Author Note: Sorry that I have been MIA for the past two months. Real life has been a whirl wind so I have not been able to write or post. Things are dying down, sort of, so hopefully I can go back to updating once a week (and maybe sooner).

This chapter has not been betad (pretty sure I no longer have one) so mistakes are my own.

Chapter 4

It was now Sunday. After Jasper and I made dinner and chatted, it gave me hope that things would get better for him. I forced myself out of bed and after an internal debate between shower or coffee first, I settled on a shower. After getting dressed, I embarked on getting my caffeine fix. Making my way into the kitchen, I saw Jasper sitting at the breakfast bar while talking on the phone.

"Yeah, two o'clock works great. Let me give you the address." Jasper then proceeded to give whoever was on the other end of phone my- well, our- address. "See you then. Bye."

I wanted to ask what the call was about, but my words were failing me. Jasper saw my confused expression and volunteered the information.

"I'm having a guy come by to look at my bike." He stated casually.

"Oh, is something wrong with it? Will it not start or something?" I asked.

"No, I am trying to sell it."

That surprised me. "What?!" I asked, a little too loudly.

Jasper was now the one with the confused expression. "Bella…"

"Jazz, you love that bike. Why are you selling it?" I protested.

Jasper let out a sigh and then began. "First off, I need the cash…"

"I can-" I started to interrupt, but Jasper took back the reins of the conversation.

"Bella, I will not borrow any more money from you. I appreciate everything you have done and are still doing, but I need to do this."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Jasper continued talking. "Bella, we live in Seattle so the weather isn't the best to ride in and it needs to be stored indoors. And before you offer to rent one of those storage things, the answer is no. I don't need the bike. I have loved having it, but it is honestly something I can part with. I can always buy another one sometime in the future."

I let out a breath. "Okay." I relented.

Jasper chuckled and said, "Didn't know I needed your approval, but it's appreciated anyway." , adding a smile after.

"Ha Ha. It's just… I didn't want the bike to be another thing Alice took away from you."

"She hasn't," Jasper replied with a sigh.

"I understand that, now. If you want to sell it, then I promise not to bitch about it."

"Thanks, Darlin'." And Jasper chuckled, again.

I couldn't help but smile. He was in a good mood regardless of the shit that had gone down.

We made brunch seeing as it was almost 11 o'clock. I then worked on my book while Jasper continued to unpack. The hours ticked by and it was nearing 2 o'clock when I jumped up and yelled.

"Yes!" I said with victory.

Jasper jumped from his seat a little. It looked like he had been writing or reading something. "What's got you jumping for joy?" He asked with a smile.

"I'm done!" I yelled.

"With the book?"

"Yes!" I replied excitedly. "I'll read it through two or three times before Wednesday just to be absolutely sure, but I am done! Ahh!"

Jasper got up and enveloped me in a hug and even twirled me around. A little over the top, but I didn't care.

"That's great! You're meeting your publisher Wednesday, right?"

"Yeah. I have been sending her drafts, but nothing with the ending. I can't believe it! I was struggling with how to end it, but it finally just clicked. I'll read the whole book a few times to make sure it flows and to look for any errors, but content wise, it feels done and complete."

"I'm happy for ya' darlin'. I know you have been working really hard on this book, especially since it's a sequel to your first one." Jasper seemed genuinely happy for me. He knew how much this meant to me. It wasn't just my career, but something that I was really passionate about.

Looking at this watch, Jasper said, "The guy should be here any minute to look at the bike. I am going to head down there now, but when I am done we will celebrate."

Jasper left and I basked in the afterglow feeling of accomplishment. I had been trying to figure out the ending to the book for awhile. I had written and then rewritten, but nothing felt right, until now. My publisher would definitely be happy. I was ahead of schedule and would still have time to review and proof even after Wednesday.

Fifteen minutes later Jasper was back in the apartment with what looked like a bundle of cash.

"It sold?" I asked.

"Yep. The guy even paid in cash. I will put it in the bank tomorrow, in my new account, but first…" Jasper then proceeded to count out hundreds. He then handed me a wad of cash.

"Jazz…."

"Bella, this is me paying you back for the bed, mattress, bank deposit, and my half of the rent for this month. It is the fifth of the month so I know you paid rent last week. Take the money."

I took it, even if I wasn't thrilled. "You didn't have to pay me back right away."

"I know, but I wanted to. I also have a good chunk left over that will hold me over till my next pay check."

"I see your point. I just didn't want you to feel like you had to sell your bike so you could pay me back."

"That's not why I sold it. I hardly ride it and really can't due to the weather around here. So after thinking it over last night, I knew it was the best choice to sell it. I can also buy another phone since I broke mine. Also, there are the bills that might not have gotten paid because of Alice…"

"Okay, I see your point. But please don't stress over the money issue, too much that is. I am your friend and more than willing to give you some leeway until you get back on your feet."

"I know, and I appreciate everything you have done for me, Bella. I just… feel like I need to take responsibility for where I am at."

I snorted. "I'm pretty sure the responsibility and fault fall on Alice."

"While she had a major part, I still married her. I still put up with a lot that I shouldn't. And while she has majorly fucked me over, I have to deal with the repercussions since I got myself in the situation."

"I think you are being a little too hard on yourself."

"Maybe… Well, how about we go to the store so I can get a phone?" Jasper asked, immediately lighting the mood.

"Let me get my coat," I replied with a smile.

After getting Jasper a phone, we headed home and organized the apartment a little more now that Jasper was completely unpacked. Jasper then insisted on cooking dinner himself. He said it was because we were celebrating the finishing of my second book. We ate dinner and chatted. Jasper even indulged me in playing cards. After many hands and me kicking Jasper's ass, we called it a night. Tomorrow was a school day which meant Jasper had to be up early for work.

The next day I didn't wake up till Jasper had already left. I did some laundry, emailed my editor, and started proofreading my book. Later in the evening, I heard the door open and knew it was Jasper.

"Hey" I greeted.

"Hey," Jasper replied, but I could tell something was on his mind.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…."

I raised my eyebrow.

Jasper let out a breath. He knew that I knew him too well.

"I got served the divorce papers today."

"At the school?" I asked in surprise.

"Yep. Right before I was about to leave, so all the students were gone and it didn't cause a scene or anything. I was just surprised…"

My stomach dropped. "Weren't you going to file for divorce anyway?" I asked with caution.

"Yeah, I was. The thing is, it takes time. Even if Alice spoke with a lawyer today, there was no way she could file and have a judge sign off it and it go out for service."

"Oh…" I hadn't thought about that.

"So that means she had been planning this for awhile now. She had already filed before she even told me Friday that she was having an affair. She has been planning all this for awhile now. I am happy about the filing, but it is a slap in the face that she has been planning so much behind my back for awhile now."

"Oh Jazz." I got up and did the only thing I could think to do in a moment like this, I hugged him.

He returned the embrace. "I am such an idiot…" He mumbled.

"You're not an idiot. Alice is a conniving bitch. She has lied to you since the beginning, so how were you supposed to know what the truth was."

"Maybe."

Our hug ended.

"There were some other papers with the divorce papers," Jasper stated in a huff.

"What kind of papers?"

"Things like what to settle during the waiting period for the divorce. Washington is a no-fault state. So after a divorce has been filed and served, it takes ninety days before it's finalized. Alice's lawyer wrote up propositions for the house and cars."

"Anything about the joint bank account?"

Jasper snorted. "Yeah, that I could have it. Which means nothing but maybe a bunch of overdraft fees."

"Bitch."

"Don't I know it," Jasper said under his breath.

"What are you going to do?"

"The lawyer had a memo for a meeting to discuss and negotiate"

"When?"

"This Friday."

"And they just expect you to attend with such short notice after everything has been dropped on you at once?" I was pissed. No, I was down right livid.

"Apparently so. I will talk to the school tomorrow about me being there only a half-day Friday. I really want to get this negotiation crap over with and not drag it out for the next three months." Jasper paused. "Okay, enough with the Alice bitch storm. Tell me about your day while we make dinner together?" He asked.

"Sure."

Then we talked, laughed, and forgot about the fucked up situation even if it was just for a few hours.