Watching Bella sleep was both wonderful and boring at the same time. The nights she was quiet were especially mundane. It was during these times that I would take advantage of being alone in her father's house.
On my excursions, I had discovered Bella's baby crib still occupying space in the attic. I believed that Charlie still loved Renee very much. My suspicions were validated when I found a box of old love letters and pictures from when they were first married.
Tonight, I decided I was going to look through the old scrapbooks that Charlie had sitting on the bookcase. Bella had always steered me away from them which only made them all the more intriguing. I began flipping through the pages, carefully examining each and every photo and the information that it provided. It was a journal of sorts, revealing more and more about the woman I loved.
I turned the page and found an 8x10 picture of a young, Bella blowing an enormous bubble with the words "Double Bubble Bubblegum Champion, Isabella Swan" engraved along the bottom.
The next page was a newspaper clipping with a similar photo and Bella was obviously older. The caption read, "The Double Bubble Bubblegum Contest's defending champion, 12-year-old Isabella Swan of Phoenix has won for the third year in a row, beating out 30 other contestants."
A sense of pride rose in my stomach for Bella and her talent of blowing huge bubbles with the pink, sticky substance. It surprised me though, because Bella wasn't much of a gum chewer now. I wondered when she'd stopped.
"Edward?" Bella said from her room. I carefully put the book back exactly the way I'd found it. There was no need to tell Bella I'd been snooping again. She hated when I did that. I grabbed a glass of water as a cover and raced up the stairs. Thank goodness for vampire speed.
"Hey," I smiled, handing her the water. "I'm going to go home and shower, okay?"
"I'll meet you there when I'm done."
"See you soon," I whispered, kissing her perfect lips. I ran home as quickly as I could so that I would be ready when she arrived.
I walked through the door and Emmett greeted me much as he did every morning. He had come to enjoy hearing about the new stuff I'd learned while the Swan's slept peacefully.
Well? his mind asked as he smiled eagerly.
"Bella is a bubblegum bubble blowing champion," I informed him proudly.
"A what?" he raised an eyebrow as a smile tugged at his mouth.
"She used to blow really big..." His laughter cut me off.
"Used to, huh?"
"Yes, she hasn't done it since she was like 12."
"She was blowing them when she was 12?" he asked, stifling a chuckle. I tried to understand what was so funny about her blowing big bubbles when she was younger. Jasper, feeling Emmett's amusement, gleefully entered the room.
"What's so funny, Emmett?" Jasper asked.
"You tell him, Edward," Emmett diverted the explanation to me.
"When Bella was 12, she used to blow really big..." I stopped when Jasper snickered. I looked back and forth between the two of them, still confused. I searched their thoughts, but Jasper was thinking x-rated thoughts of Alice -- something I definitely didn't need to see -- and Emmett was singing Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend. They were keeping me in the dark on purpose.
"She used to blow really big what, Edward?" Emmett encouraged me to continue as he grabbed his sides, laughing. Jasper joined him, snorting. Realization dawned on me and my embarrassment was rising as I attempted to get their minds out of the proverbial toilet.
"It's not like that." They continued to chuckle. "You two are disgusting!" I hissed, turning my back on them. I needed to hurry if I was going to be ready when Bella got here.
I pulled the shower curtain closed and the doorbell rang. I focused on the thoughts of the person standing on the doorstep. I couldn't hear anything. Bella.
Terror consumed me when Emmett's thoughts entered my head. Let the fun begin! "Hey, Jasper! Look who's here."
"How are you?" Jasper asked politely.
"Fine, thanks," came her soft reply.
"So Bella, I hear you like to blow things," Emmett said, attempting to hide his humor.
"Excuse me?" Bella asked timidly.
I grabbed a towel, wrapped it around myself and headed to protect Bella from my dirty-minded brothers, leaving wet footprints as I went.
"I heard you have a talent for blowing things," Emmett rephrased his really bad joke.
"Blowing things?" She was confused.
"Yeah, like balloons, bubbles..." Jasper interjected.
"Edward," Emmett said my name, both adding it to Jasper's list and acknowledging the fact that I'd entered the room. I growled as Bella turned a thousand shades of crimson. "Perfect, it looks like he's ready for you, Bella," Emmett chuckled.
I rushed over to him, forgetting to hold my towel which fell to the ground. Jasper and Emmett roared with laughter. Bella's heart stuttered at the sight of my wet, naked body. She gasped, turning away quickly. I snarled at my brothers as I hurried to cover myself again. Jasper and Emmett's laughter continued as they fled my rage -- and embarrassment -- heading out into the yard.
Bella's cheeks were beginning to return to their normal color. I stood facing her suddenly feeling very exposed.
"What was all that about?" she asked shyly. I shrugged, unsure of how to explain what my brother's had found so humorous.
Alice walked around the corner, giggling. "How about you just chew on this for a while," she laughed, tossing Bella a piece of Double Bubble bubblegum.
"You didn't," she gasped. I wasn't sure if she was hurt or angry. She was embarrassed for sure.
"I did," I admitted sheepishly.
"I think it's a great talent to have, Bella. Being able to blow well is something guys really admire," Alice said, trying to sound innocent. Bella stared at her in disbelief. Come on, Edward. That was funny. Her mind was laughing. I hissed at her.
Bella's face changed from surprised to horrified. Her heart stopped beating momentarily and her cheeks flushed bright red.
"Oh, Edward," she muttered, disappointed.
Oh, Edward, Alice's thoughts repeated Bella's words in an erotic tone, mocking me, before trailing off as she exited the room.
"I can't believe you would snoop in my stuff and then tell Emmett, of all people, what you'd discovered." Bella's voice was more sad than angry and I hated myself for hurting her.
"I'm very proud of you," I explained, not that it excused what I'd done. She raised an eyebrow. I walked over, taking her hand. "I'm sorry." I pulled her into a hug, kissing her passionately. My body reacted as hers pressed against mine.
"Um, Edward..." she murmured, pulling away.
"Yes, love?"
"Would you mind putting on some pants?"
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer rocks! All recognizable people and places belong to her.
Author's Note: If you cracked a smile, please review :)
Also, a big thanks to 'not done baking' for proofing this. THANKS!