Enjoy!
*********L&EL********
BPOV
"Better?" Edward asked as he searched my face for a response.
We were sequestered in the office of the bookstore, where we'd been for the last twenty minutes, ever since I'd emptied the contents of my stomach in the lavatory. I was preparing to make my first public appearance as 'Marie McCarty', children's author and, thanks to a last minute case of nerves, and a doting husband, Edward and I were seated in chairs, facing one another, knees touching, as he leaned on his elbows and held both my hands in his.
I nodded in answer to his question and he let go of one of my hands in order to reach for a bottle of water. "Here, Bella, this may help."
I took a sip and closed my eyes. "How do you do this?" I asked in a hoarse whisper.
"Do what?"
"You have to appear in front of groups of people all the time, Edward. Are you ever nervous?"
"Sometimes. It was worse during my first couple of years in Hollywood. Even now I'm not as calm inside as I appear to be."
Could have fooled me.
Edward was one smooth operator at any public function.
"I learned a trick a long time ago which seems to help."
"Don't tell me," I instructed as I held up my hand, "you imagine everyone naked?"
Edward laughed, "Ah, no. That would be unsettling, to say the least," he shuddered slightly as I laughed.
"You think that's unsettling?" I asked, "Emmett told me it would help if I 'imagined everyone taking a dump'," I rolled my eyes as I relayed my brother's ridiculous advice.
Edward laughed and shook his head. "Why am I not surprised?"
"What I was going to say was that I try to focus on something beyond the crowd in front of me, whether it's a pillar, or light fixture, something, and try to ignore the fact that their eyes are boring into me."
I groaned. "Not helping, Edward."
Edward chuckled and patted my hand. "Sorry, baby. How about this? If you get nervous, look around for me. I'll make sure to be in your line of vision at all times."
"Edward you can't. Someone may see you."
He grinned wickedly. "I can be very stealthy." He said before pulling his hood up and donning his sunglasses.
I laughed, "Ah yes, the tried and true Unabomber disguise."
He smirked, "Come on, time for your disguise as well."
It wasn't much of a disguise, but if it bought me a little time before the paps found out about my alter ego, I would be satisfied.
I smirked as I pulled my hair into a messy bun and retrieved a pair of fake reading glasses from my purse. With my black pencil skirt and white silk blouse to complete the look, I glanced in the small mirror I carried in my purse. "I look like a librarian." I said with a giggle.
Edward didn't respond, and when I turned to look at him, he'd removed the sunglasses and was blatantly staring at me. "Don't look at me like that…" I warned him as his tongue swiped across his bottom lip.
"Baby, on second thought, this is a bad idea." He stated while closing the space between us and pulling me into his arms. "You're supposed to be a children's author, but instead you look like the hot teacher every boy dreams of in high school."
I laughed and shook my head. "Sometimes you're such a guy."
He nodded. "Yes, I am. And this," he said as he gestured toward my body, "is dangerous. I have half a mind to give you a real distraction, right here, right now," he said before pressing his lips to mine. "I promise you'll forget all about your nerves," he murmured against my mouth.
Yes, please…
Who is this stranger and what has he done with my overprotective husband?
I lifted my hand and stroked the side of his face, fully prepared to make him follow through on that promise, when a knock at the door put an end to my plans. It was probably for the best, I had no desire to be caught having sex in the back room of New York City's largest bookstore…
What a field day the gossip sites would have with that…
Not to mention how embarrassed I'd be when our family found out.
I sighed and took a small step away from my husband while turning toward the sound of the knock, "Come in."
The door swung open to reveal Jody Baxter, the pretty, blonde assistant sent by the publishing company to accompany me on the tour. My mouth fell open in surprise when I saw a beaming Mr. Corday following her through the door. "Hello Bella," He greeted with a warm smile and a handshake.
"Mr. Corday, I didn't expect you," I admitted, confused.
"I couldn't resist wishing you well on the first night." He admitted. "There's quite a gathering out there," he gestured toward the door, looking very pleased.
I bit my lip, the nervousness I'd felt a few moments before returning.
"Well, I'm going to head out there and introduce you Ms. McCarty," Mr. Corday said with a grin and a wink.
I couldn't help but return his smile.
"Is there anything you need?" Jody asked.
"No thank you Jody. I'll be right out."
"No problem. You're gonna do great Bella." Jody smiled reassuringly before exiting the office.
Edward placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him, "Deep breath baby."
I did as he suggested and he pressed his lips to mine in a soft kiss. "Time to go face your fans," he told me with a wicked grin.
I smirked at him and narrowed my eyes. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"
"I'm proud of you, Bella," he said quietly, "I'm thrilled that your talent and hard work is being appreciated."
Once again, Edward had said exactly what I needed to hear. My heart clenched at the thought that he was proud of me. It gave me the strength I needed to face my fans, as he called them. The thought was so bizarre that it made me laugh out loud.
As it turned out, because at least half of the 'fans' were children, I quickly forgot my nervousness as I chatted and signed their books, enjoying my time with them immensely. I hadn't spent a lot of time with young children since I was one myself.
They were amazing
"You're pretty," the little girl with big blue eyes informed as I signed her copy of 'Francisco and the Swallow'. I gave her a sweet smile as her father looked on.
"Not as pretty as you, Sophie."
At my response her face lit up in a radiant smile. "Can I ask you somethin' aportant?" She stated, her expression growing serious.
I leaned in a little closer. "What's that Sophie?"
"Will you marry my Daddy?" She asked, surprising me and her father as well.
"Sophie, honey. You need to stop asking people that." He admonished before turning to me apologetically. "I'm sorry. I lost my wife over a year ago, and Sophie has it in her head that I need to marry again. So far, she's asked her teacher at preschool, one of the choir members at our church, and the check-out girl at the supermarket."
"I'm sorry for your loss," I said as I gave them both a sad smile, before turning my attention back to Sophie, "I think you must love your Daddy very much."
Sophie eagerly nodded her head.
"It was a lovely offer sweetie, but I have to tell you that I'm already married, and I love my husband just as much as you love your Daddy." I covered her hand with mine. "But I bet there's someone wonderful out there just waiting for Daddy to find her."
She gave me a small smile, and her Dad mouthed 'thank you' as he led her away.
I glanced past the line of customers looking for Edward. I found Sidney before spying Edward off to the side behind a particularly large book stack. He gave me a smile which I returned before turning to the next person in line.
***L&EL***
As the crowd dwindled, Edward and Sidney silently slipped from the store to wait in the car. That's where I found them when Lou and I exited the building a short time later.
"So, what's the verdict?" Edward asked with a smile as he pulled me into his arms and, as had become his habit, rested his hand on my stomach.
I smiled. "I think it went well. Mr. Corday was pleased. The store took a lot of advance orders for the next book."
Edward nodded eagerly. "I knew it would be a success. You worried needlessly."
I gave him an incredulous look. "Me? Worry needlessly? You have no room to talk there Mr. Cullen."
"Touché," he answered with smile.
"Oh, and I got an offer of marriage," I told him with a cheeky grin.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise as his lips set in a hard line. "Is that so?"
I nodded, smiling. "Yes, a little girl asked if I would marry her Daddy. He's a widower."
Edward's expression softened, before turning downright sad. "He brought her there tonight?"
"Yes."
He wrapped his arm tighter around me then, pulling me close. "I can't imagine coming back from something like that."
We'd had this discussion before, and I didn't need Edward to start brooding. "Hey," I touched his cheek with my fingertips. "I'm right here. Nothing bad is going to happen."
He took a deep, cleansing breath before pressing a swift kiss to my lips and deciding to change the subject.
"Do you think you were recognized?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure. It helps that half the crowd was made up of little kids. They have no clue who Isabella Cullen is, although I did see a glimmer of recognition in the eyes of a several of the adults, but no one came right out and asked."
***L&EL***
As I rested my head back against the seat, I thought about the night before. Much to my surprise, meeting the 'fans' had been easy and, in the end, very rewarding. Now that the first night of the tour was over, I had no doubt that I would be able to handle the rest of the dates with no problem whatsoever. The only thing still gnawing at me was the fact that the Seattle appearance clashed with Oscar night.
I didn't care how much Edward protested, that date was going to change.
Or else.
It was Tuesday afternoon. Edward had said goodbye early that morning on his way to a full day of scheduled appearances. First up was the 'Today' show, which I watched from our hotel suite. After that, he had an interview with a local radio station. This evening, while I was at a bookstore two and a half hours away in Philly, he'd be taping his appearance on 'Letterman'. I wouldn't see him again until late in the evening at our hotel suite in Philadelphia.
I turned to look through the window at the passing scenery. When I found out that the train from New York to Philadelphia only took an hour, I'd opted for that rather than flying.
I'd grown tired of spending time in airports, and this made for a more interesting trip.
I hoped.
Unfortunately, the landscape so far had been rather depressing. Old abandoned buildings and rail yards littered with trash seemed to be the norm.
I pulled my iPod from my bag, only to find a note wrapped around it.
I made you a playlist for your trip. Yes, I obviously have too much time on my hands.
Miss you already, baby. See you tonight.
Love,
Me
I held the note to my chest as I scrolled to my playlists, spotting Edward's addition immediately. He had put together an entire collection of songs about trains. I giggled at the dork I'd married as I silently read the titles, surprised to find a lot of contemporary tunes on there.
I assumed the only people who wrote song about trains were Arlo Guthrie and old blues musicians…
As the beginning strains of 'Downtown Train' by Tom Waits began to play, I looked around at the other passengers, opting to watch a young mother and her three children rather than the view from the window.
Now that Edward and I were expecting, I found myself paying much more attention to the interactions between parents and their children. I noticed that when her little ones got restless, the woman across the aisle pulled a bag of snacks from a large backpack stowed on the floor. The two older children immediately settled down and began to nibble on crackers, while the mother pulled out a bottle for the baby.
She was so in tune with her kids and so patient…
Here I was worrying about how to handle one little baby, and she made managing three look easy.
***L&EL***
When I arrived at the station, Jody was waiting for me. She'd flown down in the morning to make sure everything was set up for my appearance this evening.
"Hi Bella," she greeted before leading me and Lou to a waiting car. Once seated inside, she spoke again. "Now, Bella. We've got a couple of hours before we're needed at the bookstore, so I'm having the driver drop us off at the hotel. I've ordered a light dinner delivered to your suite, and you'll have a chance to freshen up."
I smiled gratefully.
I could get used to having an assistant…
At the hotel, after a quick shower and change of clothes, I returned to the sitting room to find our dinner already waiting on the table. Realizing that Jody had never questioned me about what I wanted to eat, I had to ask, "Did Edward tell you what to order?"
She smiled a little sheepishly. "As a matter of fact, he called me this morning to make sure you'd be fed in his absence. He can be very persistent."
I smiled and shook my head. "How many times did he phone?"
She bit her lip, holding back a laugh. "A couple, just to confirm."
I giggled. "Sorry. He's a bit…"
"He loves you very much." She said with an indulgent smile. "Now, sit and eat. We don't have a lot of time."
As we ate, Jody informed that photos of the night before had been posted on the web, and rumors of Marie McCarty's true identity had begun to surface.
"What does that mean for tonight?" I asked as I bit into my veggie wrap.
"Well, I have to tell you that when I met with the manager of the book store this morning, people were already lining up for this evening's event, and there were very few children among them."
"Oh," I said, my stomach twisted upon learning this new information, causing my formerly ravenous appetite to evaporate immediately.
"One of the rumors was that Edward was there last night…"
"And his fans are hoping to see him tonight," I interrupted.
She shrugged. "I guess so."
"Won't they be disappointed when he doesn't show up…?" I stated matter-of-factly, not expecting an answer as I let my voice drop to a whisper. "I'm going to brush my teeth." I said before leaving the rest of my dinner and escaping to the bathroom.
After brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth, I leaned against the counter and stared at my reflection in the mirror. All I could think about was how upset my husband would be if he got a look at the pale, nervous woman staring back from the glass.
I shook my head in exasperation, this had to stop. I placed my hand on my stomach the way Edward so often did, and felt myself begin to calm. Our little angel seemed to have the same effect on me as on his or her Daddy.
"So what if everyone knows who I am?" I said out loud. "This anonymous shit wasn't meant to last forever. I was only trying to prove that I could be successful on my own, and I've done that." I gave my reflection a self-assured nod and exited the bathroom with a smile.
This time, I wore a lavender sweater dress, and decided to wear my hair down, also foregoing the glasses. By the end of the evening, there would be no question as to my true identity.
***L&EL***
The evening turned out to be interesting, to say the least. When I arrived, I was faced with a huge crowd waiting outside. The store had closed its doors in preparation for the book-signing, so I was whisked to a back entrance.
All I could surmise by the crowd was that a lot of people had shown up out of curiosity. They wanted to judge for themselves whether or not Marie McCarty was, in fact, the wife of Edward Masen.
It was obvious as well which fans were there for me and which ones were trying to catch a glimpse of Edward. As the evening progressed, the groups of teens, twenty-somethings and even women in their thirties, not in the company of young children, lingered in the store until the end of the event, never giving up hope that he would show.
About an hour into it, I found that if I concentrated on conversing with the children, it was easy to ignore all the other nonsense. I was enjoying myself with them just as much as I'd done the night before.
"Miss Marie, my name is Marie too!" informed a little girl with dark hair and dark eyes, "Can next time you write a book, you write it about you and me?" She grinned widely, showing the space where her front teeth should have been.
"That's a wonderful idea; I'll keep that in mind, Marie."
"And make me a princess in a castle." She said as she waved her arms around for emphasis.
"I got bit by a kitten and had to go to the hossapal," began one adorable little boy. "and I got shots!"
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, are you okay now?"
"Yeah, but I can't pet no more kitties."
I giggled at his thoughtful expression. What's your name sweetie?" I asked as I opened his book to sign it.
"Storm," he told me with a proud smile. "I like your book better than Dr. Seuss."
"Wow, that is quite a compliment, thank you Storm."
And so it continued well into the evening…
***L&EL***
I was woken from a beautiful dream by an even more beautiful reality, as I felt soft lips press against my cheek. I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock radio on the nightstand, noticing that it was a little after midnight.
"Mmm," I moaned as the lips kissed behind my ear. I turned over in bed to look at my husband. He was lying beside me, propped on one elbow, smiling. "Did you just arrive?"
He shook his head. "I've been here for almost an hour. I made some phone calls and took a shower. You must be exhausted baby, because you haven't moved a muscle since I got here."
I let my eyes drift shut again. "I was tired, but it was a good evening." I opened one eye in order to gauge his reaction to what I was about to say. "They know who I am now…"
"So I heard."
I opened the other eye. "You're not worried?"
He shrugged. "I guess not, as long as Lou does his job."
"I've come to depend on him quite a bit," I admitted. "Especially tonight."
Edward gave me a wary look.
"There was this creepy guy there wearing a skull cap and carrying a backpack," I suddenly had Edward's full attention.
"Let's just say that he leaned in a little too close while I was signing a sketch he'd drawn, and Lou was immediately between us."
"What the fuck?" Edward muttered.
"I think the guy was harmless, Edward, but Lou wasn't taking any chances and I was grateful for that."
I watched as his face morphed from anger to calm, almost as if he was counting to twenty in his head, before he let out a breath. "Okay. Well. I'll be with you for the next one so, if anything like that happens again I won't hesitate tossing the fucker out on his ass," he angrily spat out the words.
"Edward, Lou took care of it. Everything's fine." I placed my hand on his cheek and watched as he slowly relaxed. I then ran my fingers over the stubble on his chin. He hadn't shaved since the wedding in Lake Placid. "I like this."
"Oh yeah?" he questioned, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Um hm," I said before, without warning, he dove into my neck and began to rub the stubble against my skin until I was a giggling mess. "Stop, stop…" I gasped.
He pulled back, playfully smirking at me. "Thought you liked it?"
"Yeah, I do, but I don't want stubble burn." I laughed before pulling him to me for a kiss. "I love you."
"Me too, baby."
***L&EL***
"This has been an amazing experience so far", I admitted to Edward and Jody as we relaxed along with Sidney and Lou in downtown Atlanta. We had just completed the fourth stop on my tour the night before, and we'd decided to have lunch together before saying goodbye to Jody.
Tonight Edward and I would be flying to London for the BAFTAs.
The crowds had grown larger with each subsequent appearance on the tour and, although I knew part of the reason had been the addition of so many of Edward's fans, there were still just as many children and their parents anxious to meet me as had been on that first night, before everyone knew the true identity of Marie McCarty.
The television entertainment shows and the gossip websites had a field day with the 'big reveal', or so they had dubbed it, although I'd found the whole thing to have been rather low key.
"See Bella, I told you there was nothing to worry about," Jody said as she sipped at her strawberry daiquiri.
"I know, I should have listened, you obviously have a lot more experience with this sort of thing."
She smiled. "Well, I have to admit that none of my experiences at Old World have been exactly like this. Your situation is rather unique."
I couldn't disagree with that.
I'd had to reassure Edward that the addition of his fans was not upsetting to me. It was the truth. I'd come to accept their requests for autographs and photos as part of my life with Edward; I'd made my peace with that long ago. The paps however were an entirely different story.
Considering that they made money off of sensational stories and the photos to go along with them, made it easy to loathe their presence in our lives.
"Hello, my darlings!" Chris chirped over the phone as soon as we'd touched down in London. "Good flight?"
"It was uneventful, just the way I like them."
"Good. Now, you and Mr. Tall Bronze and Sexy need to go to your house and get some rest. And that means rest Isabella. No getting your freak on. I don't need you falling asleep when I come over there tonight."
Chris had arrived in London several days before us in order to dress a few of his clients for the awards show. Edward and I were on his schedule for that evening.
I giggled. "We'll try to control ourselves." Edward gave me a questioning look as we gathered our luggage.
"Okay Sweetcheeks, see you around seven."
***L&EL***
"This is wonderful Bella," Chris said as he flipped through the pages of the book I was compiling.
We'd already finished our clothing fittings for the BAFTAs and Chris had allowed his assistants to return to the hotel while he stayed around to visit with me and Edward.
The book contained a collection of mine and Edward's favorite nursery rhymes and stories from when we were children, along with a couple of originals written by me. "I'll probably never publish it; as of now it's strictly for our baby, but I've had a lot of fun searching for the stories I loved as a child and re-reading them."
"You are going to be a wonderful mother Bella," Chris told me with a smile. "Oh, I remember this one…" He announced before reading aloud,
"Monday's child is fair of face
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay!"
"Whoever wrote this was prophetic, I'm telling you. Obviously, I was born on a Sunday. I knew this. If I'd only paid attention to this poem as a child, I would have saved myself years of painful soul-searching and self-flagellation."
Edward chuckled. "Chris, you do realize that the word 'gay' in the poem wasn't used in the same context that you're using it."
"Semantics, Edward." He responded with a wave of his hand.
"Chris, not every child born on a Sunday grows up to be gay." I told him, giggling at his silliness.
"You two are killing my buzz. This poem just became my new favorite, so hush!" He exclaimed, grinning.
Since he was in such a good mood, I decided to bring up something I'd been more than curious about. "So, have you kept in contact with Ethan?"
Chris smirked. "Why yes, as a matter of fact I have, Yenta."
I felt my eyes bug from my head at the moniker, while Edward chuckled beside me.
"I don't know what you…"
"Come off of it Bella. Alice can never keep a secret, especially from me. I know that girl better than the floor plan to Neiman Marcus."
"Chris, I'm sorry…" I felt Edward's arm wrap around my shoulders reassuringly.
"Don't be," he was grinning widely then. "I know it's because you love me."
I nodded, smiling sheepishly.
"Right back at you doll," he set the folder aside then and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Things are complicated for me right now. Ethan is a great guy and he's single," Chris said with a grin and an eyebrow wiggle. "But he's in New Orleans, and I'm in L.A." He shrugged and took a deep breath. "I just need some time. After the Gerry debacle, my ability to trust is nonexistent. I need to work on me for a while so that I can decide what I want."
"I start therapy next week. I've always been resistant to the idea but I figured, everyone else in L.A. is in therapy, why not me?"
He chuckled and Edward and I smiled at him.
"If, in the end, Ethan is still available, then who knows? At this point, I consider him a friend who I'd probably like to get to know better. But I'll admit that I'm a little terrified." I took in the sad expression on his face and felt the tears well up in my eyes.
"Oh Christopher," I let out a sob as I stood, closing the distance between us in order to give him a hug, before sitting back down again.
"Don't start me crying Bella mia. Believe me, it's the last thing you two want; your emotional wreck of a friend who can't stop crying and brings everyone down because he's always in a 'funk'."
"Chris, you know Bella and I could never feel that way about you." Edward started, "I'm actually glad that you're being honest finally. Ever since this happened with Gerry, you've been going around wearing a happy mask to hide your pain. It's not healthy my friend."
Chris exhaled before nodding in agreement. "Maybe I don't need therapy after all, I'll just phone you with my troubles," he teased Edward, causing my husband to bark out a laugh.
"Well, as you know, I'm no stranger to therapy. I spent a lot of years learning to trust again but, I have to tell you that meeting Bella was better for me than any amount of therapy."
I smiled at him as Chris listened.
"Finding that one person who loves you unconditionally, the one that you want to be with more than anyone else in this world, it's an amazing feeling." He bit his lip and shook his head as my eyes filled with tears once again. "I never used to care about what I was doing tomorrow, or next week, next month. Bella has given me so much to look forward to. I'm anxious to face each new day as it comes, simply because I get to share it with her."
Yeah, here come the tears…
He leaned forward, giving Chris a serious look, while still keeping one arm draped around my shoulders. "It's what I wish for you my friend. You deserve happiness, Chris, but more than that, you also have so much to offer another person. You have a great capacity to love, and it would be a shame to never share that with someone who could return those feelings."
Chris sniffled as I felt the tears trail down my own cheeks. "Thank you, Edward. That means more than you'll ever know." He then cleared his throat and grinned mischievously, "Are you sure you wouldn't consider batting for the other team, because I think I want to marry you right now."
I giggled through my tears. "Sorry Chris, you know he's taken, you were there."
He chuckled and then sighed. "Sadly, all the best ones are always taken." He stopped and thought for a minute, "Except Ethan of course…" He seemed to ponder that before throwing up his hands and rising to his feet. "That's a discussion for another day. I must be off my darlings. We all have a very busy day tomorrow!"
***L&EL***
"And the BAFTA goes to… Edward Masen for The Harvest of Avarice…"
Edward looked a little stunned as he turned to kiss me, before standing from his seat. On the way to the stage, I watched as he accepted a couple congratulatory hugs.
I couldn't help but admire how handsome he was as he stood at the microphone, looking out at the sea of faces. "Forgive me if I begin to babble nonsensically, because I will most surely blame it on the jet lag." The audience murmured in amusement.
"Ah," he began as he ran his hand through his hair. "Firstly, I wish to thank the entire cast and crew, all of whom were an absolute joy to work with,"
With the exception of Nicole French, who had proven herself to be batshit crazy.
I knew at that precise moment, that Edward was thinking the same thing that I was, but had decided to take the high road during his speech.
"Specifically Hal, our director, for having faith in my ability, especially during those times when it had all but abandoned me," He took a breath and looked down at the award cradled in his hands, "My family, which includes my manager Jasper, for the millions of ways they help me on a daily basis." Edward then looked directly at me, "And last, but most certainly not least, my wife. Every day since I met you is better than the one before, baby. I love you." He blew me a kiss, waved to the crowd and sauntered offstage as the tears streamed down my cheeks.
***L&EL***
"Mr. Corday, that isn't going to be acceptable, please inform the Seattle store that we either change the date, or I will be unable to attend." I was insistent that the Seattle stop on my book tour not interfere with Oscar night, which was only six days away.
Edward and I were on an airplane en route from Phoenix to Chicago for the next stop on the tour. As soon as the pilot had permitted the use of cell phones, I'd called Mr. Corday. I could sense Edward twitching beside me, and realized I should have waited until I was alone to make the call.
"I'll see what I can do Bella, now that everyone knows who you really are; maybe I'll be able to get through to these people."
"I hope so." I smiled. "Thanks for your help."
After I ended the call, I turned to find Edward glaring at me.
I held up my hand, "Don't start, Edward," knowing what he was about to say.
"Bella, we've been over this and I don't intend to back down. You cannot jeopardize your career for me. End of story."
Maybe it was the pregnancy making me extra touchy, but I took exception to his tone. "I don't recall the words 'to obey' in our wedding vows Edward. But it certainly sounds as if you're telling me what to do."
He looked as if he was about to apologize before setting his lips in a hard line. "Maybe someone needs to once in a while."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me right now," I muttered, low enough so that no one other than Edward would hear me. "Why can't you accept that I want to do this for you?"
"I'm telling you that it's unnecessary. You attended the BAFTAs with me. That was enough. I don't need you holding my hand at the Oscars."
I stared at his face, waiting for him to take back the hurtful words, but he merely continued to stare until I couldn't take it anymore. I stood to climb over him.
"Where are you going?"
"Where else can I go on an airplane, Edward?" I answered; my voice heavy with sarcasm. "I'm going to the bathroom."
"Oh."
I locked myself in the toilet, not giving a damn if anyone else needed to use it. There was another one in first class, so yeah. After forcing myself to calm down, I pulled out my phone again and called Alice.
"Hey Bella!" She chirped into the phone before pausing. "Hold on, aren't you flying right now?"
"Yes, I am. I need some advice. I'm so angry that I've locked myself in the bathroom."
"Eww. I wonder how well they clean those things after people like your brother and Rose visit them?"
"Alice! Focus please; I said I need your advice."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Bella. What's Edward done now?"
I went on to explain the situation about Oscar night and the book tour, and found that Alice was in complete agreement with me.
"We've already got your dress ready and everything. He'd better not screw this up." She said in exasperation. "Look honey, my advice is to let him think he's won. Chris and I will take care of everything at this end; you handle the book tour situation, but drop the subject when you're around Edward. I think he needs to be taught a little lesson, the obstinate fool."
"I don't want to hurt him…"
"Trust me Bella, I know my brother, if you do things his way, he'll be hurting alright. But if you do things my way, you'll be helping him avoid that pain, while teaching him that he doesn't always know what's best. He's going to be the happiest man at the Oscars." She ended with a giggle.
When I returned to my seat, Edward gave me a worried look. "Bella, I think I should explain myself…"
I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it Edward."
"But…"
"Believe me, you've said enough." With that, I put my earbuds in and pointedly ignored him for the rest of the flight.
***L&EL***
By the time we got to Duke's, I was speaking to Edward again. I could never stay angry for long. But I did decide to follow Alice's advice and not mention Oscar night again. I was quickly learning not to bet against her.
"Hello kids!" Duke greeted us excitedly. "You both look great." He said as he hugged us.
"And you look quite handsome," I told him sweetly.
He laughed. "Ah, I may have to keep you Bella. You do wonders for my ego."
I giggled and Edward frowned. "Forget about it old man." He said in mock anger before we all laughed.
"Bella!" Fiona squealed as soon as she spotted us, before running over to hug me.
"Careful," Edward lightly admonished his energetic cousin.
"Sorry," Fiona was all smiles and flushed cheeks as she began to speak. "I'm so glad you're here, even if it's only for a day. Your book is so great! Even though I'm a little old for it, it's exactly the sort of thing I loved to read when I was little. Right now, I'm reading the Chronicles of Narnia, I'm on book four. They're so exciting. I prefer the books over the movies, but the movies were done quite well…"
"Fiona," Edward said with a laugh, "please take a breath, and where is my hug?" He said in a teasing tone.
Fiona laughed and hugged him, "Sorry Edward," then she proceeded to chatter away for the next few minutes, eventually having to be silenced by her mother.
***L&EL***
"Bella, whatever will you do about your prenatal visits while Edward's filming in Europe?" Edward's Aunt Nancy questioned as we ate dinner.
All of the extended family had gathered at Duke's house with the exception of Edward's cousin Claire and her husband Brian.
I smiled. "My doctor has a good friend who works as an obstetrician in Paris. I'll be seeing her, but my doctor will be kept closely informed of my progress."
"Being able to make those arrangements must have been a relief." Annette said brightly.
"Believe me, it was. My doctor suggested it as soon as I told her we'd be in Europe for three months." Edward turned and smiled at me, before placing his hand on my stomach under the table, the baby being his favorite topic of conversation. "I'll admit that I'd been stressing over it, so I'm very happy now."
***L&EL***
"Are you ready for L.A. baby?" Edward asked as we lay in bed. The book tour stop in Chicago had been another rousing success, and the next morning we would be on our way to our second home on the west coast.
"As ready as I ever am for L.A." Aside from making an appearance there for my book tour, Edward and I had been asked to appear together on Ellen. I was excited about it, but nervous as well since Ellen DeGeneres is one of my favorite celebrities.
"Relax, I've had nothing but fun whenever I've appeared on Ellen's show."
I nodded, nervousness causing me to bite my lip.
Edward studied me, "Hmm. Maybe I can take your mind off of your nerves?"
I grinned. "Please."
I love his distractions…
He managed to take my mind off of a great many things that night. At one point I think I forgot my own name.
***L&EL***
"No, I'm not Academy Award nominee Edward Masen," Edward said with a deadpan expression as he served the next customer at Starbucks, "Yeah, I get that a lot." He said as he rolled his eyes, feigning boredom.
I was seated onstage with Ellen as we watched my husband via hidden camera, approximately a block away, posing as a Starbucks employee. Obviously Ellen had convinced him to take part in one of her pranks. Originally, she was supposed to be feeding lines through Edward's earpiece, but she gave up once he started to ad-lib.
I never realized how funny Edward could be. Ellen and I, along with the studio audience were in stitches.
"Did I mention that Mr. Masen is nominated for an Oscar?" Edward asked the next customer. "I don't think he deserves it. Personally, I think Zack Galifianakis should have been nominated for Due Date, but that's just my opinion." He said with a disinterested shrug.
Some customers would laugh nervously; others just nodded politely as Edward blathered on.
"Do you think Edward Masen should win the best actor Oscar?" He asked one elderly gentleman.
"I don't know…" the old fellow trailed off in confusion.
"Well," Edward continued, "I think, what's his name, you know, that French guy, is a much better choice…"
"No, I'm not Edward Masen. Yeah, I've heard that before, I guess in a certain light I resemble him."
And so it continued with customer after customer…
"Be honest though, don't you think he's a bit funny looking?" Edward asked with a scowl.
"I think Will Ferrell's wooden gun in The Other Guys did a better acting job than Masen." He told one customer.
"My name's Bill," he stated while pointing at his name tag. "I'm not Mr. Masen, but I am in the entertainment industry. This is just my day job." He leaned closer to the customer as his voice dropped to a whisper, "Evenings I work as an exotic dancer."
The audience roared with laughter.
"Two shows a night and a matinee on Saturdays at The Dancing Bare, out by the airport. Come check it out, my stage name is Spunk Ransom." He told one female customer with a smile and a wink.
She actually had the nerve to ask if he gave lap dances.
Edward never lost a beat before promising, "For you doll, I'll even wear my special glow in the dark G-string."
I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.
When one big burly guy looked agitated enough to get physical with Edward for 'flirting' with his wife, Ellen pulled the plug on the prank and told Edward to return to the studio.
As we waited for him, Ellen and I chatted.
"Oh my." Ellen began, still laughing. "Bella, is he always like that?"
I shook my head as I tried to compose myself.
"No, not really. I mean, I think I saw a glimpse of this Edward when he appeared on Saturday Night Live."
"I saw that," Ellen chimed in, "he was very funny."
The audience gave a round of applause.
"Now Bella, I asked you on so that we could talk a little about your career." She then turned to the audience. "If you weren't aware, Bella is none other than Marie McCarty, author of Francisco and the Swallow."
The audience applauded again as Ellen held up a copy of my book.
"Bella, I have to say that this is a wonderful story. I recommend it to anyone with children, or anyone else for that matter. I don't have kids and I loved it."
"Thanks, thanks very much."
"It kept me entertained from beginning to end. It's not all fluff, things get tense there for a while." Ellen was smiling broadly.
"True. It's definitely not all sunshine and bunnies. The best fairytales have serious or even downright scary moments in them."
"I agree. And I hear you've finished a second book as well."
"Yes, the next one is entitled Kayla and the Fairies, I think the release date is tentatively scheduled for some time next month."
Suddenly, I could sense Edward at my side. I turned and he was smiling happily at my exchange with Ellen. I couldn't help but lean into him.
I barely noticed the applause as I gave him a warm welcoming kiss.
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