FFADS Ch. 27 on fanfiction.online
Ever since the situation with James, Edward had been … I don’t know. It was like he was punishing himself for hurting me. When he came over for the first time, his hands were so bruised and scratched up. Esme had told me that he had hurt himself, but the damage to his knuckles and hands was more than just hurting himself.
It broke my heart.
It did more than that … it shattered me. To see that he needed to punish himself in order to find some sort of penance.
Each time I tried to tell him that it wasn’t necessary, he insisted that it was either the tree that received his ire or James. Granted, I’m glad that he didn’t beat the shit out of James, but abhorred the fact that he beat the shit out of his own hands.
My poor Grinch.
We came to an understanding that night and we’d forgiven each other. However, I doubted that he forgave himself. Or, if he did, it would be some time before he felt redeemed.
“Bella? Can I wear my overalls today?” Katie chirped, hopping onto my unmade bed.
“Sure, Kit Kat,” I answered, giving her a smile.
“Can you also braid my hair?” she asked, bouncing on the mattress.
I checked the clock, nodding. “We should have enough time. Edward will be here in a half hour.”
“Kay,” she chirped. She bounded out of my room, singing happily.
I put on some sunscreen and finished putting on my makeup, tossing my hair into a low ponytail. I walked back into my bedroom, double checking my backpack. I had the obvious items inside like cell my phone, wallet and such. I also added a small first aid kit, a spare set of clothes for Katie in case she had an accident or some major food catastrophe, and a small bag that my mom called her emergency kidlet pack. It was filled with toys, markers, books and snacks. She always had it stuffed in her purse. I think she had one for me when I was a kid, but nowhere near as insane as the kidlet pack she assembled for Katie.
Then again, Katie couldn’t sit still to save her life. She always needed to be doing something or fussing on my phone. Me? I was content reading a book. Katie needed everything under the sun to keep her mind occupied.
Stuffing the kidlet pack in my bag, I went downstairs and packed lunches for Katie, Edward and me. I used another insulated bag that Edward would carry. As I was putting in the cold packs, Katie skipped down, holding her brush, a bottle of detangler and a couple of hair ties. She sat down at the kitchen counter, eating the breakfast I laid out for her. Spraying her hair with the detangler, I brushed her hair and quickly braided it into a single Dutch braid. I attached the hair tie to the end, adding a matching bow. “Too tight?”
“Nope. It feels good,” Katie answered, her mouth full of bagel. The doorbell rang and she wriggled on the stool. “Can I get that?”
“Yeah, Kit Kat,” I chuckled, watching her dart to the foyer. I shook my head, frowning slightly that Edward was not using his key. I listened to her prattle to him, dragging him into the kitchen before darting upstairs to grab her jacket and going to the bathroom. “Good morning, Edward.”
He grinned crookedly, leaning forward to kiss me. I slid my arms around his waist and snuggled in his embrace. “Sleep well, angel?” he asked. I nodded. “You ready for today?”
“As ready as I’m going to be,” I chuckled. “I’m just grateful that you’re coming with me. I did not want to be partnered with Senna. Tia and Katie are still friendly, but their play dates are few and far between because of what happened at Katie’s birthday.” I sighed, taking a sip of coffee. “I guess with friends like that, who needs enemies?”
“Good point, but I didn’t help much, either. I did give her grief,” he said. With a sigh, he stepped to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I chuckled as I saw him wrinkle his nose.
“What’s wrong, Edward?” I asked.
“I’m looking forward to the trip, but not riding on a school bus,” he replied grumpily.
“Do you get motion sickness?” I asked, arching a brow at him.
“Not motion sickness. I’m too tall for the seats,” he quipped. “You know? I’m over six feet tall and those seats were built for people who are Katie-sized. There’s a reason I call her Little One. Though, it would work for you, too. You’re pretty tiny, too.”
“My mom was pretty petite,” I said, showing him a picture on my phone. “She was about my height, but with a few more curves. Obviously, since she had two children.”
“You look like her, but your coloring is not the same,” he murmured. “Her hair is more blonde, with darker skin.”
“I have my mother’s features but my dad’s coloring. He had dark hair, dark eyes,” I explained. “I’d have to search for a picture of Charlie. They’re buried in boxes in the garage. We should get going, though. We need to sign in at the office at Katie’s preschool.” He nodded, kissing me again. “Kit Kat! Let’s go. Shake your caboose!”
“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Katie sang, running down the stairs with her jacket on.
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