Disclaimer: I just write this for fun. The characters aren't mine, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Sorry this is so late in the day, but it's still Wednesday! My life is nuts right now and today was a long one. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers out there! You guys are so awesome! And TwiWifeLife, is my amazing pre-reader and banner-maker! She's just all around awesome!

Thank you to princess07890 for reminding me to include the characters' ages! So here they are:

Bella: 32

CJ: 4

Edward: 36

James: 38

Victoria: 38

Rosalie: 34

Emmett: 35

And if anyone cares about Demetri: 34

Chapter 3

I was far more nervous than I should have been when I pulled up in front of the Cullen home. It was huge, like something out of a magazine. But it somehow managed to look homey and lived in. But what really had me worried was the fact that my son and Edward would be in the same place at the same time. I hoped that his lack of interest in children would keep them apart as well as making him less appealing to me.

"Charlie!" Little miss Emma bolted out the front door, wrapping her arms around C.J.

We all thought it was hilarious that she refused to call him C.J., instead preferring Charlie like a "grown up".

"Emma!"

They immediately held hands as she dragged him up the massive front porch and into the house. Rose greeted me with a hug and ushered me in after the kids. I didn't look around like I wanted to because I could feel Edward's eyes on me. I'd dressed in a comfortable summer dress with a pair of flip flops, hoping not to be too out of place among the Cullens. And I was glad I'd gone with the dress because Esme looked like something that stepped out of a magazine.

"Hey!" I heard my son's voice and looked up to see him in front of Edward who looked terrified. "Who are you? I'm Charlie James Hunter, but Momma calls me C.J.! Dat's my momma over there!"

"Uh," Edward started, running his fingers through his unruly hair, "my name is Edward. Esme and Carlisle are my parents and Rose is my sister. I'm also a friend of your mom's."

My son's head snapped in my direction, a mischievous glint in his eyes. That boy was never up to anything good. I tried to give him my best "mom" look to tell him not to try anything, but I knew my child and he knew that I wouldn't cause a scene in public.

"My daddy has friends that are girls. They sleep in his bed. Do you sleep in my Momma's bed?"

Edward started coughing and I could hear Emmett's booming laugh throughout the house.

I decided to head off that conversation. "C.J., Mr. Edward and I aren't that kind of friends, and your daddy is… well, it's not polite to talk about those sorts of things. Why don't you and Emma go play?"

"Kay, Momma. But Pop and Uncle James says that I hafta protect you from boyfriends. But Daddy is always happy when his friends have sleepovers, so I thought maybe if you had one you'd be happy too. And I really like the colors on Mr. Edward's arms. Can I color on your arms, Mr. Edward?" He turned his attention to Edward whose face was turning red.

"Yeah, Unca Edward! But, Charlie, his arms is full, see? But we can color him pictures and he can put 'em somewhere else!" Emma clapped and bounced at the idea.

Edward just looked uncomfortable while Esme gushed about what a sweet idea it was and ushered the kids into the "art room" so that they could get the creative juices flowing. Emmett came over and wrapped a meaty arm around my shoulders.

"I really love that kid of yours, even if he does spend a lot of time macking on my little girl. I've never seen Eddie-boy blush like that. It was fuc… I mean freaking awesome!"

"Yes, well, my son has absolutely no verbal filter, and really enjoys making people uncomfortable, so sorry for that, Edward."

"It's fine," Edward answered and left the room.

I supposed that seeing me as a mom completely turned him off. As much as I knew that was a good thing, it still stung. But it also reminded me that I was doing the right thing by swearing off of men. Relationships were hard enough without adding baggage to the mix. Now to me, my son was a blessing, not baggage, but most men didn't see it that way.

Rose sneered at her brother's retreating form and made her way over to me, leading me out onto the back patio where Carlisle was getting the grill ready. Next to him stood a tall blonde that looked very much like Carlisle.

"Peter? I want you to meet my friend, Bella. Peter is my cousin. He just moved here a couple of months ago." Rose introduced and Peter shook my hand.

"Hi, Bella, it's very nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Seems like I'm a popular topic of discussion," I teased before telling him that it was nice to meet him too.

We gathered around the grill and made small talk until I realized that I hadn't heard my child in a while. That usually meant that he was into something so I excused myself and went to find him. The house was huge and I only had a general idea in which direction the art room was. So, of course, I ended up getting lost. But the sound of giggling led me to where I needed to be. Only I didn't find what I expected.

Edward was lying face down on the floor, shirtless while C.J. and Emma drew on his back with markers. Esme had a camera out, snapping pictures of the scene and I just stood in the doorway watching. His face was relaxed as the kids colored all over the blank skin of his back. It was utterly adorable, and I swear, my ovaries started talking to me.

I'd never planned to have another child. My pregnancy with C.J. hadn't been an easy one and with him being born so early I just didn't know that I could do it again. Not to mention that I had no man, nor did I want one. Not even one as good looking as Edward. Though my lady parts tended to disagree.

"Momma! C'mere! Look at the pictures we drawed!"

"Drew, baby. And I see. They are beautiful! Can you tell me what I'm looking at?"

I walked over and knelt down next to my son, ignoring how close I was to Edward's naked upper half.

"Well, dat's you and me! And dat's the puppy you're gonna get me. And this one is you, me, and Eddie, cause he lets me color on him. Daddy never lets me color on him. Daddy never does anything with me." His bottom lip stuck out in a pout and once again I found myself wanting to hunt down my ex and kick his ass.

What I ever saw in that asshat I'll never know.

"Unca Eddie! Is dis gonna stay on like the pictures on your arm?"

"Uh… well, they'll probably wash off when I take a shower. Sorry, kiddo." Emma gave him a cute little pout at his words, but she bounced back quickly.

"C'mon Charlie! Let's go beat up my Daddy."

They took off and Esme snuck out with them, leaving me alone with Edward who rolled over onto his back giving me a view of his perfect chest and drool-worthy abs.

"When are you gonna' let me inside of you again, Bella?"

His gaze was so intense that it was like I could literally feel his hands on me again.

"Edward…" I said with a sigh, moving to stand, but he quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me on top of him.

"I can't stop thinking about you, Bella. It wasn't enough. I need you again. And if your son wasn't here I would drag you to my old room and make you remember just how perfectly our bodies fit together. Tell me that you don't think about it."

His hand slid under the back of my dress, groping my ass and I knew I needed to get out of there. My child could walk in at any moment and there was no way that I was exposing him to something like that. His father had exposed him to enough.

"Please, Edward. Stop." I was pleading now because I did remember. And remembering that night was a dangerous thing for me.

"I'm not one of those women that's okay being someone's screw buddy. I did what I did that night hoping to get you to back off." I pulled myself up and thankfully he let me.

"And I'll admit that it was an amazing night. But it also reminded me that I'm just not that woman. As much as I don't want a relationship, I know that I can't separate sex and emotion. I know that the same way that I know that you can't combine the two."

He looked like he wanted to protest, but instead his head thumped against the floor in defeat.

"That doesn't make you a bad guy, Edward. Hell, you're honest, which is more than I can say for most guys. I think your honesty is what actually makes you one of the good ones. But it also makes you trouble for women like me because while I might talk a good game, I'm really a romantic at heart, and all romantics look for those happy endings. And I think our ideas of happy endings may differ just a little." I winked and wiggled my eyebrows hoping to lighten the mood and it worked.

I smiled sweetly when he let out a low chuckle.

"You're one of the good ones too, Bella. And for the first time in my life I really wish I was a one woman man."

He squeezed my hand and I squeezed back, happy that we'd cleared the air. That rush of electricity still tingled where we touched but I did my best to ignore it.

"Well, I better go and find my little heathen before he brings the house down. Thanks for letting him draw on you, by the way. You may not know it but you just made his day."

With that I stood and walked out of the room. I could hear Edward thud his head against the floor a few more times and I smiled a little.

"Bella!" Rosalie yelled when I reached her line of vision. "I was just talking to Peter about you! He's a kindergarten teacher at a private school here in Port Angeles and he thinks C.J. would be a great candidate for the school he works at."

"Oh yeah?" I asked.

"He's extremely intelligent." Peter replied with a grin.

"Yes, he is. Sadly most of his intelligence goes toward causing trouble. But I love his mischievous little self."

"Perhaps we could meet for dinner and I could tell you more about the school?" Peter offered.

I looked to Rosalie trying to see if this was a set up. If he was asking me on a date. The fact that she looked like the cat that ate the canary told me all I needed to know. She was trying to set me up while her brother, which she knew I'd had sex with, was in the house. I wasn't sure what she thought she was going to accomplish, but I knew when Edward entered the room because she grinned like an idiot.

"Eddie, Peter here was just asking Bella to dinner. Don't you think it's a great idea? He's a nice guy, she's a nice girl…"

I shouldn't have looked. I shouldn't have wanted to know how he felt about it, but somehow I just couldn't help myself. Edward's jaw ticked and his nostrils flared. His eyes met mine and I just knew that he was jealous. Of me.

Focus, Bella. You don't care if he's jealous.

"I think it's Bella's decision." Edward said as he shot me a look heavy with a meaning that I didn't understand. And they say women are confusing. Like I'm supposed to know what his looks mean when I barely know him.

"Uh…." I tried to stall, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Okay, I have a feeling that I'm being thrown in the middle of something, here. Bella, you're most definitely uncomfortable and I apologize. The offer for dinner is still out there, but I'm going to let you think about it." Peter stood up and glared at both Rosalie and Edward, but like a true gentlemen he didn't play into whatever game they were playing.

If I hadn't been with Edward I probably would have found him extremely attractive. But I most certainly wasn't going to start some sort of family love triangle. I almost snorted at the very thought.

Love and Edward Cullen just didn't even belong in the same sentence. Well, unless you were talking about all of the women that had surely fallen in love with him.

"Rosalie, I can't believe you put Bella on the spot like that," Edward chastised once Peter left the room.

"You can't believe I put Bella on the spot? Or you can't believe I put you on the spot?" She crossed her arms over her ample chest reminding me why I'd given her the name Tits Magee that first night.

"Yeah, this isn't a conversation that I want to be a part of. I'm going to go and find C.J. because I think it's time for us to go home."

"No!" They both yelled then glared at one another.

"Look, Bella, I'm sorry," Rose began, "but I just wanted you to find a good guy. I love my brother, but you would only end up heartbroken with him. And I was hoping that Edward would stop being a selfish brat for once and let go."

"Rose!" I stopped her. "Edward and I have come to an agreement. Acquaintances is it for us."

"Wait a minute. I was thinking we could at least be friends." That sly smirk crossed his face and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Now we both know that's a bad idea," I teased.

Rose scrunched up her face in a frown. I could tell that she wasn't thrilled with the idea of Edward and I having even an ounce of contact. But I didn't need her to tell me that he was trouble. I knew that from the very first moment I walked into that bar.

"Don't worry, Rosie," Edward began, sounding a little bitter, "as much as I would love to pursue something with the very lovely Bella, I'll respect her decision. After all, what could I possibly have to offer to a woman like her?"

He tried to smile at me, but I could tell that it was forced. Was he actually hurt? How was that even possible?

"Eddie," Rose said with a sigh, but he quickly left the room.

We both watched him go in stunned silence.

"Well, Bella, I think you've done the impossible and got my brother to show an interest in a woman past that of casual sex. I'm going to have to apologize to him now, dammit."

"Who kicked Eddie's puppy?" Emmett asked as he walked into the room with C.J. draped over one shoulder and Emma over the other.

"Eddie has a puppy?!" My child perked up and all three of the adults in the room winced.

"Sorry," Emmett mouthed at me. I tried to glare at him, but it was hard to when he was flashing those dimples of his.

"No, he doesn't have a puppy. It was just an expression. Emmett was just making a joke."

"Why would he joke about kicking a puppy? That's ugly, Momma," C.J. said with a pout.

"You're right, it was ugly, baby." I tried for a subject change. "Are you hungry, buddy, cause something sure smells good."

"Uh huh! Cause Emma said her grandpa is gonna make us steaks! Do I like steaks, Momma?"

"You do, buddy. Remember when you helped Pop grill last week? That was steak and you liked that."

"Okay!"

His enthusiasm was so genuine and I really wished life was that simple. Just being excited about the things that made you happy in that moment and not worrying about the future and what it held for you. If I could do that I could separate sex with Edward and all the romantic stuff that could ruin me. Then I could have my cake and eat it too. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?

When we all sat down to eat, I was surprised when Edward sat next to me. I would occasionally feel his gaze on me, which was confirmed when everyone else at the table, minus the kids, seemed to stare at us both.

"So, Bella," Esme broke the tension with her sweet voice. Her sweet voice that was full of meddling. "What are your plans for this evening?"

"Oh, uh, C.J. and I are going to head home and watch a movie."

"Monsters! Da one where they go to school to be scary, right Momma?" C.J. piped in with a mouth full of food.

"That's right, baby."

"And we're gonna have ice cream, right?"

"You betcha!" I smiled brightly at my son.

"My mom's da best! She watches my movies with me, and she plays with me! She even plays my games. But I'm better at dem dan she is! Right, Momma?"

"You sure are. Mommy and the Wii are not friends."

That caused Emmett to jump in and go off on how much harder kids video games are now compared to when we were kids. I was glad to have the attention taken off of me. Too bad Esme wasn't going to let me off that easily.

"You know, we have a huge TV and we were planning on having a movie night here. You guys are welcome to stay. I'm sure Emma would be willing to watch Monsters tonight instead of Cinderella. Wouldn't you, Emma?"

Edward groaned quietly beside me. I think he just wanted the day to be over with. To be honest, so did I. Just being in his presence was exhausting . Mainly because of the sexual tension between us that seemed to have every hair on my body standing on end just waiting for him to touch me again.

Then I felt guilty for obviously being such a dirty pervert and thinking about it with my son right there. And Edward's entire family. It was all my stupid vagina's fault. I couldn't help it that he turned her into a hoochie.

In a completely stupid move I reached over and gave Edward's hand a small squeeze beneath the table to let him know I would get him out of it. I saw him smile at me from the corner of my eye. He really was so gorgeous that it made it painful to look at him sometimes.

"Sorry, guys, but my brother and his fiancé are coming over for movie night tonight." I apologized and while Esme pouted I could tell that she would accept that.

Unfortunately my son was paying attention to the conversation.

"They are?! Unca Jamie said him and Pop was gonna' play cards, Momma."

I kept my face composed and tried not to show any signs of agitation at my sweet little loudmouth's outburst of information.

Rose bit her lower lip to hold back a laugh. Bitch-ass.

"Yeah, Bella, I thought that's what you told me too," she threw out there.

Edward chuckled.

"I think Bella's just trying to find a polite way to say no, Mom. Really she's just trying to avoid me."

The asshole was throwing me under the bus with his mother!

"Why would she be trying to avoid you? I thought nothing was going on between you two?" I swear the woman looked crazy in her excitement.

"Ma, we'll talk about this later. I'm sure this isn't a conversation that Bella would like to have in front of certain little ears."

"I have little ears, Eddie! You talkin' about me?" C.J. piped up and I wanted to crawl in a hole and die because now everyone at the table was trying to hold in their laughter at my discomfort.

"You all S-U-C-K, that's all I'm saying."

Edward leaned back and wrapped a tattooed arm around the back of my chair.

"Come on, Bella. I'm game if you are. And if I'm being honest, I sort of love Disney movies and I haven't seen that one yet."

"Are you serious right now? Or am I just that charming that you'd say anything to get me to stick around?" I teased which earned me a wink.

But sometimes it's easy to forget that you have an audience. Emmett cleared his throat and grinned when I met his gaze.

"Please, no flirting in front of the kids," he said because he was obviously an asshole.

"Shut it, Em," Edward interrupted before he could embarrass me further.

C.J. was looking at me and smiled so big I thought his cheeks would split open. Then he turned to Edward.

"Emma says when her daddy flirts with her mommy that they kiss. Are you trying to kiss my mommy?"

I resisted the urge to smack my head on the table. Repeatedly. Edward, for his part, remained cool as a cucumber. It made me hate him just a little bit.

"Do you want me to kiss your mom?"

I elbowed him in the gut for even asking my child a question like that but he just grabbed my arm and smirked.

"Well," C.J. looked thoughtful, "I dunno. Maybe. Would my mommy like you kissing her?"

All of the adults in the room, minus Emmett who didn't hold back, tried to hide their laughter with fake coughs.

"Charlie James, those are not appropriate questions…"

"I think she would like it a lot, actually," Edward butted in. That time I stomped on his toe under the table and he winced.

"Do it! Kiss 'er! Do iiiiiiiiiiiiittttt!"

I've always loved my child. Really, I have, but right then I sort of wanted to tape his cute little mouth shut.

Edward smirked at me and I shook my head in the negative, letting him know that I was not on board with the idea he had cooking.

"I think it's most definitely time for us to go home. You are all bad influences on my son," I teased and everyone laughed.

"Oh come on, I'll behave, I promise. Scout's honor."

"You were not a boy scout," Rosalie told Edward with a playful scowl.

"Whatever. I'll behave. I swear."

"Puhleeeeeeease, Momma?" C.J. begged, knowing his pouty face was hard to resist.

Then everyone else decided to join in, making my son giggle with Emma.

"Fine! You're all a bunch of babies, I swear. But after the movie we're going home. Deal?" I asked, looking pointedly at my son.

"Sure, Momma! Come on, Emma! Let's go find da movie!"

I looked at his plate, relieved that he'd eaten most of what I put on it. We all finished up eating and made our way to the "entertainment room". That was rich people speak for a big-ass, in-home movie theater. C.J. and Emma sat front-and-center right in front of the huge screen and Edward sat to my left while Rosalie sat on my right.

"I'm watching you, oh-brother-of-mine," Rosalie said as she leaned across my lap.

"I'm terrified, Rose. Can't you tell?"

I rolled my eyes because that was just sibling banter. James and I loved to antagonize each other. Bickering was one of our greatest joys.

"Shhh! Da movie's starting!" My son warned making Edward and Emmett chuckle.

We sat quietly, watching the adventures of Mike and Sully. My son's eyes were wide with delight, the way they always were when he watched this particular movie. I wished that I could focus on the movie, but all I could focus on was the way Edward's arm would brush against mine every time he breathed. Or how good he smelled. It was even worse when he stretched out his arm behind me, letting his hand rest on my shoulder.

He was the devil, I was sure of it. Gorgeous and dangerously tempting. The smirk on his face told me that he knew exactly what he was doing to me. Asshat.

By the time the movie was over, Emma was passed out and C.J. was well on his way to joining her. I was glad to have an excuse to get the hell out of there before I did something completely stupid like agree to "crash there" as Edward had offered. Though he did walk me to my car, opening the door so I could put a sleepy C.J. in his car seat.

"You know," he began, "I really had a good time today. You and the kid are a lot of fun to be around."

"Yeah, well, we're pretty awesome," I teased.

"You won't hear any arguments from me there," Edward said with a wink.

I looked up and noticed that practically his entire family was looking at us from the window. Emmett waved when he saw that I noticed them. Those people had absolutely no shame.

"We have an audience." I nodded in the direction of the house.

"That doesn't surprise me. I have the nosiest family on the planet. Rose is watching to make sure that I don't try anything and my mother is hoping that I will because that would be sooooo romantic," he said the last part in an imitation of Esme's voice.

"Yeah, well is my family is just as bad, so no worries. If Victoria were here she'd be yelling out the window for me to take you home and…" I looked down at a sleeping C.J. but still decided to censor myself, "do naughty things to you. She's got a mouth like a trucker and the mind of a pubescent teenage boy, which is why she's perfect for my brother."

We both laughed and then he reached his hand up to touch my cheek.

"I like you, Bella. More than I should," he admitted.

"Yeah, well, why wouldn't you? I'm fantastic." I teased, hoping to ease some of the tension I felt between us.

"I'm being serious here. I know I'm not the kind of guy to be faithful, but we could give it a try, couldn't we? I mean, tonight was fun, my family loves you, and I enjoyed spending time with you and the kid. It could work."

"Edward, there are a lot of women that you could like and have a good time with. Women that only have to worry about themselves. Because if I get hurt, my son gets hurt. Or what if he gets attached? When things fall apart, and let's face it they would, he would be left wondering why another man walked out of his life. It's just not something I can risk. If we were different people in different situations, then sure we could try. But we're not. And I think you know that as well as I do."

I just wasn't sure why he was pushing so hard. I'm sure there was no shortage of women ready to give him whatever he wanted but for some reason he'd focused on me. I'd always heard that men like him were all about the chase, and while I was sure that was a big part of it, I believed Edward when he said he genuinely liked me.

"What if I don't know that?" He whispered, stepping closer so that I was pressed up against the car.

"I'm not a heartless bastard. Just because I've never had a real relationship before it doesn't mean that I'm not capable. And you could just as easily break my heart, you know. I'm just not so willing to give up on the idea of there being an us. So you don't want us to get romantically involved? Okay, so let's be friends. Let me show you that I can be the type of person that you and C.J. can count on, then we'll go from there."

"You're smooth, Edward. I'll give you that."

I gently closed the car door so that C.J. wouldn't be able to hear what else I wanted to say if he woke up.

"Look, we both know that being friends is going to end up with us in bed. There's too much sexual tension here for us to ignore it for long. I'm woman enough to admit that, and I've already told you that I can't separate sex and emotion, so that would leave us right where we are now, only then I would be emotionally invested."

"But what if it didn't end badly?" He began. "Just give me a shot, Bella. If you don't want sex, then we will keep our hands to ourselves. I just want to spend time with you. Get to know you. This is new for me, Bella. The women I'm with know the deal, and not once have I ever tried for anything more. But I find myself really wanting to try with you."

I sighed heavily. I knew that Edward liked me for more than just casual sex, and I didn't think he was a bad guy. If I didn't have a son that had already been let down by one man that hurt us both, I would have been all over it.

"If I could afford to try with a professed manwhore I would be completely on board with seeing what we could be together. But my son… he doesn't show it, but he's been really hurt by his dad and I just can't take a gamble with his fragile little heart. But friends I can do. If you can resist all of this hotness that is."

Edward laughed and pulled me into a hug.

"It will be a challenge, but I'll do my best. I mean, I have seen you naked, after all, so that might make things a little harder but I'm confident that I can behave myself."

And so began my friendship with Edward Cullen.