Episode Sixty-nine: A Bowl of Pickles

Back: Episode 68

Next: Episode 70

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Episode Sixty-Nine: A Bowl of Pickles

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It was dark and drizzling lightly on the windshield of the car. I was finding it hard to move from the seat. Edward took my hand, holding it carefully in his big one. He was so tender. I felt so tired, and my chest hurt a little. All of my emotions were taking a toll on my body. I needed to really rest. 

“Let’s plan a real vacation soon. Somewhere with no family.”

“Just me and you?” He looked at me curiously, unbuckling his seatbelt but not moving from his spot either. He knew I wasn’t ready.  

“I’d like it if Jasper were there, too. But, I think I might need something before then,” I admitted. “Just another weekend somewhere, maybe. I don’t know where. My brain is kind of fried right now.”

“I think I can arrange that for us.”

“You’ve been so good about all this. I should.”

"I want to, though. Let me arrange something nice and quiet for us soon. Next month, maybe?" He offered. I smiled and nodded. I took in a deep breath. "Yeah, I don't know if we can, but we'll try. Are you ready?" Edward questioned me gently.  

“No,” I said as I undid my seatbelt and opened the car door. He followed behind me, his hand comfortingly on my back as soon as we met in front of the car. 

There were only a couple of trucks in the parking lot. The silver building was lit up by a bright overhanging street light, the red neon of the restaurant sign glowing in the puddles that filled the rocky parking lot. My feet crunched through the gravel. 

It was easy to see my half brother under the light. His features were hazy, but it was incredibly hard to miss his giant form. Jacob was huge. Taller than Edward even, by a couple of inches at least. He was also twice as muscular. As I walked closer, my heart thudded in my chest.  

Every step closer, I saw something new. Our skin was almost the same shade. His mother was part white, too. We had the same long black curly hair that twisted down our shoulders. It was nearly the same length even. His was very pretty, shiny in the light and neatly pushed back behind his ears. We had the same beaky nose. I walked faster. His smile grew, and I could see a small gap in his front teeth. It reminded me of the one I had before I suffered through braces and a retainer. As I closed the distance, I finally realized that Jake had one blue eye and one dark brown. I hadn’t been able to tell from the pictures.    

I threw myself at him. My brother picked me up completely off the ground with both of his arms around my waist and buried his face in my neck. He was shaking with silent tears as I desperately wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could. 

"We have the same eyes," I cried out surprisingly loud. He pulled back to take a look at me, then let out a watery laugh. Jake nodded with a smile. "Did Dad?" 

"Yeah. So did our grandma. The girls don't, though," he told me quickly, putting his large hand on my cheek when he put me down on my feet. "You look so much like our grandmother. Oh, my god. Wow." 

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just like her,” he said happily. “She was really tiny, too,” he laughed while still crying. “And pretty, too. I can’t wait to show you pictures. You’ll see.”

"I can't believe how much we look alike." I pulled back finally from his hug, my hands resting on his arms. "Jesus, you're huge, though." Jake laughed as he pulled me back into a hug before kissing my forehead.  

We stood there silently for a long time, just holding each other.

“Hi, sis. So nice to meet you,” Jake finally said, his big hands were holding my back tightly as he laid his cheek on the top of my head. I pressed my face into his chest, breathing in his unique scent. It was mildly familiar and musky. It was very comforting. 

"Nice to meet you, too," I laughed, trying to stop my tears. I pulled back again and finally looked at my love. He was smiling brightly, and his eyes were a little red-rimmed with tears for us. "Jake, this is the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. Edward." 

“Edward, Eddie. I’ll answer to either,” he said briskly, offering his hand to him politely. He was nervous.

“Fantastic to meet you.” Jacob shook his outreached hand. Both of their hands were massively huge. 

"Or Tony, or Anthony," I teased him. "Edward is his first name, but his family calls him by his middle. He is a man of many names and talents." I winked at my boyfriend. He grinned at me, brushing a hand over my cheek as I moved towards him for a hug. He pulled me in tightly, kissing my mouth gently.  

“Why don’t we go inside and get something to eat before the rain decides to pick up?” He offered, pointing towards the red door of the restaurant. 

Jake sat on one side of the booth and Edward and I on the other. His arm wrapped around me comfortingly, our bodies pressed into one another. I felt as if we couldn’t be close enough.

"Have you eaten?" I asked my brother, looking at the menu. We only had snacks on the plane. I had been too nervous, but I felt like I needed something to do with my hands and mouth. 

“Yes, but that’s never slowed me down before,” he chuckled. “I’m always hungry.”

“Me too, actually,” I laughed. “This whole week especially. I just want to eat and eat.”

“I’ve been eating us out of house and home,” he chuckled. “Poor Ness. She’s not up for cooking either, so it’s been all my crap frozen food, too. Or fast food. Or here.” He grinned. “The shop I work out is just down the road. I eat here a lot.”

“Oh. What’s good?” I asked, looking at the back of the menu. 

“Everything. But especially the desserts. So, save room,” he told me charmingly. 

“Hey, Jake,” a pretty young woman with blond hair said sweetly, smiling at him. “You’re here late.”

“Well, I’m just meeting up with my sister and her fiance,” he said conversationally, waving his hand to the other side of the booth. She hadn’t noticed us. She was too focused on my very handsome brother. Not that I could blame her. When she saw us, her eyes got wide before focusing on Edward. 

“Wow, your sister,” she grinned, shaking her head quickly. “I thought I met all your sisters.”

“This is Bella,” Jake introduced us. “Bella, this is my friend, Stacy.”

“Hi,” she said breathily, still looking at Edward. “I know you somehow.”

"My name is Eddie," he said in his rich Australian accent, purposefully thick and charming. She giggled to herself, and I actually snorted.  Then I coughed to hide it, covering my mouth and turning to the side quickly. I felt him nudge me with his foot.  

“Um…” Stacy drew out. She finally cleared her throat and took out a pad and pen. “What can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll take a coffee,” Jake answered her. 

“Me, too. And a glass of water. I’m actually ready to order whenever you two are,” I told the men. 

“I’ll take a coffee as well. I’m ready, too,” Edward agreed. 

“You know I just want my usual,” Jake said to Stacy. She flashed him a big smile as she quickly wrote down whatever he had normally ordered. 

“I’ll take pancakes and bacon,” my boyfriend said next, passing her the menu as he did. “A side of fried potatoes as well, please.”

“I’ll have the bbq bacon patty melt with tomatoes. French fries. And can I also get a bunch of pickles on the side?”

“Okay, so we have three coffees and a glass of water. Pancakes with bacon and fried potatoes. Two bbq bacon patty melts, one with tomatoes, both with french fries, and extra pickles on the side. That sound about right?”

I nodded slowly as I began to tear up for some stupid reason. Quickly, I wiped them away. 

“Actually, add tomatoes to mine. That sounds good,” Jake added as he smiled at me. “Bring me some extra bbq, too.”

“I know.” She waved him off before she left to put in the order.

He chuckled at me. “Like pickles, too?”

“Yeah, just not on the burger.”

“Me either. It makes the bun taste funny,” he replied. “That’s funny. I wonder what else we have in common.”

"I can't wait to find out," I said. I offered him my hand from across the table, and he took it, squeezing it gently. "So, what do we have planned for tomorrow?" I asked curiously. The waitress came back with our drinks, and Edward began to make mine wordlessly. He knew how I liked my coffee. He was just so eager to take care of me in any way he could.    

“Well, Ness wants you to come by for brunch with just us and the girls first. We can show you pictures and movies with Dad. Then for dinner, our Aunt Sue is going to cook for all of us and our cousins on the beach, so you can meet all of them. And then we’re going to have a bonfire tomorrow evening.”

“That sounds amazing. Um… Edward arranged for my kinda adopted sisters to come to meet us here. He surprised me. They’re actually back at the hotel right now. Is it okay if they come, too?” I asked just to make sure. 

“Hell yeah!” He said excitedly. “I can’t wait to meet them. If they’re your sisters, they’re mine, too.”

"Oh, good." I smiled, feeling a little lighter for the asking. "Do I need to bring anything?" 

“Just yourself. Trust me. Sue has got this covered. I think she bought all the Marshmallows in Forks for the bonfire,” he told me jokingly. 

“Love smores,” I informed him, humming in pleasure. “Made with Crunch bars instead of regular chocolate, though.”

“Okay, maybe you can bring some Crunch bars,” he said, teasing. “That sounds so good. I love smores, too. They taste like good memories.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” I replied with a grin. “Why don’t I just bring a shit load of candy to make them more interesting?”

“I think you’re going to fit into this family perfectly,” Jake answered as he took a big swig of his coffee.  

I laughed, “I hope so.”

"You will. It's like we were missing a piece, but we finally found you," my brother said warmly. "Gosh! I can't believe how beautiful you are! Bella fits you perfectly." 

I shook my head quickly. “Ugh, no. My face is so swollen from crying so much lately,” I replied, brushing my sleeve over my eyes. “I’m not even wearing makeup right now because I knew it would come right off.”

"You don't need makeup to be breathtaking," Edward whispered softly to me before kissing my cheek. I closed my eyes and rubbed my fingers over his soft chin. Soon his thick beard would be coming off for his role, and I was enjoying it while I still could.  

“Thank you,” I whispered back. He nodded and kissed my temple. 

“I feel like I should warn you. They’re all crazy and weird down at the rez,” Jake stated rather seriously. “But, nothing I can say will prepare you.”

“I’m excited.”

"You say that now," he replied with a broad grin. "I wish Dad could be here to see you now," he said wistfully. "So happy and doing well. He's got to be just-" he sniffled and rubbed his cheek. "Sorry. I've been crying a lot, too. It's hard not to." 

“I can’t honestly imagine what you think of me. I didn’t figure my father even knew I existed in the first place. Let alone talked or cared about me. I can’t imagine what it’s like to care for a person that you’ve never met. And I was raised Catholic! Talk about faith. I could, and probably should have been, a horrible person. Maybe his genetics are the only reason I’m not.”

Edward put a comforting arm around my shoulders, unsure what to say to my rambling. Jake sighed and took a drink of his coffee. 

“I’m relieved that you didn’t know, honestly. It would have been hard if you knew and didn’t care or didn’t want to know us. That’s why I didn’t tell the girls until I talked to you. I didn’t want to put them through that.”

“I understand. I hope-” I stopped, unsure of how to finish that. I smiled a little awkwardly. “I hope that I can live up to whatever expectations that you surely must have for me.”

 “Oh, baby! You have far exceeded them by a million,” he reassured me quickly, finishing his coffee. Jake chuckled. “You’re here! That’s enough for me. And that would have been enough for Dad, too.”

Stacy came back with a tray with our food. I was grateful for it. I was hungry and starting to feel a little light-headed with emotion. On my plate, there was literally a bowl of pickles. 

“Wow,” I laughed. 

“That’s a lot of pickles,” Edward teased. 

“I think you mean the right amount,” I replied, popping one into my mouth. He made a little face, making me giggle. He liked pickles, just not as much as I did. 

"Oh, good. That's more than what we normally give out, but I brought you the same amount I always bring Jake. He's always loved pickles. Let me get some more creamer, and I'll refill your coffee," she said before turning away from the table.  

"Do you like spicy stuff, too?" Edward asked my brother, sarcastically. 

He laughed, “yeah, actually I do. That’s why Quil showed me that video of you two eating the spicy wings. You’re both very funny, by the way.”

“Thank you,” my boyfriend smirked a little proudly. “I have to work really hard at it. Bella is just being herself. Especially in that video. It’s one of my favorites.”

"That was the week we started dating," I explained to my brother. "You should come down to LA, and we'll go eat wings together. Maybe we can even film it." 

"You mean, film me getting embarrassed by your asbestos mouth," Edward mumbled under his breath. He sighed, shaking his head. "I kind of hate how well those videos do. I swear they always hurt the most." 

“You can stop at any time.”

"I have this problem where I like attention, and I'm willing to do stupid things for it," he replied back. "You know this. You've always known this." I giggled which just egged him on. "I am a glutton for punishment, Ms. Swan." 

“Yeah. You do seem to like pain,” I teased him in a silky voice. He turned a faint shade of pink, making me actually laugh. “Speaking of pain… We really do need to make our next tattoo appointments, by the way. While I’m thinking about it. We both keep talking about it.”

"You've got tattoos?" Jake asked, excitedly.  

"She's got thirty-five. I've got one," Edward laughed. "I want her to pick out one for me. But she doesn't want to." 

“I’ll help you. You can even help me choose mine. I just don’t want to be solely responsible for messing up any of the goods.” I rubbed his arm before leaning my head against his shoulder. “What about you?”

Jacob pulled up one of his sleeves, revealing the dark tribal tattoos that covered most of his skin. “I have them all over, practically,” he answered with a slight smile. He was very proud of his ink, obviously. 

"Promise to tell me what they all mean someday," I said. My half brother smiled, scrunching up his nose a little bit as he nodded. It was also pretty apparent that they had some emotional meaning behind them, too. I wasn't going to press, though. "Hey, maybe you can help me pick out a tattoo, too." 

"Oh, well, that's easy. You need a wolf. You're one of us now," Jake answered before taking a large bite of his patty melt. "All of us Black's have a wolf tattoo. Me, Dad, Grandpa. The girls. Hell, even Ness does, too." 

"That would be pretty cool," I said softly, thinking about having a matching tattoo with the rest of my family. Maybe I could have the same one like my father. I felt as if I was going to start getting emotional again. 

My love rested his big hand comfortingly on my thigh underneath the table. 

It was just after one in the morning when we arrived back to the hotel. We were going to meet Jacob at the entrance to the reservation at ten to start our day together. I turned our alarm on for eight on my phone so that we could get up early enough to run to the store for the insane amount of chocolate that I was about to purchase.  

Edward and I stood in the darkness for a long time by the door in silence as he held me to his warm and comforting body. I curled my fingers into his shirt, pushing my nose into the fabric. He smelled so good. He smoothed one hand up my back and the other down my ass, grabbing it firmly. I hummed in pleasure as his fingers moved up the back of my neck to tangle with my hair. 

“I wish that I could make love to you right now,” he whispered as he began to press kisses along my cheeks. 

“I’m still on my period,” I complained quietly. “I want to. I’m just not up to it. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I know that you’re not. I just want to make you feel better.” He kissed lovingly along my shoulder to my neck. “Let's take a shower and put some comfortable clothes on. We can crawl into bed and cuddle. I can be your pillow.”

“Edward, you’re the best,” I said in a breath, closing my eyes as I took him in. “I don’t deserve you. No one could. I don’t know how someone so good and kind can exist. I’m so glad I’m yours,” I said to my sweet man desperately, looking up at him. He put his hand on my cheek and kissed my mouth tenderly. “I love you.”

"I love you," he sighed happily against his lips. "Bella, I just want you to be happy, and I am willing to do anything in my power to make that happen." 

“I know. That’s why you’re the best.”

I could feel his skin heating lightly under my touch, my fingers rubbing over his cheek gently. Edward turned his face towards my palm, kissing it softly.  

“Come on, love. Let’s get freshened up so we can get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.” 

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