Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All Twilight related material belongs to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Tanya."

I've never heard so much contempt and rage in one simple word.

"Eddie!" A high pitched, nasally voice fills my ears, making me visibly cringe. "Hi honey! I hope I'm not late…" she peeks around his shoulder and my eyes widen when her face comes into view.

She looks… rough; so unlike the gorgeous woman I'd seen in the folded photograph. I quickly calculate how much time could have passed since that photo was taken and… yeah, she shouldn't look so rough, but she does. I mean, she's not ugly. I'm not a hater and can appreciate a beautiful woman, but she just looks so… used and haggard.

Her ice blue eyes land on me and she frowns for a fraction of a second, before recovering and fixing her lips into the fakest smile I've ever seen. She steps around Edward's still form and walks purposely toward me. "Hello, my name is Tanya. I'm Masen's-"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence. I don't give her the chance. A resounding crack fills the room as my hand connects with her face. My breathing is ragged as she stares at me with a comically shocked expression on her face. I don't regret it. Not one fucking bit. I just… couldn't let her lie; I couldn't let her say the word I knew she was going to say. I knew she was going to say mother.

"Damn."

I spin around to see Rosalie standing there with a wide grin on her face. She starts a slow clap, which garners the attention of the group outback. "Edward," I gasp as I realize that Masen is going to come running in here and see Tanya standing there. This is his birthday; I refuse to let him be hurt. Edward rushes past me, finally snapping out of his daze with a nod, letting me know that he's on it.

"Who the fuck are you and what do you think gives you the right to put your hands on me?"

I whirl around and she takes a step back when she sees the look on my face.

That's fucking right bitch, you better fear me.

I take a step toward her and she takes two more back until she's pressed against the door. "I'm the bitch who's going to beat the shit out of you if you're not out of here in five seconds. And why do I have the right to put my hands on you? Who gave you the fucking right to show up here?"

"I'm here to see my son and husband," she says with fake confidence. Her eyes are darting behind me and I can only assume that there's a bigger audience now. A quick look back shows me that Rose has been joined by Esme, and she does not look happy to see her soon-to-be-former daughter-in-law.

I turn back around and smile sweetly. "I think you mean ex-husband? And according to the paperwork you requested, you want nothing to do with Masen, so you have no son either, right?"

"Edward!" Tanya shrieks suddenly, causing me to flinch away from the shrill noise.

"You fucking bitch!" Rosalie is in front of her in a second with her hand wrapped tightly around her throat. "Don't you dare yell again; do you hear me?" Tanya nods. "If you ruin that little boy's birthday I will fuck you up, got me?" Tanya whimpers and nods again. "That slap Bella gave you will feel like a loving caress when I'm done with your skank ass if you make one more fucking peep."

"I think it's best that you leave, Tanya." Esme is being the voice of reason right now, but I can tell she's getting close to losing it. Her jaw is tense and her hands are clenched into tight fists. "You're not wanted here."

"I think that should be left up to Edward."

"Leave."

We all turn around to see Edward standing there, his narrowed gaze trained on Tanya.

"Eddie we need to talk. I got the paperwork yesterday and-"

"Leave."

"Eddie don't be-"

"I SAID LEAVE!" He quickly makes his way across the room, standing mere inches from Tanya's face. His breathing is ragged and his eyes are wild. I've never seen this side of Edward. It should probably scare me, but all it does is turn me on.

This is not the time or place!

My brain leaves the gutter quickly, realizing that Edward is close to losing his temper completely. I place myself in between the two of them and press my palms against Edward's rapidly rising chest. I run my hands all along his chest, speaking softly and calmly. "Baby… look at me." He clenches his jaw and looks down. Once his eyes meet mine, his gaze softens a bit. "Back away. She's not worth it, okay? She's going to leave right now, and we're going to have a great day with Mase."

I use Masen's nickname, hoping it'll help Edward snap out of his rage. It seems to work, when his eyes flicker in understanding.

"Baby?" Tanya's shrill voice asks behind me.

I turn around to face her and smile when Edward places his arms around my waist from behind. "Yes, Tanya. This is Bella Swan, my girlfriend. Now like I said, leave. You're not wanted or needed here. Goodbye."

Without another word he turns around, grasping my hand and leading me toward the backyard. I hear Rose laying into Tanya again. "Fuck off and have a shitty life," she says before I hear the door slam.

Problem solved… for now.

.-.

"Happy Birthday dear Masen… Happy Birthday to you!"

Everyone cheers as Masen happily blows out all of the candles on his cake in one try. "Happy Birthday for me!"

I watch Edward's face as he watches Masen. His expression is filled with such adoration now, all of the anger and rage from earlier gone. Edward suddenly looks up at me and gives me a cute little wink, causing a flush to spread throughout my body. I glare at him before quickly looking around; making sure no one saw our little exchange. My eyes land on Mike Newton, and of course, he's staring at me.

Okay, what the fuck is this guy's deal? It's really starting to piss me off.

None of the other parents seem to care, yet this asshole is forever annoying me with his stupid ass stares. All of the kids from my class were excited to see me, probably trying to wrap their little brains around the fact that I exist outside of the classroom. They all automatically called me Ms. Swan too, including Masen. Edward has been shooting me glances all day, pretty much silently saying "told you so."

I let my eyes focus back on Edward, and I see him watching Mike as well. He looks kind of pissed. I squeeze his shoulder to get his attention and he stands up after kissing Masen's forehead. As we walk a few steps away, we can hear Masen grumbling about his daddy kissing him in front of his friends. I start giggling as Edward pulls me into the kitchen to help him get the paper birthday themed plates.

"What's up with you and that Newton guy?" he asks as he tries to open the plates packaging. I can't see his face, because he's bent over trying desperately to get the plastic off. I roll my eyes at him and take the package, easily cutting a hole into it with my nail. "That's convenient," Edward says with a smile.

"I don't know. He keeps… staring at me. It's weird, right?" Edward nods. "I thought I was just being paranoid the other day during the field trip, but now I'm not so sure..."

"He did it that day, too?" Edward clenches his jaw and pinches the bridge of his noise.

"Yeah, you didn't see? Damn. Maybe I am being paranoid then."

"No, I'm sure you're not. I just wasn't paying attention that day. You were very distracting."

I snort out a laugh. "What? How?"

"You looked gorgeous," he takes a step closer to me, "you smelled amazing," another step, "and you were so fantastic with Masen," he has me pressed against the island counter now. "I've never seen him smile so much." He runs his nose along my collar bone, and I give myself a mental high five for wearing a V-neck sweater. "Bella…" his nose continues upward until he's at my ear. "Thank you," he whispers before kissing my lobe, all along my jaw, until his lips land at the corner of my mouth.

"For what?" I gasp out, trying desperately to keep my brain cells functioning.

"Everything Bella," he presses his lips against mine gently… sweetly. "You have no idea what you're doing for me, do you? It's just how you are. It's natural for you." He places his hands on my neck, sliding them up underneath my hair as his lips meet mine again. He runs his tongue along my bottom lip, and I open to him willingly. A small moan escapes my lips when our tongues tangle together. He tastes so fucking good, like chocolate and coffee mixed together with his own natural Edward yumminess.

My hands grip his shoulders tightly, my nails digging into his skin through his thin t-shirt. He breaks the kiss so we can catch our breath, but the intensity doesn't waiver; even sharing oxygen with him almost brings me to my knees.

"Ahem."

I peek over Edward's shoulder, seeing Eric's dad, Mark, with a smirk planted on his face. He laughs when I blush and holds his hands up in a show of peace. "Sorry to interrupt, but the kids are getting restless." He walks over to the island and grabs the plates. "Mike wanted to come in and check on you guys… I figured I'd better be the one to do that." He chuckles and slaps the paper plates against his hand.

I breathe out a sigh of relief. Sure, it was awkward for one of my student's parents to come in, but if it was Mike… it would've been much worse. "Thanks Mark," I say sincerely with a smile.

He blinks a few times, seemingly shocked at the use of his first name. I giggle and he shakes his head. "That's gonna take some getting used to, huh?"

He nods and smiles down at me. "Yeah, it is. Thanks… Bella?" He uses my first name cautiously and breathes a little easier when I nod and smile at him. "You guys coming?"

"Yeah we'll be there in a sec," Edward says with a wink. Mark shakes his head and laughs, walking out of the kitchen and leaving us alone. Edward turns around to face me again, taking my hand and running his fingers along my palm. "I'm sorry," he whispers quietly, looking directly in my eyes. He looks… scared, like I'm upset with him or something.

"Why are you sorry?"

"For attacking you in here," he tries to keep a straight face, but I see a smirk working its way to his lips. "I didn't mean to, honestly. It's just… I don't know. I can't keep my hands off of you. I'm sorry because I shouldn't have done it in the middle of Masen's party, when anyone could walk in on us."

"It's okay, it was only Mark."

"Yeah, but it could've been Mike, and then I would've had to punch him." He grins down at me. "Or maybe I woulda just smacked him; care to give me some pointers?"

I blush and look down. "I'm sorry about that."

"Why?" he asks with wide eyes. "You shouldn't be sorry for that. I… I'm thankful for that. I'm sure that probably sounds bad but… man, you have no idea how long I've wanted to smack her." He laughs. "Obviously, I couldn't; I would never put my hands on a woman like that. Rose came close a few times… but never did it. I think she was worried I'd get back together with her, and then it'd be really awkward whenever we were at family functions."

Shit… if Rose thought that then…

"Wipe that look off your face Bella," he says strongly. "I will never be with her again. I never want to even see her again, but I'll have to in a few months for the formal divorce hearing. That's enough for a lifetime. I want you, only you."

"I want you, too," it comes out a lot breathier than I planned.

Edward chuckles and kisses my lips lightly before taking a step back. "You're dangerous. Do you know that?"

I wink at him before grabbing the box of plastic forks and spoons. I may have swung my hips a little more than necessary, as I left the kitchen, but I had to prove his dangerous accusation to be true, right?

He runs up behind me quickly, stopping me with his hands on my hips. "You'll pay for that soon."

"I'm counting on it," I reply over my shoulder with a wink.

He groans and shakes his head with a devious smile on his face.

.-.

"Bella!" I hear a tiny voice call my name. Who the hell is that? "Daddy wake Bella up! I wanna watch one of my new presents!"

"Mase, let her rest for a little longer okay? Then we'll do everything you want."

Edward's voice stirs me and I wake up feeling a bit groggy. I look around and see that I'm on Edward's couch. "Edward?" I call out when I don't see him. He steps into the living room with an adorable smile on his face.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. You ready to get up?" He holds out his hand and helps me stand. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead sweetly. "Still tired?"

"When did I fall asleep?"

"After the presents. I left you here with a steaming cup of my famous coffee and you passed out on me when I went to check on the kids." He laughs and shakes his head. "I guess more than six hours with five-year-olds wear you out, huh?"

"I'm six!" Masen yells from the hallway. "You're awake! Yay! Can we watch this now?" He holds out the deluxe box in front of his face with a huge grin. He starts bouncing up and down as he looks between his dad and me. "Daddy and me always do something special with one present after my party."

"Oh," I say, trying to keep the frown off my face and the disappointment out of my voice. "I'll get going then." I smile up at Edward, hoping it doesn't look like a grimace. "I need to get up early anyway."

He frowns down at me. "Early on a Sunday? Why?"

"I have a dinner thing," I say with a wave of my hand. I'd rather not tell him that my friends and I all convene at my father's house every Sunday. It's the one time I actually feel like I have a real family, at least for a few hours. That's a discussion that'll get heavy quickly.

"Oh," his frown deepens. "You need to get up early… for dinner?"

"I'm in charge of the cooking… and it's lots of people… so it takes some prep."

I expect him to question me further but he doesn't. "So… you don't wanna stay and watch the present you gave Masen?" Shit. He looks hurt again.

"Edward," I whisper quietly so Masen doesn't hear. "I don't want to impose on a tradition you and him have together."

Edward laughs and a relieved smile takes over his face. "That's why you want to leave?" I nod. "Bella… he's been waiting for you to wake up because he picked your present as his favorite. Well, all three of your presents are his favorite," he rolls his eyes at me. "You beat me in best presents." He playfully narrows his eyes. "I know it probably seems stupid, but the fact that he picked your present as his favorite… and wants you to stay is a big deal." He runs his hands through his hair nervously as I take in what he just said. "I get it if this is too much. You can go home if you want to; I'll tell him you're sleepy."

"No!" I shout louder than I meant to. "No," I say quietly. "I… I don't want to leave. I just didn't want to mess with your tradition."

"You're not messing with it; you're making it better."

A warm sensation takes root deep in my chest. I smile up at him and he winks at me before placing his lips down firmly on mine.

"Gross! Stop kissing! I wanna watch Star Wars!" Masen shouts.

We break apart and Edward heads into the kitchen to make popcorn while I set up the movie. Masen runs up to his room, saying he'll be right back. He returns a few minutes later with blankets and pillows. "We're gonna snuggle Bella!"

I grin down at his adorable face. His green eyes sparkle just like his daddy's and I have an incredible urge to hug the shit out of him. Instead, I ruffle his hair, trying to keep my distance physically, hoping it'll help me distance myself emotionally. I know I'm lying to myself; there's nothing I can do to distance myself from him or his father. They're slowly making themselves permanent fixtures in my life and my heart.

Edward walks back in with a huge smile on his face, carrying a bowl of popcorn in one hand and three juice boxes in the other.

Fuck it.

Whatever happens will happen; I'll enjoy it for as long as I can. I'm not going to miss out on this.

.-.

Masen makes it through the first half hour of the movie, asking a million questions and being super adorable, before passing out in between us on the couch. "Bella, I'm gonna move him up to his room. I'll be right back." Edward kisses my cheek quickly before scooping up a mumbling Masen.

"Love Bella, buys me the bestest presents, favoritest ever."

Edward quickly looks at me like a deer in headlights and I'm sure my expression mirrors his. He blushes a tiny bit before taking Masen upstairs. When he comes back down, he approaches me cautiously, like he's afraid I'm going to bolt.

Hearing Masen subconsciously say he loves me definitely threw me for a loop. Of course I love him; I love all of my kids, but he's so special to me. Hearing him say that scares the shit out of me. What if this doesn't work out between Edward and me? How would I act during class with Masen? What if it does work out and things keep progressing? How would I act then during class with Masen? A million thoughts are running through my head when Edward easily sits down beside me.

"Bella? You okay?" I shake my head. "Shit. Um… I don't know what to say here. It's not like I can apologize for that; you know? He just… he has a huge heart and you're so amazing… you make it easy." My eyes snap to his and he blushes. "I can't blame him you know? Don't… just don't… shit, I don't know. This is awkward for you isn't it?"

I shake my head. "No, it's just… I don't know how to act with him. It's hard. I'll want to hug and kiss him in class and I won't be able to. I'm afraid he's going to slip and call me Bella in class. What if we don't work out, and he's caught in the crossfire? This is all just… very complicated."

Edward gets a panicked look in his eyes before he looks down. "I get it. Uh, if you want, we can just… end it now."

"What?" I almost shriek. "No, no, no. I don't want that. Do… do you?" I hadn't thought about how he must be feeling in this situation. Maybe he's upset that his son loves me. Should I explain to him that lots of young children end up loving their teachers? It's very common; they're so young, and spend almost as much time with us as they do their parents.

"Of course not Bella," he says quietly. "We're just getting started and I love… everything about you. I think it's going so well… apart from my child proclaiming his love for you and my ex-wife showing up and getting her ass kicked by you," he chuckles and shakes his head. "I guess this is far from normal, huh?"

I laugh a little. "Yeah, definitely far from normal." Edward looks down and nods. "But…" I run my hand through his hair, pulling his head back so he's looking at me. "That doesn't mean that it's wrong."

Edward lurches forward and crashes his lips against mine. The familiar shock hits me just as hard as it always does whenever I touch him. There's always a low thrum of electricity whenever I kiss him. He pushes me back gently, until I'm lying on my back and he's covering me.

"Edward," I gasp as I run my hands and up down his chest. I let my hands wander lower until they're at the hem of his shirt. I slide them underneath, loving the feel of his warm skin underneath my hands. I smile against his lips when I feel his defined stomach muscles twitch beneath my touch.

I continue lower and lower until I'm at the button of his jeans. I pop it open quickly, not giving him a chance to protest. "Bella…" he sounds like he's in pain; his face is contorted, his eyes shut tightly, and his mouth is in a tight line. "Wait…" I don't wait. I keep going, slipping my hand beneath his boxer briefs. "You don't have to…"

"I want to," I whisper into his ear. "I want to so bad, Edward. Please… let me touch you?" He groans. "I want to make you feel good." He buries his face in my neck, nodding against my skin. "Are you sure?" I ask, because I don't want to force him. I almost giggle at that.

"Fuck yes, Bella… I only have so much self-control."