Forget Me Not | ✓

45 | A Child's Wisdom

45
Breaking Dawn  [Pt.2]
A   C h i l d ' s   W i s d o m
 

   
    

ON THAT SAME evening, the sun was beginning to set, sending hues of pink, purple, and bright orange decorated the fading blue sky. As Adele watched the breathtaking view from the front deck, her lips bore the semblance of a smile – just enough to show that she was enjoying her thoughts, whatever they were. After the chaos earlier, Adele was excited to spend the rest of the day with her two children.

At half seven, Paul's car pulled into the driveway, parked, and got out to get the kids out. After he let Max out of her car seat, he moved to the other side to get Asa and Max ran over to Adele. She was wearing a thick sweater and hat – the days were getting colder and Adele was not going to take the chance of her getting sick again.

"Hi, mommy."

"Hey, sweetie." Adele caressed her brown curls as Max hugged her around the waist. "How was your day?"

"I baked cookies with Emily." Max told her. Emily was Sam Uley's wife and imprint, as well as cousin to Leah. She recalled Jacob telling her once about how Sam and Leah were together before he met Emily. It broke her heart and left her bitter, watching them everyday.

"Really now? What kind?"

"Choco chip." She replied as Paul walked over with Asa in one arm and the bag in the other. She looked accusingly at him. "But Daddy stole a few."

"They're my favorite." He shrugged as Asa clapped his hands randomly and giggled.

"Hello baby boy." Adele cooed as Paul handed him over to her. She looked back at him and glanced at Max, speaking lowly. "Did you keep her inside?"

He nodded. "We played board games and watched movies. I gave her the meds at three o'clock."

"You are getting the hang of this, Lahote." She smiled. It was the first smile she had given to him since before their fight and it inspired a sense of hope within him. He smiled back.

"I guess I am." He bid Max and Asa warm farewell and told them that he would see them tomorrow. He stood again and kissed Adele's cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." And with that, he smiled and made his way back over to his car.

Adele fixed her hold on Asa and led them into the house. They were greeted by Alice, Esme, and Rosalie who wore excited and secretive expressions on their faces that unnerved Adele.

"Exactly the person we were looking for!" Alice chirped and knelt down to present Max with a petite box. "Max, can you give this to Aunty Bella for her birthday?"

Max nodded eagerly and took it. They all walked into the room and Adele watched from the doorway as they all approached Bella with stupid smiles on their faces. Esme took a sleeping Renesmee from Bella and they beamed as Max approached her.

"Happy Birthday, Aunty Bella!" She held up the box.

"Thank you, Max." Bella took the box with a smile and opened it to reveal a new shiny key. She looked sarcastically at the group. "I stopped aging three days ago."

"Well, we're celebrating anyway. So suck it up." Alice bit back in her chirpy voice.

"I still hate surprises." She muttered as they led her out of the living room. "That hasn't changed."

"Trust me, you will love this one." Adele commented as she read Alice's mind. They were taking her and Edward to Esme's cottage in the east woods, something that Carlisle had built for her after their honeymoon.

Max took her mother's hand and they bid everyone a goodnight. As Adele was bringing them upstairs, Max looked up at her. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Adele nodded and they entered her bedroom. She set Asa down in his crib and Max crawled onto her bed as she pulled the long curtains closed over the glass floor-to-ceiling windows. Then, she joined Max in her large bed and pulled the covers over them.

"Mommy?" Max asked and crossed her legs in a criss-cross position as Adele put her head down on her pillow. "Are you and Daddy like the girl and wolf in Little Red Riding Hood?"

Adele laughed. Well, the wolf ended up eating the girl so, I think not. "No darling, we are not."

"Can you tell me the story again?"

She chuckled up at her. She could see her perfectly in the darkness of the room and admired the way her little hands signed eagerly. "I have told it to you a dozen times."

"I like it." She pleaded. "Please tell me again."

"Alright." Max climbed under the blankets and propped up her pillow so that she could look at her mother while she spoke. She turned on a lamp.

"There once was girl who felt sad all of the time. She cried and shouted and had no one to really love. Years and years passed and the girl felt just as sad and cried just as much. All until, she met someone..."

"The wolf!" Max grinned.

"Yes, the wolf. He was a nice wolf, who helped people all of the time. When he was not helping others, he turned into a handsome man." She signed. "One day, the nice wolf found the sad girl and that day changed their lives forever."

"She was happy again!"

Adele looked at her with a smile. "You know this story so well, I think you will have to tell it to me." Max giggled and motioned for her to continue on. "So yes, the girl was happy again. The wolf showed himself to her and she saw him for what he was: a handsome man, not a monster like he thought. And they fell in love."

"And they lived happily ever after?"

"Not yet." She chuckled and signed dramatically. "No, they adopted a beautiful little girl."

Max blushed. "That's me!"

"And they also adopted a handsome little baby boy."

"Asa, did you hear that!" Max whispered excitedly to Asa who looked confusedly back at her. She shrugged. "Then did they live happily ever after?"

"No..."

Max's face fell slightly. "Why not?"

"Because, silly, the story is not over yet."

"How will it end?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know, Max." Adele realized, once again, that this girl was prompting her introspection. Her contempt for Paul was slowly fading away and soon they would be on good terms again. But what would she do once they were? What would their future be?  "I suppose I never really thought about it...."