A/N: Okay so this would have been posted earlier if I could have logged into the site! grrr.... Any way - here it is. Chapter 6! Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 6

BPOV

"Bella, thank you." Edward managed to get out, although it sounded more than a little strained.

"She'll be okay Edward." I said as I instinctively reached across my middle console to take his hand. He gave me a half smile that held absolutely no feeling or belief in what I just said in return. "Tell me about her."

"Oh you'll love her Bella. She's the smartest seven year-old I know." He spoke quietly. My body flinched at her age. I didn't even fathom that she would be that old. It was only three years after graduation that he started a family. "I'm sorry Bella." He spoke bringing me back to the current place and time.

"Sorry for what Edward?"

"For not telling you…well…anything. I should have been up front at the very beginning."

"I'm not following."

"Probably not, no." He laughed humorlessly. "The quick and dirty version is I met my ex-wife. She got pregnant. We got married. Three years ago it was obvious it was over. The court gave her custody and she moved my Lilly here. Tanya is in a band and is gone a lot but I'm a doctor with crazy hours. Lilly stays with her grandmother. When Seth told me about his opportunity, I jumped at the chance to be this close to my baby girl." He choked out. "And now she…" He started but couldn't finish his thought, has his voice disappeared and his eyes teared up.

"She's fine. I promise." I reassured, squeezing his hand.

"Don't promise something you don't have any control over!" He snapped. I jerked my hand back in response, shrinking down to my side of the car as much as was allowed and focused all my attention on the road in front of me.

"Jesus Christ. I'm sorry – again. I didn't mean to snap at you." He said as he ran his fingers through his unruly hair for the hundredth time since we got in my car. "I can't seem to do anything right by you." He said before turning to his window and sighing heavily.

I chose to ignore the many questions that flooded my mind with that last statement. Did he mean ever? Did that mean he acknowledged what happened in college? Or did he just mean right now in our lives? I could spend hours dissecting that one little sentence. I opted against doing that…I would just end up driving myself crazy. One thing was for sure though, we couldn't go on not talking about the past.

"Did you think I'd be mad at you for not telling me about Lilly?" I asked instead.

"Honestly, yes." He answered without looking at me.

"Well that's just stupid."I laughed. "Do I wish you would have told me sooner, well yeah, but I understand. I understand a lot more now. Everything makes more sense to me."

He finally turned back to me, but held confusion in his eyes.

"I knew you had some other reason to help Seth out than just to help your cousin. But I just couldn't figure it out. My first thought was there was some new flavor of the week…" I said but closed my mouth with an audible snap. The look on his face told me I had said too much.

"Is that what you think of me? That I'm a selfish womanizing bastard?"

The hurt was so evident in his eyes and in his tone and I instantly felt like a complete ass. I had to either fix this or tell the truth. Now was not the time though.

I pulled into the emergency section of the hospital not a minute later and parked in my reserved spot before speaking again.

"We're here." I said lamely. He gave me a look letting me know that this particular conversation was far from over before jumping out of the passenger side. I quickly followed him through the double doors where he was being greeted by one of the overfriendly nurses.

"Doctor Cullen, she…oh Doctor Swan?" The nurse said, her tone very accusing when she saw me, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Um…yeah she's in room 506."

"Thank you." We both answered – me a little more tersely than Edward – then ran for the stairs knowing we could get there faster that way. Once we hit the fifth floor we rounded the corner at top speed to Lilly's room. As we rounded, a blonde bombshell came into view standing next to an older woman. Edward continued running towards them while I came to a complete and total halt.

The moment I saw them, I realized for the first time since arriving at the hospital, hell for the first time since Edward told me his daughter was in the hospital, that I had no true place in this situation.

I didn't belong in this hallway with Edward and the mother of his child. I wasn't needed in any form here. Little by little I started backing back towards the corner to hide and make a quick getaway.

"Who is that?" A piercing nasally voice sounded through the empty hall.

Damn-it…

Without even looking, I had a feeling it was Tanya…that was her name right? How in the hell did he live with that noise?

"Bella?" Edward's velvety voice was a welcomed sound after hers and I looked up to find his eyes looking very intently at me. He didn't smile but motioned for me to approach. I slowly did and I felt Tanya's eyes on me, judging me, the whole time. I was suddenly very thankful for Alice's impromptu attack this morning.

As Tanya continued to stare, the need to tell her to shove it up her ass and that it was rude to stare was becoming almost unbearable, but I decided that since we were in a hospital it was just not the right time. Instead, I plastered my best fake smile onto my face.

"Tanya, this is Isabella Swan…" Edward started speaking as Tanya's expression remained condescending towards me.

Hell to the no. Don't cause a scene…do not cause a scene Swan…

"Bella, this is Lilly's mother, Tanya." Edward continued. Opting for the mature adult approach, I held my hand out for her to take. Instead, she looked like it was crawling with germs and turned her nose up at me.

"Why are you here?" She asked me. I felt Edward go stiff next to me with her attitude.

I can be the bigger the person…I can be the bigger person.

"So why, Bella…" She sneered again.

Yeah the whole bigger person wasn't going to work out after all.

"Well, I was spending the day with Edward and our friends when he got the phone call about Lilly. He was so shaken by the news, I offered to drive him. Oh yeah…and its Doctor Swan to you. Only my friends call me Bella." I said then took in her expression. She looked irritated but not pissed. "And oh yeah, I was wondering, how is it that Lilly was allowed to be playing on a banister anyways? Tanya?" I asked cocking an eyebrow in her direction.

That did it.

"You little whore. Are you suggesting I wasn't watching my child? How dare you question my abilities as a mother!? You don't even know me?!"

"I would never." I feigned innocence. "I was just merely curious."

"You don't know shit about this family or me. You're just Eddie's flavor of the week. He was probably in the middle of fu…"

"Tanya, that is enough!" Edward hissed. I was too stunned as Tanya's words echoed my very own in the car. "You damn well know I haven't dated since the divorce. I'm not as willing to bring strangers into Lilly's life as you are."

Okay, so that totally took me by surprise. Edward hasn't dated in…what? Like eight years? Tanya's the last girl he dated? Surely not? The womanizer was no more? I would have thought as soon as his divorce was final he would have wanted to paint the town. Had one little girl settled him down?

"…what do you mean you're going on a nation-wide tour?!" Edward shouted.

It seems I have once again spaced into my own little world and missed something very important.

"Please can you two keep it down." The older lady spoke for the first time. She shot me an apologetic smile as she tried to gain control of Tanya. It was then I saw the slight resemblance between the two. So this was the grandmother? How did she spawn such a hideous creature like Tanya?

"We have things to talk about. Now." Edward said through a clenched jaw then turned to face me. "Can you please stay with Lilly while I talk to my ex-wife?"

I hope he reads her the riot act. She doesn't deserve to have custody of the little girl…wait what did he just ask me to do?

"But I…uh…she doesn't…what if she wakes up? Can't her grandmother…"

"No, Midge needs to be a part of this conversation too. You're great with kids. If she wakes up, just talk to her." He said then leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Please. I need you right now."

Just call me a sucker.

"Okay Edward, I'll sit with her."

"Thank you…"

"I can't believe you're asking this…slut…"

"Keep it up sweetheart." Edward growled.

Growled? Well fuck me…That has got to be the single most sexiest thing I've ever heard come from a man. Hell, even the look he gave her made me feel things I didn't want to feel.

"Let's talk." The grandmother finally said dragging Tanya towards the bank of elevators. I watched the three of them disappear before taking a deep breath and entering Lilly's room.

As soon as I saw her, my heart constricted. She looked just like her father, bronze hair and his facial features. I could only imagine her eyes were the same color of green as well.

Her little body looked so fragile in the bed. Her head was wrapped in gauze and she had her IV tube attached. I had the sudden urge to hold and comfort her. Instead, I sat down in a chair close to her bed. I felt really awkward just sitting next to a child who didn't know me so I did the only thing I could think of.

"Hello Lilly, my name is Bella. I'm a friend of your daddy's. He's gone to get something to eat. He didn't want you to be alone if you woke up and asked me to sit here. Since he's one of my best friends I couldn't tell him no. I hope you don't mind. I can't wait to actually meet you. Your dad tells me you're very smart…"

"Bella?" The sweetest, tiniest voice called snapping my head up towards the hospital bed.

Yep, bright green eyes. Just like her father.

"Yes honey?" I whispered hoping not to scare her. She had obviously been awake through my whole speech since she caught my name, but I was still unsure of her reaction to me being there.

"They're fighting again, aren't they?" she asked like it was nothing, but sadness tinted her beautiful eyes.

But how do you answer that?

"The truth?" She asked again.

"They're…uh…they're just having a minor disagreement about something."

"Okay. So are you my daddy's girlfriend?"

"No sweetie. Just his friend. We went to doctor school together." I said but why did that seem to hurt to admit?

"You're a doctor too?" She asked with an extra sparkle of excitement in her green eyes.

"I am."

"Are you my doctor?"

"No sweetie I'm not." I answered and watched her eyes drop again. "You okay, Lilly?"

"I want you to be my doctor. You're nice and really pretty – like my princess dolls."

A seven year-old made me blush. That's just ridiculous.

"Thank you Lilly. You know, you remind me of a princess as well."

"Daddy calls me his little princess." She beamed thinking about her dad. She's obviously a daddy's girl.

"Really?"

"Uh huh. He tells me I'm spoiled too. But I don't know what that means 'cause then I hear my mother say the milk is spoiled too." She said so innocently. It was the cutest thing I'd ever had a kid tell me. It was such an amazing observation – and so spot on.

"Well…when your daddy calls you spoiled he means you get everything you want. When people refer to food as being spoiled they mean it's no longer good to eat or drink."

"Confusing." She said wrinkling her little nose in frustration.

"Yes I know." I laughed as I gently tapped her nose with my finger. "So Miss Princess Lilly, what do you like to do?"

"I like going to school and I like playing with my dolls. We play school or doctor like daddy…oh Bella! Will you play with me? Will you, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top!"

"Of course." I enthused.

"Yay! Mother never plays…." she started right as her room door flew open revealing Edward and, unfortunately, Tanya.

"Oh princess!" Edward almost cried as he rushed to his daughter.

"Daddy!" She said as she wrapped her little arms around his neck.

"Don't ever scare daddy like this again, okay? Why in the world were you on the banister playing around?"

"Okay daddy. I'm sorry. And…well…see mom was in the other room with her boyfriend Keith and I well…I wanted to do something to get her attention and I…I didn't know I'd fall off and…and I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to fall off and…" She explained and started crying.

Between Edward and I glaring at Tanya, if looks could kill she should have been twelve feet under. I was livid that she would ignore her daughter that like – enough to make her slide down a banister to gain her attention. I wonder how long Lilly laid on the floor with a head injury before her brainless mother finally realized she was hurt.

If I was livid, I damn well know Edward was beyond furious with his ex-wife.

"Tanya…I hope you know that if I have to this will be brought up in the court." Edward murmured over his daughter's head.

"No need. I'm not contesting." She said but looked less than amicable about it.

Edward tilted his head back down to Lilly who was still crying and blubbering about being sorry.

"I'm just glad you're okay princess." He whispered. I heard her sniff before pulling her head away from her father.

"I'm fine and I met Bella." She looked over at me smiling. "Bella's gonna play dolls with me. Can she daddy?" She pleaded. Edward laughed, Tanya glared, and I just smiled at the little angel.

"If that's what Bella wants to do, I won't stop her."

"When can we play?" She asked me.

"Now that I don't know sweetie. Your daddy's going to have to answer that question." I said and again watched her eyes turn sad, but in the same instant Edward's were almost glowing with excitement.

"How would you like to come live with me for a while?"

"Really?" she perked up but then calmed down again. "What about Grandma and mom?"

"Mom's going away for work baby." Tanya said from behind Edward. "And grandma thinks you would really like time with your father."

"Yes! Yes please! Oh please daddy! When can I come to your house?"

"Well, I talked to your doctor and I think I convinced him to let you go home with me, right now. How does that sound?"

The only answer was a squeal of delight from Lilly and a peal of laughter from Edward.

It was the best sound I had heard in a really long time. Edward was really, honest to God, happy. Seeing him with Lilly made my heart ache. Ache for what they had. And damn-it if I just couldn't deny it anymore…I was still attracted to Edward. And that son-of-a-bitch didn't seem to be helping my attraction lessen any.

I could no longer deny it. I want Edward Cullen and it's oh so painful to think about.

How did I let this happen?

EPOV

After telling Tanya, yes telling her, that I would be taking Lilly to live with me while she was off being an irresponsible mother, I couldn't get back to Lilly's room fast enough. I had felt bad about asking Bella to stay with her while I chewed out my ex-wife for not watching our daughter close enough, among many other things, but I knew I could trust Bella to be there. If Lilly were to wake up and no one was in her room, I was afraid she would feel alone and unloved, but at the same time seeing a stranger might throw her for a loop. Bella was the perfect option and I was so happy that she had been the one standing next to me when I got the phone call. She would know exactly how to handle the situation if Lilly woke up.

I'm not even going to lie, I was still reeling from Bella's comment in the car on the drive over to the hospital, however. She thought I was a man-whore. She truly honestly thought I had women coming and going like patients – not that I didn't have the offers – but I wasn't there in my life right now. Lilly was the most important thing to me and the thought of introducing a woman into her life only to risk the possibility of yanking said woman right out again was not an option to me.

Tanya was a little more cavalier in this area. Another thing I was always throwing into her face.

But I introduced her to Bella with no problems, didn't I?

Yes I did do that, but…Bella's different. She's always been different.

Yes, back to Bella. I hated knowing that's how she saw me. I couldn't help but wonder if she had always seen me that way?

That's a stupid ass question. I told myself. Of course that's how she's always seen you. You were very open with her when it came to your relationships in college. She knew everything. Probably more so than she should have known.

I stopped running just shy of Lilly's room door. Did this explain what happened to us in college? Was she disappointed in me?

"Are you just gonna…" Tanya's screeching voice echoed off the halls and sent chills down my spine. But we all just froze when we heard the musical laughter coming from my daughter's room.

She was awake. And she's laughing. One of the favorite sounds. Of course Bella could get her to laugh.

Without another thought I burst through the door registering only the smile on Bella's face as well as my daughter's but then ignoring everything as I ran to Lilly.

I wasn't at all surprised to find that my daughter had managed to rope Bella into playing dolls with her. I also wasn't surprised to find that Bella honestly seemed excited about it.

And then of course to hear what she told me about Tanya being in the other room with her boyfriend Keith as Lilly tried to garner her attention. I wasn't at all surprised to catch the glare Bella was giving Tanya. I'm sure mine was just as fierce. The story Lilly just told me sealed the deal with Tanya and the living situation. In our conversation, I told her that Lilly would be living with me while she was off on tour and then for as long as she wanted. I also warned her that I would not hesitate in suing for full custody if I ever got the impression she was not being the mother she promised the courts.

I would now be suing for full custody of my Lilly. Tanya knew this and knew she would lose the battle if she tried to contest. And so I wasn't surprised when she didn't argue with my unspoken threat.

It all hinged on whether Lilly would agree to live with me.

She was beyond thrilled at the prospect of living me. My whole world seemed right. Nothing could make it better…

Or so I thought.

I was proven wrong when I looked up from my princess.

The only thing I saw was Bella who was smiling the biggest smile I had seen on her face since I moved here. And she was looking only at me.

Even though she was smiling, she had a slight hint of sadness in her gorgeous brown eyes. Sadness that I suddenly wanted to get rid of for her. I wanted to protect her.

Every part of my body warmed as an unfamiliar feeling flowed through every single one of my veins.

And then I remembered she thought I was a womanizing bastard who used women only for my needs. As her friend I wanted her know I've grown. I've changed.

No. Who am I kidding? I need her know I'm not that same guy. I ache for her to know I'm not that guy anymore. I'm not the love 'em and leave 'em type. I don't string women along anymore. I don't lead them to thinking we're going to have more than one night and when it's done tell them…

I was struck with an epiphany and I almost with I hadn't thought of it.

I looked up again at Bella sitting in the chair next to my daughter's bed and listened as they continued to discuss possible play dates.

There is absolutely not doubt that Bella is gorgeous. Hell she was gorgeous in college. My only female friend that I hadn't slept with.

And then it happened one night. I wasn't planning on it. We were studying all night and the next thing I knew I was kissing the amazing creature sitting next to me.

Afterwards, I freaked out. I treated her like all my other conquests. I had no idea how to act any differently even though she deserved different. I didn't know anything else, but she was nowhere near like the others. I panicked and did what I always did.

I asked for a rematch, if my memory recalls correctly.

God I was such a douche-bag.

I owe her yet another apology. A beyond huge apology.

I need to know where to start.

I know.

Alice.