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Chapter 2

"You're not allowed over at Jasper and Alice's without me." I say to Masen the next morning as he's eating his cereal. He gives me this strange look. "Just listen to me, alright?" I eye him.

"Sure, whatever. I was going over to Jacob's tonight anyway." He shrugs.

"Why?"

"Because you won't be home until eleven and I need to eat." He looked up at me. I had totally forgotten. Usually on those nights Masen went over to Alice and Jasper's for dinner. Alice had said that she didn't want my son to only consume junk food so she cooked for him on those nights.

"Oh, right." I nod glancing over at my schedule. I didn't have to be at work until three. I wasn't sure if I really wanted that alone time.

"Is there a reason I can't go over there?" He questions.

"Jasper's cousins with Edward." Is all I say. I have never hidden from Masen who his father is. He's known his whole life, he's even known that I never told Edward about him. At first Masen thought it was because I was ashamed of him but that was far from the truth.

"And what does that have to do with anything?" His eyes lit up at the mention of Edward. Masen has always wanted to know his father. Only in the past five years has he stopped begging me to meet him. I just knew that I made a mistake in not telling Edward about him. I wasn't sure if I could handle the confrontation that would come with Edward finding out.

"He's in town. He's actually living in town." I look down at the newspaper I just picked up.

"He's in town?" I didn't look up at him as I nodded. "So, I get to meet him. Right?"

"Wrong. He doesn't know about you, kid." I say feeling terrible for what I'm saying to him.

"Then tell him about me!" His voice raises a little.

"It's not that easy." I finally look over at him.

"Yes it is, Mom!" He's too loud for my liking.

"Don't raise your voice at me, Masen. Calm down and finish your breakfast. I'm sorry but things are the way they are for a reason and just because he's back in town doesn't change a thing."

"It changes everything." He says and stands up slamming his chair into the table. I watch as he walks away and out the front door.

I know I've failed as a mother but it's just to protect him.


"Let me guess, you told Masen." Alice had come over for lunch after I told her there was cold pizza leftover from the night before. Her pregnancy cravings got the best of her and she flew right over to my house. I needed someone to talk to anyway.

"I did."

"And how'd he take it?" She munched on the pizza backwards, starting with the crust. I had never seen the point in that but Alice wouldn't eat it any other way.

"Terribly. God, Alice. Did I do the right thing in keeping them away from each other?" I put my head in my hands.

"No, but that's the way things are." She shrugged.

"Thanks for the sympathy."

"No problem." Alice grinned.

"So, how is he?" I wrung my hands together waiting impatiently for her answer.

"Who?" She grinned.

"You know who." I groaned leaning my elbows on the table.

"He's great, I guess. He looks almost exactly the same as he had in High school except now he totes around a thirteen month old daughter."

"Oh, wow." I had always pictured Edward as a wonderful father, just not at the young age we were when I was pregnant with Masen. Those days I just didn't want to ruin his life. I didn't want Edward to regret us in the end, when he realized that all of his dreams really didn't come true.

"Her mother and Edward had been dating for a couple of years. But in the end it just didn't work and the mother didn't think she could handle the baby so she left her with Edward." Alice went on to explain to me.

"Wow, I wonder how she could do such a thing." I shook my head never being able to imagine just giving up my kid, even if it was to his father.

"No idea, so now apparently he wants a fresh start back here in Forks. Not sure what's here for him." She rolled her eyes. "And no, he didn't ask about you. Although I could tell he wanted to." Alice didn't take her eyes off of her pizza as she spoke to me.

"Nothing?" I say.

"I'm sure he was just afraid to say something. I probably didn't have the nicest look on my face." She giggled.

"I don't know what to do. I know I'm not going to seek him out but what happens if he sees Masen. Alice the second he sees his son he's going to know."

"Of course he is, Masen is like his spitting image. It's rather unnerving." She wrinkled up her small nose then took the last bite of her pizza with a wide grin.

"So, what do I do?" I pressed hoping Alice would give me something.

"Oh, silly Bella." She shook her head and reached out for my hand. "You're going to be okay, you're strong enough to get through this."

"You didn't answer my question." I groaned snatching away my hand. She just laughed and stood up.

"Well, I hate to eat and run but I really must get going. Jasper's mother wants to discuss me not screaming in the delivery room. Woman must be insane." She placed her hand on her stomach. She didn't even look a bit pregnant.

"Good luck with that one." I snorted remembering that terrible twenty-four hours of being in labor with my son. There was no way I wasn't going to scream having to pop that child out of a small hole.


"I'll kill him." My father's face tensed up as I walked into the station. He was sitting at his desk.

"Kill who?" I asked confused. "Or maybe we should start with hello." I walked over and placed a kiss on my father's forehead.

"Hello, Bells." He nodded.

"Now who are we going to kill?" I chuckled taking a seat in front of his desk.

"You've heard haven't you?" He questioned. I suddenly knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah." I nod hoping he didn't go further with the conversation.

"Are you okay with this?" He sat up.

"No, but it's going to be okay. I made my decision in keeping Masen a secret from him and I'm going to stick by it." I tried to sound confident but really I wasn't.

"Maybe it's time…" He started but I quickly cut him off.

"It's never going to be time to tell him, Dad. Never, so let's just drop this." I sigh running my fingers through my hair rather nervously.

"Alright." He nods sitting back.

I sat back in my own chair and tried to think back to a time where I hadn't been afraid of Edward coming back, really there never was a time. There was always that possibility and I knew that.

It's just I hadn't been expecting that time to be now.

"I just stopped by to ask if you and Sue wanted to come to dinner Friday night. I get off at three." I stand up knowing I had to get to work soon. It was almost 2:30.

"Sure, we'll be there." He nods then reaches for the now ringing phone. I take that as my cue to leave. I smile and mouth my goodbyes before heading out of the police station.

It's rainy today, just like every other day in this town.

I'm really beginning to hate the rain, or I've hated it my whole life. I'm never sure.

I open the door to my truck to only slip and fall right down on my butt when I try to get inside the cabin. I swear out loud and check my body to make sure I didn't hurt myself. I had a tendency to do things like this.

Edward used to smile and say 'Clumsy Bella' which usually made me smack him.

I quickly stood up and tried to get inside my truck before anyone noticed that I had fallen. I hated people fussing over me, plus this fall was nothing compared to the many others I have endured over the years. Nothing to worry about.

"Still falling down I see." I stopped dead as I heard that velvety voice. I shut my eyes wishing away who was behind me. Hoping to God it wasn't who I really thought it was.

I felt the shivers run though my body at the sound of his voice, so I knew it had to be him. No other man could evoke such feelings within me.

Not other man but Edward Cullen.

"Bella?" I heard his voice again. I didn't want to look at him. I just wanted to get into my truck. I needed to get out of there but I suddenly realized that wasn't going to happen. He had already noticed me, I would seem completely insane if I just fled like I desperately wanted to.

When I didn't answer he reached out and put his hand on my shoulder trying to get my attention. My breath caught in my throat.

He shouldn't touch me.

No, that was bad. Very bad.

I kept my eyes shut as I turned slowly to face him. I opened each eye carefully not sure how I was going to handle this situation.

Alice was right he hadn't changed a bit. Still as tall as ever with those amazing green eyes, the same green eyes our son had. His bronze hair seemed a little lighter then before but that was about all the change I could see.

I quickly noticed the squirming figure in his arms. I realized that the thing in his arms was his daughter. The little girl I was almost afraid to see. Since I knew it would make me feel terrible for ripping away from Edward those young years with Masen.

"It's really you." He grinned. I would have fallen again if I hadn't been leaning against my truck right then. "I was wondering when I would see you."

I was hoping never.

But then again that was too soon.

"You're back in town?" I sounded like an idiot and not a thirty-two year old mother. I sounded like the young girl from back when I first started speaking to him. Completely and totally taken by his looks, his voice, the way he stood, that smile. Everything.

"Yeah, I figured it would be a good place to raise my daughter." His voice started out proud but faltered a little on 'daughter.'

"Well, that's great!" I said a little too loudly.

God, I desperately needed to get out of there.

"I think so." He nods bouncing this little girl a little. This time I see her face. She's gorgeous, and looks a lot like Masen did as a baby. Her hair was much lighter then my sons was, though.

"It was great seeing you Edward, but I should get going." I tried to turn around but he caught my arm. There went my breath again.

"I was wondering if we could have coffee some time or dinner. To catch up." He was trying to dazzle me. I could tell.

"That'd be great." I nod taking my arm away from his grip. I knew I wouldn't really take him up on that coffee or dinner offer. No it was too risky.

Everything was too risky now. Maybe him meeting Masen was inevitable. Forks isn't exactly a large town, sooner or later he'd hear something or see Masen around town.

"Good, I've really missed you Bells." He gave me that crooked grin that I had fallen in love with all those years ago.

He couldn't be back.

This couldn't be happening.

"Yeah, well I'll talk to you later. Bye Edward. Bye…I never got her name." My voice was breaking, I was starting to get more nervous and I really didn't understand why.

"Alexa." He smile at her and then me. I just nodded and quickly got into my truck.

I was now safe.

Safe away from his ways of making me fall for him all over again.