Southern Comfort: Chapter 16

Southern Comfort

Chapter Sixteen

Esme is staring at the two of us with a weird smile on her face. Ever since we stumbled downstairs the second the smell of coffee hit our nostrils, she's had one eye on us at all time. It's making me nervous, but I don't say anything.

Edward on the other hand...

"Mom, what's goin' on?" he asks, causing her to jump half a foot in the air, her orange juice sloshing down the front of her apron.

"What? Nuthin'," she stammers.

"Nuthin'? You've been staring at us since we woke up and it's getting a little annoying."

"Fine," she huffs. "I heard what you said last night to Charlie and that dreadful woman and I wanna know if you were serious, that's all."

"Every bit of it," Edward says defiantly, lifting my hand that he'd been holding in his lap so that it rests on top of the table. "I'm gonna ask Bells and she's gonna say yes when I do."

"And about startin' a family?" Esme leans over, her elbow resting on the table.

"I said every bit of it," Edward nods. "We aren't gettin' any younger."

"We want a big family so we need to start soon," I mumble awkwardly.

"Well y'all," Esme wipes a tear from her eye. "I always knew the two of you would get together. It just took so damn long. I already see Bella as a part of the family, so you can start on makin' me some grandbabies tomorrow and I'll be happy."

Edward chokes on his bagel and I turn four different shades of red in embarrassment.

Esme's nothing if not subtle.

"I know Alice isn't going to be poppin' out any babies any time soon, what with her and Jasper's financial situation, so you two go right ahead." She takes a good look at the two of us. "You're gonna make some pretty babies."

Carlisle walks into the kitchen, takes one look at an emotional Esme and turns back towards the way he came in.

"I want to be married before you impregnate me," I whisper in Edward's ear while Esme gains control over herself.

"I can't promise anything," he chuckles.

Cue the ever present blush.

Alice and Jasper eventually crawl out of their bedroom, looking worse for wear. Her usual straight and perfect hair is one big fuzzy mess around her clearly hung over face and she sort of looks like a lion.

Jasper has a pair of sunglasses on and seems to be clutching his stomach. Both of their complexions are a little green, so I point to the farthest seats away from where we're sitting.

"Down there. Grab a bucket just in case," I insist.

"Shut it, Bella," Alice croaks against the table she's now laying on.

"Alice, pick your head up and eat some toast."

At the mention of food, the suffering couple both groan. Esme chuckles darkly and stands up to grab a pot and wooden spoon. Luckily she's given fair warning and both Edward and I have our hands covering our ears before she starts banging on it like a banshee.

She's on her second round around the kitchen when Jasper jumps up and runs down the hall towards the bathroom. Alice is in tears.

"Why momma?" she cries.

"Because I warned both of you that I would do this if you got carried away," Esme explains. "Don't think I didn't see the two of you sneaking that bottle of Captain up the stairs in the middle of my party. You weren't even downstairs when the ball dropped."

"I'm an adult."

Esme bangs on the pot again, but this time my hands aren't covering my ears. Alice's whimpers can barely be heard.

"Excuse me?" Esme asks politely.

"I'm sorry, momma," Alice groans against the table.

"That's right. Now stop crying all over my dinner table and pick your head up." She picks up a piece of buttered toast, puts it on a plate and sets it in front of Alice. "I'll get you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks, momma," Alice murmurs.

Edward is cackling next to me like a mad man.

"Shut up, Edward!" Alice growls around her piece of toast.

"What's wrong, Mouse?" he says a little louder than necessary.

"I feel like a pile of poo," she pouts. "And you're not helping, jerk."

"You know what I think, Bells?" Edward asks, pulling my hand to his mouth and kissing it.

"What's that, Edward?"

"I think you should teach me how to fry bacon this morning." He snickers when Alice groans, covering her mouth. "Or maybe some sausage. Ooh, how about for lunch you teach me how to braise some fi-"

Alice jumps up and runs down the hallway, crashing into a very pale Jasper in her haste. Esme, Edward and I are laughing our asses off when he sits down at the end of the table and grabs a piece of toast.

"What did I miss?"

We just shake our heads and he nibbles on his toast. Esme cracks a few eggs and starts her frittata. I'm grateful that Edward and I didn't get carried away with our drinks last night because I can't wait to eat her meal before we head back home. Carlisle slinks in at some point; first his head pokes around the corner to make sure there are no tears being shed and then his entire body. He sits next to me at the table without a word.

In the almost six years I've known him, he's never held a conversation with me and most of his comments towards me are the casual forced greetings on holidays or birthdays. Esme serves everyone as Alice comes back into the kitchen, looking a little better than she had before. She glares at the plate of frittata and then at Edward before joining Jasper for a dry breakfast of toast.

We all tuck in to our meals when I feel a calm unfamiliar hand touch my own.

"Your daddy doesn't deserve someone as wonderful as you, darlin'," Carlisle whispers in my ear. "Esme was truthful when she said you were already a part of this family."

Tears pool in my eyes and I lift my head to look into the calm blue eyes of a man that's never willingly spoken to me in the entire time I've ever known him. "Thanks, Carlisle." I choke on a sob before I'm pulled into the warm embrace of the father figure I wished for growing up.

Carlisle lets me cry for a few minutes and for a man that doesn't handle emotion well, he gives great hugs. He pats my back until my sobs are reduced to sniffles.

When we pull apart the rest of the table is quiet, but they are respectful and don't acknowledge the emotional moment I just shared with Carlisle. Edward's hand slinks under the table and squeezes my knee in a reassuring manner. I grab his hand and squeeze it tightly before turning back to my breakfast without letting go.