Falling for a Dark Soul

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Disclaimer: None of this mine, nor do I claim to be Stephenie Meyer. I just like to dabble in the playground that she created with Bella, Edward and her Twilight characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

I had every intention of getting to the zoo trip and the Memorial Day barbecue, but the previous chapter got away from me, to be honest. So, that's coming up with this chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bella

Ever since the situation with James, Edward had been ... I don't know. It was like he was punishing himself for hurting me. When he came over for the first time, his hands were so bruised and scratched up. Esme had told me that he had hurt himself, but the damage to his knuckles and hands was more than just hurting himself.

It broke my heart.

It did more than that ... it shattered me. To see that he needed to punish himself in order to find some sort of penance.

Each time I tried to tell him that it wasn't necessary, he insisted that it was either the tree that received his ire or James. Granted, I'm glad that he didn't beat the shit out of James, but abhorred the fact that he beat the shit out of his own hands.

My poor Grinch.

We came to an understanding that night and we'd forgiven each other. However, I doubted that he forgave himself. Or, if he did, it would be some time before he felt redeemed.

"Bella? Can I wear my overalls today?" Katie chirped, hopping onto my unmade bed.

"Sure, Kit Kat," I answered, giving her a smile.

"Can you also braid my hair?" she asked, bouncing on the mattress.

I checked the clock, nodding. "We should have enough time. Edward will be here in a half hour."

"Kay," she chirped. She bounded out of my room, singing happily.

I put on some sunscreen and finished putting on my makeup, tossing my hair into a low ponytail. I walked back into my bedroom, double checking my backpack. I had the obvious items inside like cell my phone, wallet and such. I also added a small first aid kit, a spare set of clothes for Katie in case she had an accident or some major food catastrophe, and a small bag that my mom called her emergency kidlet pack. It was filled with toys, markers, books and snacks. She always had it stuffed in her purse. I think she had one for me when I was a kid, but nowhere near as insane as the kidlet pack she assembled for Katie.

Then again, Katie couldn't sit still to save her life. She always needed to be doing something or fussing on my phone. Me? I was content reading a book. Katie needed everything under the sun to keep her mind occupied.

Stuffing the kidlet pack in my bag, I went downstairs and packed lunches for Katie, Edward and me. I used another insulated bag that Edward would carry. As I was putting in the cold packs, Katie skipped down, holding her brush, a bottle of detangler and a couple of hair ties. She sat down at the kitchen counter, eating the breakfast I laid out for her. Spraying her hair with the detangler, I brushed her hair and quickly braided it into a single Dutch braid. I attached the hair tie to the end, adding a matching bow. "Too tight?"

"Nope. It feels good," Katie answered, her mouth full of bagel. The doorbell rang and she wriggled on the stool. "Can I get that?"

"Yeah, Kit Kat," I chuckled, watching her dart to the foyer. I shook my head, frowning slightly that Edward was not using his key. I listened to her prattle to him, dragging him into the kitchen before darting upstairs to grab her jacket and going to the bathroom. "Good morning, Edward."