Sign 20

EPOV
*Do I look pretty, Daddy?*
Pretty?
Pretty doesn't quite cover it.
"You look like a princess, baby. You always do," I replied, smiling at her as she twirled in front of the mirror in her room.
And you're growing up way too fast.
Word, Cullen.
Seriously? Word? Christ… Yeah, I'm rolling my eyes at myself.
Anyway.
She was wearing a gorgeous little dress in red velvet that Bella had bought for her, and Emma was in love with it, stating that it was the prettiest dress in the world.
Bella had somewhat shyly explained that she had developed a slight shopping addiction when it came to buying Emma clothes and some other stuff, and I truly didn't care as long as she let me pay for it, because buying pretty dresses ain't my forte, but… the damn woman actually flipped me off when I told her I wanted to pay for it.
Literally gave me the finger.
We're gonna have to talk about that because I'm not comfortable having Bella spend a fortune on Emma, and it has nothing to do with their relationship. It's about how I was raised. Even if Bella was Emma's biological mother, I wouldn't want her to pay.
She's already insisting on paying half our rent, and truth be told, I fucking hate that. It doesn't matter that Bella's set for life because so am I, and the money-issue is one thing I'm putting my foot down on.
Dad, Emmett, and I are all pussy whipped when it comes to the women in our life, but money is the one thing we won't budge on.
*I am hungry,* Emma announced then, making me chuckle as she inhaled deeply through her nose, and trust me; I smelled it, too.
Bella was in the kitchen, preparing the dinner for tonight, and after Emma and I had tried to steal one too many cookies that she had made for our dessert, Bella literally pushed us out of the kitchen, ordering us to get ready.
And now… Oh, have mercy, because the apartment smells heavenly.
"Katie and Uncle Jasper will be here any minute," I told her.
"And Uncle Jasper and Bella's friend," I added hesitantly.
I had talked to Jazz and knew that he and Alice were together now, but they were moving slowly, and Katie didn't know. It was way too soon for that since Tanya left only a few weeks ago, and Katie was still going through hell, which in turn affected Jazz severely. But it was nice to hear that Alice was a great friend and huge support for Jazz because I knew he needed it. According to Bella, Alice wouldn't let Jasper close himself in. That alone was a reason for trusting Alice wholeheartedly, and I had only met her twice.
*Alice.* Emma nodded. *I met her on Skype.*
Ah, right.
"That's right. I remember now." I smiled.
Ever since Thanksgiving, Skype has been popular in our home, and I know that Mom and Dad are giving Emma a pink laptop for Christmas so that Emma can have her own one when she has a Skype-date with Katie. It glitters by the way, her pink laptop. I've already seen it. It was when Dad and I had lunch at their place; he asked if it was okay they gave her a computer that I saw it, and I laughed because they had already bought the thing, so how much did my opinion matter?
I don't mind, though. I'm glad that Emma and Katie can communicate that way, and there's no reason not to encourage it, which is why Mom and Dad are giving Katie one, too, but in purple.
Since Jasper's parents live in Houston, my parents didn't waste time in adopting both Jazz and Katie, and I'm thrilled to actually celebrate Christmas Day with all my close ones.
I'm digressing.
As a 'friend,' Alice sometimes visits Jasper and Katie, and that's how Emma met her once – when Emma and Katie were Skyping.
The intercom buzzed then and Emma took of like a bat outta hell when I told her that Katie was probably here, and I followed, pretty much grinning my way through our very Christmas decorated apartment. I gotta say, I fucking love it. Not necessarily for the decorations, though Emma and Bella have done a wonderful job, but for the warmth Bella has brought into the place.
"Edward here," I answered, chuckling as I looked down at my bouncing daughter who was hugging my leg.
"Good evening, Mr. Cullen," Eleazar said, formal as always. "I have a Mr. Whitlock here with Miss. Katie and Ms. Brandon."
"Send 'em up," was my standard reply.
*Is it Katie, Daddy?* Emma asked as I hung up.
"Yeah, Princess, it's Katie. I told you." I snickered, watching as she started pacing by the door.
"They're here?" Bella asked, emerging from the kitchen looking hot damn, sinful.
Black, skinny jeans, oh so tight, making her ass look… uh… nope, no words there either… and then a silky top in Christmas red.
"Christ, Bella, you're beautiful," I… sorta groaned.
When the hell did she change? Were Emma and I gone for that long? I mean, Jesus, my shower took five minutes…
Never fucking mind.
"And you look good enough to eat, piano man," she purred, making my cock twitch.
Damn.
Before I could do something highly inappropriate, the doorbell rang, and Bella sent me a wink as she passed me, swaying her hips seductively, to get the door.
Mutha' fuck.
Then it was squeals all over, making me dizzy. I swear. But seriously, for a solid five minutes, Jazz and I just stood there, watching Emma and Katie goof around on the floor where they compared dresses and hairstyles and talked about… something… and then Bella and Alice… Jesus, didn't they see each other like yesterday?
Then came the hugs.
Katie and I hugged but that's nothing new, and I called her gorgeous like I often do, because she is, and she kissed my cheek like always because that's how adorable she is, but Alice? Hot damn, that woman hugged me three times, almost squeezing the shit out of me as she rambled about how happy I have made Bella and how happy she is that we finally solved everything, and… something else. I was quite… not there for a while, because the chick can talk.
I can honestly say that I like the little Hyper, but man, perhaps someone should put her on Ritalin.
Word, Cullen. Word.
Anyway, when Alice had hugged the shit out of me, she hugged the shit out of Emma, too, but since my princess was as hyper as Alice – almost anyway – I knew that they would get along just fine. And yes, I noticed the way Jasper watched her, especially when Katie reached out for Alice to hold her hand.
They may have a long road ahead of them but it's quite clear that Jazz can already see the light at the end of the tunnel, and that's nothing but wonderful to see.
After Bella, who was suddenly carrying a clingy Emma on her hip, had hugged Jasper and Katie, all the girls headed for the kitchen, stating that they would get the last in order while Jazz and I could take a seat in the living room… or whatever.
Then it was just the two of us left in the hallway.
Yeah.
"Um…"
That came from me, 'cause was still in a daze.
"That was… surreal," Jasper said, also in a daze from the hurricane of women.
"Yeah…"
Shaking my head, I think a cleared it. A bit at least.
"Living room?" I asked.
"Sounds good."
As soon as Jasper and I had planted our asses in the living room, Bella came in with two beers for us, and just smiled sweetly before heading back to the kitchen. The whole thing felt so goddamn surreal that it ain't funny. I mean, I've never had this before. Just looking around me, I see the changes. The living room that Mom didn't decorate for me this year. Bella and Emma did. Then the Christmas music in the background. The beautiful women in the kitchen gossiping and cooking… No, I've never had that.
It struck me that even though I've always loved my apartment and always thought of it as a warm and homey place, it wasn't until Bella moved in that it became… truly our home… in a way. Perhaps it doesn't make sense, but to me… yeah, it's how I feel.
"Shit, man, when are you proposing?" Jasper joked as he popped the cap on his beer. "Make sure you don't let that one go."
And I know he's not just talking about Bella bringing us beer, which is why I decided to answer truthfully.
"Christmas morning," I said, smiling to myself as I opened my beer.
He stared at me for a beat, and then he relaxed on the couch and smirked lazily. "For some reason I'm not surprised."
Let's just hope she says yes.
Twenty minutes later, Jasper and I had talked about everything and nothing, meaning; we'd gossiped about Bella and Alice. And I was glad to hear that Jasper was handling things well after the Tanya-debacle, and that Alice had been there for him from the start. It also meant a fuckload when Jasper told me that Alice was taking a night class to learn more sign language. It really showed how lucky we were, because we were. Both of us. We had found perfect women who were not only there for us, but also for our daughters.
"Dinner's ready, boys!" I heard Bella call then.
Jasper and I exchanged another this-is-surreal look, and then we made our way to the kitchen where Emma and Katie were playing on the floor with a few Barbies, and Bella and Alice were setting the table.
Was this really my life now?
Because I could get used to this.
"Anything I can do?" I asked, coming up to Bella from behind, 'cause… well, her neck called to me. True story.
"Hmm? Um, no." She shivered as I kissed her neck.
"Christ, I love you, baby," I whispered as I sucked on her earlobe.
"Love you, too, and it looks like you're hungry," she half giggled, half moaned, as she rubbed her ass against me.
"Fucking starving," I growled quietly, stilling her movements before this got way out of hand.
"Alright, alright, you two," I heard Alice laugh. "Not in front of the girls, okay? And please, not in front of me either!"
Smiling sheepishly, I let Bella go, and soon we were all seated at the table where, shit… That's a lot of food. That Bella cooked. Yeah, I'm in heaven. For sure. Again, Jasper and I just sat there for a while, taking it all in; the way Alice and Bella filled the girls' plates with food, helping them cut their chicken… the way they talked cheerily about… something. The smiles on their faces. The giggles coming from Emma and Katie who were seated next to each other with Bella and Alice on their sides.
Lastly I noticed the complete adoration Bella and Emma had for each other when they joked about… something. I think it was about having to eat the vegetables if Emma wanted Santa to come.
We were a family.
"Something wrong?" Bella asked me, smiling curiously.
I just smiled back and shook my head, because there was no way I could explain the way I felt with words. But I think she understood anyway. For some reason, Bella just understood me.
Jasper gave me a knowing smile, too, because he most likely felt the same when it came to Alice and Katie who were not far off, already being close.
"We should talk Christmas shopping," Alice said then, and I laughed as Bella nodded furiously. "I mean, I have so much to buy now that Esme's invited me."
That had my attention, and I stopped with my fork mid-air. "You're coming, too, Alice?"
"Yeah, Esme called a couple of days ago." She smiled. "I mean… that's okay, right?"
"Of course." I grinned. "The more the merrier, eh?"
"I'll drink to that," Jazz said, holding his beer up.
And we did. Drink to that, that is.
"So, shopping?" Bella reminded Alice as we started eating again. "I have to buy gifts for Emma and Katie." Then she looked over at me. "Have you bought anything for the little one yet?"
"No," I replied, making sure that Emma and Katie were occupied, which they were. "Dad, Emmett, Jazz, and I, we sorta have a tradition. We go out together and buy presents, 'cause neither of us wanna face the malls without male support."
True. And serious.
It's war out there.
"Hear, hear," Jasper seconded, nodding solemnly.
"We should do the same!" Bella and Alice gasped in unison, and then Bella continued. "Yes, we could call Esme and Rose." And again, she looked over at me. "Is it alright if we take Emma with us, because I need her advice on your gift."
"Yeah, and can Katie come, too?" Alice asked Jazz.
Jazz and I… well, we were in a daze.
But we've already covered that, yes?
Make no mistake, Jazz and I are both in love with this new life, so to speak, and it's perfect. It's everything we've always wanted. But it's overwhelming. It's very is-this-just-a-dream? and very what-if-it-goes-away, and lastly we-need-to-sit-back-so-we-can-fucking-savor-it.
Yeah. Word.
Anyway!
"Of course," I murmured, kissing Bella's temple. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled to come with you."
I know she will.
"Absolutely," I heard Jazz reply at the same time, to Alice.
And the smiles Alice and Bella gave us were as if they had won the goddamn lottery, when in fact, it was me and Jazz who had won. Won big.
The rest of the evening was as perfect, and we talked, laughed, and played games with Emma and Katie. Girls against boys, of course, and they killed me and Jazz when we played charades in the living room.
It was overwhelming, all of it, and again, Bella saw it all and understood when she found me just watching it all at times. She just gave me one of her smiles before going back to talking or playing or… just being perfect.
Before Jazz, Katie, and Alice left, we called Mom, Dad, Emmett, and Rose, and we all made plans for Christmas shopping, and shit, next Tuesday it's me, Jazz, Dad, and Emmett against the world of women in New York. And then we'll meet up with the women for dinner once we're done. Most likely at the hospital.
No kidding.
Emmett actually came home with a bruised ribcage last year from all the fucking elbows, and I myself have been the receiver of many glares in the Christmas frenzy.
That night, Bella and I also decided to go out tomorrow to pick out a tree.
Yes, we're a family. Through and through.
I have someone to share everything with now.

*O*O*O*

"I'm scared," Emmett whimpered.
"I'm terrified." Dad shuddered.
"I wanna go home," Jasper whispered.
"I think I can fit under Emma's bed," I mumbled.
It's Tuesday. December 21st. We're standing outside Tiffany's, looking in, and it's insane. There. Inside. And we're about to go. There. Inside. To buy gifts for the women in our lives.
We do this every year. Always the same stores – first Tiffany's because you can never go wrong with jewelry.
Then when we're done at Tiffany's, we go to other stores to find something that shows thought… and stuff like that. 'Cause that's how we were raised. Mom would have my head if I gave away jewelry, just because it's easy, and don't worry, I'm with her on that one. It's important to put thought into your gift, but that doesn't mean it's easy, 'cause it's not. It's hard. So hard.
But right now I'm also nervous. Scared shitless is more like it.
I'm actually here to find an engagement ring.
I'm proposing.
I, Edward Cullen, am proposing.
"Alright, gentlemen, let's do this shit," Emmett said, apparently having gone through some inner pep talk, because he sounded confident for once. "And good luck, Eddie."
Then he was inside.
Yes, they knew I was here to buy a ring. I had told them this morning when we met for breakfast, and Dad's response was, "I owe your mother a hundred dollars. Congratulations, son."
So, I gathered that Mom was suspecting this.
"You ready, Edward?" Jazz chuckled as he pounded me on the shoulder.
"To marry Bella? Yes. To go in there?" I said, pointing inside. "Fuck no."
But then we took the bull by the horns and headed inside. Shit. Women everywhere. And men of course. Men who had the same reason to be here as we did.
"May I help you, sir?" asked a voice, and all of the sudden I had a salesperson in front of me.
What the hell, here we go. "Uh, yeah. There are a few things I need."
And then we got started.
Emma was easy, and I found a bracelet for her. Even picked out a few charms to put on it. One with a pink ice cream, one with a pink cupcake, one pink baby carriage, one with 'E' on it, one pink lollipop, and lastly a crown, 'cause she's my princess. She'll love it, because I know her new thing is jewelry as it evidently makes her feel like a big girl. And hey, you can't go wrong with sparkly stuff, right?
Right.
Then it was Rose, Katie's, and Mom's turn. I even found something for Alice, 'cause I wanted to play it safe, you know.
They were easy, too. Bracelets. Diamonds. Enough said.
Then… oh, God. Finding a ring? Not easy.
So far, the saleslady had suggested shit and I had said, 'yes, that works.' But finding a ring is slightly different.
"Alright, I'm done," Emmett announced, coming over to me.
Dad and Jasper were done, too, so they were hovering where I stood, completely clueless as I watched display after display with rings. There were many of them but I didn't feel anything as I looked them over, and I wanted that. I wanted to feel 'yes, that's the one.' But so far, nada.
"What'd you get for Rose?" Jasper asked Emmett.
"A set. Necklace, bracelet, earrings. It has diamonds, so I figured she'll love it."
Emmett knows my sister well.
Another display came out, and the very patient saleslady started babbling about cuts and some other shit.
"Perhaps you should look at another type of ring, son," Dad suggested, also looking at the display. "Like your mother for instance; she has a yellow diamond."
"Yes, we also have a large selection of colored diamonds," the saleslady said. "Would you like me to show you, sir?"
I shrugged. "Um, sure."
"They make colored diamonds?" Emmett asked confusingly as the lady came back with a new display.
I didn't laugh at him because my knowledge wasn't much better than his, though I did know about colored rocks.
"Well, they don't make them, sir," the saleslady told him, looking at him as if Emmett had said something horrifying. "They find them. But yes, there are colored diamonds."
"Well, pardon my French," Emmett replied, making us all chuckle. "But what. The fuck. Ever."
"Someone's cranky," I snickered under my breath.
It was true, though. If Emmett doesn't eat soon, he'll go berserk, and we'll have to kill him.
Focus, Cullen…
Right.
I zeroed in on the display, and… yes. Finally. That's the one. Thank God for colored rocks.
"That one," I said confidently, pointing at the ring in question.
It was beautiful. It was Bella.
It was a platinum ring, the lady told us, and the very light blue diamond in the middle was emerald cut… whatever that means. I'd call it rectangular but I don't speak Jewelry. Then the little diamonds around the ring were apparently 'round,' and I wondered why they didn't have a weird name. Anyway…
"Excellent choice, sir," the lady said, motioning me to come with her to the register.
I had to pat myself on the back because this morning before we left, I had rummaged through Bella's jewelry and found a ring, which I brought with me to get the right size. Yeah, sometimes I'm fucking smart.
Ten minutes later, we left Tiffany's, each of us carrying a bag with at least four of the little blue boxes, and each of us thousands of dollars poorer, but that doesn't matter, because we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. Half the day is finally over, and now we just have to, you know, find the rest.
"Okay, what's next?" Dad asked as we stepped outside.
"I'm done." Jasper smirked cockily. "I've bought stuff online for Katie, Alice, Esme, Rose, and Bella."
Huh.
Smug bastard.
Why didn't we all buy shit online?
"Traitor," Dad mumbled under his breath, but we all heard him.
"So, you're saying that you've bought two gifts for each and every one of them?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Both 'personal' and jewelry?"
"Yeah, I figured. You know, to be on the safe side." He shrugged.
Alright, so he was on the same page as me. That means I have to buy some thoughtful stuff for Alice?
Fuck my life. I need Bella for this.
Not that I mind giving her gifts, because I truly don't. After our dinner together last week, I'd say she's part of the family, but fuck! I don't know her enough to give her 'thoughtful.'
"What'd you get for Bella?" I asked.
Another cocky smirk. Like he's a genius. "A leather cuff."
"Like the one I have for Emma?"
"Yep."
Fuck, that is genius.
"Dammit," I sighed. "Alright, much to do then. Let's go."
Let's just say that I'm thankful for the tradition I have with the guys. We always give each other the same thing every year – Yankee tickets and a bottle of scotch. Yeah, we decide which games we wanna see, and then we pool together so each of us pay for one game for four guys. It's perfect, 'cause that means we have four games that we go to together… and then of course the four bottles of scotch we go home with after Christmas.
But women aren't that easy.

*O*O*O*

I'm dead.
Seriously. We all are.
At seven PM, we dragged our spent asses to the restaurant where we were meeting the women for dinner, and damn, this day has been long. And painful. But we pulled through. Somewhat at least. Thoughtful, schmoughtful. I found an iPod to Alice, and I bought it 'cause it had a ballet dancer on the back, and that's good, right? I mean, she's a ballet major.
It better be good 'cause I'm done.
Mom was easy, because I always buy her favorite perfume, and Rose is easy, too, 'cause she loves shoes, which is why I bought her a gift certificate at Jimmy Choo or Shoe, or whatever his name was.
Emma and Katie were somewhat easy, and after checking with Bella – who knows more about Emma's doll collection – she gave me the green light to buy Emma the new Bratz Houze that she apparently wanted. Yeah… sure… whatever. I didn't understand so I just showed the text to the saleslady and she showed me in the right direction, and now I have a big ass bag with two Bratz Houzes. One for Emma and one for Katie.
Lastly there was Bella. She wasn't easy to buy stuff for, and hopefully she'll like camera I got for her. I mean, I remember her talking about art and that she's into photography as well, so I figured it couldn't be awful anyway.
Hopefully the camera won't matter much, though, 'cause you know… it's the ring that matters. Right?
She'll say yes, right?
Right?
God, I hope so.