Driving back to the house, we all changed out our dress clothes. Bella checked in with Rose and Emmett while Seth went scrounging for something to eat. “Son, we’re going for a picnic,” I quipped.
“I’m hungry. I couldn’t eat breakfast because I was too nervous,” he said, his mouth full of some cereal. He looked at me. “You’re not going to cook, are you?”
“One time,” I huffed. “I burnt dinner one time!”
“You burnt dinner to a crisp, Edward,” Bella teased. “It wasn’t salvageable. The smell didn’t leave the house for well over a month. Even now, there’s a hint of burnt smell.”
“I promise to not cook,” I snickered. “I can chop things and then we can go exploring …”
“Good thing you have a bunch of nosh in the fridge,” Bella quipped, pulling out containers of pasta salad, antipasto, vegetables, crackers, meat, and cheese. Tossing in a few bottles of water, some soda, and cookies, we loaded up into the Range Rover. I navigated the freeway, arriving at Griffith Park. Bella giggled.
“What is it, Mom?” Seth asked.
“It was about a year ago that we had our first date. At this very park …” she responded, looking at me with a fond, loving smile. “A year …”
“Actually, our anniversary is tomorrow,” I grinned, parking the car.
“Yeah, you need to go out on a date or something,” Seth said. “Without me. I love you both, but if I learned anything about all this is that you need cherish the ones you love. Mom, you’ve been a rock for me and my fears, dealing with my mood changes, but when was the last time you did something for yourself? For each other?”
“Seth, when you have children, you will learn that your world revolves around them. I’d do anything for you,” Bella said. “As would Edward.”
“I know that. Especially now,” Seth argued as we got out of the car. We grabbed the picnic basket with a blanket that I had in the storage of the back of the SUV. We walked to a beautiful meadow and sat down in the shade a large tree overlooking the city of Los Angeles. Before we could get comfortable, Seth shot me a look. “Dad, I think I left something in the car. Can you come with me?”
“Stay with your mom. I’ll get it,” I offered.
“I’m not sure where I left it. Mom, we’ll be right back,” Seth said, grabbing my arm and dragging me away from a perplexed Bella. She shook her head, spreading out the blanket and pulling out the containers.
“What did you forget, kiddo?” I asked.
“I didn’t forget anything. Mom came downstairs before I could I talk to you,” Seth said, arching a brow at me.
“You’re as subtle as a Mack truck, Seth,” I laughed.
“I wanted to apologize first,” Seth whispered, looking at me warily. “I was awful to you when we got here – a total asshole.”
“You weren’t very nice, but I get it. You’ve been dealing with a lot of crap,” I reasoned, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. “I wish I could take away the pain and aftermath of what you’re dealing with what happened over the summer.”
“You have, Dad,” Seth grinned, hugging me. “I wasn’t being fair. I lashed out at you when I should be lashing out at the douchebag who took me. I’m sorry.”
I kissed his forehead. “I love you, Seth. Nothing will change that,” I murmured. “Your recovery will take time. Hell, look at your mom. You’ve seen how she still struggles. And it’s been how many years since she had to deal with Jacob’s abuse?”
“True,” Seth agreed. He worried his lip, looking blankly at the car ahead of him.
“I’m not negating how you feel, but Jacob is the worst type of abuser. He was a narcissist with delusions of …” I trailed off. “Pardon my language, but he was fucked in the head because of how he was raised. The whole nature versus nurture thing … he was groomed to be an abuser, to use women in such a heinous way. He was and always will be a monster.”
“You can say that again,” Seth snorted humorlessly. “I know that you won’t abandon me or that you forgot about us while you were working. I was just so angry at the world.” He stopped, taking my hand. “The other thing I wanted to talk to you about was … when are you going to marry my mom? I’m proud to be a Swan, but I know I want to be a Cullen. So does she …”
I grinned crookedly. “Funny you should ask that. Bella hinted at this being a year since our first date and that this was where we came.”
“But, you said that your anniversary is tomorrow,” Seth said, arching a brow.
“Exactly. You said it yourself, we should go out on a date and tomorrow … I want to treat your mom to a day she won’t forget,” I replied. “Ending in a proposal.”
