~* Alice *~
"Bellllllllaaaaaaaaaa."
The house could fall down around that girl, and she wouldn't wake up. Trying to get her up was like waking the dead. If I had to go up there and physically drag her from that bed, so help me I'd……
A disgruntled Bella appeared in the kitchen doorway, yawning and stretching. "Do you know what freaking time it is? What's with all the yelling? Jesus, for a small woman you've got such a big mouth!"
I glared and threw a banana from the fruit bowl on the counter. "Eat that, take a shower, get dressed, and be down here in 20 minutes."
She peered down at the banana in her hands. "Do I look like a damn monkey?" I was being eyed warily.
"On a bad hair day, yes. Now go and get ready, please? We're going out!" I grinned, my excitement bubbling over. The boys were at daycare and Jas had left early for work this morning. Bella and I had the entire day to ourselves, and I wanted to make the most of it.
The night before, I'd been sitting at the kitchen table going through the following week's orders for the store and making a list to phone in to the suppliers when Jas came home.
"Darlin' where you at?"
I grinned. "Kitchen."
He kicked off his shoes and ambled in, leaning in to plant a kiss on my nose as he headed straight towards the beer in the fridge. "How was your day, munchkin?"
I stretched in my chair, glancing at the table haphazardly covered in paper. "Productive! How about you? All meetings and brainstorming?"
I giggled at the look on his face as he sank in to the chair opposite me, now clutching a cold beer in his hand. "Still crunching numbers for the Newton's company; their books are impossible."
I gave him my best reassuring smile. "Well, we both know you're the best person for the job."
"That's why I married you. Can't fault that optimism!"
"You mean it wasn't for my body?" I pouted, waiting for him to take the bait.
"That, too." He winked and flashed me a huge grin.
"Don't think you can win me over with your Southern charm; it won't wash with me!" I folded my arms across my chest and huffed.
He stood up and moved closer, coming to stand behind me. His hands gently squeezed my shoulders, and he bent down to kiss the top of my head. "Well, it's always worth a try," he laughed as I slapped at his hands. "Where are the gruesome twosome?"
I smirked at his choice of words. Daniel and Aaron were well behaved kids for the most part, but, like all boys, they had a fascination for the most disgusting things. "They're upstairs with Bella. She's bathing them so I can get some work done."
"Mixing kids and water? She's brave!"
"Or stupid!"
"Speaking of Bella, is she okay?"
I sighed, leaning back in my chair as he sat down next to me and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He looked as concerned as he sounded. With work, the kids, and there always being someone around, Jas and I hadn't really had time to talk about our recently acquired house guest. We loved having her, but I wished she were here on her own terms. She wasn't here for a vacation, and God knows she needed one. She was here because she was running. No one should ever have to run. Thirty-five minutes later, Jas knew everything, and I let out a long breath.
He looked thoughtful for a minute before finally speaking. "I'm gonna leave work early tomorrow, pick up the rugrats from Angela and take them to Em's for some big guy time."
"You mean there's a game on and you need an excuse to watch it?"
He smirked. "Well, yeah, but I was also thinking it would free you and Bella up to have some girl time, ya' know? A day to yourselves would be good for both of you, don't you think?"
My God, he was the sweetest man alive, and he was mine. My heart swelled. "You're perfect, you know that?"
"That's what I've been tryin' to tell you all this time!" He laughed hard as I smacked him in the arm, a smirk playing on my lips.
"Thank you."
"Not necessary Al, you know that. You're my wife, and I love you. As for Bella, she's a tough little cookie, but I don't wanna see her crumble over this."
I whispered quietly. "I don't either."
"So do whatever shit it is you girls do when you're alone; paint your nails or bake a pie or something!"
I giggled, leaning in and placing a small but sweet kiss on his bottom lip. "You just want pie!"
"Yep! A big Apple one!"
I rolled my eyes, watching his ass as he walked away from the table, heading for the bathroom, his beer now abandoned on the table. My mind wandered briefly before I turned to the notepad in front of me. I flipped over on to a fresh page to start planning for tomorrow as I absent mindedly tapped the end of my pen against the table. I grinned to myself with satisfaction as I scribbled down the first thing on my list.
1. Call Edward.
~*~
"Ali, tell me where we're going, or there will be a ransom note in place of your garden gnomes when you wake up tomorrow!"
"Don't use my babies as a bargaining tool in your underhanded negotiations, Miss Swan!"
She poked her tongue out and huffed, a small smile playing on her lips. "Fine, have it your way. Shut up and drive. I don't care."
After a bit of gentle coaxing on my part, and a lot of cussing on Bella's, I'd managed to lure her in to the car with promises of a sweet, strong coffee at the other end. I backed in to the nearest space and shut off the engine.
"The mall? All this secrecy and we're at the mall?"
I gave her a quizzical look, unsure as to how she was about to react. That first week with us, her mood had been a little unpredictable, and she'd been so on edge it was unreal, jumping at every little noise or movement and constantly peering out of the window. I knew she was waiting for that jackass to turn up and cause a scene, and I'd hoped for her sake that he didn't. I was also hoping he would have enough common sense to realise that this would only make matters worse, only push Bella further into her self. It wouldn't fix the situation, and he had no right to expect anything from her after what he'd done. She'd confessed that no one knew where she'd bolted to. The only place Jake would have thought to look for her was her mom's in Phoenix or her dad's place in Forks. He'd have no luck with either and he was probably too stupid to think any further than that.
She'd eased up a lot in the last week; it was almost like nothing had happened. She was spending a lot of time with the boys and helping out around the house. She'd even agreed to come into the store with me for a few days and deal with my huge backlog of admin.
I was relieved when she smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well whatever floats your quirky little boat! What are we here for anyway?"
"Rose and I are taking you out tonight!" When she looked confused, I continued. "You arrived with no clothes remember?"
"But I picked some up last week," she whined.
"You bought hoodies, jeans and tees, B! I don't think GAP will have what we're after somehow."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, what exactly are we after, Ali?"
"As much as I love your pretty little toes in flip flops, I thought you'd prefer heels for the club," I shrugged.
"Club? Jesus, Ali please tell me this doesn't involve a blind date."
"I swear, no strange men involved, unless you count Jas and Em. They're gonna meet us there after the game."
She nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry I doubted you. It'll be so good to see Em and Rose again!"
"They both know, but they won't say anything. They understand, B."
"It's ok. It's not like I swore you to secrecy or anything. They're my friends, they should know."
I nodded in agreement. "Right, c'mon, the shops are calling. But NO yoga pants!"
She grinned. "Bossy bitch! Now where's my goddamn coffee?"
Three hours and 6 shops later, my mission had been accomplished. I'd found the perfect outfit for Bella. She was never really a dress kinda girl, but she really had no need to be. She looked stunning as she stood there in tight skinny jeans and a cute fitted white tee. I threw a ladies tux jacket over the top and rolled up the sleeves. I glanced down at her feet. The 5 inch black patent pumps screamed sex, and, although getting laid was probably the last thing on her mind right now, it didn't hurt to tease a little. I had a feeling that they would be fully appreciated later on tonight.
"What are you smirking at? Will I do or not?"
"B, you look gorgeous. Trust me, that outfit is a winner."
She nodded in agreement and gestured to the shoes. "I'm loving these."
I raised my eyebrow. "You are? They're not too much for you?"
"Are you kidding? Fuck me heels are the ultimate confidence boost!"
"You don't need a boost; you're always pretty confident, B."
She shrugged. "Not so much lately. I'd forgotten how good it felt to feel sexy, so I might be badass and go lacy with the panties, too."
She winked and I couldn't help but giggle as she slipped back in to the fitting room to get changed. Something told me that, lacy panties and heels aside, tonight would be just what she needed.
Arrangements had all been made the night before. I'd spoken with Edward and then called Rose. She and Emmett were game, and, when I called Angela, she'd agreed to have the boys at hers for the night.
Rose arrived fashionably late as usual. "So where's Bella?"
I was pulling the wine glasses from the cupboard. "Upstairs squeezing in to jeans."
She smiled. "It's been too long, Ali. She calls but she rarely visits, ya' know? I was starting to think I'd done something to upset her. She never even told me about the wedding."
"She never told me, either. "
"What? Why?"
"I don't know! The day before she arrived, I'd had a really bad feeling about her, that something was wrong. She wasn't answering her cell, and her work email said she was out of the office. I panicked thinking she might have been hurt or sick or in a horrible accident. Then she turned up, and you know the rest."
I sighed. I was really hoping that Rose might be able to pry some more information from Bella tonight. This was never easy, but Rose was a force to be reckoned with and agreed to try.
I glanced over her tight body-hugging dress. "You look your usual stunning chesty self. Bitch!"
Rose smirked and eyed me up and down. "Gorgeous in red as always, Mrs. Whitlock."
"If it ain't broke don't fix it," I slurred in my mock Southern drawl.
She grinned and dropped her purse, sauntering over to the table to fill the large glasses while I slipped into my heels. Bella came flying in to the kitchen, barrelling right into Rose and squeezing her in to a bear hug.
"I'd know that mouth anywhere! Fuck, have I missed you!"
Rose smirked and handed out the wine. "I missed you too, you neglectful friend!"
I raised my glass and grinned. "To better things, and to the friends who help us find them."
The only sound in the house was the quiet clink of three glasses until Rose piped up. "Come on ladies, I didn't shoehorn myself in to this damn dress to stand in Alice's kitchen all night."
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