Disclaimer: SM owns. I do not own any of these characters.
Chapter song: On Call-Kings of Leon
"She said call me now baby, and I'd come a running.
If you'd call me now, baby then I'd come a running.
I'm on call, to be there.
One and all, to be there.
And When I fall, to pieces.
Lord you know, I'll be there waiting."
Edward
There wasn't much in life I wasn't sure about.
I had a secure job and I was considerably wealthy. I lived in New York, and I had a love-hate relationship with the city. I was single, and, yes, I dated some, but I only ever spent my time living life to it's most fulfilling degree when I was with the girl I knocked into during Freshman orientation, well over a decade ago.
I didn't have any doubts: Bella was soulmate. The friend kind. The forever kind.
She was funny, and crazy, and chest-tightening gorgeous. She was smart and filled with wisdom-like wit. She was angel-faced and I couldn't possibly tell you how many times I've thought about dating her. If I had a dime for every time I called her 'beautiful', I would be a very rich man.
My innocent flirting aside, I had been friend-zoned long ago.
When we met, Bella was dating some three-pump chump named Mike, and I was messing around with this girl I knew, Heidi. Once we started hanging out, Bella and I sort of casually admitted to each other that we were only in it for the sex.
After that, Bella became my wing-woman and my best friend. Her brother met my sister, and we had established our own little family.
Sometime after my sister had her first kid, I realized that I needed to grow up. I needed to do something more, and then the idea of having a kid sort of slowly seeped into my brain.
I know: It was crazy. Ridiculous.
But before I could push the thought away, the image of Bella holding Ava entered my mind.
It was absurd, but with Bella there were always so many possibilities. Eventually, years later, I worked up the courage to ask her. And she fucking agreed.
I was absolutely sure that I wanted a child, and I wanted one with Isabella Swan. We had worked out all of the details, and our plan was set in motion.
So why did it feel so strange? So nerve-wracking and panic inducing?
Why did something feel out of place?
"You know, it's crazy," Emmett was drunk, almost predictably these days. I had been too preoccupied with my planning with Bella to really take note of his condition, but I had vaguely minded that my brother was struggling with some demons at this time in his life. "I always thought this would happen the other way around with you two. You know, love, then sex, then the accidental pregnancy like the rest of us."
Emmett was cynical, but funny.
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Just shoot already, Emmett."
He nodded, going around the pool table to take his turn. Beside me, Bella's brother stood staring at his phone, like half of the people in this bar.
"Look," he turned the screen to face me. "Alice sent me this."
It was a video of Ava telling her daddy to come home and to bring ice cream with him. With sprinkles. And cherries. And 'nananas'. And 'chocwit sewups'. Then my niece's eyes got watery and she said "I miss you" before kissing the camera.
It was cute, and I had to choke back an 'aw'. Jasper, maybe understanding my reaction, grinned at me knowingly.
"Don't listen to Emmett," he slapped me on the back. "I don't care how you go about it, as long as you're cut out for it. And you definitely are, especially with my sister involved. She's amazing, so if you suck, she can be a dad too. Dad-hood is awesome, and if I can do it, you'll fucking blow us all out of the water."
I chuckled, palming my face. "I hope you're right. I want to do this right."
He nodded thoughtfully. "As far as crazy fucks, like you, go... You are."
And it felt like I was, so far.
Almost.
I had been pacing all day.
It was supposed to be the day.
The day.
Suddenly, it had occurred to me that our idea for the method of insemination process may have been a little stupid and rash. My mind was clouding with "what-ifs".
What if this ruins us? What if I suddenly suck at sex, and it turns Bella against me? What if Bella changed her mind about the whole thing? What if on the way home, she stopped and met someone else she wanted to procreate with? What if this happens, and she decides she doesn't want this with me anymore? What if... what if it's good?
What if the sex is incredible?
Just thinking about having sex with her was incredible, so I knew the answer to that one. Of course the sex would be mind blowing, it was fucking Bella.
She was always a great wing-woman, but an even better best friend.
We were anything together. We were conniving and adventurous. We were silly and spontaneous. We did a lot of things that people didn't understand, like spending our holidays together instead of with our families because we just liked to sit back on the couch and watch Netflix. We had made stupid decisions together, and then we had made smart ones. This, deciding to have a kid, was not a stupid decision.
We had discussed every single possible outcome of this situation. Everything about this was out in the open. We knew each other's concerns, hopes and fears.
We could be parents.
I tried to keep from bouncing on the heels of my feet as I paced, but my anxiety was getting the best of me.
Everything in my life was about to change, this very night.
Bella and I were going to expand our team soon. We were going to have a third badass in our group. A fucking family.
I wanted to laugh like a lunatic and throw up at the same time. There was no war raging inside my head, but there was an odd aching in my stomach.
At around nine-forty, my phone lit up with a picture of me forcing a kiss on Bella's cheek. We were a little drunk, but I loved her smile and the dimples I had captured in this rare photo of her.
A silly Taylor Swift song started playing that she had teasingly programmed in my phone as her caller tone, and I felt my heart skip a beat at the sound.
Tentatively, I slid the answer bar over and put the phone to my ear. My throat was dry, but I managed to speak. "Hey, Hun."
Was it weird to call her Hun before sex?
"Hey," she sounded winded, breathless. "So... you ready?"
I nodded to myself, finally convinced that I was. "Is it...?"
"It's time."
Suddenly, I was in a rush; already walking towards the door. "I'll be there in thirty seconds."
As soon as I was off the phone, I blanched at what I had said.
Oh God, I hope not.
A/N: get your mind out of the gutter, Edward!
thanks for reading and reviewing, guys.
So we got a glimpse into Edward's head. He's kind of nervous, but he's sure that this is what he wants. Any thoughts on him? There won't be very many chapters on him to come, but I thought you might like to gain some perspective on him.
If you're into angsty crime love stories, please check out Jilted on my page, beta'd by the amazing HalcyonSeasons! It's my heart and soul.
