Chapter 44

EPOV

The sun was just beginning to rise when I looked over at the clock to see that we had another half hour before I would have to wake her up. Bella’s body was pressed up against me so tightly I could actually feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. I knew she was going to need the closeness throughout the night which was the reason we slept in her room. I wanted to give her the freedom to ask of me whatever she needed without the complication of the rules in my bed. For the most part she just needed the security of my constant touch and soothing words.

I had thought all week about what I was going to do with Bella once she was on the cross. I wanted to hear the sounds she made while the crop slapped against her sensitive areas, she didn’t disappoint. Once she figured out what the dildo was for, there was no stopping her and the sounds of wanton desire that came from her were exactly what I was looking for.

Bella was getting close and I was just about to ask her if she wanted her release when I noticed the subtle changes. Rather than the quick breathy pants the sounds that came from her were deep primal sighs. She stopped moving on the toy, resting her body back against the leather on the cross and let the sensations take over.

Dropping the crop I began to use the horse hair flogger, it covers a larger portion of skin but the hair absorbs some of the sting. Bella’s head sagged back while her whole face went slack and with each strike she went deeper into herself. She was absolutely exquisite and I kept her suspended there as long as I possibly could. Her skin was beginning to show signs of stress, turning a deeper shade of red. The sweat that covered Bella’s body matched my own as the muscles in my arm started to burn from the workout.

As I slowed the contact of the flogger to her skin she started to come back to reality. The sounds were turning once again to tension filled whimpers as tears came through the black sash running down over her cheeks. Bella’s body started to shiver and once I was sure she had all her senses back I dropped the flogger and quickly undid the restraints on her ankles.

As she mumbled incoherently through chattering teeth, I pressed my body against hers to give both support and much needed warmth. Her rambling was turning to high pitched panic as she worried she would fall. I reassured her that I was there while I undid her wrists and picked up her trembling body to carry her into the bathroom. I was so worried about her temperature control I didn’t even take the blindfold off her until I had her wrapped up in a robe. Once we were in the hot water she began to calm down and relax against me. We talked while I held her close to me until the water started to chill and then I carried her up to bed.

While Seth was outside I turned off the lights in the playroom and checked the locks on the front door. Having still not decided on a security code, my new system was running on the default code it came with. Checking on Seth, he was still running around the yard so I gave him a few more minutes before calling him to come in. When I got back up to Bella the look in her eyes was one of desperation and before I could say anything she was in my arms whimpering through her tears.

I shouldn’t have left her alone that long but unfortunately there are some things that just cannot be rushed and one of them is the dog. I knew she was going to need reassurance, closeness, and a lot of tender touching.

Laying her back in bed the tears were still falling, Bella had no idea what had happened to her or why she was feeling the emotional strain. The explanation would wait until the morning when she wasn’t so tired or vulnerable. She wanted me to make love to her and I did, holding her as close and tenderly as I could while whispering words of endearment. The most forceful I became was to hold the fullness of her bottom to tilt her hips so she could reach her release right before I did the same thing.

Kissing her tears away I kept her body tucked tightly against mine, until she fell asleep. Even then I continued to stroke the length of her back while I sang softly in her ear. She spent the night without so much as a twitch lying comfortably in my arms mumbling out my name while sighing ‘I love you.’

Holding Bella I had a surge of regret for the way that I had treated the other women who joined me in my playroom. There were times when they went into sub-space and afterwards there was no cuddling in the tub and definitely not in my bed. I would spend time with them on the couch talking, caring for their biological needs by getting them drinks or some food but I felt no need to physically comfort them. After a few hours when I was sure they were calmed down and back to complete reality I would send them on their way. A thought ran through my mind of some stranger doing that to Bella and I realized that I was callous, those women deserved better than that.

There was nothing I could about them, they were in the past; Bella on the other hand was another matter. She would never know the coldness of an indifferent dominant, I would see to that. She stirred in my arms, her head shifting ever so slightly telling me that she was waking.

Her chin lifted as she slowly moved the side of her face back and forth along my jaw, soft tingles ran down my spine from the warmth of her breath on my neck. “What are you doing?”

“Feeling your scruff.” Moving my head in the opposite direction her chin shifted so that it now skimmed along my jaw.

“Hmm…you like my scruff?” before she could answer I ran my chin down the length of her neck.

“Ohhhh…yeeesss,” as the words left her mouth my semi became solid wood. Add that to her hips shifting as her leg hooked around my thigh and I couldn’t help but flex my hips to find some friction.

“Put your hands over your head,” I told her continuing to move my chin down her chest to the top of her breast. As she complied her nipples peeked up over the sheet to say good morning and I watched Bella’s face while my chin moved along the hard nubs.

“Ahhh...,” a smile played on her face while she sighed out my name, “Edward.”

“What baby?” I asked skimming my jaw down over her ribs while blowing my breath across her skin making her giggle and squirm.

My hands moved along the sides of her body taking the blankets and sheets along with them. While I ran my morning stubble along the planes of her stomach I watched her hands begin to move.

“No, No, No,” I told her shaking my head while keeping my chin against her soft flesh, “keep them up there.”

“Oh,” the sound was almost one of pain making me grin while I moved my face back up her chest to rest in the valley between her breasts.

“Look at me,” her eyes opened to meet mine. “Tell me what you want, my Bella.”

“Fuck me…please.”

Now how could I say no to that?

My hands held her hips turning her slightly to lie more on her side, while I knelt over her one leg bringing the other up to my chest.“If you want to be fucked, you better hold on tight.”

Keeping a hold of her hips I groaned as I entered the warmth of her center, taking her fast and hard. The way she was positioned there was no way for her to move while I slammed my dick in and out of her.

“Oh …Fuck!” she yelled as her eyes bore into mine, my own grunts drowning out the sounds of her gasps.

Her arms started to move and I gripped her hips tighter pushing myself further into her, “I said hold on.”

She whimpered out a sigh then screamed out my name as she came undone around me. My own pleasure was increased as she squeezed her internal muscles making me have to concentrate to keep myself from cuming.

My heavy breathing matched Bella’s as I continued my pace. She started whimpering and I could see the muscles in her arms shaking as she held on to the top of the bed. I wanted to see her come undone once more so I lifted her bottom slightly and flexed my hips as I growled, “Again.”

Bella’s whole body went rigid and her back arched while primal wanton sounds escaped her throat. The pressure became too much and my legs shook while I came with a grunt deep inside her. “Fuck Bella…damn.”

My body was numb as I laid her leg to the side lying down over top of her sweat covered body. “Damn Baby…,” was all I could get out while I tried to catch my breath as the scent of sex hung in the air. Finally able to talk I confessed, “You take my breath away.”

“Yeaaahhh,” she exaggerated the word making me chuckle as her hands moved to cup my face she demanded. “Kiss me.”

I raised my eyebrows while she smirked, “Hey my bed, my rules.”

Our lips met in a small kiss which Bella deepened by holding the back of my head with her hands while drawing me in by parting her lips. The warmth coming off her body made me eager for more as my own hands wrapped underneath her shoulders pulling her body closer to mine. My dick that was still inside her twitched making me groan into her mouth, I had to force myself to break away.

“If you keep that up, we will never get out of this bed,” I spoke the words against her lips thinking that would cause her to abandon that particular course, but I should have known better.

She shifted wrapping her thighs around my hips using the heels of her feet to push on my ass while lifting her hips causing me to move inside her. Bella’s lips met mine briefly before tugging my bottom one between her teeth, letting go she asked shyly, “May I have some more…please?”

The difference between her actions and her words was so stark it was comical and I couldn’t help but laugh as I complied with her request.

While Bella took a shower I let Seth out and by the time I got back upstairs she was already dressed and drying her hair. I wanted to tell her that we would stop for coffee along with something quick to eat but it slipped my mind. When I got back downstairs Bella had made breakfast sandwiches and was pouring me a cup of coffee, which she presented to me without any hesitation.

“Thank you Isabella.” I said sitting at the table to a bowl of yogurt with mix berries and granola.

“You’re welcome Master, would like ham or sausage?”

“Ham please.”

Two seconds later the sandwich was in front of me and she was sitting eating her own breakfast. I watched her stir the bowl of yogurt all together and sprinkle cinnamon on top of it before I began talking about last night’s session.

“How do you feel this morning Isabella?” The spoon of yogurt was halfway to her mouth as she looked at me through her eyelashes while a deep blush covered her face.

Holy Shit

I would have thought that after our morning activities there would be no way I could be so easily aroused but that wasn’t the case. It was so damn sexy I had to shift around in my chair to get my dick in a more comfortable position and bite the inside of my lip to keep from groaning.

How the fuck does she do that to me?

“Ummm…fine?” her answer made me get my train of thought back.

“Fine, would you care to elaborate please?” She looked at me as if in complete confusion. So I figured I’d better clarify.

“Last night’s session was different for you, and I was wondering how you felt about it.” Bella put her spoon down and picked up the coffee mug taking a drink before answering.

“I don’t really know what happened last night.” Her eyes were imploring me to understand what she was saying and I could see her eyes glaze over with tears.

“It’s alright Isabella, tell me what you remember and what you felt.” She took another drink, cleared her throat and began to tell me all the feelings and how her body had reacted. I listened to her explanation with rampant interest when she was done there was only one question I had for her.

“Were you afraid?” She shook her head and I wanted to make sure, “Not at anytime?”

“No…I was never afraid.” Bella was absolutely certain about that.

“Good.”

I was glad about that, because with one word Bella just told me how much trust she had in me. For her to give herself over to the sensations is one thing, but when caught up in the heat of the moment it would be next to impossible for her to form a coherent thought. So she was relying on me to see that nothing happens to her while in that state. I suppose it could be equated to a deep hypnosis or someone under the influence of anesthesia. They cannot be responsible for what they say or do because their cognitive brain has basically shut down. Listening, I began to wonder if she knew what had happened to her. I was going to ask when she inquired of me.

“It was sub-space...wasn’t it?” I nodded but she went on, “I read about it, but I didn’t think it was real.”

That surprised me. “Why wouldn’t it be real?”

“I don’t know, it just sort of sounds like something that was made up. Like…Narnia,” she smiled making me chuckle.

“I assure you that the experience is very real, you can call it whatever you want.” Bella became really quiet and I started eating my sandwich waiting for her to get her thoughts together enough to tell me.

“Is that why I was so…emotionally needy?” I smiled at her.

“Yes, and clingy…” I figured I would finish the explanation, “…that was why we slept in your room last night. I wasn’t sure how you would respond throughout the night and I wanted you to feel free to ask of me whatever you needed.” I let that sink in and then added, “By the way, you did very well.”

Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. I touched the side of her face in reassurance, “You really did.”

Once Bella seemed to believe me I went on to explain, “The high levels of adrenalin and endorphins running through your system can cause strange reactions and you will be very dependent on me as they go back to normal. You need reassurance, tenderness, and understanding; all those things are to be expected.”

I thought maybe I would give her a heads up, “Tonight however we will be back in my bed and you will be tethered securely to it.” Bella’s eyes narrowed as she thought about it then her face relaxed and I believe her apprehension was exchanged for anticipation.

I looked over at the time on the microwave then at Bella’s uneaten sandwich. “Finish eating, we are going to have to leave soon or else we will be late.”

I watched as she cut her sandwich into small pieces then before putting it in her mouth she would squirt a strip of ketchup along the edge. Bella’s eating habits were rather amusing but I didn’t say anything, instead refilled my coffee and continued with our conversation.

“How about the rest of the evening, do you have any comments or complaints?”

Bella swallowed then wiped off her mouth before answering, “Did you really think I was jumpy?”

“You are still going to disagree with me,” her eyes didn’t waver so I asked, “don’t you think you were jumpy?” I turned it around to see what she thought about it.

“No, not really,” my eyes rose in disbelief and she responded to my expression. “Maybe a little,” she admitted with what sounded like regret before adding, “it’s the waiting that gets to me.”

Again I had to force myself to not show my amusement because the waiting was all part of the game and was intended to put her on edge, but there was no way in hell I was going to tell her that. If she was going to mess up at anytime it would more than likely be while waiting. The tension builds and her reactions to that stress give me a clue as to what kind of mood she is in or how I should proceed. As it was, last night she was rather relaxed and I needed to allow for the extra time it took for her to react to my scrutinizing gaze. Of course that information was once more not something I was planning to share with her, that knowledge was only for my benefit.

I could see her growing uncomfortable under my gaze and I waited a few more seconds before I spoke, “Isabella,” I raised my eyebrows at her flinch, “I see we are still jumpy.”

She smiled at me and since I had proved my point I moved on, asking her opinion on dinner last night. I wanted to know how she felt about being exposed while outside, and was happy that it did not seem to bother her. I know that my yard is fully fenced in giving privacy from the street and we were under the patio where neighbors could not see, however we were still outside.

If she had been uncomfortable to the point where self-consciousness took over then that would be something I would need to work on. However, Bella didn’t seem to have any problems with it so I was free to move onto the next level. This was important because she had indicated a desire for exhibitionism and she just past another hurdle towards that goal. It’s all in the baby steps.

“By the way, I really liked being fed,” Bella’s words brought me out of my conjecture.

“Yeah?” she nodded in agreement, “Hmmm,” I think she scowled at me it was only for a brief second and then the smile returned to her face.

“Yes, sitting on your lap while you fed me,” Bella’s words faltered before she added, “I just wanted to jump you.” I grinned at her admission but moved that little piece of knowledge to the back of my mind for future use.

I looked over at the clock again, “If you want to make it to the park by eight-thirty we have to leave.” Bella ate one more piece of her sandwich before she started to clean up the table.

I got Seth on his leash while Bella grabbed the doggy supplies, snacks, a few bottles of water and a some doo-doo bags. Before we left I had her kneel by the door with her eyes down to receive instructions.

“We will be in modified Isabella; you are to say my name only when absolutely necessary. You are to present yourself with eye contact, and follow my directions as given. You are to refer to yourself in the first person and most importantly, you are to conduct yourself in the knowledge of who you belong to.”

In all honesty I didn’t expect her to have any problems but she was going to need something that was a constant reminder that she was indeed owned so I added.

“You have a task to carry out for the remainder of the weekend.” I gave Bella the signal to look at me, once I had her full attention I explained.

“Your lips belong to me and I do not want anything to touch them without my permission. Nothing, not food, water, or even a toothbrush is to come in contact with my lips, unless I either give it to you, authorized it, or place it there myself. Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir.” I could tell that she had some reservations but we didn’t have time to talk about it, I figured I would clear up any questions on the drive over to the park.

“Good then let’s go.” I held my hand out to help her up, set the alarm and we left.

At first the car ride was quiet while Bella contemplated the assignment I gave her; I kept my mind occupied by watching Seth. He was in the back seat, both windows were open a few inches and he would pace back and forth between the two sides according to whatever caught his attention.

My attention however kept coming back to the woman fretting in the seat beside me. I wanted to tell her to just spit it out already, but Emmett’s advice about not rushing her came back to my mind. So even though it was killing me to not know what she was thinking I remained quiet and waited. Finally when I thought I was at the point where I was going to go stock raging mad she spoke.

“Master I…” Bella caught herself before I could say anything, “…your girl has questions…” I interrupted her.

“I thought she would, so tell me my pet what would you like to know?”

“Well, exactly what did you mean by nothing may touch this one’s lips?”

“Exactly what I said…,” we only had a few more blocks and she was going to have to be more precise with what she wanted to know.

“Master, does that mean that you will be feeding your girl the whole weekend?”

I sighed, “No Isabella. At times I will feed you but when we are around others that would be inappropriate. I will, however, place your food on the plate and you will be expected to eat what I supply. I will hand you a drink or give you a go ahead signal to allow you to partake if someone else gives it to you.”

She thought about that as I was turning into the park entrance and then noted, “But you said also a toothbrush?”

Pulling into a parking space and turning off the car I pivoted in my seat to look at her. “That’s correct.” I let that sink in for a second and then added, “It also applies to your fingers or a pencil or anything else that requires a hand to mouth motion.”

Bella sat quiet for a second narrowing her eyes and biting her lip while she thought about it before letting out a long sigh, “Master, that might be hard to do.”

“I’m not saying it will be easy and it will require your constant attention. But I know that if you set your mind to the task, you will be able to do it. Keep your mind on your actions. Pay attention and remember that those lips…,” I ran my thumb over the fullness of her lips, “…are mine. You would not think of sticking something in my mouth without permission from me, your mouth is mine, so do the same thing.”

Her eyes dropped as did her voice, “Will I,” she sighed, “will this one be punished if she fails?” I could see the worry in her face and when I had Bella look at me there were once again tears forming. I wondered what they were for but I answered her question.

“Isabella, the only way you fail is if you don’t try. I will not be pleased but I will remind you and just like anything else there will be repercussions. I would suggest that you not worry, enjoy the day but pay attention to what you are doing. Alright?” I smiled in reassurance.

Bella smiled back without any real joy, “Yes Master. This one will do her best to please you.”

“I have no doubt of that Isabella,” she always pleased me.

It was a nice day for a walk; the sun was shining and I was sure that by the time we were done here the weather would be quite warm. It wasn’t hard to see where everything was set up. Barriers surrounded a bunch of tables with balloons on them. A small portable stage had been set up off to the left and people were busy unloading boxes from the back of trucks and cars.

As we walked up Carol came to greet us. “Hey girl,” she hugged Bella then turned to me. “Oh Edward you are just what we need. Could you be a dear and help the DJ unload his stuff? He was supposed to be here a half hour ago.”

I smiled, “sure” then kissed Bella’s cheek before going over to help.

After introducing myself the DJ - who told me his name was Craig – I got down to work. We were about half way through when Jacob joined us and within no time at all we were done. Craig thanked us and we went to see what else needed to be done.

Bella was working with Leah on filling the large round plastic tubs with water and bags of ice. As I approached Bella stopped what she was doing to present herself, I quickly nodded telling her to continue what she was doing while I said hello to her sister.

“Hello Edward, you get roped into this too?” Leah said while bending down to pick up another case of water. I didn’t get to answer because my father called my name and when I turned he was coming to stand right next to me.

“Good morning Bella,” he said while clapping me on the shoulder.

“Good morning Carlisle, do you remember my sister Leah?” dad nodded while Bella introduced Jacob. Once the pleasantries was out of the way dad said he needed help bringing some boxes from his car.

Jacob and I followed him to find not his car but Emmett’s Jeep, the back of which was loaded with boxes from a local bakery along with several cases of hotdogs. My mother came from the front of the car and after I kissed her cheek and introduced Jacob she had us carry the boxes of what I assumed to be food.

Carol had the tables all set up and apparently her husband Bob and my dad were going to be on hotdog grill duty. I realized the sun was getting warmer and I was thirsty, so I knew Bella probably was too.

Seth was sitting over by a table with the backpack that Bella had brought. I wondered how she was keeping him in one spot and as I went to get a bottle of water I saw that his leash was attached to some sort of hook in the ground. I figured Bella must have brought it with her along with a small plastic bowl that sat next to him.

I squatted down to give him fresh water and scratched his head. “We’re almost done boy, then we’ll go for a walk.”

I was just about to get up when I was tackled from behind by a small body, “Uncle Eddie!”

I chuckled at Vinny’s happy voice, “hey buddy what’s up?” I asked him while I stood with him on my back.

“Uncle Emmett brought me. Mom’s coming later, she was mad because Mia pooped in her pants…” he whispered the last part in my ear then added, “Where is Aunt Bella?”

Aunt Bella?

It took me a second to get over the sound of those two words together before I could answer him, “She’s over there, let’s go find her.”

As we approached Bella was talking with two women I had not met, she stopped to meet my gaze then noticed the little head sticking out over my shoulder.

“Hi aunt Bella!” Vinny called out.

“Hey there little man,” she looked around then asked, “is your mom here?”

“Nooo,” I interrupted Vinny hoping to save the women standing there some of the gory details and explained. “Ah…there was a small accident, she’ll be here soon.”

Bella took the water bottle I held out while Vinny blurted, “Yeah Mia pooped in her pants, it stank!”

The three women laughed and Bella began to make introductions. “Ah…Peggy, Marissa this little guy is Vinny and this is …”

I cut her off to keep her from saying my name, “Edward Cullen.”

I gripped Vinny tighter with my left arm so I could shake hands with the women while Bella took a long drink before handing the bottle back to me with a thank you.

As I took a drink Marissa asked, “Aunt Bella?”

Bella sighed, “Vinny is Dr. Cullen’s grandson, his mom and I are friends.”

“Oh,” apparently these women understood that connection and Vinny decided to make it more personal.

“Mommy makes Aunt Bella red underwear.”

I almost choked on the water and the two woman laughed while Bella turned as red as the underwear.

“Vinny.” I tried to admonish him between my coughing but the women were just too intrigued to let it go.

“Red underwear?” before Vinny could embarrass her anymore Bella took control of the situation.

“Ok little man…,” she moved to take him off my back groaning from his weight, “…why don’t you come help me set up my work table?” Turning back to the women, “I’ll talk to you later.”

As we turned to leave them Peggy said with a giggle, “come on Bella, we want to hear about your red underwear!” Bella laughed holding my hand as we kept walking.

Set up was an easy process; there were six tables each with a different colored tablecloth and the boxes in the van had stickers on that corresponded with that color. It was defiantly well thought out and my kind of operation; Bella was set up at the green table.

Her job was to hand out pamphlets and general information on all the services and programs that the center holds. Which at the time I was not aware of all that they did or how well they provide for their clients. Bella pointed out the boxes that she needed even though the big green stickers on the top and side would have been a dead giveaway. Picking up the first one I actually grunted because it was heavier than I thought it would be. After putting it on the table I turned around to see Bella carrying another one.

“Isabella what are you doing?” I asked her while taking the box and then realized the one she had was heavier then the first one.

“I was carri…”

I cut her off before she could finish, “I thought you had a fifteen pound weight limit?”

“I do…”

I stared at her in confusion, “This box has to be at least forty pounds.”

She looked at me like a deer caught in the head lights. I wasn’t mad -much- I was more concerned for her. The woman made me perplexed if I was there, why would she take it upon herself to do something that could injure her? Setting the box down on the table I pulled Bella in for a hug and a quick kiss then added. “Isabella I don’t want you lifting things, I would rather you wait then take the risk of hurting yourself. So be a good girl and don’t do that anymore.”

The smile on her face lit up her eyes “Yes Sir, I believe I can handle that request”

“Good”

I brought the last two boxes over in one trip and Bella started placing the pamphlets from inside on the table while Vinny sat with Seth feeding him snacks. The DJ started running some music and it seemed like everything was good to go. Emmett pulled up in a golf cart with Jacob and Leah; they had gone around on the walking path filling up the tubs with water and ice.

People started coming to check in, walking around to the various tables taking pamphlets and stickers. The kids were getting their faces painted and the silent auction was underway. While Bella manned the table Vinny and I walked with Seth around. There were all kinds of things up for auction Photographers, DJ’s, Florist, Show Tickets, some kind of basket that surprised me to know was going for two hundred dollars.

Who the hell would pay two hundred dollars for a basket?

I placed a bid on Mariner tickets along with a Seahawks Jersey, and a day spa I thought maybe Bella would like. Taking Vinny back over to Bella’s table I was greeted with the blank stares of three women I didn’t know.

“Can I help you?” The tall woman with short blond spiky hair looked at me with trepidation.

“I was looking for Bella,” I had barely gotten the words out of my mouth when the older heavy set older woman asked.

“Who’s Bella?”

Who’s Bella?

These women were looking at me like a momma bear protecting its cub and I actually stumbled over my words as I spoke, “Ah…Isabella Swan? She’s my …girlfriend?”

“Ohhh…are you Edward?” The older woman’s face suddenly turned friendly.

“Yes. Edward Cullen” I told her holding my hand out for her to take, “Hi, I’m Karen,” the spiky blonde was next, “Sherry, it’s nice to meet you,” the last woman was medium height with shoulder length light brown hair, “hi, I’m Stacy.”

After the introductions the three women stood there staring at me until I asked again, “Do you know where Bella went?”

It was the older woman Karen who spoke up. “Oh yeah, sorry about that, it’s just we tend to be over protective. Um...Bella is right over there inside the van she will be right back.” I looked over at the white fifteen passenger van that I didn’t remember being there before.

“So Edward, you’re Dr. Cullen’s son?” I smiled at Karen’s attempt at small talk.

“Yes, I am.”

“He’s a nice man and a wonderful doctor.”

“Yes Dad’s great,” what else was I going to say to her?

“And what’s your name?” she looked down at Vinny who was playing with the pamphlets.

“Vincent Whitlock, at your service,” the three women seemed impressed as he held his hand out for them to shake. I had to admit I was rather impressed myself.

After a moment of levity thanks to Vinny, I was happy to see the van door opening and a woman I didn’t know along with Carol and Bella stepped out. They shut the door walked a few feet away and then had a very short conversation before breaking apart.

Carol moved over to where the DJ was set up and Bella was still talking to the woman as she walked towards me. She finally looked up to catch my gaze; I was so intent on trying to read her face that I neglected giving her the signal to continue. When I did she smiled at me before returning to her conversation.

“Hey, there you are…” Alice was alongside me, “…I was looking for you.”

I found that odd since the area we were in was open and it was set up in a horseshoe shape so we shouldn’t have been that hard to find, but as Vinny said hello to his mother I glanced over my shoulder and seen that the area had filled up.

“Hi Alice…wow there are a lot of people here,” I was stating the obvious but the crowd surprised me.

“Hey Bella,” my sister grabbed her in a one armed hug while balancing Mia on her other hip. When Alice released her, Bella introduced the woman she was talking to as Jean. After the pleasantries were exchanged Jean excused herself while I wrapped my arm around Bella’s shoulder tucking her against my side.

“Anyway…I made this big tray of Lasagna and I wondered if you wanted to come for dinner? Emmett and Rose are coming, the pool is open and Jaz turned the heater on this morning so it should be nice by tonight.”

Bella looked up to me waiting for my answer but I thought I would give her the choice, “Do you want to go?”

“Sure, for a little bit, saves me from cooking,” the grin on her face made me chuckle.

“Good…and you don’t need to bring anything, except your suits,” Alice had just finished talking when Carol took the microphone to make some announcements.

“On behave of the staff and clients I would like to thank you all for coming out this morning. We will be getting started in about ten minutes, those of you that have not signed in please do so now. I would like to thank all the volunteers that have come out this morning to help set up, your time and efforts are most appreciated. This year we have over three hundred registrants and between what the walkers have raised, corporate sponsors, as well as private donations, your efforts have raised over sixty-thousand dollars.” A round of applause went up, when it quieted down Carol continued.

“I would request that any runners be allowed to go first and then the walkers. There are tubs of water along the route feel free to help yourself, please dispose of all garbage in the bins provided and please clean up after your dogs. The auction results will be revealed around noon and there will be hotdogs and snacks provided when you return. Again, thank you all for your support.”

Once she was done there was another round of applause and it seemed like everyone was getting ready to begin. Emmett and Rose joined us as well as Jacob and Leah. It wasn’t much later that Craig the DJ did a small countdown and people started walking.

The trail was a wide paved path much like the park by my house, the girls walked ahead of us with Bella holding onto Seth. Vinny had asked to walk him, but soon grew tired and gave the leash back. About half way through he became tired of walking altogether and Emmett and I took turns carrying him on our backs.

Twice on the walk I handed Bella the bottle of water for her to take a drink. On the second time Emmett made a comment about me bottle feeding her but I let it slide. Towards the end of the path we had to stop for Seth to do his stuff while we waited Leah spoke up.

“Bells, do you want to come over for dinner?”

“Umm…actually we are going to Alice’s”

My sister spoke up, “Why don’t you and Jacob come over? There is plenty.”

Leah looked to her husband, “Ahh…” before she could answer Alice added, “All you need is your swim suit.”

“Oh… I already have dinner started at home.”

“Save it for tomorrow,” Bella suggested.

“I don’t know, Jake had his heart set on that chicken.”

I looked to Jacob he didn’t seem so convincing but he didn’t contradict her either.

“Maybe another night,” Leah said with a trace of sadness while Bella bent to pick up Seth’s mess.

“Ewwww…are you going to carry that Aunt Bella?” she laughed moving the doo doo bag in his direction. “No, I thought you were going to carry it?”

“I’m not carrying poop!” The poor little guy looked like he was going to be sick which only added to our amusement as we started walking again.

Alice was talking about some kind of Belly dancing class that she wanted to take and was wondering if anyone wanted to join her. I didn’t pay much attention because frankly thinking about my little sister dressed half naked and dancing in front of Jasper was not a picture I wanted to have in my head. But I did pay attention to what Bella said.

“Oh, that reminds me Leah. We are leaving Tuesday …” she didn’t get to finish because Leah’s excited voice cut her off.

“For Forks?”

“No, we’re going to Victoria for a few days, we’ll be in Forks on Friday as planned,” Bella explained.

Alice’s head turned back to ask me, “Are you guys staying at Abigail’s?”

“Yes…” it was the only word that I could get out.

“Oh, Bella! you are going to love it there.” Alice said with enthusiasm.

“Which room did you get?” Rose asked while Leah wondered, “Who’s Abigail?”

As we finished the walk Bella explained that it was a hotel and she didn’t remember what room we got and then ended by telling Alice that it looked very nice and it was an added bonus that we could take Seth. A lot of people had finished the walk ahead of us and they didn’t wait around so by the time we got back the area was fairly clear of people and Craig was announcing names of the people who won the auctions.

Leah, and Rose were going to leave and both hugged Bella but while Rose went over to say good-bye to Emmett, Bella and Leah were off to the side having a discussion. Looking to Jacob I wondered if I should go over there he shook his head.

“I know what you’re thinking Edward, but that…” he pointed over to the two women, “…is between the sisters, your best bet is to not get involved. Even if Bella tells you all about it, keep your opinions to yourself and don’t make any comments. Because when it comes right down to it, they love each other and they will stick together, because that’s what sisters do.”

I looked over at Bella she looked kind of angry then back to Jacob he must have seen the questions in my mind, “Dude I’m serious, I grew up with two sisters and these two…trust me, stay out of it.”

I was going to ask him what was going on but Alice came over to tell me that my mom needed help. There wasn’t very much left and she said that everything was to be put into Carol’s car to be taken to the center. When I came back Bella had all the pamphlets back into the boxes and ready for me to take back to the truck I had gotten them from.

On the way back Emmett stopped me to help him dump out the tubs and put them into the back of a truck. When we were done with that Mom handed us each some hotdogs wrapped in foil. Hotdogs are not my favorite but when you’re hungry they will do. I wanted to get Bella some food and on my way over to her I stopped dead in my tracks.

She had folded up the table and was attempting to carry it over to where the others were stacked. Emmett came up behind me to tell me he was going to head out and watched her in fascination as she struggled. I spoke loud enough that she could hear me.

“Emmett, how much do you think that table weighs?” Bella jumped at my words meeting my gaze before attempting that innocent look she gets.

Emmett chuckled, “At least half as much as little Bella.”

I looked at my brother, “Will you take that table from her before she hurts herself?”

“Sure,” he grinned when he picked up the table I asked him again how much it weighs, “Oh…I would say fifty to sixty pounds.”

As he took the table over my glare never left Bella, “Come, my mother sent you something to eat.”

“I’m sorry, I…” handing her the hotdog I interrupted her excuses.

“Eat Isabella, we will discuss this later.”

Mom and dad had already left by the time everything was loaded to be taken back to the center. Alice was keeping Bella company while Mia slept and Vinny ran around with Seth. When Bella met my gaze I asked her if she was ready to go, she said yes and we all walked out to the parking lot. Once the kids were in their car seats Alice gave Bella a hug, “See you in about an hour.”

I looked to Bella and then my sister, “You better give us two there is something I need to take care of.” When my gaze fell back to Bella she knew she was in trouble.