Bella's POV
In a text…
Bringing home a girl I really like, you're my sister. Sam
You're an idiot, once she finds out she'll be pissed. Bella
I will tell her soon! Just not today. I want her to meet you and like you and Maddie and then maybe she'll accept the whole situation easier. Sam
You're still stupid but fine. Bella
What was I supposed to say? Sam
I don't know… maybe, by the way I'm married with a step daughter and while I love them both I'm not in love with my wife but she needed to keep her kid and I needed to keep my money so let's just pretend this isn't weird? Bella
You're exhausting but I do love you both and I'm sticking with your my sister. Sam
OK my wonderful brother who looks nothing like me. Bella
We have different fathers! Sam
And when Maddie calls you Daddy? … Bella
Crap. Sam
Jake is coming for dinner. Bella
Jake and who? Sam
Jared and Kim, Leah and Embry. Bella
Dammit! They'll scare her off! Sam
No more than Maddie calling you Daddy. Bella
Not funny. We'll be there in about an hour, please tell everyone you're my sister. Sam
I will try but considering Maddie is only 15 months old I'm not sure she'll understand. Bella
Very funny, do you need me to pick up anything? Sam
No but does this girl eat pizza? Bella
Really pizza? Why are they coming over if you're not cooking? Sam
Some game and we have the biggest TV. What were your plans for dinner? Bella
Whatever my sister is cooking. Sam
Haha! Well then pizza for the girl it is. Bella
Sam and I got married a year ago after I came back to my hometown to live with my dad after I walked out on my husband after finding out he was cheating on me. Edward, the loser and his new girlfriend and shortly after our divorce wife, Jessica decided they wanted Maddie because Jessica can't have kids. Edward was never the least bit interested in her before but he had more money than me, plus he had a wife and a house. I had a room with a half-finished college degree and a job at a diner. My dad hired me a lawyer and he told me my best option for keeping Maddie was getting married.
I thought all hope was lost until my step-sister Leah told me about her ex, Sam, needing to get married if he wanted the family business handed down to him instead of his already married younger brother Embry. Crazily enough Leah is married to Embry but he had no interest in the business and was hoping Sam found someone to marry.
We met each other, talked about details and a month later had a nice little wedding with all our family and friends.
Edward lost the custody battle since I then had a husband and just as much money as he had plus a record of actually caring about Maddie. He did get visitation but he has to come here until she's older and he's never bothered to come, I'm hoping he keeps to that. The lawyer told me that once custody was decided it would be nearly impossible for him to have the decision changed unless I do something horrible so I was free to divorce. Sam on the other hand needs to keep up appearances because he runs a very family friendly, family focused resort about an hour away. Not that we can never divorce, it would just be better if it doesn't look like the setup it really is. He's parents obviously don't know either; they think we were dating in secret because he didn't want me to feel pressured into marriage. It helps that Embry went along with it since they also had no idea he didn't even want the resort.
Sam is so great with Maddie and we've talked about how he will stay apart of her life no matter what we decide to do so when she started calling him Daddy it was a little weird but we went with it since it's helpful when we are with his parents or when we visit him at the resort. He's willing to always be her dad and he's a much better man than Edward so I'm good with it too.
Her calling him daddy with the girl here should be interesting. Having Leah here with the girl here should be interesting too since Leah is always trying to convince us we should really be together. I like Sam and honestly I could see us being together, not even because I'm in love with him but because we just… fit. But I'm OK with him bringing the girl home, even if it's weird. He's never done this before.
Maddie wakes up from a nap and I pick her up out of her crib, change her diaper and then take her outside to play while we wait for everyone to show up.
Jake shows up first and everyone else soon after. Jake was my best friend growing up and while we lost touch when I was with Edward when I came back it was like no time had passed. Maddie is thrilled that everyone is here.
I tell everyone I'm playing Sam's sister tonight because he's bringing a girl home and they all tell me how stupid that is because we look nothing alike and Maddie calls him daddy and I tell him I know and I told him both of those things.
"Bella, this is messed up. He shouldn't be bringing a girl here. You're married!" Leah yells at me.
"Come on Lee what if this is the one for him. Maybe she'll understand and we can divorce and he can be happy with her. I mean it would have to be slow to look real but it's totally doable." I tell her and she rolls her eyes and stomps off.
It's like she doesn't realize it's inevitable. Sam and I have talked about a timeline and we've decided that after I finish school, in about a year, we'll wait another year or maybe two so it doesn't look like I was using him for the money. And he's told me he'll pay me child support for Maddie which I tell him every time is completely unnecessary because even though I want him to stay in her life he owes us nothing. Then he tells me he wants his little girl to have everything her heart desires and I know she'll get it from him one way or the other. But I guess we could speed things up if he meets someone he really wants to be with.
I'm pretty sure I'm way overthinking this anyways, the chances of this relationship going anywhere are slim. Once Maddie calls him daddy or Leah gets ahold of her it's over.
They pull up and as soon as they are out of the car Maddie runs to him yelling Daddy! And he looks at the girl for a second then picks her up and swings her around, kisses her head then puts her down. The girl is just standing there with a confused look on her face.
Once Maddie runs off him grabs the girl's hand and walks up to us with her.
"Emily, this is Bella, my sister, and Maddie's mom. And these are all of our friends." And he introduces them all except Leah who went into the house; she's trying to play nice I think.
"Why does your daughter call him daddy?" She asks me and Sam looks at me like please come up with something good.
"Preschool, all the other kids have dads that pick them up and I think she just gets confused. And she got upset when we tried to tell her otherwise so we gave up for a while. She's just a baby." I tell her and I see Sam let out the breath he was holding. There's still Leah though…
We order the pizza and move back into the house while the boys watch the game and Leah, Kim and I hang out in the kitchen. We tried to get Emily to hang out with us but she clings to Sam like a scared child. She is not his type at all I think and then I think actually maybe she is. I don't know who he dated before we got married except Leah and Leah definitely isn't clingy. But maybe it's Leah who isn't his type. Maddie runs back and forth between the living room and the kitchen and Emily flinches every time she comes near her. Freak. I do not like this girl at all.
I consider letting Leah go all… Leah on her but I guess Sam deserves the chance to be happy even if she is a freak.
After the game is over everyone leaves except for Jake and Emily. Jake was drinking during the game and when he's drinking he gets more touchy feely than normal so we're dancing in the living room as close to each other as possible, with Maddie running circles around us and I can feel Sam watching me, I haven't been with anyone since this whole arrangement and the music, and the dancing and Sam watching me makes me feel… I don't know but then I kiss Jake and Jake pulls back, looks at me and then kisses me.
"Bella!" Sam yells at me and I pull back from Jake and look at him and he looks pissed and Emily looks confused, she probably thinks Jake is my boyfriend.
Then Maddie runs right into Emily and Emily screams like someone just punched her in the face or something and I crack up because she is so dumb, then Jake grabs me from behind and puts his hand over my mouth and tells them I'm drunk, he's going to take me to bed and I'm laughing so hard even with his hand covering my mouth, then I bite him.
He yells Shit Bella that hurt! And Sam yells watch your language Jake, Maddie is still awake and Maddie and Emily both are just looking back and forth between me and Jake and Sam and I find it hilarious that the 15 month old is doing the same thing as Emily and I laugh so hard I'm crying.
"You're pissing him off Bella, and I know that's not what you want. I knew your plan when you kissed me, I saw him watching you. I know you want to make him jealous and it's working but now you're making him mad. Just play drunk and go to bed." Jake whispers in my ear and I nod and he drags me off leaving Sam and Maddie and Emily. I know she's fine, Sam will put her to bed soon.
Once we are in the room I burst into tears and Jake sits on the bed with me while I cry into him.
"What the hell was that Bella?" He asks amused.
"She's so stupid Jake, all clingy and scared of Maddie. Who gets scared of a baby?" I whine to him.
"Oh come on this isn't about Emily and you know it. This is about you not liking Sam with another woman. It could have been any other woman. She's probably clingy because she expected dinner with you and Sam and Maddie but shows up to a bunch of people and right out of the car Maddie runs to him and calls him Daddy, nice cover story though, and then you and the girls pretend to be nice but we all see the way you and Leah are looking at her. As far as Maddie goes, she's already on edge about her ruined date and I'm sure she sees the way Sam is looking at you too so she's jumpy. So this isn't about her being a bad person, this is about you wanting Sam." Jake goes on and on and I'm looking at him like he's crazy.
"I do not want Sam." I tell him completely unconvincingly.
"Of course you do! You have for a while now. I know you better than anyone Bella. We've been drunk so many times together and you never kissed me before, and you're not even drunk! Did you drink at all tonight?" He asks and I shake my head no not liking where this is going. "You only kissed me because he was watching you."
"Whatever, Jake. Please make sure Maddie gets to bed. I'm going to sleep." I tell him and he tells me I know Sam will take care of Maddie, he's staying with me and I tell him fine and lay down not facing him, crying as quietly as I can even though I know he knows. He does know me better than anyone.
A few minutes later there is a knock at my door and Jake opens it to Sam and they are whispering so I can't hear them and then Sam comes and sits on my bed.
Not looking at him I whisper I'm sorry.
"I brought her home to make you jealous Bella. I didn't think you were going throw yourself at Jake though." He whispers.
"I didn't throw myself at him. It was just a kiss." I defend myself still not looking at him.
"The kiss and the dancing, holy crap Bella, I wanted to kill him." He says and I sit up and look at him.
"Maddie?" I ask him.
"She's hopped on sugar; apparently the guys were giving her loads of candy when no one was paying attention. Jake took her home for the night, I'll pick her up in morning." He tells me.
"Jake's my best friend, that kiss and the dancing meant nothing." I tell him and he say I know.
"You were watching me." I tell him and he says I know.
"I want you Sam, I knew I loved you but I thought it was it a friend way, like Jake and I was fine this afternoon when you told me you were bringing someone home but the first time I saw her touch you I felt like you were cheating on me and I was losing you which is stupid because you're not mine, you're just my pretend husband, I mean you're really my husband but it's all an act." I'm rambling .
"I love you Bella, more than as my pretend wife or best friend. That's why I brought her home tonight; I wanted to see how you would react. I picked her because she's always touching me. She's like that with everyone she knows. I was pissed when I found out everyone was coming because I thought it would ruin the plan but I guess it worked out in the end. I'm sorry though. " He holds his arms out for me and I wrap myself up in him.
"Promise me you'll never kiss Jake again. You'll never kiss anyone except me?" He asks me quietly.
"I promise as long as you promise to never make me pretend to be your sister and to never let any other woman touch you. Except your mom." I tell him and he laughs and tells me he promises.
"What about Emily?" I ask him suddenly feeling bad for her.
"Jake took her home. We told her and she was annoyed but relieved that you're not my sister because it was creeping her out the way we look at each other." He tells me.
"Kiss me Sam." I tell him a bit demanding and he laughs then kisses me for the first time since our wedding.
"I love you Bella." He whispers.
"I love you too Sam, so much."
The End