Edward
Renesmee could hardly sit still as they sat in their seats. The stewardess reminded them of their flight instructions, and it occurred to him that he hadn't flown with her anywhere since she was a toddler…the last time had been when Rosalie was still alive and they had gone to California…Disneyland. It had been at Rose's insistence, and it was a cherished memory of them, a family of three just before the tragedy occurred. He'd balked at taking time off, but now, he was thankful for the memory. She peered through the window—he'd allowed her to have the window seat, so she could see the ascent into the clouds, being able to watch as the city of Portland and its buildings sank below them.
Though she'd had Bella Swan's book to keep her engaged during the flight, she'd also had a selection to watch on the screen or video games…or could just lay back in her first-class seats. The five-hour flight went quickly, and when he peered over at his daughter, he found her focused on Bella's book.
"You still reading that?" he asked.
"It's my second time," Renesmee told him.
He was a little miffed—he'd hoped she'd be onto something else—something better, maybe Harry Potter or some fantasy story suitable for her age group.
"It makes you think, Daddy. It takes longer to digest," she said matter-of-factly.
Longer to digest. He could see that. This woman was verbose, and she articulated well…but still…what would his eight-year-old find so appealing about this woman's philosophies?
At least Nessie hadn't brought Bella up again. Nor did she try to discuss the contents of the book, and that was a relief to him. They arrived in Miami late morning and were shuttled to the departure point, and as he breathed in the sea air, he finally relaxed. He'd not taken a vacation in years, and it was hitting him again how much this time between them was so necessary.
When they checked into their stateroom, Nessie buzzed around, opening drawers and cabinets, and slid open the glass door to their balcony. Her smile showed her approval as she looked out at the water around them. They'd not left the port yet and there was plenty to explore just on the ship. She'd had an adjoining suite, and a towel swan sat on her bed. She hugged him. "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
His heart expanded, as he breathed in the gratitude from his daughter. Yes. This had been such a good idea.
"Are you hungry?" he asked. Seating wasn't available for dinner, but an assortment of food was available almost 24-7.
"Wait," she said. "I got this for you." Nessie handed him a hat with the likeness of Goofy with droopy eyes, black ears that dangled down past his chin, and buck teeth.
He laughed. "I'll pass."
"Daddddyyyyyy, please? Please, please, please? It's part of the fun!"
She gave him the soulful eyes again. "Fine." He had to laugh at his reflection in the mirror, glad that nobody he knew would see him dressed this way. Besides the hat didn't exactly go with his rather casual light blue polo and the khaki pants. That didn't matter, he told himself. He was here to spend a fun time with his daughter and being silly on a Disney cruise sounded just like what he needed.
She nodded, and he took her by the hand and led her out into the hallway. The zigzag coral pattern of the carpet matched the lower half of the walls as they headed out to their elevator. The ship was as big as a shopping mall. Just before they reached the food court area, they passed a poster that directed passengers toward things like workshops and the fitness center. The sign for "Fun Minds" piqued his curiosity, stating that adults and children were welcome.
"Fun Minds?" he asked. "What do you think that's all about?"
"Being playful? Having fun?"
"We should go!" Edward said
Nessie jumped up and down, clapping. This whole cruise was for this purpose, wasn't it? There were going to be photo ops, and memories to create. He felt the excitement grow within him. "Yes, we should!"
Wearing her sparkly mouse ears, Nessie brought her autograph book and sought the various characters for signatures. Edward browsed the itinerary possibilities from the printed schedule until their workshop was about to begin.
Donning their hats, they entered the auditorium, and instead of stadium seating to watch a show, rows of rectangular tables with 4 chairs each were set up.
Edward and Nessie took a table in the middle of the room and looked down at the contents. Balloons, playdough, and crayons and paper sat in sections of the table,along with lengths of fabric, resembling scarves that had Disney characters on them.
"Hello everyone! Thank you for coming!"
He knew that voice, and his eyes darted up to meet the owner—her long dark brown hair in pigtails, a headband with feathers sat on her head, and her dress was long and poofy. A long feather boa draped down from around her neck. And she looked positively…captivating.
What the hell was this?!
A chorus of hellos shot out all around them, and he looked on in horror, noticing that the group was mostly adults with the exception of a few children.
"I'm Bella Swan, and I'm here to facilitate this activity. I'm so glad you could make it, and I'm so excited you're here!"
Applause rang out, and he shot a look to Nessie, who was looking forward and cheering…and refusing to meet his eyes.
A moment of dread and horror sank in, as the realization washed over him like a bucket of slime. This had been a set up. Ness had known that Bella Swan would be here! She'd been sneaky, and manipulated her way onto this ship. She knew Edward would never have agreed, if he'd known. He kicked himself once again, because he'd allowed Jasper to make all the upgrades for this trip, first class accommodations, so they were free to attend every event, eat at any restaurant, participate in every excursion.
"Ness!" he bit out.
She ignored him as Bella Swan continued to speak.
"Do me a favor?" Bella said. "Raise your hand if you've either forgotten to have fun, or you just need a refresher! Let me hear you, moms and dads, grandparents, uncles, aunts, caregivers, or whatever category that you don't fit neatly into, especially those who just need to be silly."
"Ness!" he hissed; his brows drawn together.
More applause and catcalls. Among the 75 people in attendance, there were plenty of enthusiastic participants.
"Before we begin, I would like to thank our children—our special little ones who engage with their imagination at will. I applaud each and every grown-up here for allowing their inner child to come forward and giving them a safe space to play. So, who's ready to have some fun?!"
He bent down and faced her. "Renesmee Lillian Masen!"
His voice boomed over the cheers, and Bella Swan called their attention. "Uh…excuse me? Is there a problem?"
When Edward stood and met her gaze, he found her eyes widened with recognition. Apparently she was as blindsided as he was.
Yes, there was a big problem. And unfortunately, he couldn't imagine that the best way to proceed was by throwing his daughter over his shoulder like when she was two years old and storming off with her.
"Hi there," she said, but her tone lacked warmth. Her expression showed she was rattled. She looked around and back at them. "Is everything okay? Can we continue?"
Renesmee tugged on his elbow. "Please?"
He looked at his daughter again, holding up her hands in supplication. This was day one of 7…and just to know that Bella Swan was on this floating city with them was causing his irritation to grow. This all seemed like some kind of conspiracy.
Everybody was looking at him.
"Yes. Go ahead."
"Awesome!"
Bella
She tried not to make eye contact with him as she began. This whole workshop, designed to encourage guests to engage with their inner child, was now thrown off by his presence.
He was wearing a Goofy hat. And he looked as shocked as she felt. His words from the email raged at her like a storm. Vile. Vile, vile! She shoved that away—she'd forgiven him for that, hadn't she? Damn him for looking adorable and hot at the same time.
Don't engage, Bella! Don't engage with him.
"Now, I want each person to find the paint. You each have a smock on your chair. Please put it on."
Renesmee jumped up and down and whirled the plastic apron-like garment around herself.
Bella had the whole activity planned, and yet, she was unable to stick to the script.
"Okay, we're going to get back to that. First, can I have a volunteer, please?"
Dozens of hands shot up, including Renesmee's.
"Yes, you, sir," Bella said, pointing to Edward. "Wearing the Goofy hat."
He'd obviously not had his hand up, and he shook his head, but the crowd beckoned, and she knew he wouldn't be able to resist.
"Go, Dad! Go!"
Edward shot his daughter a death glare as he stood before the audience.
"What's your name, sir?"
His hissed question was no louder than a sharp whisper. "Is this being filmed?"
"Nope." Then she gave the speech that photo ops were only to take place outside these walls.
"Edward."
With a frown and placing hands on her hips, she said, "That's not going to work."
He turned to her. "What do you mean? That's my name."
She pointed her finger at him. "No. Edward is way too serious. What do you think, audience?"
Boos rang out.
"Your new name is Goofy. Everyone, what do you think?"
Cheers rang out and Edward seethed, the exposed part of his neck turning a bright pink.
"This is about embracing playfulness. The mind—our ego mind—tries to keep us safe…and worries about what others think of us…and resists fun and playfulness. But, what if we were somewhere where nobody cared because they got to be themselves? So, my name will be Feather Bella," she said, gesturing to her long black feathers. "And you will be Goofy Eddie."
He exhaled, and shook his head, but there was agreement in the way his eyes met hers.
"Tell me, Goofy Eddie, what did you want to be when you were a child?"
His lips stayed closed, and she prompted him to speak. "Come on now. Tell us what you wanted to be before your parents, school, teachers, and life got a hold of you." He didn't speak at first, and she continued, "We're all friends here."
"A composer."
"A composer? As a child, you wanted to write music?"
"Yes—I started playing piano when I was five."
"I see." A prodigy, no doubt. And he seemed like he would've been such a serious child—much like his daughter. The picture formed in her mind. She imagined Mom pressing him to play the piano, to perform for their friends, when all he wanted to do was to put the music on paper. Music was his connection to Spirit.
"Okay, we're going to do a little exercise then." She wiggled her hands and jumped up and down. "To loosen us up. Let's have your daughter come up, as well."
He shook his head, but she ran up and was cute as could be with her mouse ears and matching dress and took her dad's hand in hers.
"Okay, and I think we'll need three more volunteers," Bella said, pointing to a tall, stiff man who stood awkwardly by his young son, and another little girl who looked school age. Bella tucked her between herself and Edward. She had no idea what to do with them, but closed her eyes, and took a breath. Inspiration hit her like a bolt. She asked them all for their names, and when she asked if they were ready to play, they all shouted enthusiastic yes's.
They craved connection, and this was why she was here.
"Okay, we're going to sing, and audience, you will as well. And don't be self-conscious, this is not about how good you sound, but about taking that fun inside of you and letting it out. You gently tell your mind to get out of the way, or even better, invite it to come and play. So, now, we're going to sing our own rendition of If You're Happy and You Know It…and everyone has their own fun name to add and then everyone sings the chorus. It's not about performing…it's about expressing.
"I'll go first to show you. We will all sing together: if you're happy and you know it, say your name. Then I say 'Feather Bella.' Then we all sing: if you're happy and you know it, say your name…"—she pointed to herself—"Feather Bella!" She continued to demonstrate until it was the girl's turn beside her, and the poor thing looked out at everyone with large, frightened eyes, signaling to Bella she was not ready. Bella looked at Renesmee who was swaying, already in the moment. "All right, Renesmee, you next. What are we calling you?"
"Minnie Ness!"
Perfect. "Alright Minnie Ness, you ready? Everybody sing: When you're happy and you know it, say your name. And you say Minnie Ness."
Renesmee picked up the song naturally, and Bella clapped. Thankfully, Renesmee had warmed up the group, and when it was Edward's turn, she was impressed when he referred to himself as Goofy Eddie.
This was a good thing. By the end, Edward and Nessie were arm in arm and were dosey-do-ing, along with the others and everyone was clapping and singing along. The rest of the hour had passed quickly, and the kids had streaks of paint on their chins and faces. The adults had fared even better, but not by much. Some had even painted their faces, the women coloring their cheeks with red paint, and Edward had colored his nose black to match his hat and the cuffs of his wrists.
"Thank you so, so much, everyone! I enjoyed our time together. I wish you joy and fun, and the best day ever here on the ship." She pressed her palms together and bowed.
People filed out, and the children ran and hugged her as well as many of the women. She loved the energy, the connection, and squeezed each person tightly.
She thanked each one. Edward and Nessie were in line, and though she hadn't felt any negative energy coming off him, she still didn't know what to expect. Nessie threw her arms around her, and Edward braced the back of his neck with one hand, much like he had that first day. He met her eyes, and she didn't know what to make of that look, as if he didn't know himself what to think of all this. She'd caught him smiling a number of times, pleased by the way he engaged with his daughter. But now as their gazes met, he simply looked at Bella. Had his opinion changed? Did it matter? Perhaps she was not so vile anymore…
"Thank you, Miss Swan," he said.
"Call me Feather Bella," she whispered with a wink. Oh no. Had she just winked at him! Now, he was going to think she was flirting with him, when she'd only intended to be friendly.
"Feather Bella," he said. He stood there as if he didn't know what to say. With a nod, he gave her a wave, and said, "See ya around."
She blinked at that. With that hat, and his playfulness, she could no longer relate those awful words to him. And she couldn't help staring at his chiseled jaw, the symmetry of his face, the vulnerability she caught in his expression. Or those hairs that peeked out from his collar. She wiggled her fingers in a goodbye. "Goodbye, Goofy Eddie."
After gathering up her materials, she mused at this experience. She had more workshops scheduled over the next few days, mostly for adults and children but not as engaging, and one specifically for healing the inner child, which was to take place in a few days. If anyone's inner child needed some attention, it was Edward's. Not that it was something that could be forced upon someone. That was deep inner work a person had to want for themselves. Her ego mind rejected the idea of doing more work with him. In such a short time, through email he had managed to hurt her with words that had stung like no other. And it shouldn't have bothered her. No, her ego mind definitely did not want to risk Edward hurting her again.
But her soul had other plans.
A/N: I'd like to express great thanks to my beta EdwardsFirstKiss, who is more on the ball than I am! Anyway, life has gotten in the way this past weekend, so I am trying to catch up and expect I'll be posting another soon. I hope you're enjoying the story, and I thank you for your reviews and follows!