Thanks for reading. XOXO
Chapter Nine
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Edward asked as he watched me put bright green icing on the cake we had just baked. Well, the cake that I had just baked while my useless boyfriend stood around and kept trying to stick his finger in the bowl.
"My mom likes to bake." I shrugged and lifted the the tube of icing from the cake, then ran my finger over the tip and held it out to him.
Edward licked my finger playfully and then leaned in to kiss me.
"I'll have to thank her when she gets here next week," he whispered against my lips and I groaned.
My parents were planning a weekend getaway to New York to celebrate their anniversary. Which really meant they were going to take advantage of my spare room and do a bunch of touristy things while they were in town.
I mentioned this to Edward and he immediately agreed to take to wherever they wanted to go. Unfortunately for me I happened to be on the phone with my parents at that moment.
We'd also discovered we'd grown up not too far away from each other, which made Edward get all smiley and misty-eyed. What a girl.
"Are you going to make yourself useful any time soon, or...?" I asked after he'd pulled away.
Edward just rolled his eyes and smacked my ass.
"Yes, I'm going to get the food right this minute," he said a little too saucy for my liking as he backed out of the kitchen.
"I'll miss you!" I called and heard him laugh as the door closed.
I focused on finishing up the cake, a bright green thing covered in little plastic dinosaurs, and was surprised when the door opened a few minutes later.
"Did you forget something?"
"Oh, hi! It's just me!" Angie called from the small hallway off the kitchen.
I froze, mid dinosaur-sticking, and listened to the sound of bags being dropped Evan's quiet noises. I, of course, knew that Angie would be at the party. I wasn't counting on being alone with her in my boyfriend's, who was her ex-boyfriend and the father of her child, apartment.
"Hey, we're a little bit early, but I wanted to put Evan down for his nap and decorate because it's practically impossible to do anything while he's awake except look at his cute face and pick up after him," she said in a rush while hitching the baby up on her hip.
I stood, wide-eyed, for a moment before I came to my senses and could form a sentence.
"Edward just left," was all I managed to say.
Angie just smiled her kind smile and nodded. "I know, we passed him on the way up. Hence the tears," she explained with a nod to Evan and I noticed his red-rimmed eyes.
"They're pretty attached, aren't they?" I said as I reached out and stroked Evan's soft copper hair. He blinked at me, offered a small smile, then buried his face in his mother's shoulder.
She smiled again and nodded. "I'll be back."
After they left the kitchen I finished the cake and moved on to cutting vegetables and prepping dip. I hadn't been lying when I said my mother liked to bake, but she also liked to host parties, so I was well-versed in proper party foods.
"This looks amazing! Oh, he's going to love smashing it," Angie laughed and I turned to see her holding up the smaller cake I had made for Evan.
"Edward teased me because I made it for him. He clearly knows nothing about child birthday parties," I told her and she smiled.
"For someone so smart..." she started and I chuckled quietly.
"Exactly."
"You're good for him, Leah. Both of them."
I stopped slicing vegetables and turned slowly to her, feeling my face burn.
"Um..."
"I know, I'm the ex." Angie rolled her eyes and I gave her a small smile. "I mean it, though. Edward is amazing and-"
"They why aren't you with him?" I asked quietly, not quite sure I wanted to hear what she had to say. So many responses were flying through my head.
"It wasn't right for us." She shrugged. "We'd been together a long time. Honestly, Edward and I never talked about marriage or having children, so it was a huge surprise when I got pregnant with Evan. We'd grown apart by then and didn't want to be miserable. We split, but Edward was there through my whole pregnancy."
"That's it? How boring," I teased.
"I know, I know. Our families were scandalized by it, but we didn't care. Evan is our focus. He's what matters."
"I understand."
"That's why I said what I did, okay? I know that Edward wouldn't be with you if he wasn't serious."
I took a deep breath to steady myself and nodded.
"I'm just...I'm glad he found someone cares about our son, too. It's important to Edward and, for what it's worth, it's important to me."
"Wow, you just said a lot," I blew out a breath and Angie laughed.
"Hey, if you're going to stick around you better get used to me getting all emotional about my kid."
I snorted a laugh and shook my head. "Honestly, you aren't have as bad as when Edward starts waxing poetic about parenting."
Angie wrinkled her nose. "He's so cheesy."
"But it's so adorable," I sighed.
The front door opened again; Angie and I both turned toward the noise. Edward came into the kitchen carrying bags and smiling, though his smile faltered when he saw the two of us.
"Should I be worried that the two of you are here together? Alone?"
"Don't worry, Edward. You know I don't swing that way," Angie joked as she patted his cheek and left us alone in the kitchen.
"You look weird," he observed.
"Yeah, but you love me anyway."
I pulled him closer, ignoring the food and the bags he'd carried in. I let Angie's words roll around in my head as I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck.
This was serious, and that was okay.
