Let me look upward
into the branches
of the towering oak
and know that
it grew great
and strong
because it grew
slowly and well
November 2008
Thanksgiving
"My parents have been married for 30 years. There were a few miscarriages before I came along," I glanced over to Edward as I spoke. He was driving us to Forks for Thanksgiving at my parents' house.
"Mm, that's really sad, baby." He was watching the road, but glanced over to me as he spoke again. "They were lucky to have you." His smile pulled up one side of his mouth, and then his eyes went back to the traffic in front of us. We were almost there.
"I guess." I shrugged. "I was a good kid. I rarely got in trouble, and when I did it was for talking." He glanced over at me with widened eyes, and I giggled. "I know, shocking. I've always been shy, but I wouldn't shut up if I was in class with a friend. Ang and I got in trouble for talking a few times, until the disappointment of my parents was too much for me."
"You live to make people happy, and hate to disappoint anyone." It was a very truthful statement.
"Yep, that's me in a nutshell." I sighed. "Anyway, Charlie and Renee have always been very supportive of me. They hate that I'm in big, bad Seattle, but know that I'm happy. And happy is what counts. Which is why they'll love you."
"As long as the Chief leaves his gun locked up," Edward joked. I winced, which he must have seen in his periphery. "What?"
"Once, when I asked a boy to pick me up at the house. . . Dad was 'cleaning his gun'. Scared that boy so bad he refused to take me out."
"Then that boy had yet to grow a pair," Edward retorted. I rolled my eyes and giggled.
"Here, it's this street on the left," I pointed as I spoke.
When we pulled up to my childhood home, Edward parked next to Dad's cruiser and came around to open my door for me. I put my arm around his waist as we headed up to the short set of steps to the tiny porch. The little white house with green trim hadn't changed a bit. I knocked and opened the door at the same time.
"Mom! Dad!" I yelled from the entryway as Edward and I removed our coats.
My mom came around the corner from the kitchen, and headed down the hallway with her arms outstretched. She had a huge smile on her face, but she bypassed me and hugged Edward, kissing his cheek as she fawned over him.
"You must be Edward, it's so good to meet you! Bella has talked about you so much!" she enthused. Edward looked a touch uncomfortable, but he hugged her back and smiled politely.
"Nice to see you too, Mom," I deadpanned from behind her.
Dad was coming down the staircase, so I ignored my mother trying to flirt with my boyfriend and met my dad at the base of the stairs.
"Bells! I missed you," he said gruffly. Charlie was not normally one for open declarations, so I always knew he was sincere.
"It hasn't been that long, Dad. I saw you the weekend before my birthday," I reminded him.
"That was more than two months ago," he complained, mustache twitching as he spoke.
"Okay, I didn't realize you were keeping track. I'm here now." I reached for Edward. "This is Edward, Dad."
Edward pulled away from my mother to stand closer to me. "Edward, this is Charlie."
Edward held his hand out like a gentleman. Charlie shook it, and I saw him trying to flex his forearm to squeeze Edward's hand too hard. Edward didn't seem to notice. My dad's eyebrows rose in my direction, and I just shrugged.
Renee spoke up. "Let's head to the kitchen." We all trooped down the narrow hall to the kitchen, which wasn't exactly big. I led Edward to the table, which only had three chairs since it was pushed against the wall. I knew there was a fourth chair somewhere, and I guessed I would have to track it down in time for dinner.
"You need any help, Renee?" my dad asked.
She turned to him and grabbed his waist, pulling him to her. He blushed.
"Nope," she said, popping the P. "You have dish duty later." She kissed him quick and hard on the mouth, and his blush turned crimson.
Edward leaned in to whisper in my ear, "You take after your dad." I smiled and blushed. He was right. Dad had the brown eyes and brown hair, only his was curly and receding. He wasn't short, but he wasn't tall either. He was average, and I guess I was too. My mom and I shared facial features, but that was the end of our similarities. She was as tall as dad, with dirty blonde hair she was keeping shoulder length. She had blue-grey eyes that I'd always envied. While dad was showing a few wrinkles on his face, Renee looked mature, but had escaped any wrinkles.
Mom put the finishing touches on our mid-day dinner, and I helped her to set it up on the counters buffet style. Charlie and Edward pulled the table away from the wall and found the extra chair in the shed. Dad graciously washed it off and sat in it himself. Renee sat next to Edward, so I was forced to sit across from him with my parents on either side of me.
Dad was subdued in his questioning, which I presumed came from Renee warning him to behave. The meal was pleasantly reminiscent of my childhood. We spent a long time talking, lingering over seconds until Renee offered pie, which Edward and I declined.
"Mom, remember I told you we're heading to Edward's parents' house for dessert?" I reminded her.
"Yes, yes, I only bought one pie. Your father and I will have to eat it all ourselves. There's whipped cream, too, Charlie." My dad choked on his coffee at the suggestive way my mother made her statement.
"On that note, please don't say anything else lest I need to bleach my brain." I rose from the table, helping Mom stack the dishes in the sink.
My dad came up beside me and bumped me with his hip. "I got these, you go visit the Cullens." He smiled at me, and I hugged him sideways.
"Thanks, Dad. I love you."
"Well, now, you too. Don't forget we're doing Christmas morning." He sounded stern, like he was afraid I wouldn't show.
"Yes, sir!" I saluted him, and he laughed and popped my leg with the dish towel.
Mom hugged us both as we stood by the door getting our coats on. It wasn't raining, but the temperature wasn't going to go any higher than the 30's. There was snow in the forecast, but of course the rain would come in and chase it away before anything could really stick. Renee and Charlie stood in the doorway, Dad warning Edward to drive carefully, Mom blowing kisses.
The drive to Carlisle and Esme's house was only about 20 minutes, mostly due to the winding roads and low speed limit. I was suddenly grateful Edward had booked a hotel room in Port Angeles for the evening so we didn't have to drive the entire way home tonight.
When we pulled up to the beautiful house, which Esme had told me was Edwardian, the butterflies in my stomach went to war. Rosalie and Emmett were here, and I suddenly felt like throwing up. Edward opened my door, taking my hand and pulling me out. He wrapped his arms around me.
"Relax. Mom would never allow Rose to be impolite in her house. It'll be fine." He always seemed to know what I was thinking. The door opened as he finished his sentence, and Alice bounded out like an exuberant black lab. She and my mom could be separated at birth.
"Bella!" she called. "Mom has been waiting for you! She's just thrilled that you're both here." Alice looped her arm through mine, pulling me away from Edward. I looked back at him wistfully as he chuckled.
"No one can stop Alice. It's best to go with it," he called as she dragged me into the house. Alice towed me into the kitchen and up to Esme.
"Bella," Esme said warmly. "How are your parents?" She gave me a tight hug.
"Um, they're fine. Glad to see us, to meet Edward." They had been out of town when I met the senior Cullens last month.
"That's good. Did you enjoy dinner? There's leftovers if you're hungry." She was the ultimate hostess.
"No, thank you. We might want dessert in a bit, but we just finished eating half an hour ago." My face was flaming. I could hear Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle behind me in the living room, but I wasn't sure where Platinum Barbie was.
"Of course, dear. Do you want to join us girls in the sitting room? It's upstairs." She gestured in the direction of the stairway.
Oh, God. The Queen Bitch was surely up there, impatient to have the other two down here fawning over me. "I-um, I'm not sure about-" I broke off, not wanting to admit that Bitchalie hated me and that I had no desire to spend the afternoon with her.
"That's okay," Esme soothed me with a pat to my arm. "We can stay down here." She led me to the living room and sat with me in front of the fireplace. The guys were watching football of course, but it was either that or the alternative hell upstairs. Alice joined us, sitting at her mother's feet with her legs curled under her. I watched Esme run her hand lightly down Alice's short hair.
"What did you do at your house, Bella? Did Charlie have his gun collection out? Did he try to scare Edward? I bet it wouldn't work," Alice chattered without taking a breath.
"Uh, my mom, Renee, loved him. I think she was flirting with him, but she's harmless. My dad, Charlie, was welcoming. I think Mom must have warned him ahead of time. Plus, he missed me. I haven't been there since September."
"They sound lovely," Esme said. My shoulders tightened as I saw Blondie come into the room. She completely ignored the three of us, instead sitting very close to Emmett on the couch. He slung his arm across her shoulders, unfazed by any tension. What was that private school saying? Leave enough room between you for the Holy Ghost? There wasn't enough room for a breath of air, her thigh was pressed so closely to his.
"So, Bella." Emmett started during a commercial. "You and Ed break any furniture in that place of his yet?"
Edward reached over from his spot in a chair and punched his shoulder.
Bitchfest narrowed her eyes at me, then at Edward. My face flamed, and I could feel it spread down my chest and out to my ears. I was thinking I should probably just ignore him, when Esme spoke up.
"Emmett," she said sharply, just like a mother to a misbehaving child. He flinched, seeming to shrink under her sharp gaze. This fascinated me.
"Sorry, Ma," he mumbled. Goldilocks glared at me again before turning her attention to Emmett, saying something low in his ear. He shrugged, staring staunchly straight ahead at the TV.
Carlisle got up and went to the kitchen with his empty glass, and Esme left me with Alice to follow him. I watched the two of them in the middle of the kitchen, swaying side to side like they were dancing. Esme rested her head on Carlisle's chest, and he rested his hand on the back of her head. When they separated, Carlisle leaned down and kissed Esme tenderly.
I turned my head away, suddenly aware that Alice was watching them too. "28 years later, and still romantic," she sighed. I smiled at her, because I completely agreed. I glanced over to Edward, and was a little startled to find him watching me. He beckoned me to him, and I stood from the fireplace and went to him. He was sitting in an armchair, and there was no way I was going to sit on his lap at his parents' house. I rested my hip on the arm of the chair, and he took my hand in his, lifting it to kiss my knuckles before resting our joined hands on my leg. My heart fluttered as I realized I wanted what my parents had, what Esme had with Carlisle. I wanted it with Edward. I looked down at him, his bronze hair in disarray, and smoothed my free hand through it. There was a squeezing feeling in my chest, and it brought tears to my eyes. I finally had that chance, and I was going to hold on to it.
We spent several hours at their house, and Esme served coffee and a couple of pies. We stuffed ourselves again because dessert was so good, and I was stifling yawns by the time Edward suggested we leave. We still had an hour's drive to the hotel Edward and I were spending the night in.
Rosalie had been decent during dessert, joining in the conversation with Jasper and I about the university. She was by no means warm and friendly, but she wasn't downright mean either. She said goodbye from her seat at the kitchen island, which I thought was some progress, while the rest of the family walked us to the door.
Edward stopped me at the car, trapping me between him and the door. "My mother adores you," he breathed, skimming his nose along my throat. "My father says you're good for me." He sucked lightly on the skin at the slope of my neck and shoulder. "I agree with them both." He captured my mouth with his lips, sucking gently on my top lip, then my bottom. I gripped the front of his shirt, twisting the fabric in my hands as I held him to me tightly. His hands wedged between the car and my ass, kneading and groping.
I finally had to pull away, gulping in air as my head spun. "I love you," I gasped.
"As I love you," he grinned. "Now let's get on the road."
Rose told Emmett, “I bet they were both stiff.”
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