Chapter One: Drama
“Bella, will bạn just sit down already? bạn are wasting time diễn xuất like such a child.”
I sighed as I looked at my yêu thích sister. To me this whole thing was completely pointless, why should I have to get all dressed up for school? No one was going to be looking at our clothes; they would be too mesmerized bởi our beauty. I decided, yet again, to voice this opinion, though I knew it wasn’t going to help me much.
“Alice, why can’t I wear jeans and a tee-shirt like the rest of the students? I thought we were supposed to be fitting in, not wearing clothes that shriek ‘look at me, look at me!” I sighed again and rested my chin on my fist.
“I found this great blue outfit for bạn when I went shopping yesterday,” she continued as if she hadn’t heard me at all, “You know how much Edward likes it when bạn wear blue.”
“Are bạn going to dress Renesmee up like a little doll too?” I griped. I really hated it when Alice dressed me, I didn’t think that was ever going to change. In the ten years that I had been a Cullen I had fought Alice at every turn. Unfortunately my sister is just as stubborn as I am.
“Unlike you, your daughter has exquisite taste in clothes. I firmly believe she got that from me,” Alice sniffed as she held up the beautiful blue áo cánh, blouse and designer jeans she was about to force me into.
“She isn’t even your blood relative,” I pointed out. Not that we ever really thought about that, the Cullen’s (though none blood related) were the closest, most loving family I had ever met. I really was blessed to be one of them.
“Mom, stop fighting with Aunt Alice.” My daughter strolled into Alice’s bathroom and perched herself on the counter in front of me. I could tell she had just awoken because her eyes were still heavy with sleep and her hair was in a tousled mess around her shoulders. Even first thing in the morning she was still the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my life.
“Is Jacob up yet?” I asked her as Alice started to curl my hair.
“No, he was up late last night wrestling with Uncle Emmett. I figured I would let him sleep for a little while longer,” she đã đưa ý kiến with a wide grin, hiển thị off her beautiful, milky white teeth.
“He does know that it’s your first official ngày of school doesn’t he?” Alice asked.
Renesmee nodded and grabbed one of the many brushes off the counter and began to straighten herself up a bit. “He thinks it’s funny that I’m small enough to pass for a freshman in high school. I guess that way I get to be in a lot of the same classes as bạn and dad, right?”
For once I was grateful that my daughter took after me with her slight build. It made it a lot easier for us to pass as younger than we were. “Your father told me that he made sure bạn had every class with someone, whether it is us hoặc Alice. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.” Honestly I was thêm worried about myself than my daughter. She had grown up knowing what she was and how she would have to act. She had never known a different life. I, on the other hand, had been part of this mythical world for only a third of my life. I was a terrible liar and didn’t have much practice with being a young member of this incredibly odd family.
“Everything is going to be fine, Bella,” Alice reassured me. I guessed that she could feel the sudden tension in my body. She pulled my curls into a loose ponytail at the back of my neck, letting them cascade over my shoulder and down my back like a mahogany waterfall. She pulled a few tendrils free and curled them around my face, letting it frame my face softly.
“Thanks, it looks great,” I admitted and pulled her into a hug. She chuckled and tugged gently on my ponytail.
“Go on and get dressed, make sure Edward doesn’t mess up your hair,” she đã đưa ý kiến knowingly. “I mean it; I can see exactly what will happen when bạn walk back into your room.”
If I could have blushed I would have, because I knew exactly what Alice was referring to. I also knew she was absolutely right. It wasn’t only her special talent of seeing into the future that let her know, it was also a very acute knowledge of Edward and my relationship. Even after ten years of marriage we still had a hard time being in the same room together and not embarrassing everyone in it.
“Mom, what are those kids at school going to think if bạn jump dad in the middle of class?” my daughter asked with knowing eyes. I hung my head and groaned as Alice chuckled again.
“They will behave themselves at school,” Alice đã đưa ý kiến her silvery laughter still ringing in the air. “Edward has enough discipline to make sure Bella behaves herself.”
Right, it was always my fault.
“All right, if bạn two are done teasing me I’m going to spend some time with my husband,” I đã đưa ý kiến and walked out of the room, laughter following behind me.
I flew down the hall, not wanting to waste a một giây of my precious time with Edward. He must have heard my steps because he threw the door open and caught me in his arms before I could reach for the knob. “Hello beautiful,” he whispered into my hair.
I wrapped my arms as tight about him as I could. I never got tired of being in his arms; it was the only heaven I had ever wanted. “Hey,” I replied, pressing my lips to his neck. “Alice wants me to remind you…”
“… not to muss your hair, I know, I can hear her thoughts from here. She is practically screaming at me,” Edward laughed and I joined in. I couldn’t read minds like my husband, but I knew that he was probably right. Alice tended to get a little upset when her wishes were disobeyed. “I will be very, very careful,” he promised.
He pulled me into our room and closed the door behind us, not that it would help much in a house where everyone had super sensitive hearing. Before I could say a word to him he was kissing me earnestly, as though hinting at things to come. He was careful to leave my hair untouched, though I knew if we kept this up Alice would be bursting into our room and kidnapping me.
I pushed Edward away from me gently but firmly. “We can’t get carried away, Alice will kill us,” I whispered against his lips. He laughed, his sweet breath blowing in my face.
“Okay, but after we get trang chủ from school all bets are off,” he đã đưa ý kiến and winked at me.
I grabbed his hand and led him to the black leather đi văng in the corner of our room. “Speaking of school, bạn never told me what story we are using here. It’s got to be thêm complex than when bạn were in Forks. There are seven of us now.” I was curious; their story had been relatively simple when I met them, though I had quickly discovered their ruse. Edward was so sincere and intelligent that anyone listening to him couldn’t help but believe him.
He draped his arm over the back of the sofa and let his hand rest lightly on my shoulder. “Carlisle and Esme have been married since they were very young, high school sweethearts. They both wanted to have a big family but Esme was unable to have children, so they adopted Emmett, Alice, Renesmee and I. They didn’t mind adopting older children. Renesmee and I are twins; we look too much alike not to be. Rosalie and Jasper is Carlisle’s niece and nephew, his sister and her husband were in a terrible car accident when they were younger so Carlisle and Esme took them in. Your father is Esme’s cousin and bạn are living with us because your parents moved out of the country and bạn would rather experience High School in the states. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper are going to be sophomores and Alice, Nessie, bạn and I are going to be freshman.”
I stared at Edward in amazement. Only he could tell a story like that and have it sound completely believable. “I’m impressed,” I admitted. “It does sound plausible.”
“Of course it does, it was my idea,” he teased. I laughed and kissed him lightly.
“Do we really have all of our classes together?” I asked him curiously. I knew it would be easier on me if we did, I still didn’t know how well I was going to play my part.
He took my hand in his and entwined our fingers together. “Bella, love, I wouldn’t make bạn do this if I wasn’t positive that I could keep an eye on bạn every một giây we are there. bạn know how I worry about bạn the moment bạn leave me,” he reminded me and brought my hand to his lips, kissing the skin gently.
“Nessie asked about that too, if she had classes with us,” I breathed. His lips were now trailing up my arm, slow and seductive; it was enough to drive every thought from my head. Lucky for me I now had the capacity to concentrate on numerous things at once.
“She will fit in so much easier than the rest of us. She may be the most beautiful, but she is also the most human. The children at this school won’t even think twice about accepting her into their groups. However, I am almost as protective of our daughter as I am of you. She won’t have a single class without one of the family there. Besides, Jacob might appreciate if we keep the young men away from his wife,” Edward laughed at the thought.
I grimaced a bit. It was still hard to believe that my best friend was also my son-in-law. As a mother though I could imagine how protective I was going to be of Renesmee all day. Edward was going to be worse, he already had the tendency to over react, but throw in a daughter and he was a nightmare. I felt sorry for any boy who got near Nessie. They would be facing her father, her uncles and if they got too friendly, an enraged husband. All the boys would see were a group of incredibly scary brothers, but hopefully that would be enough to deter them.
“What are bạn thinking about?” Edward asked as his lips grazed the skin of my throat. His breath was cool against my skin and I shivered.
“You really are too good at this,” I whispered. “You scare me sometimes.”
“After a dozen years together, I would hope I’m good at seducing you,” he đã đưa ý kiến with a chuckle. Before I could explain what I really meant his lips brushed mine, soft at first and then thêm demanding. I gave in opening my mouth to his, letting our tongues touch and caress the other. I felt a familiar tug in the pit of my stomach and knew that if I let him have his way Alice would murder both of us. Honestly, I didn’t think I would mind her fury as long as I got what I wanted… and what I wanted was to make tình yêu to my husband until we were forced to go to school.
Edward’s thoughts seemed to be headed in that same direction. Very carefully he shifted us until I was straddling him on the sofa. It was an awkward position but I didn’t care. My body was burning and the only thing on my mind was the delectable body under mine. His fingers slid through the thắt lưng, vành đai loops of my jeans and used them to pull our bodies even closer together. I moaned into his mouth, unable to help my body’s reaction to him. There was a loud knock on the door and I gasped, jumping away from him. Edward cursed and strode to the door, frustration etched into every marble inch of his face.
Alice stood in our doorway, her arms folded across her chest. “I thought I asked bạn both to make sure not to mess up your hair.”
I automatically reached up to touch the curls and loose ngựa con, ngựa, pony that Alice had put in my hair a short while cách đây and found everything perfectly in order. I glared at her. “Look, my hair is fine, can bạn leave now?”
“Do bạn forget that I can see exactly what would happen if I left the two of bạn alone together?” she asked, arching one perfect eyebrow. “No, I think it’s safer if I escort the two of bạn into the living room with the rest of the family to chaperone.”
I snorted at the word and Edward grinned at me. It was so absurd, being chaperoned when we were married and had an adult child. Alice didn’t seem to be joking, the look in her eyes đã đưa ý kiến she was deadly serious. I sighed, “Yes, warden.”
Edward laughed and took my hand. “She seems that way at times, doesn’t she?”
Alice didn’t think we were very funny. “Bella, bạn haven’t dressed for school yet! Edward, go downstairs and we will meet bạn there in a few minutes.”
“I’ve watched my wife undress before,” he reminded her. Alice snarled at him, baring her razor sharp teeth. Edward lifted his hands in mock surrender. “All right, I’ll be downstairs.”
He sprinted from the room gracefully and Alice turned her keen eyes on me. “I should have known better than to let bạn be alone with Edward. I thought bạn cared for me enough to do what I asked.”
I shrugged, ignoring the guilt trip she was trying to place on me. “You know I can’t help myself, Alice. He didn’t touch my hair did he?”
“He would have,” she đã đưa ý kiến knowingly and dragged me to the mirror. “Get dressed and then let me have a look at you.”
I couldn’t argue with her when she got like this. When it came to clothing, style and parties, Alice had to have her way. I knew it, but I didn’t have to like it. I stripped and changed into the jeans and bright blue áo cánh, blouse that she had picked for me. I looked longingly at the ratty jeans lying discarded on the floor and sighed. I did have to admit that my áo cánh, blouse looked great on me. It had a ruffled scooped neckline, hiển thị the barest hint of a cleavage, clinging to my breasts and falling in loose folds around my flat stomach. I loved the blouse; Alice had a knack for knowing who would look good in any được trao outfit.
“All right Alice, bạn win. I look great; can I see my husband now?” I asked, turning to let her see the whole effect.
“You look better than great, bạn look stunning,” she reprimanded me gently. She took my hand and led me from the room and down the stairs to the living room.
Apparently Edward and I had been immersed in each other for longer than I had thought. Jacob was awake and attempting to get Nessie to eat breakfast while my daughter wrinkled her nose at it. “Come on, Nessie. bạn know bạn want a bite of my muffin,” he đã đưa ý kiến in his husky voice.
“I’d rather take down a mountain lion any day,” she replied and bit his ear in a playful way.
“You know Nessie, I don’t think he would taste very good, even in his chó sói, sói form,” Edward đã đưa ý kiến eyeing our daughter and my best friend with an exasperated look. Obviously Jake and Ness were being very playful this morning. The only thing that really bothered Edward anymore was our daughter’s gần đây marriage. Not that we could have done anything to stop the two of them, it had been inevitable, just like us. I had thêm hoặc less gotten used to seeing them together and it didn’t bother me anymore. I would rather see her with someone I also loved than with someone I didn’t know hoặc trust.
“His flavor is actually rather intriguing. bạn know, once bạn get past the woodsy scent…” Renesmee began but she was cut off bởi Edward.
“I don’t think I want to know,” he responded, holding his hands up in surrender. She laughed and flopped herself across Jacob’s lap. She looked like a tiny sứ, đồ sứ doll tiếp theo to her hulk of a husband.
Edward heard my muffled laughter from the doorway and immediately looked up at me. The moment our eyes locked I felt the familiar burst of lust wash through me. I heard a sigh behind me and Alice pushed me aside so she could enter our living room. “I swear, if we didn’t make bạn and Edward get out of giường bạn never would,” she grumbled.
Our family chuckled and I grinned sheepishly, walking across the room to sit with Edward. He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me enthusiastically. “I was beginning to wonder if Alice was going to keep bạn locked up until we left for school,” he told me and winked at his sister. Alice rolled her eyes and tucked her short spiky hair behind her ear.
“Are bạn trying to tell me that those sounds coming from bạn and Jasper’s room last night weren’t what I think it was?” Renesmee asked curiously. I grinned at my daughter and she winked at me. I loved how she always came to our defense. She had been raised to see the two of us never hide our affection for each other, she thought it was romantic.
Jasper gave a strangled cough and Emmett shot him a wicked look. “Wow, I thought bạn were just telling me last week that bạn and Alice have a very mature relationship. Didn’t bạn say that when bạn really tình yêu someone it doesn’t have to be physical?”
Alice glared daggers at Jasper while he spluttered his excuses. “I guess I’ll have to remember that in the future…”
“All right, that’s enough children,” Esme đã đưa ý kiến in a soft but firm voice. When she spoke everyone listened, we couldn’t help it. She had a commanding presence and we loved her so we always wanted to please her.
“Fine, we can take it outside,” Alice đã đưa ý kiến curtly and grabbed Jasper’s hand, dragging him out the door and outside so we couldn’t listen to them.
“You knew that was going to upset her,” Rosalie đã đưa ý kiến angrily and smacked Emmett in the back of the head. “Why do bạn always have to be so obnoxious? I bet he never đã đưa ý kiến that.”
“Okay, so that isn’t exactly what he said…” Emmett đã đưa ý kiến sheepishly and giving Rosalie the look of a wounded puppy.
“You might want to apologize to her, she is really upset,” Esme đã đưa ý kiến softly. Emmett nodded and ran out the door to head up the fight we all knew was coming.
Edward shook his head and looked down at me, still wrapped in his arms on his lap. “You wanted to be a part of this family, why? You’ll have to remind me what motivated bạn to make such an insane decision.”
I looked over at Renesmee and then back up at him. “If I hadn’t married bạn then we wouldn’t have Nessie… and I would have ended up with Jacob. Think about that for a minute,” I prompted him. Edward, Renesmee and Jacob all had the same look on their faces, abject horror and disgust.
“All right, never repeat that again, mom. I can’t believe bạn almost married my husband,” Renesmee shuddered and Jacob gave me an odd sort of grin.
“Well, bạn weren’t exactly in the picture yet, Nessie,” Jacob explained and she elbowed him in the side. “You really are a lot like your mom, stubborn and just a little bit crazy.”
She rolled her eyes and walked off to the kitchen. “I’m going to get bạn another muffin. It must be a lack of sugar hoặc something that’s making bạn act like an idiot.”
Jacob shook his head with silent laughter as she stalked off. “I really am glad she has your personality, Bella. I would have killed myself if I had imprinted on a female Edward.”
“If she hadn’t been exactly who she is, bạn would never have imprinted on her, Jacob,” I reminded him. He nodded thoughtfully and then grinned again.
“What are bạn grinning at?” Edward asked curiously.
“I just realized that with bạn guys heading to school and Carlisle going to work, I get the ti vi all to myself for once,” he explained. I burst out laughing, and Edward shook his head exasperatedly.
“I should have known there was a reason bạn decided not to go to school with us,” I teased. Edward chuckled in my ear and the sound brought heat to my stomach again. Damn, this was going to be a very long day.
“Oh yeah, the fact that I look like I’m in my twenties doesn’t give me away,” Jacob đã đưa ý kiến rolling his eyes. “I’m bigger than Emmett and I can’t exactly pull off sixteen the way bạn guys can. I wasn’t gifted with freezing at the exact age when my body changed.”
“I like the way bạn look,” Renesmee said, handing Jacob another bánh nướng xốp, muffin and curling up at his side. She stroked his cheek and he bent down and kissed her softly. My tim, trái tim may have been Nữ hoàng băng giá and dead, but it burned in my chest as I watched my daughter with the tình yêu of her life. My purpose in life always felt complete when I saw them together, they were like corresponding puzzle pieces, a perfect match. It was almost as wonderful as the way I felt every time Edward looked at me, his eyes glowing with tình yêu for me. How did I get lucky enough to have so much tình yêu in my life?
Alice and Jasper walked back into the living room, Emmett trailing behind them with a chua look on his face. The moment he stepped through the doorway Alice turned on him. “Now, bạn are going to tell everyone what Jasper really said. I don’t want everyone to think he is really that insensitive,” Alice demanded, pointing a finger in Emmett’s chest.
“Geez, bạn little monster,” he grumbled. Alice smacked him on the arm and continued glaring at him. “He đã đưa ý kiến that he was lucky to have bạn and even if there wasn’t a physical side to your relationship he would still be the luckiest man in the world because bạn tình yêu him.” Alice grinned up at Jasper and he smiled adoringly down at her.
“Well, I think that’s enough drama for one morning. If we stand around here bickering any longer we will be late for school,” Edward announced, motioning to the clock. It was a quarter to eight, school started in half an giờ and we still had to visit the office to get our school schedules.
There was a sudden flurry of activity as everyone gathered their school things together. Renesmee đã đưa ý kiến goodbye to Jacob and took a bite of his muffin, making a face as she did so. “Have a good ngày at school, Nessie,” he đã đưa ý kiến and squeezed her tight. He gave a slightly worried glance down at her head that was pressed against his chest. He caught Edward’s eye and Edward nodded. I figured Jacob was asking Edward to look out for her today.
“Love you, Jake,” she told him and pressed a quick peck to his lips. She tried to di chuyển away but he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her thoroughly.
“Love you, Ness,” he whispered in her ear and we all pretended not to hear him. I knew how worried he was about her being out of his reach for the tiếp theo few hours. Edward and I would watch out for her, she was our daughter after all.
When he let her go I walked over to give him a hug. “Don’t worry, we won’t let anything happen to her,” I promised him. He gave me a quick squeeze and released me just as fast.
“Please,” he mouthed and I nodded.
“No worries,” I mouthed back and then took Edward’s hand and walked out the door, ready for my first ngày of school as a vampire.
“Bella, will bạn just sit down already? bạn are wasting time diễn xuất like such a child.”
I sighed as I looked at my yêu thích sister. To me this whole thing was completely pointless, why should I have to get all dressed up for school? No one was going to be looking at our clothes; they would be too mesmerized bởi our beauty. I decided, yet again, to voice this opinion, though I knew it wasn’t going to help me much.
“Alice, why can’t I wear jeans and a tee-shirt like the rest of the students? I thought we were supposed to be fitting in, not wearing clothes that shriek ‘look at me, look at me!” I sighed again and rested my chin on my fist.
“I found this great blue outfit for bạn when I went shopping yesterday,” she continued as if she hadn’t heard me at all, “You know how much Edward likes it when bạn wear blue.”
“Are bạn going to dress Renesmee up like a little doll too?” I griped. I really hated it when Alice dressed me, I didn’t think that was ever going to change. In the ten years that I had been a Cullen I had fought Alice at every turn. Unfortunately my sister is just as stubborn as I am.
“Unlike you, your daughter has exquisite taste in clothes. I firmly believe she got that from me,” Alice sniffed as she held up the beautiful blue áo cánh, blouse and designer jeans she was about to force me into.
“She isn’t even your blood relative,” I pointed out. Not that we ever really thought about that, the Cullen’s (though none blood related) were the closest, most loving family I had ever met. I really was blessed to be one of them.
“Mom, stop fighting with Aunt Alice.” My daughter strolled into Alice’s bathroom and perched herself on the counter in front of me. I could tell she had just awoken because her eyes were still heavy with sleep and her hair was in a tousled mess around her shoulders. Even first thing in the morning she was still the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my life.
“Is Jacob up yet?” I asked her as Alice started to curl my hair.
“No, he was up late last night wrestling with Uncle Emmett. I figured I would let him sleep for a little while longer,” she đã đưa ý kiến with a wide grin, hiển thị off her beautiful, milky white teeth.
“He does know that it’s your first official ngày of school doesn’t he?” Alice asked.
Renesmee nodded and grabbed one of the many brushes off the counter and began to straighten herself up a bit. “He thinks it’s funny that I’m small enough to pass for a freshman in high school. I guess that way I get to be in a lot of the same classes as bạn and dad, right?”
For once I was grateful that my daughter took after me with her slight build. It made it a lot easier for us to pass as younger than we were. “Your father told me that he made sure bạn had every class with someone, whether it is us hoặc Alice. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.” Honestly I was thêm worried about myself than my daughter. She had grown up knowing what she was and how she would have to act. She had never known a different life. I, on the other hand, had been part of this mythical world for only a third of my life. I was a terrible liar and didn’t have much practice with being a young member of this incredibly odd family.
“Everything is going to be fine, Bella,” Alice reassured me. I guessed that she could feel the sudden tension in my body. She pulled my curls into a loose ponytail at the back of my neck, letting them cascade over my shoulder and down my back like a mahogany waterfall. She pulled a few tendrils free and curled them around my face, letting it frame my face softly.
“Thanks, it looks great,” I admitted and pulled her into a hug. She chuckled and tugged gently on my ponytail.
“Go on and get dressed, make sure Edward doesn’t mess up your hair,” she đã đưa ý kiến knowingly. “I mean it; I can see exactly what will happen when bạn walk back into your room.”
If I could have blushed I would have, because I knew exactly what Alice was referring to. I also knew she was absolutely right. It wasn’t only her special talent of seeing into the future that let her know, it was also a very acute knowledge of Edward and my relationship. Even after ten years of marriage we still had a hard time being in the same room together and not embarrassing everyone in it.
“Mom, what are those kids at school going to think if bạn jump dad in the middle of class?” my daughter asked with knowing eyes. I hung my head and groaned as Alice chuckled again.
“They will behave themselves at school,” Alice đã đưa ý kiến her silvery laughter still ringing in the air. “Edward has enough discipline to make sure Bella behaves herself.”
Right, it was always my fault.
“All right, if bạn two are done teasing me I’m going to spend some time with my husband,” I đã đưa ý kiến and walked out of the room, laughter following behind me.
I flew down the hall, not wanting to waste a một giây of my precious time with Edward. He must have heard my steps because he threw the door open and caught me in his arms before I could reach for the knob. “Hello beautiful,” he whispered into my hair.
I wrapped my arms as tight about him as I could. I never got tired of being in his arms; it was the only heaven I had ever wanted. “Hey,” I replied, pressing my lips to his neck. “Alice wants me to remind you…”
“… not to muss your hair, I know, I can hear her thoughts from here. She is practically screaming at me,” Edward laughed and I joined in. I couldn’t read minds like my husband, but I knew that he was probably right. Alice tended to get a little upset when her wishes were disobeyed. “I will be very, very careful,” he promised.
He pulled me into our room and closed the door behind us, not that it would help much in a house where everyone had super sensitive hearing. Before I could say a word to him he was kissing me earnestly, as though hinting at things to come. He was careful to leave my hair untouched, though I knew if we kept this up Alice would be bursting into our room and kidnapping me.
I pushed Edward away from me gently but firmly. “We can’t get carried away, Alice will kill us,” I whispered against his lips. He laughed, his sweet breath blowing in my face.
“Okay, but after we get trang chủ from school all bets are off,” he đã đưa ý kiến and winked at me.
I grabbed his hand and led him to the black leather đi văng in the corner of our room. “Speaking of school, bạn never told me what story we are using here. It’s got to be thêm complex than when bạn were in Forks. There are seven of us now.” I was curious; their story had been relatively simple when I met them, though I had quickly discovered their ruse. Edward was so sincere and intelligent that anyone listening to him couldn’t help but believe him.
He draped his arm over the back of the sofa and let his hand rest lightly on my shoulder. “Carlisle and Esme have been married since they were very young, high school sweethearts. They both wanted to have a big family but Esme was unable to have children, so they adopted Emmett, Alice, Renesmee and I. They didn’t mind adopting older children. Renesmee and I are twins; we look too much alike not to be. Rosalie and Jasper is Carlisle’s niece and nephew, his sister and her husband were in a terrible car accident when they were younger so Carlisle and Esme took them in. Your father is Esme’s cousin and bạn are living with us because your parents moved out of the country and bạn would rather experience High School in the states. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper are going to be sophomores and Alice, Nessie, bạn and I are going to be freshman.”
I stared at Edward in amazement. Only he could tell a story like that and have it sound completely believable. “I’m impressed,” I admitted. “It does sound plausible.”
“Of course it does, it was my idea,” he teased. I laughed and kissed him lightly.
“Do we really have all of our classes together?” I asked him curiously. I knew it would be easier on me if we did, I still didn’t know how well I was going to play my part.
He took my hand in his and entwined our fingers together. “Bella, love, I wouldn’t make bạn do this if I wasn’t positive that I could keep an eye on bạn every một giây we are there. bạn know how I worry about bạn the moment bạn leave me,” he reminded me and brought my hand to his lips, kissing the skin gently.
“Nessie asked about that too, if she had classes with us,” I breathed. His lips were now trailing up my arm, slow and seductive; it was enough to drive every thought from my head. Lucky for me I now had the capacity to concentrate on numerous things at once.
“She will fit in so much easier than the rest of us. She may be the most beautiful, but she is also the most human. The children at this school won’t even think twice about accepting her into their groups. However, I am almost as protective of our daughter as I am of you. She won’t have a single class without one of the family there. Besides, Jacob might appreciate if we keep the young men away from his wife,” Edward laughed at the thought.
I grimaced a bit. It was still hard to believe that my best friend was also my son-in-law. As a mother though I could imagine how protective I was going to be of Renesmee all day. Edward was going to be worse, he already had the tendency to over react, but throw in a daughter and he was a nightmare. I felt sorry for any boy who got near Nessie. They would be facing her father, her uncles and if they got too friendly, an enraged husband. All the boys would see were a group of incredibly scary brothers, but hopefully that would be enough to deter them.
“What are bạn thinking about?” Edward asked as his lips grazed the skin of my throat. His breath was cool against my skin and I shivered.
“You really are too good at this,” I whispered. “You scare me sometimes.”
“After a dozen years together, I would hope I’m good at seducing you,” he đã đưa ý kiến with a chuckle. Before I could explain what I really meant his lips brushed mine, soft at first and then thêm demanding. I gave in opening my mouth to his, letting our tongues touch and caress the other. I felt a familiar tug in the pit of my stomach and knew that if I let him have his way Alice would murder both of us. Honestly, I didn’t think I would mind her fury as long as I got what I wanted… and what I wanted was to make tình yêu to my husband until we were forced to go to school.
Edward’s thoughts seemed to be headed in that same direction. Very carefully he shifted us until I was straddling him on the sofa. It was an awkward position but I didn’t care. My body was burning and the only thing on my mind was the delectable body under mine. His fingers slid through the thắt lưng, vành đai loops of my jeans and used them to pull our bodies even closer together. I moaned into his mouth, unable to help my body’s reaction to him. There was a loud knock on the door and I gasped, jumping away from him. Edward cursed and strode to the door, frustration etched into every marble inch of his face.
Alice stood in our doorway, her arms folded across her chest. “I thought I asked bạn both to make sure not to mess up your hair.”
I automatically reached up to touch the curls and loose ngựa con, ngựa, pony that Alice had put in my hair a short while cách đây and found everything perfectly in order. I glared at her. “Look, my hair is fine, can bạn leave now?”
“Do bạn forget that I can see exactly what would happen if I left the two of bạn alone together?” she asked, arching one perfect eyebrow. “No, I think it’s safer if I escort the two of bạn into the living room with the rest of the family to chaperone.”
I snorted at the word and Edward grinned at me. It was so absurd, being chaperoned when we were married and had an adult child. Alice didn’t seem to be joking, the look in her eyes đã đưa ý kiến she was deadly serious. I sighed, “Yes, warden.”
Edward laughed and took my hand. “She seems that way at times, doesn’t she?”
Alice didn’t think we were very funny. “Bella, bạn haven’t dressed for school yet! Edward, go downstairs and we will meet bạn there in a few minutes.”
“I’ve watched my wife undress before,” he reminded her. Alice snarled at him, baring her razor sharp teeth. Edward lifted his hands in mock surrender. “All right, I’ll be downstairs.”
He sprinted from the room gracefully and Alice turned her keen eyes on me. “I should have known better than to let bạn be alone with Edward. I thought bạn cared for me enough to do what I asked.”
I shrugged, ignoring the guilt trip she was trying to place on me. “You know I can’t help myself, Alice. He didn’t touch my hair did he?”
“He would have,” she đã đưa ý kiến knowingly and dragged me to the mirror. “Get dressed and then let me have a look at you.”
I couldn’t argue with her when she got like this. When it came to clothing, style and parties, Alice had to have her way. I knew it, but I didn’t have to like it. I stripped and changed into the jeans and bright blue áo cánh, blouse that she had picked for me. I looked longingly at the ratty jeans lying discarded on the floor and sighed. I did have to admit that my áo cánh, blouse looked great on me. It had a ruffled scooped neckline, hiển thị the barest hint of a cleavage, clinging to my breasts and falling in loose folds around my flat stomach. I loved the blouse; Alice had a knack for knowing who would look good in any được trao outfit.
“All right Alice, bạn win. I look great; can I see my husband now?” I asked, turning to let her see the whole effect.
“You look better than great, bạn look stunning,” she reprimanded me gently. She took my hand and led me from the room and down the stairs to the living room.
Apparently Edward and I had been immersed in each other for longer than I had thought. Jacob was awake and attempting to get Nessie to eat breakfast while my daughter wrinkled her nose at it. “Come on, Nessie. bạn know bạn want a bite of my muffin,” he đã đưa ý kiến in his husky voice.
“I’d rather take down a mountain lion any day,” she replied and bit his ear in a playful way.
“You know Nessie, I don’t think he would taste very good, even in his chó sói, sói form,” Edward đã đưa ý kiến eyeing our daughter and my best friend with an exasperated look. Obviously Jake and Ness were being very playful this morning. The only thing that really bothered Edward anymore was our daughter’s gần đây marriage. Not that we could have done anything to stop the two of them, it had been inevitable, just like us. I had thêm hoặc less gotten used to seeing them together and it didn’t bother me anymore. I would rather see her with someone I also loved than with someone I didn’t know hoặc trust.
“His flavor is actually rather intriguing. bạn know, once bạn get past the woodsy scent…” Renesmee began but she was cut off bởi Edward.
“I don’t think I want to know,” he responded, holding his hands up in surrender. She laughed and flopped herself across Jacob’s lap. She looked like a tiny sứ, đồ sứ doll tiếp theo to her hulk of a husband.
Edward heard my muffled laughter from the doorway and immediately looked up at me. The moment our eyes locked I felt the familiar burst of lust wash through me. I heard a sigh behind me and Alice pushed me aside so she could enter our living room. “I swear, if we didn’t make bạn and Edward get out of giường bạn never would,” she grumbled.
Our family chuckled and I grinned sheepishly, walking across the room to sit with Edward. He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me enthusiastically. “I was beginning to wonder if Alice was going to keep bạn locked up until we left for school,” he told me and winked at his sister. Alice rolled her eyes and tucked her short spiky hair behind her ear.
“Are bạn trying to tell me that those sounds coming from bạn and Jasper’s room last night weren’t what I think it was?” Renesmee asked curiously. I grinned at my daughter and she winked at me. I loved how she always came to our defense. She had been raised to see the two of us never hide our affection for each other, she thought it was romantic.
Jasper gave a strangled cough and Emmett shot him a wicked look. “Wow, I thought bạn were just telling me last week that bạn and Alice have a very mature relationship. Didn’t bạn say that when bạn really tình yêu someone it doesn’t have to be physical?”
Alice glared daggers at Jasper while he spluttered his excuses. “I guess I’ll have to remember that in the future…”
“All right, that’s enough children,” Esme đã đưa ý kiến in a soft but firm voice. When she spoke everyone listened, we couldn’t help it. She had a commanding presence and we loved her so we always wanted to please her.
“Fine, we can take it outside,” Alice đã đưa ý kiến curtly and grabbed Jasper’s hand, dragging him out the door and outside so we couldn’t listen to them.
“You knew that was going to upset her,” Rosalie đã đưa ý kiến angrily and smacked Emmett in the back of the head. “Why do bạn always have to be so obnoxious? I bet he never đã đưa ý kiến that.”
“Okay, so that isn’t exactly what he said…” Emmett đã đưa ý kiến sheepishly and giving Rosalie the look of a wounded puppy.
“You might want to apologize to her, she is really upset,” Esme đã đưa ý kiến softly. Emmett nodded and ran out the door to head up the fight we all knew was coming.
Edward shook his head and looked down at me, still wrapped in his arms on his lap. “You wanted to be a part of this family, why? You’ll have to remind me what motivated bạn to make such an insane decision.”
I looked over at Renesmee and then back up at him. “If I hadn’t married bạn then we wouldn’t have Nessie… and I would have ended up with Jacob. Think about that for a minute,” I prompted him. Edward, Renesmee and Jacob all had the same look on their faces, abject horror and disgust.
“All right, never repeat that again, mom. I can’t believe bạn almost married my husband,” Renesmee shuddered and Jacob gave me an odd sort of grin.
“Well, bạn weren’t exactly in the picture yet, Nessie,” Jacob explained and she elbowed him in the side. “You really are a lot like your mom, stubborn and just a little bit crazy.”
She rolled her eyes and walked off to the kitchen. “I’m going to get bạn another muffin. It must be a lack of sugar hoặc something that’s making bạn act like an idiot.”
Jacob shook his head with silent laughter as she stalked off. “I really am glad she has your personality, Bella. I would have killed myself if I had imprinted on a female Edward.”
“If she hadn’t been exactly who she is, bạn would never have imprinted on her, Jacob,” I reminded him. He nodded thoughtfully and then grinned again.
“What are bạn grinning at?” Edward asked curiously.
“I just realized that with bạn guys heading to school and Carlisle going to work, I get the ti vi all to myself for once,” he explained. I burst out laughing, and Edward shook his head exasperatedly.
“I should have known there was a reason bạn decided not to go to school with us,” I teased. Edward chuckled in my ear and the sound brought heat to my stomach again. Damn, this was going to be a very long day.
“Oh yeah, the fact that I look like I’m in my twenties doesn’t give me away,” Jacob đã đưa ý kiến rolling his eyes. “I’m bigger than Emmett and I can’t exactly pull off sixteen the way bạn guys can. I wasn’t gifted with freezing at the exact age when my body changed.”
“I like the way bạn look,” Renesmee said, handing Jacob another bánh nướng xốp, muffin and curling up at his side. She stroked his cheek and he bent down and kissed her softly. My tim, trái tim may have been Nữ hoàng băng giá and dead, but it burned in my chest as I watched my daughter with the tình yêu of her life. My purpose in life always felt complete when I saw them together, they were like corresponding puzzle pieces, a perfect match. It was almost as wonderful as the way I felt every time Edward looked at me, his eyes glowing with tình yêu for me. How did I get lucky enough to have so much tình yêu in my life?
Alice and Jasper walked back into the living room, Emmett trailing behind them with a chua look on his face. The moment he stepped through the doorway Alice turned on him. “Now, bạn are going to tell everyone what Jasper really said. I don’t want everyone to think he is really that insensitive,” Alice demanded, pointing a finger in Emmett’s chest.
“Geez, bạn little monster,” he grumbled. Alice smacked him on the arm and continued glaring at him. “He đã đưa ý kiến that he was lucky to have bạn and even if there wasn’t a physical side to your relationship he would still be the luckiest man in the world because bạn tình yêu him.” Alice grinned up at Jasper and he smiled adoringly down at her.
“Well, I think that’s enough drama for one morning. If we stand around here bickering any longer we will be late for school,” Edward announced, motioning to the clock. It was a quarter to eight, school started in half an giờ and we still had to visit the office to get our school schedules.
There was a sudden flurry of activity as everyone gathered their school things together. Renesmee đã đưa ý kiến goodbye to Jacob and took a bite of his muffin, making a face as she did so. “Have a good ngày at school, Nessie,” he đã đưa ý kiến and squeezed her tight. He gave a slightly worried glance down at her head that was pressed against his chest. He caught Edward’s eye and Edward nodded. I figured Jacob was asking Edward to look out for her today.
“Love you, Jake,” she told him and pressed a quick peck to his lips. She tried to di chuyển away but he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her thoroughly.
“Love you, Ness,” he whispered in her ear and we all pretended not to hear him. I knew how worried he was about her being out of his reach for the tiếp theo few hours. Edward and I would watch out for her, she was our daughter after all.
When he let her go I walked over to give him a hug. “Don’t worry, we won’t let anything happen to her,” I promised him. He gave me a quick squeeze and released me just as fast.
“Please,” he mouthed and I nodded.
“No worries,” I mouthed back and then took Edward’s hand and walked out the door, ready for my first ngày of school as a vampire.