Bella The Babysitter: Chapter 16

Bella the Babysitter

Chapter fifteen

Edward Cullen POV

The party had abruptly stopped almost two hours ago and I found myself in the same position I had been in when it ended. Outside of Bella's bedroom door waiting for her to calm down. Knocking, pleading and begging all to no avail. The beautifully awesome day had come to a dramatic end and our worlds were changed yet again all thanks to that one small word. Two hours and her hiccupped sobs could still be heard through the wood of the door while I sat on the other side helplessly.

Flashback

"Mama." Lucas cried as he fought Laurel's grasp on his tiny body.

The entire room went silent. I stood frozen next to Laurel who looked like she had just been slapped in the face. Bella froze, her arms falling to her sides. Lucas continued to cry while the party goers just gazed on waiting for someone to say something.

Laurel turned to me, her face beat red as she clutched Lucas's body tighter to her own and took a step back.

"My daughter hasn't been in the ground for three months and you already have him calling someone else mommy?" she asked through clenched teeth, her face flushed with anger.

As soon as the last word fell from her lips Lucas started to cry harder and doubled his efforts at getting to Bella. His voice was a high pitched squeal but I had no trouble making out the only word he knew how to say.

"Laurel. It's not like that and you know it." my mother said walking over to the older woman in an attempt to calm her down and put a stop to the drama. We were after all, here to celebrate Lucas's first birthday.

Laurel shook her head and tried to calm the baby down but he wasn't having it. He wanted Bella, his for all intents and purposes momma. Wanting, needing to comfort him Bella stepped forward and held her arms out to him. Laurel took another step back.

"You stay away from him. You gold digging whore!" she hissed causing Bella to gasp, her small hand covering her mouth as tears fell down her cheeks. "Don't you dare think for one second that I'm going to watch you prey on my grandson and his guardian."

"Now Laurel." my mom said as Lucas continued to cry harder sensing Bella's distress. "Why don't you hand me the baby so that you and Edward can go in the kitchen and talk like adults?"

Laurel looked around noticing for the first time that she was causing a scene and handed the baby over to my mother. She walked into the kitchen while I watched my mother carry Lucas over to Bella. Lucas immediately started to calm down the closer he got to her, but she wouldn't remove her hands from her face which only made Lucas more upset.

My mom sent me a questioning look.

"Take them upstairs please." I mouthed before walking into the kitchen.

I sighed and pressed my head against the door frame, lightly knocking on the door. "Bella please open the door." I pleaded. "I know you can hear me baby. Please come out and talk to me."

It was quiet for a fraction of a second before her sobs grew louder. I gritted my teeth in frustration and slid down the door, running my hand through my hair. Her pain was my pain and right now she was hurting, the fact broke my heart.

Laurel had just downed a tall glass of chardonnay when I entered the kitchen. She didn't acknowledge me as she poured another glass and took a sip running her hand along the neck of the bottle. I stood across from her and pressed my hands against the counter for stability.

"You had absolutely no right to treat Bella that way. Especially in front of everyone, including Lucas. We don't use that language in this house." I said calmly.

"You forget that this house belonged to my daughter, the mother of Lucas. Not that tramp." she flung her hand in the air in indication.

"This is my house now and Lucas is for all intents and purposes my son. You won't speak about my girlfriend that way. One more insult and I'll be forced to ask you to leave Laurel." I watched her chug the rest of her glass and grabbed the bottle before she could refill it once more. "I think you've had enough."

"I'll say whatever the hell I want and do anything I damn well please Edward Cullen." the woman said, her eyes filled with anger. "You're blind if you can't see that she's just here, and with you for my daughter's hard earned money that you've got holed away. What other reason would she be here Edward? Living in your big expensive house and caring for my grandson?"

"Because I love the both of them with my entire heart." a small but determined voice explained from across the room.

It had been the first time I'd heard the word 'love' come out of her mouth since that night I eavesdropped on her and Lucas. It was a word that I wanted to shout from the rooftops informing the world that I was in love with her.I didn't care that it was too soon, it was how I felt. I wanted to hear her say it back. I had yearned to hear her tell me that she loved me.

And now it was tainted. All because of Laurel.

Bella had said she loved me in an effort to fight for what we were, to stand up for our relationship and it wasn't supposed to happen that way.

Bella's face was flushed as tears continued to fall freely off of her face and onto the blouse she wore. Her nose was red and running but she'd never looked more beautiful. She said she loved us, me and Lucas, the both of us.

"Love?" Laurel scoffed. "You little girl don't know a thing about love. All you care about is that fat checkbook."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Bella said defiantly holding her trembling chin up high. "I could care less about any of that. That little boy is my life and I'm not going to stand by and hear you belittle Edward for his choice to be with me or call me a gold digging whore because I am neither."

Laurel stood up knocking the glass she had used off of the table and onto the floor, not even wincing as it shattered on the linoleum before turning to me. "If you know what's good for you, you'll get rid of her Edward." she touched my cheek but I pulled away, my skin feeling as if she had burned me if possible more than her words already had.

"Get out Laurel. You're not welcome in our home any longer. I'll speak with Jenks about getting supervised visitation scheduled in the future. Cause a scene on your way out and you won't even get that." I walked her through the kitchen and the living room that was still full of guests. "I'm sorry but the party is over. Everyone out."

I handed Laurel her coat and bag and opened the door. She turned to me. "I'll be speaking to my lawyer about your parenting skills. It seems to me that your unfit to raise a child." and with that she staggered out to her beat up car and spun out of the driveway.

I slammed the door roughly and pinched the bridge of my nose in an effort to calm down. Everyone was still frozen in shock in the same position that I had left them in.

"I'm sorry everyone, like I said it's obvious that the party is over. Thank you for coming my mother and sister in law will see you out."

Alice gave me a sad smile before mouthing, "She ran upstairs."

I had rushed up the stairs and knocked on the nursery and let my mother know that the guests were leaving. Lucas had obviously cried himself to sleep,so she placed him in the crib before going downstairs to help Alice. I knocked on Bella's door but doubted she could hear it over the loud sobs she was still emitting.

And here I was two hours later still trying to get her to talk to me, or at least open the door.

"She won't bother us anymore Bella. I'll make sure Jenks takes care of it. She's not stable, that's why Vicky put Lucas in my care." I knocked again.

Her crying died down but I could still hear her sniffling.

"Did you mean it baby? When you said that you loved us?" I asked placing my hand against the door smiling like a doof even after everything that had happened. "Because I really hope you did. I hate that you had to admit it under such circumstances. But I want you to know that I love you too. Lucas loves you and I love yo-"

Before I could finish the sentence, the door flew open and Bella threw herself in my arms, a fresh round of tears falling from her red and puffy eyes. I placed kisses on her cheeks not caring that she was clammy from the tears.

"It's true beautiful girl." I whispered. "I didn't even realize I was attracted to you until I had already fallen in love with you. You make me complete and happier than I've ever been in my entire life."

She remained quiet other than the small squeaky noises coming from her chest from the sobs. I rubbed her back sympathetically trying to calm her down.

"She's going to try to take him from us." she finally whispered her voice choppy and raw from crying. "You can't let it happen Edward."

"It won't baby. Trust me. We're a family. None of us are going anywhere. I promise you that." I kissed her head.

"That's just it Edward." Bella sighed. "Everyone in my life has left me, in one way or another."

"What do you mean?" I asked smoothing her hair.

"Both of my parents were dead before I could drive a car, my grandmother before I graduated high school. Emmett and Rosalie were my makeshift family but now that they're together I hardly ever get to see them anymore and when I do they are both distracted by one another." Bella sniffed. "Family or not, I've sort of been abandoned by just about everyone in my life."

"I promise you, we aren't going anywhere."

"God." Bella laughed humorlessly. "Since when did birthday parties start needing a tissue warning?"

"Sometimes things happen differently than we expect it. It's only Lucas's first birthday party so we don't have to worry about him remembering it." I kissed her forehead. "And next year we'll just have to have a major blowout to make up for this years ridiculous monstrosity. We're talking ice cream cake and perhaps a petting zoo."

Bella gave a genuine laugh before pulling away. "Thank you."

"Your welcome, but what are you thanking me fore?"

"For making me laugh, making me happy."

"Well then I have to thank you then as well. SO thank you for being here, for both Lucas and I. Thank you for completing our makeshift family in ways I didn't realize were possible."

"Your welcome."

We were brought out of our cheese fest by a shrill cry from the nursery and Bella jumped up.

"Let me get him." she whispered sadly. "I owe him."

"Bella what more can you give him that you haven't already?" I chuckled.

"I was so upset that I completely ignored him when he wanted me earlier." she shook her head before turning back to the nursery door. " I have to live up to the title you know." Bella giggled walking into the nursery and shutting the door behind her.

I could faintly hear her words over the monitor sitting on her bedside table.

"Hi there baby boy. Momma is here."

"Momma." Lucas cheered sleepily.

"Yep, I love you baby."

"Mamma" Luke cooed.

I left the two alone and headed downstairs to help clean the party mess up. Alice and my mother were standing at the sink washing the few dishes that were left. Someone had swept and mopped up Laurel's mess. As soon as I entered the room they both turned to me giving me a nervous smile.

"Is everything alright?" Alice asked.

"Everything is fine. It's all going to be just fine." I answered pulling a few trash bags out of the cabinet.

"I know it will." my mother said simply.

Here's to hoping she's right.