and then Alice needed him to help her re-braid her tiara into her hair, and then, when he was in the car with the key in the ignition, his mom called.
And obviously he had to take that call.
He tapped the button to answer the phone and smiled. "I love you."
She responded with an exasperated sigh. "I love you, too. What do you want?"
"To remind you that you're my very favorite mom and I'm your very favorite son. In the whole world."
"Honestly, Edward." But she couldn't fool him. He could hear her trying not to smile.
"You don't have to lie. Out of all the sons in all the world, you would pick me every time. Even when you're mad at me, and even when I deserve it."
"You always deserve it."
"I know. Which speaks to what a truly wonderful person you are that you still love me."
"Edward," she said, her voice softening, "I will always love you."
"I'll always love you too," he said, and this time with complete sincerity. "And I really, really need you to forgive me for yelling at you."
"It was completely unnecessary," she said crisply, but then she sighed. "Though I was being difficult."
"Yeah. That day sucked for you. I know how Dad could always get under your skin. And it sucked for me, because I loved him like crazy and I miss him bad."
"We get irritable when we're sad."
"We do. But I never stop loving you for one single moment, and I just had to make sure to say that out loud."
"You're a good boy, Edward."
"The best. And I really need you right now. Because, Mom? I adopted a kid."
She sighed, and he could hear the impatience even just in her breath, so he rushed on.
"I know this is rough on you, but I need you to stop thinking of her as Dad's kid. She's my kid, and I adore her. I need to be able to have both of you in my life."
"Edward, your father—"
"Is irrelevant. Forget him. This is about me and Alice. I love you, and I need to be able to call you in a blind panic when her poop is blue and I don't know what to do."
"Oh, dear. What did she eat?"
"See? You knew what it was right away. I was afraid she was having some kind of organ failure. Turns out it was some powder candy or something she got at daycare, but I was freaking the fuck out."
She laughed softly. "Parents are supposed to freak out."
"And the parents of those parents are supposed to talk them down. I need you, Mom."
"You don't need me. I was barely even a parent. I let the nanny do all the work."
He smiled to himself. "Liar. I was there too, you know. You can't fool me."
"Well. I let her change most of your diapers."
"That's fair. Diapers suck. They're almost as bad as tantrums."
She made a distressed noise. "You used to have the worst tantrums. And I'd just let you throw them and wear yourself out, but of course all the other mothers would look at me with those judgy eyes."
"I live in terror of judgy moms. Because you know I'm fucking this up."
"Yes, well. So are they. We all do."
"See? This is what I need you for. I feel so much better."
"Oh, please. You master everything you do. I can't imagine you're really struggling."
"I had to bribe her to leave the park today. And then I bought her two presents instead of one because she really wanted them."
"And you think that's wrong?"
"I'm spoiling her or something, aren't I?"
"Probably. But if that's the worst trauma you cause her, I think she'll be okay."
He laughed. "Now I'm terrified of what else I'm screwing up."
She was silent for a moment, and then she said, "You know what I'm terrified of? After you were born, I cut myself off from everyone. My family, my friends . . . none of them were as important to me as you were. You were all that mattered. And now that you have a child, I'm afraid you'll get all wrapped up in her and cut me out."
"I don't want to do that," he said earnestly. "There's room for you both in my life, if you'll allow it. I want to go to Mexico with you at Thanksgiving and show Alice what the beach is like. I want you to do video chats with us on Sundays, and I'm going to need someone to help her with her fashion choices, because polka-dot tights with striped dresses won't be adorable when she's fourteen."
"Oh, honey. When she's fourteen, you'll have much bigger problems than polka-dot tights with striped dresses."
"Yep. And Alice is going to need an ally she can team up with against me when she starts going through the rebellious phase. That's what grandmas are for, right?"
"Please, darling. I don't think I could stand being called Grandma."
"That's fair. How about just Elizabeth?"
"That would be all right with me."
"Good, and just so you know, you've got some making up to do. You know what she told me about you? She said, 'Yibbuff mean.' "
"She didn't really?"
"She did. So I recommend bringing gifts next time you visit. As it turns out, Alice can be bribed."
She laughed and they chatted about her life for a couple more minutes before Edward begged off.
"I'm late for a book club," he told her.
"Since when are you in a book club?"
"I'm not, really, but this woman invited me and I'm kinda into her."
"Oh? Do you have details to share?"
"None except that she's just as difficult as we are. I have no doubt that she'll punish me for showing up late, so I should get over there."
"You'll win her over. You always do."
He grinned. "Thanks, Mom. I love you."
"Love you too, my boy."
Edward was ten minutes late when he arrived at the bar. He didn't see Bella at first glance, but a couple of guys playing pool waved to him, so he wandered over to say hello. He was pretty sure he'd spoken to them at his father's memorial service, but he couldn't recall their names.
"Hey, guys. How's it going?"
"Not bad," one of them answered. "You?"
"Decent. Seen Bella Swan or the group she's meeting with tonight?"
"You mean the coven?" the other one said with a sneer, jerking his thumb toward the back corner. A few tables had been pulled together and several women were crowded around them. Edward didn't see Bella, but she could easily be on the opposite, less visible side of the table.
"Coven?" he asked curiously, eyeing them. "Are they Wiccan?"
When no answer was immediately forthcoming, he looked back at the men, both of whom were giving him scornful looks.
"Ah. Gotcha. We're engaging in the age-old tradition of demonizing women who are smarter than us." He lifted his hand in a wave and strode over to the table.
"There he is!"
It was Jessica who had spoken, the mother of twins whom he knew from swimming lessons and story time.
"Hey, Jess. Sorry I'm late everybody."
The women busied themselves shifting chairs over and pulling an empty one up for him. Bella, who was pretty well blocked in on the other side of the table, arched an eyebrow at him.
"I offer you an exclusive invitation to our very prestigious book club and you show up late?"
"I couldn't help it. My mom called."
"His mom called!" The woman who spoke was dark-skinned with close-cropped hair, and Edward guessed she could be in her forties or fifties. "That excuse will work on me every time. Sit down, Edward. We're pleased to have you."
Edward accepted the chair and settled into it. "I'll make it up to you," he said, glancing at the half-full glasses on the tables. "I'll buy the next round."
"And that excuse works on me," another woman said. She offered her hand. "Rachel Black."
"Wait, I know your name. Jacob's sister, right?"
"His older, classier, more likable sister."
Edward grinned.
Rachel introduced him to the others at the table. They were mostly around his age, though a couple of them had a decade or two on him. Edward already knew Bella, Jessica, and Angela Cheney, but the rest were new to him.
"I see what you mean, Bella," Rachel said to her.
It was obvious that they were talking about Edward, and he turned to look at Bella. "What?"
"What was that phrase you used?" Rachel said with a wicked grin. "Made of privilege?"
Edward's jaw dropped. He had to admit, that stung a little. And yet . . . it wasn't like he could deny it. So he turned to humor. "That hurts me, Bella." He tapped his chest. "Right here."
"Yeah, I'm sure all that privilege is a terrible inconvenience," the black woman, Gina, said with a warm laugh.
He shrugged. "The desperate plight of the white male."
"Oh, it doesn't stop there," Rachel said. "You've got all kinds of advantages."
"Like what?"
"Straight privilege," Rachel's girlfriend Maya said. "Cis privilege."
"Economic privilege," Bella added.
"Able-bodied privilege." Edward didn't catch who had said that.
"Hot privilege."
He turned to Jessica with an incredulous look. "Hot privilege?"
"You're going to pretend you've never gotten any extra little perks because of how you look?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. Several particular perks came to mind. "I am not."
"Like I said."
"There's nothing wrong with having privilege," Angela told him, "as long as you use it for a good cause." She lifted her empty glass and rattled the ice.
Edward laughed out loud and waved to a passing waiter to let him know he was ready to order another round of drinks.
Once the order was placed, Edward jumped right in. "So what were you talking about before I interrupted?"
"Communication in the novel," Bella said. "Or the devastating lack thereof."
"That courtroom scene, right?"
The women nodded, and Maya added, "and the storming of the cathedral, where literally everyone wanted the same thing and they were still fighting each other."
"Yeah, but let's talk about the family ties for a minute," an older woman, Heather, interrupted. "Because the blood relations aren't close and the marriages are farcical. The strongest tie seems to be this found-family connection between Quasimodo and the priest."
And they were off. Edward had a hard time keeping up with them at first. The discussion was fast-paced and energetic, and the opinions were strong. Besides, they'd all read the book more recently than he had, and they were fresher on the details. Still, he remembered the broad themes from when he'd read it for an English class in college, so he did manage to throw in one or two observations.
The conversation eventually turned to La Esmeralda, and Angela rolled her eyes. "It's really hard to tolerate her obsession with Phoebus when Quasimodo is right there being all sweet. It's so shallow."
The other women roundly abused La Esmeralda for a moment, but Bella threw up her hands.
"Hang on! A disservice is being done here. I'm not sure how La Esmeralda is supposed to be expected to fall instantly in love with someone who locks her in a church."
"To save her life!" Angela said, throwing up her hands.
"Uh-huh. And then he watches her sleep. And let's not forget that this book has already set up the extreme precariousness of a woman's safety in this culture. Remember how she was stalked at the beginning of the book?"
"Wait," Edward said, "I thought the watching-her-sleep thing was sweet. Does it not come across as devoted and protective?"
"No. It comes across as creepy. The poor woman is trapped in a building with a dude who won't give her any privacy."
"But he's not creepy," Angela protested. "He's Quasimodo. He's the good guy here."
"He might be, but how's she going to know that? I'm just saying. She fell in love with someone who helped her out when some creeper was stalking her, she never got the full story on how very much he didn't deserve it, and she didn't fall for the weird guy who, yes, saved her life, but who also never spoke to her and who was probably jacking off while she slept. I don't think she deserves to be criticized for this."
The group exploded with protests, and the communication conversation was renewed with heated vigor. Edward loved every second of it.
The conversation was still going much later when Bella lifted a tote bag from the floor and started piling several different books onto the table.
"Is it nine already?" Rachel asked.
"Yep. Let's get this done real quick so you can go back to your argument."
"You should just stay late. Jacob can handle another hour."
"Next month's topic is criminal justice," Bella said, ignoring her comment. "Feel free to grab any of these if you want them, or pick your own."
Edward scanned the books on offer. Some were fiction, some were nonfiction, some seemed to be challenging the system and some supporting it.
"You're all reading different books?" Edward asked. "Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of a book club?"
"You get better arguments when people bring different perspectives to the table," Maya said.
"Louder ones, anyway," Rachel agreed.
"I don't know how we're supposed to have an unbiased conversation when Bella's dad is a cop," Jessica threw in.
"Right," Angela said, "like any of these conversations are ever unbiased."
Bella just laughed quietly in response.
"Are you coming next time?" Angela asked Edward. "Grab a book."
Edward picked up the one nearest to him, titled Privilege and Punishment. He turned the cover toward Bella. "Did you bring this for me?"
She grinned. "Just trying to make sure everyone has something that speaks to them."
"I'll take it," he said, grinning back. Because if you can't beat 'em . . .
The books were apparently from the library, and once everyone had chosen something, Bella checked them out to their respective readers on her phone. Then the women beside her shifted out of the way and Bella stood up, gathering her purse and her bag with the leftover books.
"Are you leaving?" Edward asked. "We haven't even talked about the goat yet."
"You keep going," she told him. "Jacob's waiting for me to get back so he can go home and put his kids to bed."
"They're fine," Rachel called after her. "They love staying up late."
But Bella just tossed a regretful smile over her shoulder and headed for the door.
"So, the goat," Angela said. "What does Djali bring to the story?"
Edward listened for a couple of minutes, but it felt like the energy had gone out of the club. Maybe it was Bella, or maybe it was just because the conversation had been derailed and it took too much work to get it back on track. Whatever it was, the women started gathering up their purses and Edward was just as ready to call it a night.
"You decided to come next time, right, Privilege?" Rachel asked as she and Maya stood.
It took a second for Edward to realize that she was calling him that. "Oh, come on," he groaned. "That's not going to be my nickname."
"It's just as good as Harpy, isn't it?" Jessica teased.
"Jesus Christ. Does everyone know about that?"
"Small towns," Angela said sympathetically.
"It was a very bad night and I was in shock. I plead temporary insanity."
Rachel patted his shoulder. "No one's mad, Privilege. But that doesn't mean there won't be consequences." She gave him a sly grin and then she and Maya headed for the door.
Edward said goodbye to the rest of the ladies and headed after them. He strode to his car and was just about to get in when an old red truck several spaces away caught his eye. Bella was still there, and in the dim light he could see her silhouette leaning forward on the steering wheel. That worried him. It wasn't like her to sit and do nothing in a parking lot when someone was waiting for her.
Edward re-locked his car and headed for the truck. He reached the passenger side and tapped on the glass to get Bella's attention.
She jumped and looked over at him, and Edward could see the streaks that tears had left down her cheeks. She leaned over and unlocked the door, and he climbed inside.
And now what? Did he ask her if she was okay? She'd probably tell him yes. So instead he opted for, "What's wrong?"
She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "It won't start."
He gave her a half-smile. "And you didn't think you could just call me and tell me to get out here and help?"
"I called Jacob," she said. "He's on his way."
"Right. But I'm guessing from the tears that you're not telling me the whole problem."
She shook her head, fixing her gaze on the ceiling, and though she was clearly trying not to cry anymore, it wasn't working. "It's just going to be expensive. The alternator's been threatening to go, and I think this is probably it."
Edward scooted up beside her and slid an arm around her. He was fully prepared for her to shove him away, so he was a little surprised when she leaned into him and let her head fall on his shoulder.
"You've got to let me help."
She sighed. "It's really sweet of you, Edward, but I'll manage."
"You don't have to, though. That's what I'm saying. A new alternator shouldn't have to bring you to tears."
She shook her head. "There are just a lot of expenses right now."
"Bella . . ." He began softly, but he shook his head. Delicacy wasn't getting the job done. "You want to know what privilege looks like? I passed a car lot today and decided to buy a car. Just like that, on a whim, because I'm afraid that if I keep driving that soccer-mom car, my testicles will shrivel up and fall off. So I bought a new one, entirely for the sake of my vanity."
Bella pulled away from him and leaned her back against the car door, hugging her sweatshirt around her. "So you're Marcel Proust, squandering the family fortune."
"I'm not. Because money makes money, and the income I get from interest and dividends is massive. I don't even have to lift a finger, and I keep getting richer. I'm a fiscal vampire. I suck the lifeblood from the free market, and if I don't find a way to inject some back in, I destroy economies. So I donate a lot of money to various causes, I don't hesitate to buy expensive things when the fancy strikes, and when my friends need a little help, I give it. Because in my world, spending is more responsible than saving."
Bella snorted indelicately. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"It's not. I swear. And even if it were, so what? You need money, I have money, and this isn't going to be any more of a financial stressor for me than it was for you when you brought me dinner after my dad died."
"Bullshit."
"I swear to every one of the gods. I can drop this money without blinking and then have my accountant write it all off."
"You're talking about the price of a new alternator?"
"You know I'm not. Let me remodel your house, Bella. Or let me have a new one built for you. Let me give you the tools you need to have the kind of life where a car repair doesn't devastate you. This hurts to see."
"You can't just throw money at every inconvenience and make it go away."
"I mean. Not all of them."
Bella laughed at his smirk, burying her face in one sleeve-covered hand.
"I'm trying to use my privilege for something worthwhile, here. You've got to let me."
She shook her head, but he could see her giving in. "It's way too much."
"It's not anywhere near enough." He caught her eye and tried to let her know with a look how serious he was. "You gave him so much. Do you know that? I wasn't sure Dad was going to handle retirement well, but he was happier here than I've ever seen him. That's you. You, your dad, Billy, Carlisle, all of you. He couldn't have bought that kind of happiness."
"But you're trying to buy it now?" Bella asked him, her teasing smile at odds with her red eyes.
"I'm just trying to say thank you."
She heaved a sigh. "Do you know how hard it is to say no when I want it so bad? But I don't even know how to say yes. I can't imagine accepting something that huge."
"How does the saying go? Lie back and think of England?"
She leaned forward so she could smack his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her and dragged her back to his side.
"Skip that part. Don't say yes. Just stop saying no and let me do my thing."
"I worry about your views on consent."
He wanted to keep this conversation going. He wanted to make implications about how he could make her say yes over and over again. But he was actually convincing her to accept his dad's remodeling plan, and he didn't want to ruin that with the kind of talk that had every chance of being unwelcome. So instead he said, "Can we go talk to your dad? Is he awake now?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I can't imagine you're actually going to be able to convince him, but you can try."
"Help me."
She was silent for a moment, but then she drew in a deep breath and let it out. "Okay."
It was a fucking win—and it was interrupted by Jacob's car pulling up next to the truck. He climbed out of the car and shifted back on his heel, looking at them through the windows of the truck.
"Oh, lord. He's about to be insufferable." She pushed away from Edward and climbed out.
"Well, well, well," Jacob said with a wide grin. "What's going on here?"
"Let's please not," Bella said quietly, and Jacob's grin dimmed.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I actually need to talk to Charlie, and maybe you should come do that with me instead of looking at the truck."
"Okay. You want to ride with me?"
"Yeah." She looked back at Edward. "I'll meet you there?"
Edward was way too disappointed that she would be riding with Jacob instead of him, but he nodded. Someone should probably fill Jacob in, after all. So he raised his hand in a wave and climbed into his own car.
When he got out again at Bella's, Jacob fell into step beside him with a low whistle.
"That's a lot."
"It's a good idea, though, right?" He was really hoping Jacob would say yes. Having support from multiple people might sway Charlie.
"It's hard to say no to having a bathroom where you can shower without your daughter's help."
"Right. It's a good idea."
Bella let them into the house, and they filed into the kitchen. Bella tapped on the wall beside the tacked up blanket and asked Charlie if she could come in. He grunted a yes, and she stepped behind the blanket, leaving Edward and Jacob in the kitchen. They both sat at the bar, and Edward pulled up the documents he'd loaded into his Google Drive while he listened to Bella explain to Charlie and Billy that they wanted to have a conversation. A couple of minutes later, she pulled the blanket to the side and let both of them wheel through the opening.
Edward launched into his proposal. He explained the remodel, showed them images of the plans and of the van that would come with it, and finished by telling them how much Ted had appreciated them and how much he had wanted to give them something to show his appreciation for them.
When he finished, Charlie stared at the phone in his hand. He flipped through the images a couple of times and then handed it back to Edward. "Well, that's very nice of him. It was a generous thought."
"Dad," Bella said, "I really think you should consider letting Edward do this."
"It's a generous thought, but the answer is no."
"Dad—"
"It's only for a little longer, Bella. I'll be back on my feet in no time."
"No you won't."
Charlie seemed startled to hear her say that.
"You might walk again eventually, but it won't be unassisted and it won't be well enough that you'll be safe going up and down those stairs."
Charlie grunted in dissatisfaction.
"I need you to be realistic. You're going to have to either remodel this place or move somewhere else, and we're at the point where I'm starting to have to choose between medical bills or utility payments. We're not keeping up. Something has to change."
"So I'll move," Charlie muttered.
"Where? Where in Forks are you going to find a wheelchair-accessible home where I can live with you that will cost less than living here?"
Charlie's face was starting to go red, which didn't seem like a great sign to Edward. But then Bella changed tacks.
"Dad, I'm exhausted. So are Jacob and Grace. We've been doing everything we can to make this work, but every spare minute I'm not at work I'm helping you or doing housework. I don't sleep at night because I'm worried about the bills. This isn't working." Her sob was sudden and unexpected. "I need help."
Edward wanted to hug her. Bad. But Charlie looked like he was softening, so Edward let her do her thing.
"Dad's neuropathy isn't going to go away," Jacob added softly. "You're going to walk again, but he's not. And I know that's not your problem, but this could really help him."
Billy looked uncomfortable now, so Edward jumped in. "And Billy is owed this, really. I was reading those papers Harry gave me about the history of La Push, and it seems like reparations are in order."
Billy smiled and folded his hands in his lap. "Damn right."
Jacob snickered.
"Dad just wanted you to have a comfortable place," Edward said. "A bedroom that will give you some privacy, a bathroom you can actually use, and wouldn't it be nice to have your den back again?"
Charlie blew out a breath.
"Everybody's working themselves to death while this fund sits in the bank doing no one any good. Let's just do this. Paul says it will take four months, which probably actually means six, but if we get it going now it could be ready to go by Christmas."
"And we might actually be able to afford Christmas presents for the kids," Jacob muttered under his breath, but Edward was pretty sure Charlie didn't hear that part.
"Please, Dad."
Charlie gazed up at Bella, and he looked so, so sad.
"I need help."
His eyes were wet when he dropped his chin. "Okay."
Edward could hardly believe it. He wanted to make him say it again, but he wasn't sure he ever would again.
"Okay," Edward said. "I'll bring some papers by tomorrow and then have Paul schedule a time to come out and take a look."
Charlie nodded but didn't meet his eye. And suddenly he felt very awkward.
"I should get home," he said. "I'm sure Leah has had her fill of Alice for the night. But I'll see you tomorrow."
He left the house feeling like he'd fought a hard battle and come out victorious. He couldn't wait to tell Carlisle, but when he got home, Alice was crying as loudly as he'd ever heard her. Leah was on the sofa with both Carlisle and Esme, and Carlisle was trying in vain to soothe Alice.
"What happened?" Edward asked, concerned. "Is she hurt? Alice, are you okay?"
"UH-WUD!" she wailed, reaching for him.
"She's fine," Carlisle reassured him, passing her into Edward's arms. "She just missed you."
"You wanted me?" he asked incredulously. Here she was with Carlisle and Leah, some of her very favorite people, and she was crying for him? That seemed unfathomable. But she wrapped her little arms around his neck and clung to him, so it seemed like that must be what was going on. It was very, very petty of him, but he felt fucking triumphant to be preferred over Carlisle.
"Okay, kiddo, I got you. Do you need some cuddles?"
"Uh-huh. Hassum tuddoes."
He sat down in the rocking chair and snuggled her against his chest. "Okay. Let's take a minute and have some time together before we take Leah home."
"I'll take her," Carlisle offered.
Edward started to protest, but Carlisle just smiled and shook his head. "Alice needs you now. I'll take Leah home."
Edward smiled gratefully. "Leah, send me a Venmo request?"
She nodded and followed Carlisle out the door.
"I'm going to bed," Esme said. She said goodnight to Alice as she swung out of the room on her crutches, and Edward turned his attention back to Alice.
"Should we sing a song?" he asked her.
"Uh-huh. Bet-tine sonn."
"Bedtime song. You got it." He kissed the fine curls on top of her head. "Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner . . ."
