Under Construction

Chapter Ten

Our journey is continuing with Edward, Bella and Garrett. I do have a blog for this story. It's a continuation of the Renovations blog. A link for the blog is on my profile. On the blog, there will be picture teasers, teasers and pervy picture teasers. This story is going to be quite steamy and it's pre-written. It will be updated on Wednesdays and Saturdays with teasers on Sundays and Thursdays.

Also, thank you to Christina Downs for her help with planning out the story and wielding her red pen (cursor). You rock, girlie! Mwah!

Chapter Ten

The next day, the three of them went in search of a perfect tree for Bella's home. After much debate, she decided on a fake tree since her schedule was too erratic to maintain a real one. She found two pre-lit trees, one for the living room and the other for the family room. She certainly had enough ornaments and decorations to make both of them festive. The tree in the living room was going to be decorated in all white, with white lights. That was the tree that James wanted when they were married; all white decorations and white lights. Bella liked it, found it to be elegant and wanted to use it. The tree in the family room had more fun, family-oriented Christmas décor. It was all from her childhood home from her deceased father.

"You were such a cute little girl," Garrett said, has he held up an ornament with Bella, minus her two front teeth. "Nice pigtails."

"If you're lucky, I'll wear them again," Bella snorted, putting up large glass balls all around her tree. "Handlebars."

"I personally like the brace-face picture," Edward laughed, holding up her sixth grade ornament. "Wow, I thought I had it bad with the metal mouth."

"I still have a damn retainer," Bella grumped. "I begged my parents to not put me into head gear. But, my teeth were fucked up. If you notice, I rarely smiled with my teeth showing after that toothless shot. I had more teeth and not enough mouth. It sucked."

"Bells, why don't you talk to your mom?" Garrett asked, holding up a photo of a baby Bella with her two parents. "You said you're not close?"

"My mom and I never got along. When my parents got divorced, when I was in the midst of brace-face drama, I asked to stay with my dad. My mom never mothered me. It only got worse as I got older. She's very spoiled and entitled. She hated that I got Charlie's inheritance despite the fact that she divorced him. She had the gall to ask me for money at his funeral. I reminded her of her alimony payments she received and said that her part of his inheritance was paid in full. The next time I saw her was at my wedding and she was putting the moves on one of the groomsmen. I half expected her to put the moves on my husband. The last I heard, she was living in Jacksonville with her sixth husband."

Bella did omit a few things from her story about her mom, especially her opinions on Bella's issues with having children. After she got divorced, Renee was quick to blame Bella for the end of her marriage because she was barren. She was so focused on starting her new life in Seattle, that she didn't pay much attention to her mother, but hearing that reopened still-fresh wounds. James had left her, had an affair and started a new family with his whore. It was her fault that her marriage ended with James.

But, would she go back to that asshole?

Nope.

Bella loved her moments with Garrett and Edward. They made her more special, more precious than James ever did. They listened when she talked, held her when she was upset and made her feel like a sex goddess with all of the attention they gave her. And while their sexual relationship was unique and amazing, she felt close to them. There was more emotional intimacy between her two boyfriends than she ever experienced with her ex-husband.

Who would have thought?

"What did your dad do?" Edward asked, sitting down next to Bella.

"He was a lawyer, like me. However, he worked for the state as a prosecutor," Bella smiled. "I miss him. He was a good man. He loved me, doted on me. He showed me how a man should treat a woman. I wished he could have held out long enough to see me be a lawyer. He got sick, pancreatic cancer, and within two months of his diagnosis, was gone. It was just before my final year of law school. He was adamant that I finished. His attorney and best friend, Billy, made sure I went back to finish my degree in the fall."

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about their families and childhood. They even shared some pictures. Bella had real ones while Edward and Garrett had to rely on scans from their parents. Bella learned that Garrett was a skinny fucker until he was a senior in high school and that he wore thick coke-bottle glasses until he got Lasik done. Edward did have a mouth full of braces and the most unfortunate complexion. He explained that his senior photo from high school had to be really photoshopped to hide all of the acne. Bella didn't notice it, but she did see a few pock scars along his jaw after he pointed it out.

For dinner, they enjoyed leftovers. Garrett made his one meal that he could successfully create. A massive turkey sandwich with all of the leftovers crammed between two pieces of bread. He gave it to Bella, grinning proudly, but she couldn't even wrap her mouth around it. Cutting it in half, she used a knife and fork while Garrett inhaled his sandwich. Edward ate the other half of Bella's sandwich, along with a healthy serving of cheesy potatoes and stuffing.

They went up to the family room. The only lights on in the room were the lights on the Christmas tree. Bella sat down, snuggling against Garrett's body and smiling contentedly. "I love Christmas. It's so magical," she breathed, her eyes trained on her tree. "It's like anything can happen that's amazing during Christmas."

"Do you believe in Christmas wishes?" Garrett asked, brushing his lips along her earlobe.

"When I was a kid," she giggled, shuddering in his embrace. "As I got older, my wishes never came true and I gave up on believing. Until last year."

"What did you wish for, love?" Edward asked, his hands gliding up her leg. "Last year, you were getting ready to move out here."

"I had just moved into corporate housing in Chicago," she smiled, threading her fingers with his. "I was out here, for good, at the beginning of April and you guys finished by the end of August."

"What did you wish for, pretty girl? I'm dying to know," Garrett teased, tickling her sides.

"I wished for a couple of things," she said. "One, to be happy. I'm much happier now than when I was with James. Two, to love myself before I could learn to love others. James, yeah, he cut me down more often than not. Anyway, I do love myself. I'm the shit." Both guys laughed as Bella brushed off her shoulders. "Three, to be me and not someone else's perception of me. And finally, to open myself up again. The last two, really pertain to you guys. Before? I never would have been so brazen and ... and ... did what I did when you showed me the house. I was expected to be sweet, innocent, docile Isabella Swan. I'm far from sweet and innocent. And when James told me he wanted a divorce, I kneed him in the nuts, thus proving I'm not docile. Plus, having a relationship with both of you? It's been beyond my wildest dream how wonderful you both make me feel."

"Can we continue to make you feel wonderful?" Edward asked, his eyes darkening with need. "I've always had a fantasy of making love in front of a Christmas tree."

"Me, too," Garrett said huskily. "I also liked being with you alone, but there's something to be said in being together, the three of us." Bella blushed, nodding and leaning back to kiss Garrett.

A/N: Some fluffiness and Christmas magic. Pictures of her Christmas trees are on my blog. Leave me some lovin!