I own my original characters and original story.
**For those of you who haven't read the most recent 'Love Rescue Me', just letting you know that I'm not going to rehash all the gory details here, so you really should give it a read. It's #51 (actually chapters 68-69 'On the Road to Sin City'), and contains all the antics from Emmett's bachelor party. In a word, it's INSANE.
*We begin this chapter where we left off in V&V…Enjoy!
****V&V****
"No, she and Rose went to help my Dad. Evidently Emmett and Jasper have been a handful."
Chris put his hand over his heart and let out a breath. "Oh thank God for that" He began to say something else, but was cut off by the screams we heard emanating from Jennie and Marlene's bedroom.
"What the hell?" I tried not to scream myself in my surprise.
"Oh no! Edward just went in there; he obviously thought it was your room." Chris exclaimed.
I started to move toward the door when it suddenly flew open. The next thing I knew, Edward charged straight into the sitting room and ran into me. The force of the impact should have sent me flying, but instead, his arms wrapped around me, catching me before I could tumble backward onto the floor. "Bella" He breathed as he held me to him.
"Edward" I whispered. Had it only been a little over twenty-four hours since he'd last held me? It felt an eternity since I'd truly been able to relax. Before I melted into him completely, I turned to Chris. "Chris would you tell Marlene and Jennie that it was just Edward looking for me?"
Chris laughed. "Will do."
"I was losing my mind without you…." Edward began.
"Come on, let's go to bed, we can talk in the morning." I whispered as I led him down the hallway to my room.
"Where's Alice?" Edward asked in confusion as he stood beside the empty bed.
"She and Rose went to help my Dad handle Emmett and Jasper." I said with a snicker.
A bright smile spread across Edward's face. "They'll probably be gone all night huh?"
I smiled back. "Probably"
"So" His smile grew wider "We don't have to spend another night apart?"
"Looks that way" I said, returning his smile.
He quickly shed his jeans and crawled in beside me wearing just his boxer briefs and t-shirt.
My heavy eyelids prevented me from getting too excited though. It had been a long day. A few minutes later, I heard him call to me in a sleepy voice. "Bella"
"Hmm?"
"Do I have to have a bachelor party?" He asked.
He must have had one hell of a night.
"We'll talk about it in the morning Edward." I whispered, knowing I could wait until then to get the full story.
-V&V—
Edward was still sleeping soundly when I slipped from the room late the next morning. I had a slight headache from my partying the night before, but it wasn't as bad as I'd expected. My father had sent a text message letting me know that he and Emmett would be arriving in a little while to take me to Mass. I showered and dressed and waited in the sitting room while drinking a cup of coffee, trying to be as quiet as possible. Chris was asleep on the sofa, and none of the other girls had made an appearance yet, so I was certain that I was the only one awake.
After a few minutes, the door to Marlene and Jennie's bedroom opened and a much disheveled Marlene stumbled out. "Hey Bella" She croaked as she made a bee-line for the coffee maker. After she'd taken a few sips of her coffee, she looked up at me with bleary eyes.
"Was it my drunken imagination, or was Edward here last night?" She asked almost apprehensively.
I chuckled. "Yes" I could tell by the way her face dropped that she remembered him being in her room.
"Oh hell" She muttered. "How do you like that? I actually threw Edward Masen out of my room." She said, shaking her head. "I'll never live that one down."
"Marlene" I said quietly, remembering that she had been very vocal the evening before when listing the things she'd like to do to Edward. "It wouldn't have mattered if you hadn't thrown him out. The moment Edward realized that you weren't me, being the gentleman he is, he would have politely excused himself and run from the room to find me." I sighed as I watched her face fall. "We don't do well when we're apart." I ended in a whisper.
"You're really sure of him aren't you?" She asked in a whisper.
"More than anything else in this world, I am sure of Edward's love for me; our love for each other." I answered simply.
"I wish I could find that with someone." She said quietly before looking at me apologetically. "I'm sorry for talking all that trash last night. I'm so stupid when I drink."
I smiled. "Apology accepted. And I know you were drunk, that's why I wasn't angry."
Before long, there was a soft knock at the door.
I opened it to find my brother and father chatting and smiling with Lou in the hallway. "You look well" I said to Emmett "Last I heard, you were on your knees worshipping the porcelain." I said with a chuckle as we walked toward the elevator.
Emmett cringed. "I was sicker than I've been in a long time." He blew out a breath. Once I was able to keep something down, Rosie made me drink coffee and eat a little something. I slept for a couple of hours, and now even though I'm a little shaky, I feel okay. I made Rose stay in bed. She's exhausted."
I nodded.
"Oh crap, I forgot to leave a note for Edward." I said once we were in the car. Not wanting to wake him, I sent a quick text instead. I cringed at the thought of him waking up and not finding me there, so hopefully he'd look at his phone before beginning to panic.
Mercifully, the church was close, just a few blocks from the Bellagio, and the service wasn't overly long. On the way back, I decided to call Edward, but he didn't answer.
About a minute later, I saw Dad fish into the pocket of his jacket, and pull out his phone. He frowned before reaching in again and pulling out a second phone. "Oh shoot Bells." He said apologetically. "I still have Edward's phone. I brought it with me, intending to give it to him this morning." Charlie handed Edward's phone to me then. Not surprisingly, it was dead.
I looked at my phone again and saw that, thankfully, there were no messages. I looked at Lou. "Have you heard from Sidney today?"
Lou frowned. "I spoke with him earlier. He was going to bring Edward's bags over from Caesar's. I think he was waiting to ask Chris if he wanted his as well." He said as he rubbed his neck. "Is something wrong Bella?"
"I just don't want Edward to worry." It was after noon, and Edward didn't know where I was.
Gah, how could I be so thoughtless?
As soon as the car stopped in front of the hotel, I said a quick goodbye before racing to the doors, Lou following close behind me.
The elevator ride seemed to take forever. Finally, I was at the door to the suite. I entered to find it eerily quiet inside. The sitting room was empty. I made my way swiftly to my room and threw open the door.
And there he was; sound asleep, exactly where I'd left him.
Realizing that I had worried needlessly, I let out a breath and lay down beside him.
-V&V—
Everyone was in good spirits, having finally recovered from the parties the night before. Edward, Chris and Jasper seemed to have had the hardest time bouncing back to normal. Edward and I had spent the majority of the day resting in the suite, so that by evening he felt almost human again.
We said goodbye to Emmett and Rose's friends and cousins in the afternoon, as they all had flights to catch. I silently pondered how many tourists, statistically, exited Las Vegas with hangovers.
Charlie had an evening flight, so we all went out to dinner before he left for the airport. As we ate, he admitted that the night before had been exhausting. "I think the last time I had to deal with such crazy drunken behavior was when you were in high school Emmett." He chuckled. "Last night brought back a lot of memories."
None of the boys remembered everything that had happened, so when Dad told the story, they were at first shocked by some of the things they'd done, before breaking out in hysterical laughter.
"So I spent a good part of the evening dealing with your puking" He said while regarding Emmett with a smile, "while trying to keep Jasper from escaping the suite naked." Charlie informed.
Jasper covered his face with his hands while Alice giggled.
"Not to mention Sidney and I trying to haul Edward and Chris's silly asses in from the balcony. It's no wonder I'm beat." He sighed. "I'll be glad to get home to my own bed."
Chris was laughing. "It was all because of that wrong number." He explained.
We looked at him questioningly.
"The reason we were reluctant to come in from the balcony." He grinned. "Edward tried to call Bella, and instead he drunk-dialed some stranger who didn't like his romantic talk one bit."
Edward blushed slightly and hung his head.
Cripes, I wonder what he said?
Charlie frowned in concentration.
Chris continued. "The lady threatened him with her husband, and since the two of us were three sheets to the wind, we naturally concluded that Bella had run off and had a quickie Vegas wedding."
Rose and Alice started to cackle, while the guys, even Charlie, laughed loudly at that.
"We could see the Bellagio from the balcony, so Edward stood there shouting for Bella and singing."
"At least that explains some of what I was seeing and hearing from the two of you." Charlie said as he continued to chuckle.
"What a night" Edward said with a groan as he shook his head.
After seeing my Dad off on his flight, we'd gone back to Caesar's for the fireworks display. The suite the guys stayed in was amazing, and immaculate. It was hard to imagine that there had been a crazy drunken party there the night before.
Once the fireworks were over, Emmett insisted we go see Nelly in concert at The Mirage.
"Come on, it's our last night in Vegas, you know you want to go" Emmett tried to convince me with a grin before starting to sing the lyrics to 'Hot In Herre', "It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes" He halted his singing then and looked at Jasper with wide eyes. "Oops, I guess Jasper already did that." He boomed before laughing loudly.
Jasper blushed a bright red as he gave Emmett the one finger salute.
We all joined in the laughter. "Okay, let's go." I agreed with a smile.
Because it was in a nightclub, I thought we'd be able to relax at a table while enjoying the show. I was wrong.
First of all there were a lot of people in attendance. Therefore, to see Nelly, we had to stand, and while standing, it was impossible to resist the urge to dance. For most of the two hour show, Edward and I had our bodies pressed closely together as we danced in the limited space next to our table. When 'Hot in Herre' started playing, Jasper made sure to hide his face in the crook of Alice's neck as we laughed once again at his expense.
I need you to get up up on the dance floor
Give that man what he askin for
Cuz I feel like bustin loose and I feel like touchin you
And cant nobody stop the juice so baby tell me whats the use
Edward's hands were on my hips as I swayed to the music, my back to his front. I turned to face him, our bodies no more than an inch apart. He slid a leg between my legs and pulled me closer until we were pressed together.
We swayed together just like that as Nelly sang on.
Its gettin hot in here (so hot)
So take off all your clothes
I am gettin so hot, I wanna take my clothes off
I began to grind against him as Edward's hands travelled to my shoulders and back to my hips and stayed there. The entire time we danced, we were aware of the many eyes watching us.
This is my life now
We were tired and happy as we rode in the limo back to our respective hotels. "Goes to show how much fun you can have without benefit of alcohol." Jasper mused.
He was right. After the drunken fiasco of the night before, we'd all enjoyed this evening's festivities without the aid of adult beverages.
Everyone aside from Edward and I decided to stay at Caesar's, so we were more than happy to have the Bellagio suite to ourselves.
As we lay in bed that evening, we talked about the week ahead.
"My parents should arrive in L.A. tomorrow for Mom's birthday celebration."
My eyes lit up when I thought of that. Alice, Edward and Carlisle had planned a wonderful surprise for Esme's birthday. I couldn't wait.
"The rest of the week, I'll be performing community service." He grimaced a little when he said that. "and I've got to meet with Jane and Clint at some point."
"Maybe I can hang out with Alice or Chris then?" I asked hopefully.
He nodded with a smile. I leaned up to kiss him. He kissed me back and less than a minute later his hands were under my shirt. "God I missed the feel of your skin."
I chuckled. "We were only apart for a day Edward" I sighed. "But I know what you mean. I missed you something awful last night." I sighed contentedly before asking a question that had been on my mind. "What did you say to the lady on the phone that made her so angry?"
"Um" He paused.
"Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad."
He cleared his throat. "I was pretty drunk.. I may have said something about how beautiful your breasts were." He admitted with a chuckle.
I smiled, glad he couldn't see my blush in the half-light. "Is that all?"
"Uh" He paused again. "I may have said something about being jealous of that straw."
I cringed. "Shit. I forgot Alice sent you that photo."
He breathed out a laugh. "Well, it had quite an effect on my stupid drunken self." He cleared his throat. "Chris liked it."
Shit.
"But Emmett… not so much."
I groaned as he chuckled. "I'm surprised he didn't tease me."
"He may have forgotten about it. He was a lot drunker than me." Edward whispered. "If he does remember, I can guarantee you that he wishes he didn't."
Awkward
"Did you hear that Rose hired a stripper for her party?"
"What?" Edward tensed and his hands stopped their movement against my skin.
I laughed at his reaction.
"Don't worry Edward. As soon as the guy started to remove his shirt, I escaped to this bedroom and stayed here until the party was over. I'm not interested in seeing a naked man, unless it's you." I blurted out the truth.
He smiled. "I can fulfill that request right now if you'd like?" He said as he moved until our bodies were closer than before.
"Ahh" I gasped. All it took was that sexy tone of voice for my girly bits to start to tingle. "You don't fight fair. I'm trying to be good."
"You can still be good, just allow me to be bad" He murmured with a smirk. "for a few minutes."
Oh God. It was getting harder and harder not to act on the feelings that only Edward awakened in me. I let out a breath as his thumb brushed against my nipple. After a minute, the hand drifted downward until his fingertips were tracing the lace at the waistband of my panties.
"Edward" I whispered before his lips were on mine, effectively stopping me from speaking.
When we finally broke apart, he leaned his forehead against mine as we both caught our breath. He moved his hand from the waistband of my panties and grasped one of my hands with it. Slowly, Edward began to pull my hand until it was resting on his upper thigh. "Bella" He whispered as he pulled my hand again until it was resting on his crotch. I gasped as my mind registered the feel of his hard member through the cloth. I'd felt it before, on the train.
It's still impressive, that's for sure.
I'm no judge but, is that thing larger than the norm?
I swallowed hard, not wanting to ponder that at the moment, but my mind wouldn't shut off.
"Can you feel that Bella?" He said in a hoarse voice. "This is what being with you does to me baby."
How is it going to fit? I mean….in me?
And how am I ever going to relax enough to do this?
Stop overthinking everything.
"Baby, you look nervous." He whispered, frowning now.
I tried to wipe the expression from my face, but I couldn't help it. I was nervous.
"Talk to me Bella." He pleaded in a soft voice as he pulled my hand up and placed in on my stomach, covering it with his own.
How could I tell Edward what I was feeling?
How can you not tell him Bella? This is Edward. He loves you more than anything in this world.
Stop being an idiot.
I lifted my hand and cupped the side of his face with it.
"I guess I am nervous. I worry about everything. The wedding, the future, our families, you." I drew in a shaky breath " and sex. I worry that I'll be too nervous to be any good at it. Suppose that, because of me, our wedding night is a disaster." I worried my lip. "you'll probably regret marrying me."
His head fell slightly as he chuckled. "Bella, this is something we'll be doing together for the first time. Even if by some chance it's awkward or confusing at first, there is no one else in this world that I would want to experience this with. You are all I ever want, all I ever will want." He smiled before kissing my nose. "I also know for a fact that because it's with you, it will be perfect. But even if it isn't, we'll have lots of time to practice." He wiggled his eyebrows before he kissed my lips passionately as I finally relaxed.
"I promise to behave." He sighed when he broke the kiss. "We don't have much longer to wait, and I do want our wedding night to be special."
I sighed, trying to calm my raging hormones. That feeling, mixed with abject fear of the unknown, was a freaky combination. I didn't know what I wanted more: to jump Edward's bones or run and hide in the bathroom.
How will I make it for another … how the many more fucking days?
I bit my lip as I tried to calculate.
Forty-one. That's it forty-one more days…
-V&V—
Back in L.A., be were relaxing by Edward's pool after working at the soup kitchen most of the day when my phone rang.
"Hello"
"Hello Miss Swan, or should I say Miss McCarty, it's Jonathan Corday."
Why is my publisher calling me?
"Hello Mr. Corday, how are you?"
"Very well Miss Swan. Things are moving right along with the publication of your book. I wanted you to know that the advance was wired to your bank account this morning."
Wow. I have money!
"Thank you for letting me know Mr. Corday." I said happily.
"You're very welcome. I was also wondering what your schedule was like for the rest of this week?" He continued before giving me a chance to respond. "The reason I ask is that the heads of our East Coast marketing department will be here for a few days. It would be a great opportunity for you to meet with them."
I bit my lip. "Well, I'm in L.A. right now. I don't have plans to return to Seattle until next Tuesday."
"Oh, that's unfortunate" He said, disappointment clear in his voice. "I know you're getting married soon and the only other way to meet with them would be to schedule something for New York say sometime in the next couple of weeks. Would that be possible?"
He let the question hang there as I began to panic inside.
I knew this type of thing was necessary, and the publisher had a right to expect my attendance at meetings from time to time, but Edward's last day of community service was scheduled for Monday, and I didn't want to leave him.
Edward was watching me carefully as I spoke on the phone.
"How soon would I have to return in order to meet with them in Seattle?" I asked hesitantly.
"They fly back to New York on the red-eye Monday night."
I blew out a breath. "I…" I hesitated. "Could I meet with them Monday morning?"
"I think we can arrange that." He said in a satisfied tone. "Let's say 10 a.m.?"
"I'll be there."
I ended the call and looked solemnly at Edward.
He gave me a half-smile and shook his head. "Bella stop looking at me like that. This is your work. Think of how many times you've had to adjust your life because of my schedule." He shrugged. "So you fly back on Sunday, and I change my flight so I arrive in Seattle on Monday night." He kissed my forehead. "It's only a day." He smirked then. "But I will insist that Lou accompany you everywhere."
I smiled, it was forced because I still wasn't happy, but I nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't think of going anywhere without him Edward. I learned my lesson the hard way."
He winced before pulling me into his arms.
-V&V—
"Mother, I cannot believe you thought they were going to the Bunny Ranch." Alice announced with a cackle. This was the first time we'd told the story.
"And what, pray tell, did you think they were going to do once they got there?" Chris asked with a mischievous gleam in his eye.
We were in a restaurant in L.A., celebrating Esme's birthday. She and Carlisle had flown down the night before.
Esme giggled. "I don't know. My mouth was a little ahead of my brain on that one, jumping to all kinds of crazy conclusions."
We were all laughing then.
"It reminds me of the time you thought they were selling condoms at Musicland." Alice continued to giggle.
Esme smirked in her embarrassment. "Is it my fault that they packaged those mini-glow sticks all wrong." She defended.
"Mother, it was Musicland, not Spencer's for heaven's sake." Alice laughed.
"Oh I have got to hear this story." Rose announced with a grin.
Alice giggled again. "Well, I think it was about fifteen years ago because I couldn't have been more than ten or eleven, which means Edward was only nine or ten."
I could see Carlisle chuckling and shaking his head, obviously having heard the story before.
"Anyway, we were shopping in the mall and we all went into Musicland and scattered, each looking for our favorites. Mom was busily looking through the DVDs when Edward approached her carrying a little package of mini glow sticks."
Edward took over telling the story then. "Her eyes practically bugged out of her head when she glanced at what I had in my hand. She recoiled from it as if I was holding a dead rat. Her reaction, in turn, freaked me out, because I thought I'd done something wrong." He was laughing in earnest now. "She actually hissed at me while saying 'put it back Edward, put that back right now'."
We all began to laugh with him as he continued, in a voice meant to imitate his mother. "Put it back. It's a condom. I don't expect you to know what that is… just put it back right now!"
"Well honestly can you blame me?" Esme began. "He tried to hand me a little, flat, rectangular foil package. I glimpsed the label seeing the word 'glowing'. I'd heard somewhere that they made condoms that glowed in the dark." She smirked. "What can I say? I panicked."
We laughed and laughed. "We got the weirdest looks as we were leaving that store." Alice stuttered out.
Once we were able to catch our breath, Emmett spoke, "Esme, you are what I would classify as a national treasure."
To which we all toasted "Happy Birthday!"
-V&V-
"Okay, so what's this big surprise?" Esme asked before we left the restaurant.
After dinner, Esme would get her surprise.
"Really? This is wonderful!" She squealed as we walked through the cemetery. All ten of us would be spending the evening in Hollywood Forever Cemetery watching one of Esme's favorite movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Normally The Hollywood Forever cemetery had movie screenings on Saturday evening only. Entire families brought lawn chairs and picnic blankets to spread across the cemetery grounds while watching a movie projected on the mausoleum wall.
Somehow, my fiancé had used his influence to reserve the facility for a private showing on a Tuesday evening, Esme's birthday.
Our group, which included Esme, Carlisle, Edward, me, Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, Chris and Gerry proceeded to set up lawn chairs and spread blankets before Alice pulled a bottle of champagne and glasses from a picnic hamper.
God I love this family.
Rose and Emmett's expressions mirrored what I was feeling.
Carlisle opened the champagne and we toasted the birthday girl just as the opening credits of Raiders displayed across the would-be movie screen.
Rose had to drink ginger ale, but didn't seem to mind in the slightest.
"I'm kind of insulted that none of my movies are in your top five Mother." Edward remarked half-way through the film, feigning injury.
Esme chuckled. "I love your movies Edward, only you've never done one like this."
Edward frowned. "I could be an action hero." He defended.
"I'm sure you could dear, but I wouldn't be able to have the same thoughts about you as I do about Harrison. So let's just leave it at that shall we?"
"Overshare Mother!" Edward snarked as the rest of us roared with laughter.
An hour later, our tired but happy little group wandered back to the cars, chairs and blankets in hand.
"Thank you all so much." Esme bubbled "This was a wonderful surprise." She kissed and hugged each one of us in turn. "I'll see you back in Seattle" She told Edward and me as she gave us each a hug. She and Carlisle would be flying back with Emmett and Rose the following day.
-V&V—
"Bella would you please help Peggy wipe down the tables. Then you're free to go hun." Nick, the head of the soup kitchen volunteers directed.
This was our second day working here. The kitchen was only open three days a week, and to complete his required hours of community service, Edward was scheduled to work for four days total. Nick thought it better, because of Edward's notoriety, that he work 'behind the scenes', therefore my fiancé spent most of his time here, out of sight, washing dishes.
It was so busy that I rarely had a chance to visit him, but at least the time passed quickly.
As I made my way to the tables and began to clean, I noticed a little girl and an elderly woman in the nearly empty dining room. The small girl looked up at me with the saddest big brown eyes I'd ever seen. She looked to be about four, but her eyes were much older. She'd definitely seen more than any child her age should.
Peggy and I finished wiping down every table but theirs. "Peggy, I'll do that last one, I have to wait for Edward anyway."
"Thanks Bella" Peggy said with a smile. "You're a doll." She said as she removed her apron and headed for the back room.
Wanting to keep busy, I grabbed a broom and started to sweep while I waited, aware that the little girl hadn't taken her eyes off of me since I'd entered the room. Suddenly, she stood from her seat and ran straight to me, throwing her arms around my upper legs in order to hug me to her.
"Kayla!" the older woman exclaimed as she moved toward us and began trying to pry her away from my legs. I rubbed the top of the little girl's head. "It's okay" I soothed. The older lady let go of Kayla, her eyes filled with concern. I felt Kayla's hold on my thighs loosen, and used the opportunity to kneel down in order that we could look at each other face to face.
"You're dat lady from the TV" Kayla said. "Dat bad man hurted you."
I heard the woman gasp before she spoke to me. "I'm sorry Miss, my granddaughter sees too many bad things on the television." She said with a heavy accent. "It's my son's fault. She must have seen you on the news." She tried again to pull Kayla away.
"It's alright." I signaled to the grandmother to let go before turning back to Kayla. "Thank you for the hug Kayla. It was very nice."
"I sawed you. I know you feelded bad. Sometimes when I feel bad, hugs make it better." She whispered.
The three of us made our way back to the table and sat down. Kayla's grandmother proceeded to tell me the sad story of the little girl with the big brown eyes. Just like me, she'd witnessed her mother's murder; the difference was that her mother was murdered by her drug dealer boyfriend. Kayla didn't know her father, so the courts placed her in the home of her grandmother and uncle.
Her grandmother went on to tell me how the formerly outgoing little girl, didn't speak for months after the murder. Her response to me was the most animated she'd been in the almost one year since losing her mother.
"Edward, I know there are many stories just like Kayla's, but I also think that people cross our paths for a reason. I want to do what I can for that little girl and for the other children I saw this week."
"Did you have something specific in mind?" He asked with a smile as we rode back to the house.
"I don't know, this is new territory for me. To start I think, if her grandmother would accept it, Kayla would benefit from therapy. We could arrange that right?" I asked.
He nodded, still smiling.
"Maybe we could do something to help her grandmother financially. I don't know. I mean, I just got the advance for my book, and admittedly we don't need it to live on. I'd like to do something useful with it." I sighed and shook my head. "I honestly don't know what I'm talking about. I probably sound really stupid."
He grabbed my hand. "Bella, you are not stupid. You're a kind and loving person with a very big heart, and I thank God every day for that." He smiled tenderly.
"If you haven't noticed, my family is all about 'giving back' in one way or another. I admit to being a bit of a disappointment in that regard because I spent too many years living the life of a hermit." He grinned. "You changed that. I would like to get involved also."
I smiled.
He pulled me against him and kissed the side of my head. "I'll speak with my financial advisor, I'm sure he can come up with some ideas. In the meantime, Nick told me that the families who use the soup kitchen, for the most part, aren't homeless, but all of them struggle to keep a roof over their family's heads. They don't have much expendable income. The Soup Kitchen helps when the food budget dwindles. Aside from that, what they need more than anything is clothing and shoes, especially for babies and children because they grow so quickly."
"The Church does their best to supply those things from time to time, but it's not consistent, and it's never enough."
My head jerked up. "Then I will." I said. "That would be a wonderful start, don't you think?"
He nodded. "It's perfect. And anything further, we'll use our money to finance."
I frowned.
"Bella.." He warned when he saw the challenge in my eyes.
I pursed my lips before smiling. "Okay. We'll use our money for anything aside from the clothing and shoes." I then smiled brightly as I thought about being able to help the families I'd seen this week.
"I love your smile." Edward whispered.
I leaned my head on his shoulder. "I was just thinking that even something bad, like you being forced to do community service, has been the catalyst for something good." I sighed. "It makes me happy."
-V&V—
After I told Chris and Alice about Kayla and the other children, they decided to go with me on a 'shopping spree' the next day, while Edward and Jasper attended meetings.
"No Alice. We are not shopping on Rodeo Drive for these children. We are going to Target." I insisted.
Alice frowned deeply. "How about I whip up few things for them?" She asked.
"No Alice. No designer clothing. If it can't go in a washing machine, I don't want it."
Chris, Alice and I had a surprisingly enjoyable time in Target as soon as Alice lost the 'designer mentality'.
We'd already filled the basket with numerous items for babies and little boys by the time we reached the 'little girl' department.
"It is an unwritten law that every young girl must have at least one item of clothing with Disney princesses on it, Dora the Explorer is an acceptable alternative," Chris was trying to educate Alice as he rifled through little girl dresses, sizes 4 to 6X, "Although any respectable pre-K female should have both in her wardrobe."
I laughed. "How do you know so much about little girls Chris?"
"One of my brothers has twin daughters. They're five years old, and I'm their favorite uncle." He answered with a grin.
As we stood in the checkout, Alice was exceptionally chatty, even for her. "Oh I'm so glad we came here today. I had a great time. I think we should stop somewhere for ice cream. Don't you agree Christopher?"
"Um, sure sweetie, whatever you want." He shrugged, a puzzled expression on his face.
Once I'd paid for my purchases, I turned to say something to Alice and spied the rack of tabloids over her shoulder that she'd obviously been trying to block with her petite form.
There I was, my face splattered across the cover.
Bella, drunk and alone in a casino, goes on foul-mouthed rampage against reporter
I glanced at the other tabloids, thankful to see members of the Kardashian family, rather than myself, gracing the covers.
"Bella, don't even look at it. Just walk away." Alice was practically nose to nose with me then, blocking my view of the stupid magazine.
I sighed deeply and closed my eyes, before nodding. We grabbed the bags and left the store without another word.
That night, my curiosity got the better of me and, against the advice of my inner voice of reason, I googled myself.
It was all there. My rant against the reporter in the casino was repeated practically word for word on several websites. A few blogs had picked up on the story and as I read the comments, I realized that the attempt to turn people against me because of my colorful choice of language had backfired. Most people, using colorful expletives of their own, described in no uncertain terms what they would like to see happen to those who put criminals' rights ahead of the victims'.
"What are you doing hiding in here?" I heard Edward ask as he came up behind me. While he had been on a phone call, I had slipped away to his massive bedroom with my laptop.
I heard a sharp intake of breath as he got a glimpse of the screen and I felt his hand gently squeeze my shoulder. I reached up and covered it with my own hand "It's okay Edward. Once again, it seems that everyone is on our side about this. Judging from the comments I've read, if that reporter thought she'd help her career with this sensationalism, she was sadly mistaken."
"My advice Bella is to ignore them all. There will always be stories showing us in a positive light, but just as many of which the opposite will be true. It's better to forget they exist, or else you'll let this bullshit dictate how you live your life. Sometimes without even realizing it."
"Sort of like politicians?" I said with a chuckle.
He smiled then. "Exactly."
-V&V—
"Do you think we overdid it?" I asked Edward as I looked at the bags of clothing and shoes we'd purchased for the children.
"Probably" He answered with a grin.
A couple of volunteers set up a table outside of the soup kitchen to distribute the children's clothing. My wish was to remain anonymous in this, so I worked in the back with Edward most of the day. Every now and then, I did manage to peek out and was gratified when I saw more than one smiling face of a parent or child.
That evening, Edward took me out for a romantic dinner. It was our last night together in L.A., at least for the foreseeable future.
I was feeling pretty glum because of having to fly home the next day without him, but I plastered a smile on my face, trying to make things easier for him. I was pretty certain he didn't buy it, but seemed resigned to do the same for me.
The next day, we went to Mass and then lazed around his house until it was time to leave for the airport. "Edward, maybe you shouldn't go inside with me." I said during the ride to LAX. "We always draw a crowd." I grinned as I remembered.
It didn't take long to get my answer. He frowned. "I know it's annoying to have photographs taken every time we're in public together, but I can't sit here in the car Bella." He swallowed hard. "Please don't ask me to."
"Edward, I didn't mean it like that. I want you with me. I just thought maybe you would rather say goodbye here, in private."
Well, sort of private, with Sidney and Lou in the front seat.
He pulled me in for a passionate kiss then. I could feel it all the way to my toes. When he pulled away I was breathless. "Wow" I whispered when I could speak again.
"Let's just call that our 'real' goodbye. I'll try not to make a spectacle at the security gate." He smirked.
True to his word, he held me and kissed me sweetly before sending me through security. My heart clenched when I had to turn the corner, and was unable to see him anymore, and I allowed one lone tear to trickle down my cheek.
The next day promised to be busy, and I told myself that I wouldn't have a chance to even miss Edward.
I am so full of shit
"It's like old times again." Edward said with a sad smile on skype that night.
"I hate being apart." I muttered before yawning loudly.
"Sleep beautiful. I'll see you tomorrow night." Were the last words I heard before I drifted away.
-V&V—
Mr. Corday thought it best that I explain, in my own words, my reasons for hiding my true identity until after the release of my first book.
"Being engaged to Edward is, without a doubt, the best thing that's ever happened to me." I began with a small smile. "But, to be honest with you, being engaged to a famous person does have its drawbacks." I paused as I gathered my thoughts. "I don't want my work to be judged by who the public thinks I am, or who they believe Edward to be. If the general public was made aware that Francisco and the Swallow was written by Isabella Swan, I can guarantee you that some people would purchase it for that fact alone. Probably just as many would shy away from buying it for the same reason."
"If I go into this first venture anonymously, at least I will know that the people choosing to read my book to their children do so because they truly love the story." I fidgeted with my coffee cup. "I don't expect to be able to remain anonymous forever. And I am perfectly willing to participate in some kind of signing appearances if necessary once a little time has passed."
My justifications seemed to pacify them, and Mr. Corday gave me a happy smile and handshake as I was leaving.
"How was your meeting?" Edward asked as Lou drove me home.
"Everything went fine. I know these guys are going demand some public appearances sooner or later, but I was able to pacify them for now."
"That's good." He said with a relieved sigh. "I'm packing now. I'll see you tonight baby. If you're tired, I don't want you to wait up for me. I'll use my key."
I spent the evening with Emmett and Rose. It reminded me of all the times Edward and I had to be apart because of my schooling or his work. It seemed like months ago now.
As we sat down to dinner, Rose was looking at me like the cat that ate the canary. "Alright, spill it. You're dying to tell me something."
I saw my brother out of the corner of my eye shaking his head and laughing.
Rose smirked and pulled open her laptop. "I'm sure you know there are blogs on the internet dedicated solely to yours and Edward's relationship."
I nodded. From what I'd seen, they were made up of a bunch of Edward's fans that, because they loved him so much, had formed an attachment to me also.
"Are you also aware that one of these groups was started by a couple of women who totally have the hots for you?" She snickered and then laughed out loud when my mouth fell open in surprise.
"To be fair, there are some guys who contribute to the blog as well, but the main focus is how these women want to date you."
"I really don't know what to say to that." I admitted in my confused state.
Rose continued to smile. "Now Bella, I don't want you to think I'm some kind of freak who goes around trying to find out everything that's being said about you on the internet. Well, I guess I am, sort of… it's just that I do it because, although I think that most of these people are harmless, I still like to keep an eye on things." She admitted. "We both do. Just in case."
I looked at them. She and Emmett were both giving me tentative smiles.
As usual, they are finding ways to protect me.
Old habits die hard. Thank God.
"Thanks guys." I said softly.
Try as I might, I couldn't keep my eyes open as I waited for Edward to arrive. At some point, I heard the television in my room turn off, and felt the bed dip beside me. A moment later, I felt two warm arms wrap around me and warm breath on my neck. "Goodnight Bella. I love you."
I was able to gather just enough sense to answer. "Love you too."
-V&V—
The rest of the week, Edward and I spent house hunting on Bainbridge Island. Although we knew Emmett and Rose were looking in the same area, we wanted to do this alone. By Wednesday, they had already found the house of their dreams and had made an offer.
I'd wished that things had been that easy for Edward and me. Even though every house we'd looked at was beyond beautiful, every single one had been lacking something from our 'must have' list, and they were all huge.
We both wanted something on the water, but I was adamant that I wouldn't be able to live in anything I considered too ostentatious. Every house we'd seen so far was big, too big for me to feel comfortable. By Friday, I was beginning to lose hope that we'd find that 'perfect fit' we wished for.
"Abiding by your request for something smaller than the ones we've seen so far, I've only scheduled one viewing today." Dave O'Connor, our realtor, advised. "There really aren't a lot of homes on the water that are this small. The house has been on the market for several months. It's actually standing vacant; the owner was transferred to Portland."
"How big is it?" Edward asked. Unlike me, he'd been paying attention to square footage.
"It's less than 4000 square feet, three bedrooms, three baths, but it is situated on a large piece of waterfront property, and it's very secluded."
4000 square feet? That's enormous!
The drive from the main road to the house was heavily wooded. I watched anxiously from my window until I finally caught a glimpse of the house. It reminded me of a cabin. A very large cabin.
Sidney parked the car and waited as we went to explore. As I got closer to the front door, I couldn't help the comfortable feeling which seemed to come over me. Judging from what I could see on the outside, I knew I could live here. I looked up at Edward as we walked together, our fingers linked, noticing that he had the same contented expression on his face.
Beautiful
The interior was all warm wood floors, knotty pine paneling, and wood beamed ceilings. A stone fireplace graced an inviting great room which ran along a good portion of the back of the house. A comfortable window seat was built into a sitting area which also housed a wood stove, giving an almost rustic feel to the space.
The best word I could conjure to describe the way the house felt was 'homey'.
But could this be our home?
Neither Edward nor I had said much as we went from room to room, allowing Dave to do most of the talking. Truth be told, I barely listened. My mind was overwhelmed with visions of us living in this house. I could see it all so clearly: Edward and I curled up together on a winter's day in front of the fire; spending a summer afternoon on a boat, out on the Sound; celebrating the holidays here with our families. Raising our children….
I bit my lip and turned to face Edward. "Well?" I asked.
He smirked at me. "You first."
"I really like it Edward." I said with a hopeful expression.
"There are only three bedrooms." He remarked.
I nodded. "We can add on. There's plenty of room for the two of us for now, and a space to have a music room like you have in L.A." I looked at him seriously then. "Do you like it?" I asked.
He raised his eyebrows. "Very much. This is going to sound strange, but from the moment we stepped from the car, it felt like coming home." He said in almost a whisper.
I let out an excited squeal and threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Home." I breathed before we kissed. Our first kiss in our new home.
*****A/N**** (MORE PHOTOS in the VandV Photo blog)
song rec: 'Hot In Herre' by Nelly
Any of you that read Esme's glo-stick story as a sneak peek on the Facebook page already know that the entire incident was taken from my real life. Yes, I embarrassed my children by mistaking a packet of mini glo-sticks with a 'glow-in-the-dark' condom. I can't even think of a defense for that…..
Watch Facebook for sneak peeks etc. I'll be posting photos of the 'dream house' on Facebook also.
Countdown to B&E's wedding-at the end of this chapter it is 16 Jul 2010 (29 days to go)!
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