AN: Another early update! I honestly haven't worked on this story since before the last update, so an early update probably isn't the best decision, but I've been updating every 2-3 days lately and wanted to see if I could stick with it. Maybe this will inspire me to write more. Anyways, thank you to everyone who's been sticking with the story from the beginning and to all of the new readers. Thank you for all of the lovely reviews. I always look forward to reading them

Chapter 7

Edward watched Bella carrying Nessie to the door for a few seconds, smiling to himself, before pulling out of their driveway. Cooper was asleep in the backseat, tired out by the park and all of the time playing at the restaurant. Rosalie and Emmett would be grateful. Usually Edward brought Cooper home hopped up on sugar and bouncing off the walls, sometimes by accident, other times he did it to annoy his brother. He rarely brought their son home in an exhausted state, so he figured it would be a welcome change, especially since they had both just gotten off long shifts at work. Edward was just happy he wouldn't have to listen to another lecture about sugar and health. A little sugar never killed anyone. Well, I guess that may no necessarily be true for diabetics, but Coop isn't diabetic, so he'd be fine, Edward thought reasonably.

He pulled up into Emmett's driveway and turned the car off. Often he dropped Coop off and left shortly after, but Rosalie had invited him to stay for dinner and he didn't feel like turning the offer down only to sit alone in his quiet house. He'd rather spend the evening around family and forget about how lonely he felt when he was home. It's one of the reasons he spent so much time at the coffee shop. He didn't feel so alone there. He usually sat alone, but at least he was in a room full of people. He could pretend he wasn't alone.

Cooper woke up just as Edward was opening the back door, saving him from having to carry the young boy inside. They made their way up the driveway and Cooper walked in, kicked off his shoes, and headed upstairs. He always went straight to his room and made a mess of his toys, trying to decide what ones to play with. It didn't matter how tired or hyper he was, it was always the same. He didn't bother to greet his parents, just headed straight upstairs. On the bright side, at least he was well mannered enough to take his shoes off first, rather than track dirt through the house.

Edward took his own shoes off and headed to the kitchen, figuring it was the safest bet as to where he would find his brother and sister-in-law. He was right. Rosalie was at the stove, stirring something that smelled amazing, and Emmett was sitting at the table snacking, something that drove Rosalie nuts. She hated when people snacked too close to dinner, saying it spoiled their appetite. She also hated that Cooper was beginning to pick up his father's bad habit of snacking while she made dinner. Edward found it all a bit overdramatic, but then most things tended to lean towards dramatic where Rosalie was concerned. She liked things a particular way and she did not take well to people not conforming to her ideals. On the bright side, it did sometimes lead to comical moments for innocent bystanders, such as himself.

"Rose, dinner smells great," Edward said by way of greeting.

She turned and smiled at him. "Thanks, Ed," she replied sweetly.

"Being a naughty boy are we, Emmett?" Edward said ruefully to his brother.

Emmett glared at him. "Must you be such a shit, brother?" Emmett asked despairingly.

"Why yes, I think I must. Thank you for asking, little brother," he responded smugly, knowing how much being called little brother bothered Emmett, despite it being a valid fact.

Rosalie shook her head. "I didn't realize there would be three children at the dinner table tonight. I should have made something more fitting, spaghetti-o's, perhaps," she said, giving her husband a stern look.

"Sorry, Rose," Edward replied.

"We'll behave, dear," Emmett added.

The men smiled at each other and sat at the table in silence. It didn't take long for dinner to be ready, but by the time Emmett was sent upstairs to get Cooper, the young boy had already fallen asleep amidst a mountain of toys. Emmett had opted to put Cooper gently in his bed and let him eat dinner later if he was hungry. Rosalie and Edward both laughed upon hearing the state Emmett found Cooper in, although it shouldn't have come as a surprise to any of them. Children, much like the drunk, could fall asleep anywhere, Edward realized.

"So, what's for dinner?" Edward asked as Rosalie began scooping food into bowls.

"I tried out a new chili recipe," she replied, turning to smile at him. She was always trying out new recipes, each one healthier than the last. Some were good, while others were not so good.

"She made it with ground turkey and mild spices," Emmett added.

"Well, it smells amazing and I for one am excited to try it," Edward said.

His compliment earned him the first bowl, well that and the fact that he was a "guest". He didn't wait for the others to have their meal before digging into his. It tasted better than it smelled and he told Rosalie as much, which earned him a huge grin. She was always a little nervous about trying out new recipes. She was a perfectionist and she had a hard time dealing with one of the new dishes being a failed attempt. He was glad for everyone's sake that this dish was anything but a failure.

"Mmm, babe this is great," Emmett complimented, with a mouth full of food.

"Thank you, but in the future, please swallow before offering up compliments."

"Yes, dear."

Edward laughed quietly. He always enjoyed his time here. The pair could be rather comical at times and it was easy to see that despite their occasional bickering, they truly loved each other. It made Edward hopeful for the future. He wanted a life like theirs. He wanted someone to come home to, someone to joke around with. Mostly, he didn't want to be lonely anymore.

"So, anything new and exciting in your life, big brother? How's the novel going?" Emmett asked. He was one of the few people who knew about Edward's novel and also one of his biggest supporters. Despite how often they tease each other or try to get under each other's skin, they were brothers and they cared about each other.

"Cooper made a new friend today, which I suppose doesn't count as 'new and exciting in my life', but the girl's mom is the woman from the coffee shop. As for the novel, there hasn't been much progress. Between extra hours at the office and writer's block, it's been hard to get anything done. I mostly just go back through and edit."

"The woman you still haven't asked out despite being crazy about?" Emmett asked.

"Emmett," Rosalie warned.

"What? It's true…" Emmett defended, feigning innocence.

"Yes, that would be the one," Edward replied grimly.

"That's exciting," Rosalie said. "Have you been getting to know her like I suggested?"

Edward blushed, something he rarely did. "Yes, I've been sitting at the counter and talking to her when I stop by after work and today I saw her sitting on a bench at the park, so I joined her. She has a daughter. I invited them to lunch with Coop and I. Cooper and her daughter, Nessie, spent the majority of the time in the playroom. It was a good afternoon."

Rosalie and Emmett both smiled. "I'm glad to hear it," Rosalie said. "How do you feel about her having a daughter?"

"I don't have any problems with it, plus Nessie seems like quite the little charmer. She's a lot like Cooper. The only problem is that it made me realize that I never thought to consider the possibility of her already being in a relationship with someone. Now it's all I can think about and I don't know how to ask."

"Hmm, that's a tough one," Rosalie said, looking thoughtful. "Does she bring up Nessie's father at all?"

"She did once, but I chickened out and didn't take the opportunity to ask about him. It didn't seem like she was overly fond of him though, but I don't know if that's just me hearing what I want to hear."

"Well, if she brings him up again, try to casually work a question or two about him into the conversation. You two are talking more now, so it will just seem like you're interested in her life and her daughter's life. She'll think it's sweet."

"Don't be too obvious about it though," Emmett added. "You don't want to give away why you're really asking."

"No pressure there," Edward replied sarcastically.

"You'll do fine," Rosalie said with a gentle smile. She reached over to give him a kind pat on the shoulder.

After talking a bit more about the novel and Bella, the conversation drifted over to discussing their days at work and plans for the summer. They sat and talked at the table over coffee after they had all finished eating. Edward had offered to help with the dishes, but Rosalie declined, saying she and Emmett could do them later. Before he knew it, the sun had set and they were all yawning and practically ready for bed. He figured that was his cue to head home, so he did. He stayed up a little while longer to work on his novel, but when he wasn't able to get anything done, he gave up and went to bed, feeling frustrated with himself.