“Whoever planned this trip on the Friday before Halloween
was an idiot,” Edward grumbled.
“Be grateful that they don’t have to go dressed up,” Bella
said, checking her backpack. “I think it’s brilliant. The kids are out of the
building and spending the day at the aquarium. No classroom parties.” She
pulled out the letter and reread it. Bella was chaperoning Lucy’s group of five
little girls. Liam was in a separate group from students in his class. “I hope
that I don’t mess this up. I mean …”
“Bella, stop,” Edward said, walking to her. He left the
lunches he was packing on the kitchen counter. He took her face and caressed
her cheeks. “I trust you, baby. The kids trust you and you are going to be
fine.”
“But …”
“No buts,” he argued. “Have fun with the kids. Take lots of
pictures. And breathe.”
“I just have a bad feeling,” she whispered. “Ever since the
photo shoot, I feel like I’m being followed and …”
“You’ve told me, Bella. Your dad and Detective Clearwater is
going to have someone following you at a safe distance. And they’ve been
following you since I heard about Tanya’s move to some shithole apartment near
the university,” Edward grimaced.
“I’ve seen Seth and on occasion, my dad. We’ve had lunch at
school,” Bella said. “But, this is different. It’s when I’m working at the
library. I don’t know. Maybe I’m paranoid.”
“With Tanya, we can’t be too careful,” he sighed, pulling
her closely and inhaling deeply, taking in her strawberry-scented hair. “I love
you so much, baby.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered back. “I hope that I’m just
being paranoid and that nothing will happen. Because, if it does, I’m terrified
that you’ll blame me.”
“Never,” he growled.
“You can’t say that, Edward. You got so upset when I brought
up Tanya a couple of months ago, blaming me for not keeping a close enough eye
on the twins,” Bella pouted. “Granted, I probably should have told you sooner
…”
“Bella, stop,” Edward said, taking her heart-shaped face
into his hands. “I know that you love my children as if they were your own. I
could never blame you. Never. I was an asshole, blaming you for something that
was far beyond your control, sweetness. I will forever feel like an ass for
making you cry and almost ruining the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“The kids are the best thing that happened to you. I’m a
bonus,” Bella snickered. He growled, attacking her neck and making her giggle
with his tickling fingers. “Stop! Edward! Behave!”
“You’re more than just a bonus, Isabella Marie Swan,” Edward
snarled against her ear. He kissed her, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth
and molding her to his body. She melted against him and tangled her fingers
into his soft, but unruly hair. “You are my dream come true,” he mumbled
against her mouth. “I love you. Our children love you. My family loves you. Bonus
… psssh.” He kissed her again, smacking her behind and giving her a wry look.
“You’re everything, sweetness.”
No comments:
Post a Comment