SM still owns 'em.
Guys. Really. I'm in awe of you. I can't believe how much love there is after just one chapter. Thank you so, so much!
Thanks to oscar519 and laurnorder for betaing!
Chapter Two – Second Chance at First Glance
"I'm sure she's very attractive, J," Edward muttered into the phone. "Right. You said that. I know Al really likes her. No, one dinner couldn't hurt. Christ, Jasper. I'll see you at seven, okay?"
He hung up the phone and glared at it as it sat innocently on the cradle. Not that the piece of plastic had done anything. It was mainly his best friend Jasper's doing. Jasper and Alice had been trying to set Edward up since the week his divorce was final. He loved them both for it, but it still seemed like it was a bit soon.
Jasper was Edward's best friend though. He was the one that had been there for Edward through everything. Edward met Jasper soon after he'd starting working at his firm. At first, Edward thought he was nothing but a dirty hippie, but he soon proved to be one of the best accountants with the firm.
Alice really wanted Edward to meet a friend of hers from high school that had recently moved to the city. Sometimes Alice's bubbly (that's what Jasper called it) personality was a little much for Edward to handle. Not that he didn't like Alice, because really did. Reagan loved her as well. Alice always sent little gifts and girly things to work with Jasper for Edward to give to his daughter.
Alice was at the top of the list when Reagan asked for something that wasn't a necessity. Twinkle Toes and Zhu-Zhu pets were the most recent items that had Edward pulling his hair out. Who knew light up shoes and battery-operated hamsters would be so hard to find?
Needless to say, though Alice was sometimes annoying, she could be really helpful, too.
At seven o'clock sharp, Edward was knocking on the Whitlock's front door. There were no unfamiliar cars in the drive so Edward assumed that Alice's friend had not yet arrived. The giggling on the other side of the door made Edward smile and his heart ache for his little girl.
"Hi, Edward!" three voices chorused when the door opened. Edward laughed at his best friend and the two children hanging off of his limbs.
"Hey guys." Edward pried the little girl off of her father's leg and tossed her into the air. She squealed with laughter when he caught her and kissed her loudly.
"Edward don't make her vomit before bedtime, please." Alice smiled and kissed his cheek then removed Sophie from his arms.
"Aw, you're no fun Mom!" Christopher whined as he slid from his father's back. Jasper smirked and walked away like he was trying not to get involved.
"Yeah, yeah. Go get washed up," she said as she ruffled his hair and pushed him toward the stairs with her free hand.
Jasper came back from the kitchen and handed Edward a beer.
"Bella's running late. She'll be here in a few," Alice told them both. Edward felt his stomach drop as he was suddenly overwhelmed with nerves.
"Wait – Bella?"
"Yeah, a friend of mine from high school," Alice explained as she quickly made Sophie a plate of food and fed her in her high chair. Edward watched with a smile and tried to calm himself. It had been quite some time since he'd been on a date or had even acknowledged a woman besides Rosalie. He couldn't help but wonder if it was too soon, or if he was making the wrong decision for himself and his daughter
Then again, it was only one dinner.
xXx
Bella smoothed her hair as she stepped up to her friend's home. She'd been apprehensive when Alice mentioned a friend of her husband's but had agreed to a dinner anyways. It had been nearly a year since her split with Jacob. Not that he had done anything wrong. He was, for all intents and purposes, the epitome of a perfect boyfriend. He just wasn't perfect for her.
She rang the doorbell, expecting to hear the sound of little feet coming to greet her. Getting back in touch with Alice apparently meant that her biological clock was being restarted. It wasn't that Bella didn't want children, she just didn't want them anytime soon. Bella saw enough of them at the zoo and what she saw wasn't necessarily the cream of the crop.
She was pretty sure that it should be outlawed for some people to breed.
Of course, she thought, some people were designed to make gorgeous, polite children. Bella couldn't help but smile as she thought of the beautiful man and his daughter that she'd met recently. They no doubt went home to an equally beautiful mother and maybe even some more pretty babies with their father's eyes. Not that Bella noticed his eyes. Or the little girl's for that matter. She didn't take a second glance at the intense shade of emerald green or wonder how people even had eyes that color.
Bella pushed the pretty man out of her mind and rang the doorbell again.
"Hold your horses, woman!" She heard Jasper yell through the door. He smiled as he swung it open.
"Horsies?" Sophie looked from her father to Bella with big eyes. When she realized there were no "horsies" she frowned and did her best to glare at the two of them. Jasper laughed and handed the little girl off to her "Auntie Bella".
"Great, Jasper. Just great. She's going to associate me with unfulfilled wants and dreams from now on." Bella kissed Sophie's cheek to try and stop her pouting while Jasper took off toward the kitchen.
"Just like your last boyfriend!" Jasper called. Bella bit back her retort and simply rolled her eyes.
"You know Jasper, you keep talking like that and I'm going to think–" she started but stopped abruptly when stepped into the kitchen. " –you don't like me." She finished lamely and tried to tear her gaze away from the man across the room from her.
Those green eyes she was just thinking about were staring right back at her. Bella was so surprised that she nearly dropped the little girl in her arms. He couldn't be the one Alice was setting him up with. He was married with a beautiful daughter. He was married, wasn't he?
"Edward." She breathed his name and watched his face light up with an exuberant smile.
"Penguin girl," he laughed and ran a hand through his copper hair. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Likewise. Who knew Jasper had friends that could walk upright?" she said and watched Jasper clutch at his chest and feign offense.
"You wound me, woman!" he took Sophie from Bella's arms and Edward stepped forward and extended his hand.
"It's nice to see you again," Edward said softly as Bella slipped her hand into his.
"I take it you've met?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I took Rae to the zoo last weekend. She really enjoyed the penguins," Edward replied with his eyes on Bella's face.
"Yeah. Me too," Bella said then shook her head minutely realizing that her words didn't make any sense. "I mean, she was lovely. I was glad she enjoyed it. Is she here? I'd love to see her. She was so sweet!" Bella rambled on wishing that something would fall from the ceiling just to make her shut up.
Edward smiled sadly. "No. No, she's at her mom's."
Divorced? Separated? Never married?
Those things ran through Bella's head as she released his hand and returned his smile. She actually was disappointed about not seeing the little girl.
Bella accepted a glass of wine from Alice and hoped it would calm her nerves. She had been so calm before she knew the man she was being set up with was Edward.
"So Edward, you work with Jasper?"
"Well, I don't know if you can call it work when we're together," Edward replied with a laugh. Jasper nodded from beside him.
"Mostly we play Spades online," Jasper explained.
"No, you play Spades. Then you call and ask me how to play Spades when I'm trying to work." Edward shook his head but smiled at his friend.
"What? Spades is a hard game!" Jasper fruitlessly tried to defend himself.
"I told you to stick with Solitaire, baby," Alice said as she took Sophie from his arms. "I'm going to get Sophie ready for bed and then we'll eat, okay?"
The three of them nodded and then stood silently and awkwardly for a moment.
"I'm just going to go… check on Christopher," Jasper said in a rush as he slipped out of the kitchen.
"So, you went to high school with Alice?" Edward asked. He smiled at Bella and she felt as if his smile was radiating heat, warming her body.
"I did," she nodded and sipped her wine, desperate to calm her nerves. "Did you go to college with Jasper?"
"No, we met when I started at the firm. I think he and Alice had just had Christopher so it's been fun watching him grow up. He and Rae get along great."
"It's funny, you know? We've known these people for all this time but we've never met?" Bella mused quietly.
"You just recently moved to Seattle, correct?" Edward asked. He refilled her wine glass and took another beer for himself, then ushered her out the side door of the kitchen and onto the dimly lit patio.
"A few months ago," she sipped her wine, enjoying how it spread throughout her body and intensified what she was feeling with Edward in such close proximity. "And you?"
"I've been here a few years; I grew up a few hours away. Rose and I met in high school. We had Reagan and got married my junior year of college." Edward explained.
"Rose? Your wife?" Bella felt her stomach and heart sink.
"Ex-wife."
"Oh." Her spirits were minimally lifted, and then she only felt guilty for her happiness.
Edward laughed. "You're thinking very hard, aren't you?"
"I just… Alice said she wanted me to meet you and I'm happy to find out you're divorced. Then I feel like a complete asshole for being happy!"
He laughed again and sipped from the bottle in his hand, the smile on his face clearly showed his amusement and Bella felt her face heat up.
"You're not making me feel any better." A frown crossed her pretty face, which only made Edward laugh more.
"I wouldn't have agreed to meet you if I wasn't divorced." Edward replied quietly once his laughter had stopped.
"I should hope not," Bella whispered in response. She watched him for a long moment, his brow furrowed in thought, his jade eyes burning into hers.
"Dinner's ready!" Alice's voice brought them from their thoughts and ended the moment abruptly. They followed her back inside and took seats on opposite sides of the dining table. Christopher settled himself next to Edward, in Reagan's usual seat, and smiled up at him.
They ate and chatted quietly. Alice maintained conversation well and for once Edward was grateful of her socializing skills. He could still see the wheels in Bella's head turning and wondered what on Earth was bothering her about their set-up.
As Alice brought out homemade cherry pie, Edward's phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out and frowned when he saw Rosalie's name flashing across the screen.
"Excuse me," he muttered and left the dining room. "Hello?"
"Edward? I need your help," her voice was quiet but semi-panicked.
"What's wrong? Is Reagan okay?"
"No, Edward. God. She won't stop crying," Rose's voice went from panicked to frustrated very quickly.
"Rosalie. She's seven. Ask her what's wrong," Edward sighed.
"She wants you," came her clipped reply.
"What?" He asked dumbly.
"She just… she wants to go home."
Edward had somewhat expected that this would happen. Reagan had become very comfortable at their condo. Often, she spoke of how she missed her mother or drew pictures with the same sentiment. But there were some days when she didn't mention Rosalie at all. It made Edward sad that he sometimes felt that way, too. But then again, Rose had made her choice and it was something she had to live with.
"What do you want me to do, Rose?"
"I don't know, Edward. I miss her but I don't want her to be miserable all night…" she trailed off, clearly upset at her daughter's behavior.
"I'm at Alice and Jasper's. I'll be there in… fifteen minutes."
"I'm sorry. I know it's my night I just–" she began but Edward cut her off.
"It's fine, Rose. I don't want her to be upset either. I'll see you soon." He hung up before she could protest and made his way back into the dining room.
"Is everything alright?" Alice asked when he didn't take his seat. Edward exchanged a glance with Bella before setting his eyes on his friend.
"No, I've got to go pick up Reagan. She's not… adjusting well."
"That's no surprise," Jasper muttered from the end of the table. Edward merely shrugged and mussed Christopher's hair.
"Thank you for dinner, Alice," he kissed her cheek and she hugged him tightly. "I'll see you Monday," Edward said turning to Jasper who nodded at him.
"I'll walk you out." Bella stood up quickly and made her way around the table. Edward nodded and gave everyone a small wave before following Bella down the hall and into the foyer.
"It was great to see you again," Edward said softly. Bella nodded and bit her lip.
"You'll have to bring Reagan to see me soon," Bella said with a smile. She fought the urge to smooth the collar of his shirt, to touch him in any way. Instead, she held out her hand and shook his gently.
"I will," he nodded then surprised himself and Bella when he bent down and kissed her cheek softly. "Goodnight, Bella."
Bella didn't have a chance to respond because he was out the door before she could regain her composure.
xXx
Edward pulled up in the driveway of Rosalie's house, his house, with a heavy heart. He was sad to have to leave dinner and was looking forward to talking more with Bella. Of course, like in most decisions he made, Reagan came first. He knocked on the front door, feeling absurd at the fact that he had to ask permission to enter the home he lived in for so long.
When the door opened, he remembered why he knocked.
"Edward, hey!" Rosalie's new boyfriend greeted him with a wide smile.
"Emmett." Edward replied curtly as he stepped around him. Emmett was nice, though Edward didn't really care for him. He was the man who stole his wife, after all.
"She's upstairs, I think Rosie finally got her to stop crying," Emmett explained. Edward didn't respond because he was already halfway up the stairs.
There was something about the scene in Reagan's room that still made his heart skip a beat. His daughter was wrapped in her mother's arms, a book between them. Rosalie read quietly, her face close to her daughter's while the little girl listened with rapt attention.
That was until she saw her father. She practically flew out of the bed and into his arms. He lifted her up and she wrapped herself tightly around him.
"I missed you, Daddy," she whispered against his skin.
Edward tore his eyes from Rosalie's anguished face and pulled back so he could see his daughter's face.
"We talked about this," he whispered. Reagan's green eyes filled with tears as she looked at her father.
"I know, but I want to go home." Her bottom lip quivered and so did his resolve.
"Tell Mommy goodnight," Edward said as he set her on her feet. He watched as Rose pulled their daughter into her arms and hugged her tightly.
"I love you, sweet girl," she whispered.
"I love you, Mommy." Reagan gave her mother a wide smile before holding her hand out to Edward. "Ready, Daddy?"
"Yeah, I'll meet you downstairs," he smiled down at her. "I'm sorry," he said to Rosalie.
"It's not your fault, Edward," Rosalie replied sadly.
"I know. But it doesn't mean I'm not sorry," he said.
"Thanks. For being you." She gave him a small smile. He laughed quietly.
"Goodnight, Rose."
Edward found Reagan standing at the door wearing the backpack she used for traveling back and forth. Emmett stood a few feet away watching her.
"She doesn't like me," he whispered to Edward when he walked by.
"Tough luck," Edward shrugged and pulled Reagan into his arms. She giggled and hugged him tightly then stuck her tongue out at Emmett as they walked out the door.
At home, Edward gave his daughter a huge bowl of ice cream and let her stay up far past her bedtime.
As the end credits of Sleeping Beauty rolled and Reagan snored softly against Edward's leg, his phone buzzed from the end table. He picked it up, expecting Rosalie, not an unknown number.
"Hello?" he answered warily and checked the clock feeling that it was awfully late to be receiving unknown calls.
"Edward?" The voice on the other end was soft and feminine.
"Yes?"
"It's Bella. Bella Swan. Alice gave me your number tonight and I just wanted to…" Bella trailed off as Edward's pulse sped up. He would have stood up and paced except for the fact that his daughter was asleep on his lap.
"Well, I'll have to thank Alice later then seeing as I managed to leave without getting yours."
"No need to thank her, now you have it. No harm, no foul." Edward could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke and he smiled too.
"Good. Good to know."
"I just wanted to tell you that I had a nice time tonight and it was really good to see you again."
"Yes, you mentioned that earlier."
"I'm paying you a compliment, don't be an ass."
Edward fought the laughter that bubbled inside of him. She was feisty.
"Then thank you for the compliment, but I feel that I'm not worthy of it considering I had to leave."
"You have responsibilities. I understand that."
"Thank you." Edward replied as sincerely as he could.
"But I do expect a rain check," Bella quipped.
"Well, now that I have your number, I fully intend to see that you get it."
"I'll hold you to that, Edward."
"I have no intention of breaking our deal, Bella," Edward said, enjoying the way her name rolled off his tongue.
"Good," she laughed. "I'll, uh, let you get back to your evening then."
"I'll be calling later to establish a time for your payment," Edward grinned like a fool and thanked his lucky stars that no one could see him.
"I'll be waiting."
"Goodnight, Bella."
"Goodnight," she replied before hanging up and leaving Edward thoroughly amused. He carefully lifted Reagan's sleeping form and carried her to her room. She went into her own bed quite willingly and snuggled deeply under the covers. He tucked the blankets around her and made his way out of the room.
"Daddy?" Her voice was groggy but her eyes were wide.
"Yes?" Edward turned to her.
"I know Mommy was sad, but she doesn't understand," Reagan said softly.
"What doesn't she understand, baby?" Edward asked, taking a seat on the bed again. Reagan moved quickly and knelt in front of him with her hands on his face.
"She doesn't understand that I didn't want to leave you all alone. Mommy always has Emmett to keep her company but if I'm not here you don't have anybody," she said sadly.
Edward pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He gave a deep, shuddering breath and kissed her cheek.
"I love you, sweet girl. So, so much," he whispered.
"I love you too, Daddy," she replied, beaming with happiness.
"Daddy is always thinking about you, that way I'm never alone, got it?"
"Got it." She nodded solemnly. She kissed him on the nose before climbing back under the covers. "Goodnight, Daddy." Edward smiled and made his way out of her bedroom again, this time actually making it to the door before he had an idea.
"How do you feel about going to the zoo tomorrow?"
To those asking : E/B are 30/28.
New chapters will post on Wednesdays. I'll be doing review replies with teasers on Friday, hopefully.
Thank you for reading!
