EPOV
A picture, that’s why Bella had my father stop at the house and that’s
why she answered the door draped in fur. It took me a second or two before I
understood and once I did it was easier to get over my disappointment. Of
course Leah helped with that, the woman was a demon when it came to her craft,
barking out orders that had me behind a screened partition changing into the
black suit Bella had picked out. Once I emerged there seemed to be urgency in
getting the shots done which I didn’t completely understand.
“What’s the hurry?”
“Jake’s coming home soon” Bella said as she got to her knees in front
of me
“He’ll be angry?” It didn’t seem likely but stranger things have
happened.
“No” Leah answered as she adjusted the lens on the camera “We have something
to do before going to your house”
Looking up at me Bella whispered “I’ll tell you later”
Nodding at her we set to work, the suggestions Leah were making about
how to stand, our expressions and where to place my hands didn’t seem to be
working. After a few minutes and at
least ten different changes I was getting rather frustrated and Bella seemed to
be struggling to get in the right frame of mind. I knew Bella really wanted the
picture to be great however the whole vibe in the room seemed off and there was
absolutely no sense in continuing if it wasn’t going to turn out right.
“Hold on a second Leah” I said, squatting down so I could speak quietly
to Bella. She had a slight scowl on her face which I was sure contained a
mixture of impatience and aggravation.
“What’s the matter baby?”
“It just feels wrong” yeah she was frustrated and I knew why
“Should I fix it?” at the responding nod I needed to make sure Bella
was aware of what could happen. Letting my eyes shift to the woman who was
impatiently waiting I cautioned “Leah might not approve of what I have in mind”
Biting her lip she thought for a moment then shrugged.
I guess she really wanted this
picture
“Alright Isabella…remain quiet and stand up” offering my hand I stood
taking Bella with me then spoke as diplomatically as possible. “Let’s do it again,
except this time don’t say anything
Leah, let us do what comes natural and you just take whatever shot you want.”
“Go ahead” her tone told me she was rather irritated too.
I wasn’t sure if her mood was from me exerting control, the wasted time
or Leah just being Leah. It didn’t exactly matter what she thought, Bella
wanted the picture to be special and that would require a proper frame of mind.
Taking a step back so I was just out of arms reach from Bella I said
her name as firmly as I could “Isabella” and gave the hand signal for her to
come to me followed by the one to kneel. In that moment her whole demeanor
changed. As she took the step towards me the tension in her face was gone and she
settled gracefully to her knees. Placing my hand under her chin she lifted her
eyes to mine allowing me to stare into the soul of my submissive.
Holding her gaze for a few moments to let her completely embrace the
role I could see Leah filtering around my peripheral snapping off pictures. Releasing
Bella’s chin I gave the signal to lower her eyes before resting my hands
comfortably on her head. Standing there staring down at the woman before me I
too was lost in the moment until Leah’s quiet voice interrupted us.
“That was beautiful”
Beautiful?
I thought my actions were going to piss her off not make the cynical
woman all sentimental
“I have an idea for one more pose…do you want to try it?”
“Sure” I answered before Bella could, then again if she was in sub mode
there’s no why she would have said anything.
“Great…” excitement oozed from her as Leah pointed to the corner of the
room “Edward can you bring that chair over?”
After helping Bella up I retrieve the black leather wing chair placing it
where Leah pointed, then followed her instructions to open my jacket and loosen
the tie.
“Ok…Edward you sit down and Bella loose the fur”
My girl stood there in shock for a moment before Leah lost the loving
feeling she had a few minutes before “Let’s go! Jakes going to be here soon”
Bella broke out of her passive mood, snapping back “I hope to hell
you’re going to get something to eat before you come over tonight”
“Why? Is dinner going to be late?”
“Well you have to make it first and then it takes time to bake”
“Yeah..yeah..yeah…” Leah rambled as she rolled her hands impatiently “…talk
while you’re getting in Edward’s lap”
Leaving out a huff Bella dropped the fur to the floor and my dick shot
to life.
Fucking beautiful
My own personal Aphrodite; settling her body into my lap and curling
herself up into a semi fetal position making me shift my weight to hold her to
me.
“That’s great, now do the same thing you did before”
Ignoring her sister, Bella rested her head against my shoulder and I
set about getting my submissive back. It didn’t take long for the tension to
leave or for the two of us to get lost within each other. Stoking her arm I
kissed her forehead before resting my cheek on her head while I asked quietly
“Did you have a nice lunch with my mother nâhtötse?”
“Ah, uh” nodding childishly while she snuggled in closer to my chest
“That’s good, what did you eat?”
“Linguini and clams” shifting her head to look up at me she added “Connie
says hello”
“Who?”
A satisfied smile played at her lips “Connie, she’s the hostess at the
restaurant”
Try as I may it just wasn’t coming to me who Bella was talking about, still
I had to know “Does it bother you she said something?”
Biting her lip Bella seemed to think about it before saying “No…not
really…” she played with the loosened knot of my tie and glanced at me through
her lashes “…you can’t help it you’re so irresistible”
The words along with the childish voice making me chuckle “only for you
love…you’re the only one who I want to be appealing for”
“Leah…where are you!” at Jacob’s voice Bella stiffened in my arms, Seth
ran towards the sound of his voice and Leah yelled “Don’t come in Jake!”
But it was too late
“Damn!” Jacob’s eyes widened and he spun around so fast I think I saw
the blur from the air moving “It’s like Déjà vu …can’t you keep your fucking
clothes on?”
It was Déjà vu and the irony was not lost on either Bella or me.
I was sure her face was beet red as she giggled into my neck and although
my girl lay completely bare in my lap I couldn’t help but chuckle. In part
because I knew the position Bella was in didn’t afford Jacob a view of anything
except a butt cheek. More importantly he just didn’t look at Bella in a way
that would make me uncomfortable.
“Oh you can’t see anything…” Leah came to our defense “…besides wait
until you see the pictures”
“I don’t want to see the pictures” he grumbled walking out of the room
before calling out “I want to bleach my fucking brain.”
Leah snickered as she struggled to bend over her belly to get the fur
wrap off the floor, handing it to Bella while she warned her husband “Stop cursing,
I swear if my baby’s first word is fuck…”
“The baby’s not even here yet” Jacob called from the outside the door
while Bella gave me a smirk as she stood tucking the blanket around her like a
towel.
“It doesn’t matter you should be practicing, besides you know damn well
the baby can hear you from inside me…the poor thing’s going to be born
wondering what ‘fucking’ is.”
“He already knows what fucking is, that’s how he got there after all”
Leah scowled at Jacob’s comeback but didn’t get to say anything as he called
out “Is it safe to come in yet?”
“Yes…” Bella said moving to go behind the screen to dress.
Jacob gave me a hard scowl when I passed him while putting the chair back
into the corner causing me to defend myself “It wasn’t my idea”
“Yeah well…you certainly didn’t look like you objected”
Why in the world would I object?
“And you could have put your foot down to refused” glaring from me to
his wife -who was attaching her camera to the computer – Jacob grumble “turning my house into the god damn playboy
mansion…and I get yelled at for saying fuck”
Reemerging from behind the partition Bella giggled earning her a glare
from Jacob too and Leah became excited as she flipped through the photo’s “Come
here Heff look at how great these turned out”
Bella began to move towards her sister but Jacob stood his ground “I
told you…I Don’t Want To See Them!
Now will you turn that shit off because it’s already after five and the lab
closes at six…”
As if she forgotten about the time Leah glanced over to the clock “Oh
wow…ok”
It was like a whirlwind to get out of the house, Bella shoved the
clothes I had been wearing into her tote, hooked Seth onto his leash and after
hugging her sister and smiling slyly at Jacob the four of us left together. On
the short ride home Bella told me Leah was slightly extra grouchy because she
hadn’t been allowed to eat anything since noon. Apparently there was some sort
of blood work she needed which required a six hour fast.
Pulling into the driveway I wondered “Is everything alright with the
baby?”
“Yes...it’s just a standard glucose check. Normally they do it in the
morning but since Jake has work and he didn’t want her out by herself…”
“She had to do it in the evening” I surmised and was surprised when
Bella giggled “Yeah…so she was starving and …” she laughed slightly harder
“…and blaming me”
It didn’t seem like something to laugh about “What’s so funny about
blaming you”
“She was being such a bitch…” the giggles getting stronger “…I kept
telling her all about the food I ate…especially the chocolate cake…” wiping the
tears from her eyes Bella added “…she got so mad…” the laugher abruptly stopped
as Bella glared at me and claimed “…Serves her right!”
Wow…my girl can be vindictive
“Remind me to not get on your side babe” I said with a chuckle as I got
out of the car.
Taking the things Bella had brought to Leah’s upstairs with me, I
changed back into the jeans and sweatshirt while Bella went to start on dinner.
She might have thought it a bit of revenge to tease her sister with being able
to eat but she wanted to at least have a snack prepared for when they arrived.
In my estimation it sounded like a good idea, heaven help us if Leah got here
and there was no food ready.
Coming back downstairs I was going to see if Bella needed any help when the doorbell rang announcing the arrival
of our overnight guest.
Alice had Mia perched on one hip, an overnight bag slug over the other
shoulder and an overly excited little boy holding his own bag standing next to
her.
“You changed the locks; I can’t get in the house Edward”
“Well hello to you too Alice” I said as Bella came from the kitchen to
greet them with a cheerful “Hi guys”
“Hi Bella” Alice was still rather stoic setting Mia down – who ran to
Bella with a gleeful ‘Unt Ella’
- before handing me the overly packed
bag.
“You didn’t give me the code Edward” we were still on the door
situation.
“I didn’t give it to anyone” trying to pacify Alice was like trying to
control the weather – it just wasn’t happening.
“What if there is an emergency, how are we supposed to get in?”
It didn’t figure into my calculations, each one of my family members
always had a key to my home the same as I did to theirs. In part for easy
access but more importantly in case of accidental lock out, with a keyless
entry on our door that was no longer a concern.
The only reason to give anyone the code was out of courtesy and with
Bella living here I just wasn’t comfortable with so many people knowing it. Not
that I didn’t trust them to keep it a secret but more out of respect for her.
After all the first weekend she was here Emmett had already busted in on us
while she wasn’t exactly dressed for company. Of course since that time he had
gotten a much better eyeful of the goods – sort of speaking. Still until I spoke with Bella my family
would have understand, it wasn’t just my privacy anymore.
“If that should happen the security company will notify the authorizes
and if the need arises while we are away, then you’ll have to call me for the
codes”
My sister’s eyes narrowed “Are you serious?”
Bella who had been speaking with Vinny about all the toys he had in his
bag, recognized my sister’s tone of voice and took the two kids into the
kitchen leaving me to deal with Alice.
“Yes I am very serious. This is not only my house anymore, Bella lives
here too and until I’ve discussed it with her…”
“So you need Bella’s permissions to do something with your house that you pay for” the animosity coming from my sister was totally
uncalled for as was the next statement. “Just tell her ‘this is the way it is’ and if she don’t like it, then too bad”
“What is your problem?”
“Nothing…I had a really bad day and all I wanted to do was drop off
Vinny but I get to the door and the whole lock system is changed…” glancing
around past entrance way Alice huffed “…look at this place, the whole house is
different…what is she taking over or something?”
Following her lead I too looked around, it was as clean as it always
was yet it was homey, Granny V would have called it ‘lived in’. Small touches of Bella’s existence seemed to be
everywhere adding to the warmth of the home which made my sisters ire all the
more unreasonable because I liked it.
“Alice do you have something against Bella?”
“No of course not, I like Bella in fact I spent almost two hours on the
phone with mom this afternoon talking about nothing but Bella”
Something in the way she said the word but made me wonder “What about Bella?”
Alice rolled her eyes “Mom was telling me how great their lunch went
and wonderful she thinks Bella is for you and how much she likes her. She kept
going on and on about wedding plans, where to hold a bridal shower and the
engagement party. I swear mom was more
excited about planning a wedding for you and Bella then she was mine”
Oh…that’s the problem
Alice was a generous person who loved her family and cared for her
friends but she was also a bit of a ‘princess’. She was not only the youngest
but also the only girl and our parents – along with Emmett and me and
especially Jasper – had spoiled her. My sister was used to being the center of
attention, she expected, even demanded us to cater to her. At that moment Bella
was the shiny new toy making Alice have to step out of the limelight and like
any spoiled brat who wasn’t getting her way, she was throwing a tantrum.
Looking over my shoulder I was glad to see the swinging door to the
kitchen had been closed as I didn’t want our conversation to be overheard. “ I
really wish you and mom would not be making plans without Bella’s input, especially
since I don’t even have the ring yet or an answer from her.”
“Oh… like she’s going to turn you down.” The conceitedness coming
through loud and clear “please Edward…Bella Swan becoming a Cullen is like
dream come true.”
Something in the way Alice spoke gave me a slightly nauseous feeling in
my stomach “You make it sound like Bella is the only one gaining from our
union”
“You know the family she comes from Edward, for god’s sake Bella told you
she wore clothes brought at yard sales.
Why in the world would she turn down the finical stability you can give her…”
I was completely stunned by what was being implied “We love each other
Alice”
“I know” the smile she gave not completely reaching her eyes “but you
have to admit, coming from the life she had to what you can give her …”
“You know Bella is finically stable, she has her own portfolio” which
reminded me to have Bella make an appointment with Financial Advisor.
“I know…but it’s nothing compared to ours…” she seemed to think for a moment
“…you should make sure to see a lawyer about a pre-nup…”
“What?” That was totally uncalled for “Did you have one?”
My question caused her to look at me like I had just slapped her “of
course not…but Jazzy and I come from the same place…I’m not saying Bella
doesn’t love you, but she’s already been divorced once…”
“And you know why, you’re the one who told mom he was an asshole”
“Right…” the smug smile was back “…and she knew what he was like but married
him anyway. I like Bella, she’s my friend and she’ll be my sister but I just
don’t want her to get tired of your lifestyle like she did with her first
husband.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You think Bella enjoyed what was
done to her…”
“Look Edward when we were at the beach Rose was reading some stupid
survey and the question was ‘have you ever regretted sleeping with someone’.
Bella said ‘yes’ she regretted every time with him.” Raising her eyebrow she
asked “If it was so bad, why would she marry him?”
There was a time when I asked myself the same question, however since
then I had come to understand my girl so well that I knew the answer. I could
have gotten all psychological on Alice, explaining Bella’s abandonment issues,
lack of confidence and isolation from her peers. All of which made her easy
prey to a calculating psychopath hell bent on getting what he wanted. However
none of those things were any of my sister’s business instead I gave a basic
reply.
“Bella was young when she married him; she made a mistake that a lot of
small town girls make”
“Exactly Edward…Bella is small
town who wants to live big city
life. And judging from the way the house looks” waving her hand like a game
show hostess “you’re giving her exactly what she wants.”
I had no idea what that meant, there were a few personal touches, nothing
of any great expense, in fact everything was brought from Bella’s house. In the
six weeks she had been living with me no furniture had been added, no major
appliance had been replaced and there had been no remodeling of rooms. I didn’t
count the master bath because that had already been a planned event way before
Bella’s arrival. Although I did upgrade to the luxury model tub - with her in
mind – it was still my doing not hers and in the long run would pay for itself
in added value to the house.
So I was majorly confused
“I thought you said you liked Bella?”
“I do…all I’m saying is she’s not like us”
“You mean those of us who have an Ivy League educations” It was
childish on my part because I knew damn well Jasper could have gone to a
prestigious college had his parents backed him up. But Alice was a completely
different story…”Oh…that’s right I guess in that instance you would be less
like me then Bella”
Yeah that pissed her off
“I don’t want to fight with you Edward and believe it or not I’m very
happy for you and Bella. It’s just there are obstacles I’m not sure you’re
considering”
Because I’m a glutton for punishment or maybe I just wanted this all
out in the open, I prompted “Such as?”
Cocking her head to the side Alice asked “Do you know if she was
married in a Catholic Church?”
At my shrug she made it a point to fill me in on why that was important
“If she was then she’ll have to get an annulment to be married again, that’s
going to take some time and a signature from her ex-husband.”
“Then we’ll get married
someplace else” it seemed simple enough to me however Alice was livid
“What? Mom would have a fit; in fact I’ll bet she wouldn’t attend if
you don’t get married at the church”
“That would be her loss. For all I care it wouldn’t matter to me if we
got married at the drive through chapel in Vegas.”
“You’re serious?”
Narrowing my eyes I made it clear this conversation was not going to
end in a way that would make Alice happy
“I am dead serious. And whoever doesn’t like it, can kiss my ass. That
includes you, mom or the fucking man in the moon.”
“You really would choose Bella over your family?”
Was she fucking serious?
“Hopefully Bella is going to be my wife…that makes her the closest
family member I have.”
I had no idea how our conversation went from Alice not having keys to
the house to me basically giving my sister an ultimatum, yet that’s what
happened, and she was not at all happy.
“Maybe it’s not a good idea for my son to stay here”
“Why?” she could be mad at me but Vinny didn’t do anything.
“I just don’t think this is the best atmosphere for my child to be exposed
to”
Her comment was totally uncalled for and I wasn’t going to just cower
away from her pompous attitude “When the hell did you get so fucking condescending?”
Her mouth dropped open “I’m taking my son home!”
I wasn’t going to beg her however I thought maybe it might be possible
to appeal to her sense of fairness.
“Alice, I have no idea where all this hostility came from or what makes
you think Vinny would be unsafe under my care. But that little boy in there has
been excited about spending the night since last week. Bella planned an evening
full of games and movies and tomorrow I was taking him to lunch. If you want to
be annoyed at me, for whatever reason, go right ahead. I have broad shoulders
so I can handle it, however taking your resentment out on your son, is uncalled
for. ”
“You think I’m a bad mother?”
What the fuck is up with women?
I began to wonder if Alice was – as Jacob put it - on the rag
“I would never say that and you know damn well I think you’re a great
mother who loves her children and wants nothing but the best for them. All I’m
saying is you’re annoyed at me and letting that get in the way of your
judgment. Just please step back, calm down and think for minute before making a
decision”
There really was no sense in Alice being so angry and she was
definitely angry, standing there staring daggers at me for what seemed like an
eternity.
After a few minutes calmness returned to Alice’s features as she sighed
“I’m sorry…” moisture filled her eyes “…it’s just been a really bad day…” tears
falling from her eyes “…all I wanted to do…” she started gasping for breath as
she sobbed “…if I have to spend…the next nine months listening to mom…”
“Shhhh…it’s ok Alice” I said wrapping my arms around her and letting
her cry.
When she wouldn’t stop I was beginning to get worried. Granted the only
emotional female I ever really comforted was Bella, normally she would calm
down in my arms; Alice just seemed to get worse.
Then the tears stopped as suddenly as they had started, sniffling as
she stepped away from me Alice gave me a sad smile. “I didn’t mean any of that
stuff Edward…honest, I’m so happy for you…”
The tears began to flow again while she spoke through stuttering
breathes “…I rea…really am…you’re nev…never going to be …alone…ever again…you’re…going
to ..get…get everything…you de…deserve”
“Are you alright Alice?” I was beginning to wonder if my sister was on
some kind medication
“I’m fine” she said with a half-smile wiping her cheeks with the back
of her hand “let me go get Mia and say good bye to Vinny”
I stood there dumbfounded, we had just been through one of the worse
disagreements we’ve had in a long time followed by a crying fit and then she
was acting like nothing had happened.
She was fucking crazy and a mess “Do you want to go wash your face
first”
“Yeah…that would be a good idea” she said before expectantly jumping up
to hug me “I love you big brother”
“I love you too Alice” I said patting her back “But right now your
scaring the shit out of me”
And as if the barrage of emotions hadn’t been enough - she fucking
laughed
Women…what the fuck is the matter
with them?
