23 Presence
"I miss Daddy today," Edward told Alice over breakfast the next morning.
"Uh-huh," she said with a furrowed brow. "Miss Daddy."
"Did you know it's my birthday today?"
"Boot-day?"
"Yep. I'm thirty-one."
"Foody-wun?"
"Yep." Edward sipped his coffee, and Alice held out her hands for it.
"Hassum?"
"It's coffee."
"Pease?"
He chuckled to himself. "You won't like it."
"Uh-huh. Iss nummy."
Edward passed the cup to her and let her take a sip. She screwed up her face and shook her head as though she could shake the taste out of her mouth.
"Own yite it!"
"Like I said. Drink your juice."
Alice obliged, washing away the taste of the coffee with some relief.
Edward hadn't planned anything in particular to celebrate his birthday. He'd been a lot more interested in his date with Bella, and he'd had this idea that he didn't really care much about marking another year. It wasn't like he was a child throwing a party, and he was no longer a twenty-something hitting a club with friends.
And nobody would be sending him a cake.
"Daddy used to send me a chili-chocolate cake on my birthday," he told Alice.
"Hassum tate?"
"I don't have any," he said apologetically, though he was probably the one who was more disappointed. It had been one of those traditions that had begun after his parents had split up. After Edward and his father had reconciled. They'd found a bakery that made the most amazing cake Edward had ever tasted. He'd loved it and had wanted to go back again the next year, but the bakery had closed. So they went looking for a place that offered the same chili-chocolate flavor that Edward loved, and they found one that was willing to make one for him. Every year after that, they started calling bakeries in May to find a place that would make them a chili-chocolate cake. With enough money on the table, they always managed to persuade someone to oblige them. And when the two of them weren't together for his birthday, Edward would still get a special delivery from a bakery with a cake made just for him.
"Pease?" Alice asked.
"I should have gotten some, huh? I should have gotten at least something." Now that his birthday was actually here, it felt disappointing not to be observing it. It felt lonely.
"I'm going to call Grandma Elizabeth, okay?"
"Wamma Yinda?"
"No, the other one. My mom. You want to sit with me while I call?"
"Oh, yes!"
Edward got her cleaned up from breakfast and then he settled onto the sofa with Alice and Hercules in his lap. He sent a video call request to his mom, and she answered a moment later. Her face appeared on the screen, but though she was talking to him, her eyes were looking away from the phone.
"Good morning, Edward! Happy birthday!"
"Thanks, Mom. How are you?"
"I'm awful, darling. I completely forgot your birthday until yesterday, so I didn't get your gift ordered in time. You'll get it in a few days."
"Aw, c'mon, you know you don't have to get me a gift.
"Don't be silly. I'm your mother." She had been busy doing something with her hands and she gave the screen a good look for the first time. "Oh! Hello . . . Alice." Her smile was brittle, but at least it was there.
"Hi!" She waved exuberantly. "Hassum tate?"
Edward chuckled. "No, I doubt Elizabeth has any cake."
"Oh." She turned her attention to Hercules and quickly lost interest in their conversation.
"Are you doing anything to celebrate?" Elizabeth asked.
"Having dinner with some friends," he said, as though it were specifically for him and not just what they did every Sunday.
"Is there even any place decent to eat there?" she asked with a scoff.
"I actually found a pretty good private chef not very long ago."
"That's lovely. You have a nice dinner."
"What are you doing?"
"Packing. Aidan and I are leaving for Belize soon, so I really can't talk long."
Edward didn't want to admit how disappointing that felt. "Okay, I won't keep you. Have a cocktail on the beach for me."
"Will do, darling. Happy birthday. Kiss, kiss."
He hung up feeling more unsatisfied than ever.
He tried for a minute to think of something fun to do, but a Sunday in Forks didn't offer a lot of options, and he ultimately gave up. He'd be seeing his friends for dinner. That was enough.
So he puttered. He made an appointment to talk with Carlisle and Mike Newton about the plans for a new pool. He texted Carlisle about the quotes he'd gotten for fencing the back yard, and they agreed on a vendor to hire. He placed an order to have a charging station installed in the garage for his car. He hired a moving company to pack up everything in his apartment in Olympia and bring it to a storage unit in Forks so he could pick through what he wanted to move into Alice's house. And then he stood in the living room and thought about what else he needed to change to make himself feel at home in Forks.
And . . . if Carlisle was going to take over hosting the Sunday dinners . . . if Edward didn't have to provide as much guest seating . . . maybe he could move the furniture enough to finally make room . . .
"Alice, let's go to Port Angeles."
She peered out from the spot behind the sofa where she and Hercules had squeezed themselves. "Junjawiss?"
"Yeah. We can go to the pet store and get Hercules some new toys. And we can buy me a birthday present."
She perked up. "Wezzint?"
"For me. It's my birthday."
"Hassum?"
He gave a resigned laugh and shook his head. "We will, no doubt, find a present for you too. But I want to get me a piano."
"A-yanno?"
"Yep. I haven't had one in ages, and I miss it. Go pack your pendy puss."
"Oochooweez puss?" she asked.
"The dog purse won't come in until tomorrow. For today, we'll have to use his regular carrier."
Alice huffed in annoyance and headed off to her room to find her purse.
Floor space was a factor when it came to piano sales, so selection was limited. Edward found a music store in Port Angeles that had all of three upright pianos in stock with little variation in sound quality. They weren't concert caliber, but they were fine, and they would fit comfortably in his living room after he did a little bit of rearranging. He played with them until he decided which felt the most comfortable under his fingers, and then he made the purchase and arranged for delivery.
Alice was patient enough as long as he was letting her play with the pianos, though she got antsy when he was finalizing the details. But he promised her a visit to the pet supply store to encourage patience, and she was ridiculously pleased to be able to take Hercules inside with her when the time finally came. Edward tied the dog's leash to the belt of Alice's dress so he couldn't escape to chase any of the other animals in the store.
"Okay, Alice, let's find some toys for Hercules," he told her, leading her past a cage of noisy parakeets to the dog section. "What do you think? Do any of these look fun?"
"A-diss?" She asked, pointing to a set of balls that looked like popular emojis.
"Those are balls you can throw for him. You want them?"
"Uh-huh. A-diss?"
"That's called a Kong. It looks like it would be pretty fun. Should we get it?"
"Um . . . yes. A-diss?"
"That is . . . a rubber pickle? I guess?"
"Habbit." Alice grabbed it from the shelf and handed it to Edward.
"Sure, why not?"
They collected a couple of filled bones and a plush dragon that Edward suspected was more for Alice than Hercules, and they headed for the checkout counter. On the way, though, Alice stopped and suddenly started squealing.
"Uh-wud! Uh-wud! See it! Pity jwess!"
He looked, and sure enough, she was staring at an endcap display that had several dog outfits—including a few featuring tutus and ruffled skirts.
"Oh, my. Look at that. Little dresses for dogs."
"Habbit! Pease!"
"They won't fit, kiddo. Hercules is still too little for any of those."
"Pease! Uh-wud! Pease!"
"All right, listen," Edward said, crouching down so he could look Alice in the eye. "This is going to be an exercise in delayed gratification. We can get a couple of these dresses, but it's going to be a while before Hercules can wear them."
"No! No! Habbit!"
"We'll get some, but look." Edward stood long enough to pluck the smallest of the dresses from the shelves and then crouched down again. He held it up next to Hercules. "See? He can't wear it yet. He's too little."
"Nooooo!" she wailed. "Hattooooo!"
"Don't worry, he'll fit into it eventually. Dogs grow pretty fast. He's already a lot bigger than he was when we got him."
Alice paused her complaining to listen to him, but her face was still a mix of caution and distress.
"We can check every day"—good lord, why was he offering this?—"and when Hercules is big enough, he can start wearing them."
"Habba pity jwess?" she asked, still braced for him to say no.
"Yes, we can get the pretty dresses. But he can't wear them until he's bigger."
"Biddoo?"
"Yep. Probably about the time he gets too big for you to carry him, he'll be able to fit into the smallest one."
She hesitated, still not sure if he was giving her what she wanted. "Habbit?"
"Show me which ones you want."
Alice brightened and pointed at the shelves. Edward ended up putting the dog in her arms and then lifting her up so she could indicate her favorites—which happened to be all the ones with ruffles, frills, and rhinestones, of course, because Alice was Alice. Edward took the four favorites to the counter with the rest of their purchases.
The cashier had clearly been listening, because, after greeting Edward he said, "You know, my grandmother likes to put lace handkerchiefs on her Pekingese. Maybe that would work for you until your dog can wear these dresses."
"That's a great idea," Edward said. "I don't suppose you sell any here?"
"I'm afraid not. Bridal shops usually have pretty cute ones, though."
"Huh. Good idea." He looked at Alice. "Squirt, we might have to make one more stop before we go home."
Alice didn't care. Hercules was licking her chin, and she was grinning like a maniac at the attention.
"She's pretty cute," the cashier said with a smile.
Edward gazed fondly at Alice. "She's the love of my life."
The cashier grinned as he gave Edward the total and took the payment. He waved goodbye to Alice, and Edward headed off to the bridal shop.
It was probably predictable that they didn't manage to leave the shop with only a package of lace handkerchiefs. Alice went absolutely bananas over an entire store full of pretty dresses, and when they found the flower girl dresses, well . . .
After a hard negotiation, Edward told Alice that they could get as many dresses for her as they'd gotten for Hercules. It was a painful thing for her to narrow her selection down to four, though she was aided significantly by the fact that the shop had a limited number of styles in her size in stock. She managed to come to a decision, and then at the last minute she attached a "yaidy wuvs" rider and convinced Edward to buy her a pair of white satin gloves with seed pearl embellishments.
After she rang up the clothes, the shop attendant showed them to a dressing room where Edward could change Alice out of her old overly fancy dress and into one of her new overly fancy dresses. Alice chose a peach colored one with a tulle skirt and halter top with rows of pearls at the throat. She was delighted that the pearls matched the ones on her gloves, and she wanted to exchange her rhinestone tiara immediately for the one with the pearls.
"Cool, are we starting to learn how to match things?" Edward asked her.
"Yep."
"Okay, we'll change your tiara when we get home."
They exited the dressing room, and the attendant beckoned Alice over to a pedestal in front of a three-paneled mirror.
"Go see how it looks," Edward said, giving her a nudge toward the mirrors.
She didn't need any more urging than that. She grinned wildly while the shop attendant oohed and ahhed over her pretty dress and Edward snapped about a hundred pictures with his phone.
"Hattoo pin!"
"Hold up." Edward caught her just before she threw herself into a twirl and lifted her down from the pedestal. "Do that down here. We don't want you to fall."
A dozen more pictures later, Alice seemed satisfied.
"Let's go show Hercules," Edward said.
"Oh, yes! So Oochooweez!"
Edward left Port Angeles several thousand dollars poorer than he'd entered it.
But the prospect of having a piano again made him happy—or, at least, helped him cover up the disappointment he'd been feeling earlier. And Alice's new dresses made her happy. So the two of them were in a pretty good mood when they got home and started getting ready to go to Carlisle's. Alice didn't even protest very much over taking her Benadryl, though she did declare it "yuh-tee" and requested juice to get rid of the taste.
Edward put some in a sippy cup for her, and then packed a diaper bag to take next door. As soon as Carlisle answered their knock, Alice tossed her sippy cup aside and wrapped her arms around his legs.
"Tah-why! See it! Pity jwess!"
Edward picked up her cup, expecting her to spin for Carlisle, but it was Hercules she pointed at, showing off the frilly handkerchief that Edward had tied around his neck.
"Oh, my goodness! Will you look at that! Such lovely beading!"
"Oochooweez pity!"
"He sure is—and so are you! Is this a new dress?"
Alice beamed at him as she showed off her new clothes, laying extra emphasis on her gloves. Carlisle gestured for Edward to head inside while he showed proper awe over Alice's new acquisitions.
Edward met Esme in the kitchen, where she was filling a large pot at the kitchen sink. She looked up and smiled at him.
"Perfect timing. Will you put this on the stove for me?"
Edward obliged while Esme settled back down in her wheelchair and motored over to the dining room table. She picked up a bottle of chili powder and started shaking it into a bowl.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," Edward said, settling into a chair next to hers.
"Shoot."
"I'm making my will."
She glanced up at him, eyebrows raising. "That sounds cheerful."
"You know how it is. I have the kid, so it's probably a good idea to make sure arrangements are made for her."
She nodded and started stirring the mixture in the bowl.
"So I have to choose a guardian for her." He waited to see if she would get his implication.
She barely glanced up from the bowl. "Carlisle, right?"
"I mean, that was my first thought, but . . ."
"What?" When he didn't answer right away, she paused her stirring and looked up at him. "What's wrong?"
"I mean. It seems like you and Carlisle might have a future together."
She smiled and nodded. "Seems like."
"And you don't want kids."
A look of surprise passed over her face. "Oh. Right."
"Not used to factoring other people into your own future plans, huh?" he teased.
"It's not so much that. I guess it's just that I don't see taking care of Alice as quite the same thing as having kids."
"That's basically what I'd be asking, though. If I name Carlisle as her legal guardian, that would mean you're getting pushed into the mom role, whether you like it or not."
"It's Alice, though," she said softly. "It would break his heart for you to name anyone else."
"And what about you?"
She turned in her wheelchair so she could see into the living room, where Carlisle was crawling around with a giggling Alice on his back.
"I adore her. If anything happens to you, I would be honored to take her. And I promise, I'd be the best substitute parent I could be."
"And you'd be good with it even if I leave conditions like requiring her to attend school in La Push?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Edward examined her face, trying to see any hint of reservation there.
"This isn't what you chose for yourself."
She smiled. "It's not what you chose for yourself either."
"That's different."
"Is it?" She looked at Carlisle and Alice again. "You took in the child your father loved. Maybe someday I'll take in the child my partner loves." She turned back to her bowl and started stirring again. "Try to stay alive until after you get her potty trained, would you? I don't want to do that part."
Edward laughed out loud. "Deal."
"I actually wanted to talk to you about something, too," Esme said. She picked up a soup spoon from beside the bowl and scooped up a little of what she'd been stirring. "Taste."
Edward accepted the bite and hummed in appreciation. "Cheesy and spicy. Is that corn?"
"Yep. I'm making elote mac and cheese. Does it need seasoning?"
Edward shook his head. "It's delicious."
She picked up the bowl and wheeled back into the kitchen, setting it on the counter next to the stove. "So, Carlisle and I have been rearranging his office."
"Yeah?" Edward stood and trailed after her.
"He just moved in a new desk—it was your Dad's, I think?"
Edward nodded.
"Anyway, his old one is still there, just sitting empty, and he thought . . . I might like to use it."
Edward smiled a little sadly.
"It's a good space. Lots of light, though I'd have to arrange a computer screen so it wouldn't pick up glare from the window." She pushed herself out of her wheelchair and checked the water in the pot.
Edward smirked. "And why would you want to go next door to work instead of working right here at home?"
"Exactly," she said with a grin, and Edward shook his head.
"Dammit. I was really enjoying having someone to cook breakfast and watch Alice while I showered."
"Freeloader."
"You're really moving in with him? That's pretty fast."
Esme nodded. "I know. I'm usually a lot more cautious than this. It's just . . . it's Carlisle."
Edward nodded. The man was just so damn likable.
He wrapped Esme up in a hug and squeezed. "It's hard losing the best roommate I've ever had."
"I might be an okay neighbor, too. I'll even have you over for dinner every Sunday."
"Sounds like a plan." He released Esme and stepped back as Carlisle crawled into the kitchen with Alice still mounted on his back. Hercules followed along behind, patiently waiting for his turn to play with Alice.
"Uh-wud! Tah-why hoassy!"
"That's one handsome animal you've got there," Esme said, beaming down at Carlisle.
"Little cowgirl, I need to chat with that horsey of yours for a few minutes." Edward lifted her down off of Carlisle's back. "Why don't you take Hercules out on the porch?"
"Iss waineen?"
"No, I don't think it's raining anymore. It should at least be dry on the porch."
Alice headed obediently for the back door, which Edward opened for her. "Tay. Mon, Oochooweez."
"Did you tell him?" Carlisle asked Esme.
"Yes, and he's thrilled to be rid of me. But he has a different question for you."
Carlisle turned to Edward expectantly.
"I'd like to ask you to be Alice's guardian in the event of my untimely death and/or incapacitation."
Carlisle brightened. "Edward, I'd be—" He looked at Esme and stopped. "Actually, can I get back to you on that?"
"I said yes," Esme told him.
Carlisle stepped forward and took her hands, her face showing concern. "Are you sure? You have a say in this."
"I'm sure. I love her too."
Carlisle gave her a brilliant smile and then turned it on Edward. "It would make me so happy."
It felt a little weird to have someone looking pleased about his potential demise, and Ewdard shook his head. "Don't get too excited. Esme says you're not allowed to have me killed until after I potty train Alice."
"Excellent plan." Carlisle turned to the cabinets and grabbed a stack of plates. "When the time comes, though, what do you prefer? Poison? Stabbing? Convenient hunting accident?"
"Just make sure you have my ashes turned into diamonds so Alice will still love me." He collected several glasses from another cabinet and followed Carlisle outside to help him set the tables on the deck.
People started showing up about a half hour later. Bella arrived first, and Edward gave her a hand out of the van after Billy and Charlie had exited. She carried a platter covered by a plastic dome, and Edward eyed it with interest.
"What'd you bring?" he asked as they strode into the house.
She blew out a breath and shook her head.
"What? It didn't turn out well?"
"Not well enough. After last night, I'm terrified to cook for you."
"Naww, don't worry about that." He took the platter from her and deposited it on the counter before pulling her into a loose embrace. "I don't need to eat like that all the time."
"It's just . . . so subpar," she said despairingly.
"Let me see." He popped open the plastic latches and removed the cover. Inside was a cake, frosted in glossy chocolate with a little red chili pepper perched on top.
Edward stilled for a moment, then slowly set the cover aside. He turned to Bella, his heart in his throat, and she returned his look with an anxious one of her own.
"I hope you don't hate it."
"Are you kidding me?" He grabbed the belt loops on her jeans and tugged her close to him. "How did you know?"
"Your dad said he always sent you a chili chocolate cake on your birthday."
He didn't even know where to start. That she'd remembered his birthday, remembered the tradition . . . it caught him completely off-guard that she would care enough to consider any of that. "Bella," he murmured, and wrapped his arms around her. "This . . . you don't even know what this means to me."
"Happy birthday."
Edward hung onto her for a few seconds more, until Circe bounded through the house with Colin in pursuit. Jacob appeared in the kitchen with Phoebe strapped to his back and deposited a metal pot on the counter. "Hey, happy birthday, Edward. Is that chili chocolate cake I see over there?"
Bella stepped back and nodded.
"Awesome."
"You've made this before?" Edward asked Bella.
"Your dad asked me to."
"We've been celebrating your birthday for years," Jacob said. "This is just the first time you've been around for it."
Edward grinned. "Who knew I was so popular?"
"I told you I was your biggest fan," Bella said. She tossed a smile over her shoulder as she strode out onto the deck.
Edward was about to head after her, but the oven timer went off and Esme called to him from the living room.
"Edward, could you take that out of the oven?"
"Sure." He turned off the timer and lifted out two casserole dishes filled with bubbling macaroni and cheese. The seasoning smelled heavenly.
Esme appeared a moment later with Grace trailing behind her.
"The soup bowls are up there," Esme said, pointing, and Grace started collecting some. Edward moved to help her carry them out to the tables.
"You made soup? Yukgaejang, by chance?"
"Miyeokguk this time."
Edward grinned at her, recognizing the Korean birthday tradition. "Really? For me?"
"Of course. You're the only one around here who understands the significance."
"I never even got to celebrate my birthday while I was in Korea. You're the first person to ever make seaweed soup to honor my mom."
"I hope you like it with mushrooms instead of beef. I altered the recipe a little for Esme."
"It sounds perfect."
Harry and Sue rolled up with their kids shortly thereafter, and Edward took Alice's gloves and put a large bib on her. Everyone dished up plates and found places to sit, and Jacob made a big show of tucking a napkin into his shirt and getting ready to eat.
"All right, Bella. I'm ready. Please tell us about your latest horrible date."
"Hey!" Edward said indignantly.
Bella laughed. "Boy are you going to be disappointed."
Grace lit up. "Really? Edward didn't screw it up?"
"You don't have to sound so surprised," he grumbled.
"We'll be the judge of that," Jacob said. "Spill it, Bells. Tell us all about the date."
Bella swallowed a bite of her food. "Well. My first mistake was letting him drive. He took us all the way to Sequim, so I couldn't have bailed on him if I'd wanted to."
Jacob arched an eyebrow at Edward and he shrugged.
"What can I say? I learned from other people's mistakes."
"But you let him drive," Grace pointed out. "That's showing some trust right there."
"Yeah, well. Mostly I just wanted to play with those climate controlled seats."
Edward smirked.
Bella went on to tell them about the date in fairly close detail, teasing him a little for the money he laid out to buy comfort and convenience. Edward just shrugged it off. Yes, he was fussy about his comforts. If that was a character flaw, it was one he could live with.
She did gloss over the more personal moments they'd shared in the gazebo, and Edward figured that was for the best. He liked Jacob and Grace, but he didn't mind having some boundaries.
"Amazing," Grace said with a sigh, shaking her head. "I'm totally jealous."
"As I recall," Edward said to her, "I did ask you to run away with me. You had your shot."
She sighed. "If only I'd realized what I was giving up."
Jacob scowled at Edward. "Would you quit trying to steal my wife?"
"It's not even an option anymore," he said, spreading his hands. "I'm taken now."
Bella smiled.
"I want the whole list of songs you listened to," Grace said.
Edward scratched his head. "I could probably remember—MARY ALICE MASEN, DID I JUST SEE YOU HIT COLIN?"
Alice startled from across the yard where, yes, she had just slapped angrily at Colin for some reason Edward couldn't see. She scrunched her surprised expression into a scowl.
"Get over here right now," he ordered.
She stamped her foot. "No!"
He raised his eyebrows in warning. "Excuse me?"
Alice seemed to recognize that she was going to lose this battle, and she stomped up onto the deck and crossed her baby arms over her chest.
"Sit," Edward said, pointing to the deck next to his chair.
Alice plopped down and sulked.
"We don't hit people," he said sternly.
"Tawin mean!"
"I don't care. If you have a problem with him you can come to me, but we don't hit." Edward scooped up the dog that had followed her over and held him on his lap.
"No!" Alice cried. "Oochooweez!"
"Uh-uh. You don't get to play with your dog while you're in the penalty box."
Alice wailed in protest, and Hercules responded with a pathetic whine.
"You hush," Edward muttered at the dog. "Don't think I didn't see you out there egging her on."
Grace went off to scold Colin for whatever he'd done to provoke violence from Alice, but Jacob stayed, grinning at him. "That's the Daddest thing I've ever seen you do."
Edward snorted, ignoring Alice's continuing cries. "All the feeding and diaper changing don't qualify?"
"Not like discipline does. That's the hard part."
"Plus," Bella added, " 'penalty box' is way Dadder than 'time out.' "
"Truth," Jacob agreed.
Carlisle caught Edward's eye from where he was sitting with Charlie and Billy. "Need help?" he mouthed.
Edward shook his head. He felt like he was starting to understand what Jessica had meant when she'd told him it wasn't his job to keep Alice from crying.
In the absence of sympathy from Edward, though, Alice turned elsewhere. "Yee-yah!" she moaned, raising her hands to her babysitter.
"No, you can't play with Leah."
She screeched in anger, and Edward wondered if he should take her home until she settled down. But nobody else seemed at all bothered by her—and now Colin's—crying. In fact, Bella scooted her chair closer to his and rubbed his back in solidarity, and he really liked that. It was nice to feel like Bella was on his side. So he finished his dinner while he gave Alice time to work through her emotions.
"Do you have any birthday traditions with your mom?" Bella asked, and Edward suspected she was trying to pull attention away from the crying children.
"Not really. She always sends a gift sooner or later, and I usually call her at some point."
"You call her? Aren't you supposed to be the one who gets called on your birthday?"
He smiled and shook his head. "She hates calling people. If I want to talk to her, I usually have to do the dialing."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Mom plays a lot of power games. I've always assumed it's something like that."
"Even on your birthday, though?"
He shrugged. "That's just how she is."
"Huh. What about with friends? Did you ever do anything fun with them?"
"We might have gone out for drinks once or twice, when I wasn't too lazy to plan something."
"They didn't plan anything for you?"
"I doubt any of them even know my birthday."
Bella frowned.
"To be fair, I don't really know any of theirs either—except Tori's."
"Right," Bella said. "Tori. She would remember it, at least."
"Tori was easily distracted. If I made a fuss over it, I had a pretty good chance of getting her to show up."
"Hm." Bella stared down at her hands and picked her nails.
"It wasn't a big deal. I've never put a lot of emphasis on my birthday. A cake from Dad was pretty much all I wanted."
She nodded, and Edward turned his attention to Alice, who had let her crying wane into soft whimpers.
"Are you ready to play nice?"
"NO!"
He stifled a laugh and scritched Hercules behind the ears to ease his sympathetic distress. "I guess we'll sit here for a little while longer, then."
Alice burst into tears with renewed energy.
"So, guess what I bought today," Edward said, nudging Bella's foot with his.
"New dresses for Alice. She told me."
He chuckled. "Of course she did. For me, I mean."
She raised her eyebrows in question.
"A piano."
Her face broke out in a wide smile. "Really? Do you have it yet?"
"Nah, it'll be delivered next week. But, god, I've missed playing."
"I can't wait to hear it. I admire musical talent so much."
"Do you play anything?"
"Nope, I'm totally devoid of said talent. Maybe that's why I admire it."
"Uh-wud," Alice whimpered, "a-sawee."
"You're sorry?"
"Uh-huh."
"Can you tell Colin you're sorry?"
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, come on." Edward released her dog and took her hand, and the three of them headed over to the far end of the porch, where Grace had ordered Colin to stand in a corner.
"Sawee Tawin," Alice grumbled.
"Sorry, Alice," he muttered back.
Edward met Grace's eyes and she nodded. "That's much better. You two go ahead and play."
Colin tore off down the steps onto the soggy lawn, and Alice ran after him. Circe, who had been lying patiently on the grass, jumped up and hurried to intercept Colin.
"If only we were so quick to forgive as adults," Grace said. She hooked her arm through Edward's and they headed back to their table.
"Who's ready for cake?" Carlisle asked, rising.
He was greeted with a happy chorus, and he headed inside to fetch dessert. When he came out he was carrying a cake crowned with glowing candles, and he called the kids back over to join them. Once Colin had wriggled through the deck railing and Alice had climbed up onto Edward's lap, Carlisle led them all in a round of "Happy Birthday."
"Make a wish," Bella murmured from beside Edward.
He slid an arm around her waist. "I don't know if I even have anything to wish for. My life is looking pretty good right now."
"Wish for a wildly successful graphic novel, then," Esme told him.
He grinned. "You got it." He took a deep breath and blew out the candles.
The others clapped, and Alice reached toward the cake. "Hassum!"
"Give us a minute," Edward said. "We need to cut it first."
Bella rose to help Carlisle with cutting and serving the cake, and soon Edward was setting out a plate for Alice and handing her a spoon. She scooped up an awkward spoonful and pushed it into her mouth.
"What do you think?" Edward asked after she'd had a moment to taste it.
Her little brow furrowed, and she said through a chocolatey mush, "Iss po-tee."
"Poky?" he asked, not sure he'd heard her correctly.
"Uh-huh."
He chuckled. "Sure, I guess chili seasoning does feel a little poky in your mouth. Do you like it?"
"Iss dood." She started scooping up another bite.
"Cool." Edward accepted his own slice from Bella and took a forkful himself. He hummed his approval of the rich chocolate and spicy seasoning, and Bella smiled hopefully.
"It's okay?"
"It's so good," he told her.
"Thank god." She finished serving and then sat down beside him with her own slice of cake.
"You don't have to be nervous cooking for me. I'm generally pro-food."
"Not all food. Do I need to remind you about the McDonald's conversation?"
"Well. I mean. If you're going to abuse food, I can't be expected to get on board."
"After Chef Madison, I'm just really, really afraid that everything I make is going to fail to meet your expectations."
"Seriously, don't." He reached out and took her hand. "I've loved all the food at these get-togethers. Professional chefs are a luxury, not a baseline." He took another bite and moaned.
"Edward, you're planning on taking Alice to Quileute Days next month, right?" Grace asked.
"That sounds like the kind of thing I should just go ahead and say yes to. What are Quileute Days?"
Jacob jumped in to tell them about the annual heritage festival on the reservation and what events were designed specifically for children.
"Maybe we should do some of that with Grandma Linda, huh, Alice?"
"Yep," she said, not looking up from her cake. She already had a respectable ring of chocolate around her mouth, and she was working on making it bigger.
"You want to join us for any of it?" Edward asked Bella.
"Maybe some. I've already volunteered to tow one of the floats in the parade."
"A-waid?" Alice asked, interested now.
"You're going to love it," Bella told her. "The parade is really fun."
"And they throw candy," Jacob added.
"Tanny?"
Edward chuckled. "We'll definitely have to check out the parade."
"Hassum tanny?"
"You already have cake."
"Uh-huh. Hassum?"
"You can have some next month at the parade," he said.
Alice wasn't great at waiting, but as she was already in the middle of consuming a sugary dessert, she accepted his answer without protest.
"Independence Day, the river festival, and Quileute Days all in the same month," Edward said. "Sounds like a pretty busy season."
"It's exhausting," Grace agreed, "but fun."
"Alice, no. Dogs can't have chocolate." Edward reached down to grab the spoon she was pushing toward Hercules.
"No! Hattoo!"
"Absolutely not. It would make Hercules very sick."
"Pease? Oochooweez doo-boy."
"Hercules is a very good boy, which is why we don't want to poison him."
"Noooo," she whined. "Hattoooo!" She started trying to offer her spoon to the dog again.
"Alice, if you don't stop that I'll take your cake away and neither one of you can have it."
Her little baby lip quivered and he sighed.
"I know you just want to share with your dog," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "It's very sweet. If you want, you can give Hercules some dog treats after you finish your cake."
"Chweets?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes. Dog treats for dogs, human treats for humans. Okay?"
"Tay."
"Finish your cake and then I'll help you get some."
"I think it's time for presents," Grace said.
Alice perked up. "Wezzints?'
"Again," Edward said drily, "for me. But you guys didn't actually get me presents, did you?"
"We did," Jacob said, and he handed Edward a hardcover book with a big blue bow on it. Edward accepted it and examined the cover. There was a drawing of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker looking down at the floor, where a severed hand lay between them. The title read, There Are Dads Way Worse Than You.
Edward laughed out loud. "Oh, wow. This is already my new favorite book."
"Wead a so-wee?" Alice said, leaning toward the book.
Edward held it away so she wouldn't get her chocolatey fingers on it. "I'll read some of it to you later. Maybe for bedtime."
Harry passed a gift bag to Colin, and he jogged over and handed it to Edward.
He reached in and retrieved a plastic-wrapped bundle of what looked like string.
"Hawk net," he said, reading the label.
"So the eagles don't carry Hercules off," Harry explained.
Edward blinked, stunned. "Eagles? Seriously? They go after dogs?"
"Small ones," Sue said with a nod. "Our neighbors nearly lost a mini poodle to one."
Edward turned to Bella. "I thought I was joking when I said the owls might like to have Hercules for dinner."
"Apparently there's danger all around." She scanned the trees that grew thicker down by the river.
"So this goes across the top of the fence? Like a little yard ceiling?"
Harry nodded.
In his peripheral vision, Edward saw something brown flying in his direction. He managed to catch the object before it hit him in the head, but only just. Fortunately, it was pretty light. He examined the narrow, foot-long paper package and then looked up at Charlie, who seemed to be the thrower of the projectile.
"That's from us," Billy said.
Edward ripped open the paper to reveal four wooden strips, two of which were carved with distinctively Quileute designs. It took Edward a moment to realize that it was a magnetic poster hanger.
"So you can show off Alice's artwork," Charlie said.
Edward smiled and looked down at Alice. "That's perfect. She's been getting so good at drawing."
"A-jwah?" Alice asked.
"Yeah, look. When you draw a really good picture, we can hang it up with these."
"Oh, yes! A-jwah!"
Alice started to wriggle off of his lap, but Edward pointed to her plate. "Are you all done with your cake?"
She looked torn for a minute, but then settled back against him.
"We'll draw something special tomorrow, okay?"
"Oh, yes! Pesho!"
Edward grinned at her and then looked back up at Charlie and Billy. "I love this, thank you."
Carlisle rose and ambled over to him, handing him a package with the most complicated gift wrapping he had ever seen. The paper was folded in elaborate patterns and came together on top in a little paper blossom.
"This is from Alice, Esme, and me," he said.
Edward shook his head at the package and then looked up at Esme—because he knew that she had been the one to wrap it. "I can't open this. It would be destroying art."
She laughed. "Pull the top and bottom petals."
Edward examined the paper flower and did as she ordered. Some sort of tension released and all of the paper loosened, showing a divide down the middle that Edward could spread open to get the gift. "Nice," he told her, and pulled back the wrapping.
Inside was a picture frame like no other he had ever seen. It was fingerpainted, and the painter clearly had no artistic talent or flair for color theory. Over the garish paint was spread an unholy amount of glitter. And, as if that weren't enough, sequins had been sloppily glued all over the frame. He knew in a moment who had created this frame, and his first response was a wide grin.
But then he focused on the picture, and his chest squeezed. It had been taken from the back, while he perched on his stool and Alice sat in her high chair, the two of them leaning over his drafting table. They had turned to look at one another, Alice grinning in delight over whatever they had been working on and Edward beaming down at her.
"Oh, wow," he murmured through a tightening throat.
Alice peered at the package. "Diss!" she announced, "I do it!"
"You made this?" Edward asked her.
"Uh-huh! Potoey wun!"
"It is so sparkly," Edward agreed.
Alice smiled in satisfaction, taking his affirmation as the compliment that it so obviously was. "Iss a-you!"
"It's amazing." Edward lifted it out of the paper and turned to show it to their friends, and they all awwed appropriately.
Bella pressed a hand over her mouth, but she still mumbled a muffled, "That's the cutest thing I've ever seen."
"Thank you," Edward said to Carlisle and Esme, though it only came out as a whisper.
"Diss Uh-wud," Alice said, pointing. "Diss Awiss."
"You nailed it, kid," Edward wanted to hug the frame, though he refrained for the sake of his glitter-free clothes. Instead he kissed the top of Alice's head behind her pearl tiara. "We'll have to put this up on the mantle."
"Yep. Onna manto."
"Thank you so much, everybody," Edward said. "I didn't expect any of this, but it means the world to me."
"You're pretty important to us," Grace said, stretching out a leg to tap his foot with her toe. "We're all really glad you're sticking around."
"A-dun!" Alice announced. "Uh-wud. Mess." She twisted her little body to show him the chocolate cake smeared all over her hands and face.
"You certainly made short work of that cake. Let's go get you cleaned up." He lifted her off of his lap and took one sticky hand to guide her into the kitchen. He took off her bib and wetted a clean corner of it to scrub her face, then he held her up to the sink so she could wash her hands in the water.
Bella appeared a few moments later with a stack of plates that she set beside the sink. Edward helped Alice dry her hands and then sent her back outside.
"Thank you again," he said, stepping over to take her hand. "That cake was amazing."
"Don't thank me yet. Someone is going to bring up birthday spankings any minute."
He smirked and pulled her close. "Don't tease me."
She smiled at him, but there was something not quite right about it.
"You okay?"
She nodded, but she let her smile fall. "Honestly? I'm feeling a little anxious."
"About what?"
"About . . . being one of the people who takes advantage of your low expectations."
Edward raised his eyebrows and took a half a step back. "Sorry?"
"Your mom doesn't call you on your birthday and you say she has a problem with phones. Your best friend didn't show up to your Dad's funeral and you said that's not really her thing. It seems like maybe you expect too little from the people in your life. And . . . maybe I'm one of those people."
"You think I expect too little from you?"
"Maybe. I haven't always been nice to you."
He gave a one-shouldered shrug. "We've had words once or twice, but we're people. That happens."
She rested her hands on his chest. "You deserve better. You deserve someone who shows up for you. I want you to know that I'm going to try to be better about that."
"I like the sound of that," he said, tugging her closer so he could wrap his arms around her. "But there's value in having someone call you on your bullshit. I needed someone to get real with me about Alice, and you did that."
"I could have been nicer about it," she said with a half smile.
"Agreed. In fact, in the future, if you feel the need to correct my bad behavior, maybe you could light a few candles and scold me while you give me a back massage."
Bella threw back her head and laughed, and Edward took that as an invitation to lean in and nip at the line of her jaw. Her laugh turned into a pleased hum, and he kissed his way to her mouth. He was just starting to really enjoy himself when he heard a little gasp by the door, and then baby feet paddling back outside onto the deck.
"Uh-wud an' Boa!" Alice announced to everyone outside. "Tisseen!"
There were some laughs and some whoops, and Alice hurried back to the door and peeked in.
Edward stopped kissing Bella for long enough to fix his kid with a narrow-eyed gaze. "Snitches get stitches."
"Nitches a-nitches!" she repeated and cackled in delight.
"She's not afraid of you." Bella grinned and tucked her head under his chin.
"Yeah, well. See if I give her any screen time tomorrow."
Jacob peeked in above Alice, making a show of checking them out.
"Carry on. I just thought I'd evaluate your technique and give you a few pointers."
Bella snickered and shook her head against Edward's chest. "We're good, thanks."
"You think you are. But it's been a while since you kissed anyone, Bella, and I don't want you to embarrass yourself."
Edward snatched Alice's dirty bib off of the counter and threw it at him. Jacob ducked back out of the doorway in time to avoid getting hit with it, and Edward heard him sauntering out onto the deck.
"They obviously need some time to practice," he told everyone.
"You want to give us some privacy?" Edward asked Alice.
She didn't listen. Instead, she hurried to his side and raised her hands. "Up."
He released Bella and lifted Alice into his arms, gratified when Bella's arm wrapped around his waist again. "What's all this? You want to get in on the kissing too?" He leaned in and covered her little round cheek with kisses, and Bella followed suit on Alice's other side. They buried Alice in an avalanche of smooches, and she shrieked and laughed.
"No tisseen! No tisseen!" She wriggled until Edward released her back onto the floor.
"Go make sure Hercules isn't getting into any trouble," he told her.
"Tay. Oochooweez!" She ran out the door to find her dog.
"Now, where were we . . ." Edward turned back to Bella, but she was already reaching for the dishes she'd set on the counter. She picked up the first one and started rinsing it. "What, no more kissing?"
"That's probably enough for now."
"But it's my birthday."
She laughed and handed him the rinsed dish. "Put that in the dishwasher, would you?"
He obliged, and started accepting the dishes she handed him.
"If you want action, you're going to have to go out with me again."
"I'm trying, but you're all busy and stuff."
She shrugged. "What can I say? Bella kisses are a scarce commodity."
"I can live with that," he said, continuing to load the dishes she handed him, "as long as I'm not competing with any other interested parties. I'm staking my claim on all Bella kisses for the foreseeable future."
She smiled to herself. "Deal."
"Uh-wud!" Alice hurried back in with her dog at her heels. "Oochooweez otay!"
"He's okay?" Edward asked, placing another plate in the dishwasher.
"Yes! No a-chwubbo!"
"Oh, good. I'm glad you're keeping an eye on him. Do you need a ball to throw with him?"
"Oh, yes!"
Edward moved to the end of the counter where he'd left her diaper bag and fished out a couple of the new balls. "Throw one for Circe, too. I bet she'd enjoy that."
"Tay. Mon, Oochooweez! Payf Soosee!"
"So what's your deal-breaker?" Bella asked when Alice had run back outside again.
He raised his eyebrows and leaned against the counter beside her.
"You give people an awful lot of grace for how they treat you, but surely even you have limits."
He nodded. "I don't handle cheating well."
She let out an incredulous laugh. "Didn't you have a whole friends-with-benefits thing going with Tori?"
"That's different. We never promised each other anything. In fact, we were really up front about the fact that we would both be seeing other people."
"But how can you be in that kind of relationship if you know you're going to get jealous?"
"It's not about jealousy—at least, it's not for me. It's just . . ." He shook his head. "My parents, Bella. They weaponized their affairs. They used them to hurt each other as badly as they could, and I guess it made me a little oversensitive."
She frowned down at the dish she'd been rinsing. "It's hard for me to imagine Ted doing that. He was always so considerate of everyone."
"I know. Mom and Dad had a way of bringing out the worst in each other."
"I guess I can understand that," she said, glancing toward the door.
"Your parents don't get along?"
She shook her head. "They try, but if they spend more than a few minutes in the same room, they start to annoy each other to death."
Edward handed Bella a dish cloth to dry her hands and then pulled her closer and draped his arms around her waist. "Thank god for divorce."
"That is . . . a strange sentiment," she said with a wry smile.
"Sure, but can you imagine what life would be like for our parents if they'd had to stay together?"
She thought about it for a moment and shook her head. "Thank god for divorce."
"I'd be too afraid to ever get married if there weren't an emergency exit. I don't trust my judgment enough."
"You think you ever will? Get married?"
He dipped his chin in a nod. "Sure. This settling down thing is working for me. I've got a cute kid, a cozy house, a nice community. Seems like a wife would fit in rather nicely." He winked at her. "And if she were a cute brunette who liked to read and wasn't afraid to call me on my bullshit, all the better."
Bella smiled and ducked her head.
"That assumes the cute brunette sees herself getting married someday, though," he said. He gave her a questioning look.
"The dude would have to be a serious catch."
"Well, look, I'm not saying you need to make any decisions right now, but it's worth pointing out that I come with an awfully cute kid."
"That's definitely a point in your favor."
Edward grinned and leaned in for a quick kiss. "What about you? What's your dealbreaker?"
"Haven't you been listening to the bad date stories?"
"Right. Other than jizzing in your hair, I mean."
"Control," she said quietly. "I really, really don't take well to people trying to control me."
Edward might have made a joke if she hadn't looked so serious. "That's fair. You've had someone like that in your life?"
"Mom did. A couple of the guys she dated . . ." She shook her head. "I learned some things from her exes."
"I suppose that's a silver lining. Is she with anyone now?"
Bella smiled and nodded. "Phil. He's a keeper. The two of them are good together."
"Think it'll last?"
"I do."
"So you haven't lost faith in the entire institution of marriage, then."
"No. Not yet, anyway. But . . . I think I'll need lots of time."
"So not like Carlisle and Esme, waiting almost five whole minutes before moving in together?"
Bella's eyes widened. "They're moving in together?"
"Yep. Esme told me this morning." He moved to the dining table and sat down, tugging Bella after him. She started to sit in the chair beside him, but he pulled her into his lap. She arched an eyebrow at him but didn't voice any protest.
"That sounds terrifying," she said. "But I'm happy for them."
"I'm fine with moving slowly on milestones," Edward told her. "But there are some things I'm not good at waiting for."
"Like?"
"Commitment."
She cocked her head and he nodded.
"I'm sure you think I'm some sort of playboy, but I have been serious about relationships before, and I go all in fairly quickly. I like intimacy. I like the part where we make each other a priority. I like having a plus one and going to events to support my partner." He wound a lock of her hair around one finger. "Give me the opportunity and I could be the world's biggest wife guy."
Bella settled a hand on the back of his neck and stroked his jaw with one thumb. "That's kind of refreshing."
"Refreshing. Clingy. Maybe a little desperate."
She smiled, her eyes all soft the way he had only seen them the night before on their date. "But you can wait to move in together?"
"If I must," he said with a sigh.
Her expression turned playful. "Good, because I need to evaluate you for at least a year before I'll know if I can stand to live with you."
"A year?"
"I need to see you in every season. Are you fun to dress up with at Halloween? Do you complain about having to rake leaves or shovel snow? Do you consider Die Hard a Christmas movie? Do you try to weasel out of doing anything for Valentine's Day by complaining about how it's a holiday invented by greeting card companies?"
"Hold up." Edward grabbed the hand that she'd placed on his neck. "Are you trying to claim that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie?"
She shot him an annoyed look. "You don't get to call it a Christmas movie just because it's set at Christmastime."
"Cool. Cool. Let's have a conversation about The Nutcracker, then."
"What are you talking about? That's obviously about Christmas. Clara gets her nutcracker at a Christmas party."
"Uh-huh. A Christmas party. Like the one at Nakatomi Tower."
"But that movie isn't about Christmas. It's about a faux terrorist attack."
Edward grinned. She at least knew the movie well enough to argue about it. "And The Nutcracker is about a weird-ass hallucination brought on by either a head injury or a candy overdose, depending on the retelling. Tell me how that's so much more festive?"
"Well . . . candy and fairies."
"Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman."
Bella opened her mouth to argue, but then snapped it closed.
"I'll go see The Nutcracker with you if you watch Die Hard with me."
She considered his offer for a moment. "I accept."
Edward flashed her a brilliant smile. "Look at us compromising. We're good at this."
"As long as you don't whine about raking leaves."
"I will, obviously, be paying someone else to rake the leaves."
A slow smile spread across her face. "That money does come in handy, doesn't it?"
"Especially on Valentine's Day weekends, when all the resorts are selling romantic couples getaways."
Bella leaned her forehead against his. "I'm suddenly feeling very optimistic about our future."