Still don't own Twilight, just an embarrassing amount of Twilight merchandise. Yeah, you're welcome, Stephenie Meyer and Summit.

I really put my betas and pre-readers to work on this chapter. There's never any way I can truly show all the appreciation I have for pixiekat7, ScottishRose1028, Billicullen, Onebravelamb, Cullen_Crazy01 and AthomeJo. They are an amazing team, and even better friends!

Okay, so usually I answer reviews, and then a day or two later the chapter goes up, right? Well, the last week-and-a-half have been pretty "ugh" around here, and I wanted to go ahead & get this chapter posted, since I left you with a semi-cliffy last time. So if you look forward to my review replies, they will still be coming, I promise!

And now, on with the show!

Chapter 10

Edward followed her in to the apartment, looking around for the first time at the place she called home. The layout of her apartment was almost identical to his, although it seemed smaller with the slope of the ceiling in spots. They shared the same alley view and he assumed she had the same street view he did from the bayed bedroom window directly above his.

Her place was somewhat more cluttered, which he supposed he should have expected with an additional person living here, even if that person was little. Evidence of her daughter was everywhere, although the little girl was nowhere in sight at the moment. Over by the kitchen, which did look smaller than his as she had said, stood a pink and green high chair next to the table. There were toys and picture books scattered on the sofa cushions and a brightly colored blanket thrown over one of the arms. A half-full sippy cup sat on the coffee table next to Bella's coffee mug and school books. A well-loved, stuffed lion sat on the chair.

"Sorry, Hailey just went down for the night. I haven't had a chance to clean up yet," Bella said, her cheeks reddening as she noticed his perusal of her space. She leaned down and grabbed the toys and books off the couch, moving them to an oversized bin in the corner. Then she started to babble nervously. "Would you like to sit down? Can I offer you something to drink? I don't have much, but there's water, maybe a soda or a beer hidden in the depths of the fridge. Of course I've got milk, apple juice, white grape juice…" She grabbed the sippy cup and started backing toward the kitchen.

"Milk?" he interrupted with a grin, reaching out for her hand and stopping her retreat. "Apple juice? I don't think I've been offered that since snack time in Boy Scouts."

"You're no Boy Scout, Cullen," Bella replied, bumping her shoulder against his with an embarrassed smile as she set the sippy cup back on the coffee table.

"Actually I was. Eagle Scout, even," he replied, relieved that she was teasing him. Teasing was good. Teasing meant she wanted him there.

"So you're 'always prepared'?" Bella asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Then she wanted to give herself a mental slap for her innuendo when he was here to talk.

"You better believe it, baby," he responded in a low, sexy voice that made her want to grab him by the hair and kiss him again until they were both breathless.

Instead, she went on the defensive. "Ugh, don't call me baby," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Why not?' he asked, surprised. Most girls loved pet names.

"Because I'm highly allergic to insincerity and you calling me baby like that makes me want to throw up," she replied, although she had actually loved him calling her that. If only he actually meant it…

Edward laughed. "Duly noted. For now, I shall call you…"

"Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy," Bella interrupted. She stopped suddenly, looking mortified as she buried her face in her hands.

"Squishy? You object to being called 'baby' and instead you want me to call you Squishy?" Edward asked, confused.

"Sorry. Occupational hazard of being a mom, throwing random Disney quotes into everyday conversation," Bella explained. Edward nodded, still looking at her expectantly. "Finding Nemo?" Still a blank look. "Fish are friends, not food?" A shake of his head. "Shark Bait Ooh-Ha-Ha? Oh dear," she muttered, rubbing her hands over her face when he shook his head a second time.

"Bella, have you been drinking?" Edward asked in a serious tone, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

How. Freaking. Embarrassing. "Oh shut up, you. Why are you here anyway?"

Her question shouldn't have surprised him but it did. He reached up to run his fingers nervously through his hair. "Uh, didn't you say you were expecting me?" he asked, stalling.

"Yeah, it's been hard not to notice you skulking around this week. I actually thought I'd hear from you earlier; I'm surprised that it took you this long," she said with a heavy sigh. "Look, can we sit down for this? It's been a really long week and I'm exhausted."

"Sure thing, Squishy," he said with a nudge of his elbow and a sideways glance at her. He was rewarded with another small smile as she settled against the armrest of the couch, her knees drawn up in front of her and her arms around her legs. Her body language was clear—keepyourdistance—so he sat on the other end of the couch with a full cushion between them, although it was definitely not what he wanted.

Edward studied her in the low light of the room. She did look tired, her eyes downcast as she picked at a loose thread on the cuff of her oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was loose, the thick curls acting as a curtain behind which she hid. He wanted to see her so badly he didn't think; he reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear, hoping she didn't notice the way his fingers trembled when he touched the soft skin of her cheek. Bella visibly recoiled at his touch and he withdrew his hand, waiting for her.

After what seemed like endless silence, she finally looked up at him. "So, go ahead," Bella said, her voice weary. "Say what you're here to say."

He wasn't really sure where to start; it wasn't like he'd planned it all out in his head when he'd bolted from his apartment. All he'd known was that he needed to see her, that he was sorry it had taken him so long to get his shit together. Well, that seemed like a logical place to begin.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around this week. Well, I've been around, but not really. What happened last weekend, when you told me about you and your," he paused for a moment, swallowing thickly, "about Hailey, well, it gave me a lot to think about," he said, glancing again at the child's things around the apartment. "When you said you were completely responsible for her, that scared the shit out of me."

He took a deep breath and continued, "Bella, I've never been completely responsible for anything or anyone in my life, not even myself. And yet I still managed to screw that up, you know? Lost my job, got kicked out by my folks. I'm nothing more than a twenty-two year old fuck up."

"No you're not!" Bella protested. "Look at all you've accomplished! You graduated from an Ivy League school and despite the horrible thing your parents did to you, you're managing. You've got a place to live, food to eat and a job to provide for both." She reached over and put her hand on his leg, her voice warm and earnest as she defended him. He realized that she sounded proud of him. The thought made his heart soar, and then ache when he realized he didn't deserve her admiration.

"Don't," he said harshly. She withdrew her hand and seemed to curl in on herself even more, which only made him feel guiltier. "Don't try to make me feel better, Bella. I don't deserve it. I've made a lot of really stupid choices in my life and I'm paying for those now. Rightfully so."

Bella wouldn't let him continue to castigate himself. "Edward, you can excuse your parents all you want, but no one deserves to be kicked out of their own home by the people that are supposed to love and support them. Even with all her faults, my mother never would have done that to me. So you made some mistakes; everyone does. It doesn't mean that you don't deserve to have or shouldn't want good things too."

"There are some good things I have no business wanting," he said with a shake of his head, gripping his knees with his fingers so tightly they turned white. It was the only thing that kept him from reaching for her. "I don't do serious. I don't have relationships with women. I've fucked a lot of girls. They were always willing participants, but they never meant anything to me."

She didn't know why it hurt so much, thinking of him with other women. She wasn't exactly a shy, naïve virgin; Jasper certainly hadn't been her first. But all she could think was that neither one of their pasts really mattered at this point. All that mattered was what would happen going forward. "Do you plan to do that with me?" she asked quietly. "Are going to lie to me? Tell me what you think I want to hear? Just fuck me and then leave?"

"Yes? No! I don't know!" he answered, confused and angry with himself for not being able to properly verbalize what he wanted to say.

"I think I do know," Bella replied. "You wouldn't be telling me all of this if you planned to do that, Edward. You'd be feeding me a line about how much you care about me, how you don't care that I have a child, how you're dying to get to know her, all to get closer to me. You're not doing that."

"But I have done things like that," he argued. "Never that specifically, because I've never been with someone that has had a kid. But I've said and done a lot of things I didn't mean to get what I wanted from women. It's all I know. Even if I want to, I can't promise I'll be able to change for you."

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts before opening them and speaking. "You're trying to convince me that you're a bad guy, but I know why you're doing it. This," she gestured between the two of them, "is just too complicated for you. Do you think you're the first to turn tail and run when you found out I have a kid?"

She thought that shewas the problem? "Bella, you're wrong. That's not what I'm trying to say," Edward argued, moving closer to her, reaching out and cupping her cheek in his hand, his heart racing when she pressed back into his palm. "I have spent this week thinking about how someone else, anyone else, would be better for you. That there are good men out there who will take care of you and care for you. That I need to walk away and let you find that man without my interference in your life."

Bella shook her head minutely, squeezing her eyes shut as disappointment overwhelmed her. She couldn't look at him, couldn't stand to see the sympathetic look in his eyes as he told her he didn't want to see her again. "Just say it, okay? I can handle it."

His voice was deeper now, rougher as he cupped her other cheek as well. "Bella, I can't stand the thought of you in anyone's arms but mine. I don't want anyone else kissing you. I know we've only known each other a little while, but I want you. I want this. I want this so fucking much."

Bella couldn't believe what she was hearing. He wasn't running, he wasn't leaving; he wanted to be with her. She looked up at him through her lashes, her eyes shimmering with tears. "So do I, Edward," she whispered.

Edward groaned, leaning down and capturing her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. A nagging voice in his head told him he was doing the wrong thing, but when Bella's mouth opened beneath his and her tongue hesitantly touched his lower lip, he pushed those thoughts aside and kissed her the way he'd wanted to since he left her the previous weekend.

Bella wound her arms around his neck and sighed with pleasure as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss and wrapping her in his arms. "Mmm, Bella. God, I've missed this," he moaned.

"Me too," she confessed quietly. "I just can't believe you're here, that you're staying. I thought for sure this didn't stand a chance."

"I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her again.

"Not likely, although I should slap you silly for making me think you were saying goodbye," she muttered between kisses, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"No you shouldn't. Make love, not war," he whispered with a grin.

Bella couldn't help but smile in return, her heart feeling lighter than it had in some time. But even though they had made some progress, she knew that she wouldn't be comfortable until they had at least put some sort of label on what they were doing here. She slowed their kisses until they were exchanging long, drawn out pecks. She snuggled against his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his chest as she sprawled half across his lap.

"So where does this leave us?" Bella asked, repeating the question she'd asked last week.

Edward shrugged his shoulders, his hand caressing her hair. "I don't think we know each other well enough to really define anything yet. I like you, Bella. I think you're intelligent, witty, charming and beautiful. How about we just kinda let things happen and see where this leads?"

"All right," she agreed softly, tilting her head back and pulling him down towards her so that they could share another kiss. "But before we go any further, I want to clear something up and lay a couple of ground rules, okay?" She waited for his nod before continuing. "First of all, I'm really, really sorry for how I told you about Hailey, blurting it out like that. It was really unfair of me. I should have told you when we started talking about our lives and our families, before we started getting involved. I'm not ashamed of her at all and I'm not embarrassed about being a single mom, but I'm pretty guarded about that part of my life and who I expose my daughter to," she said.

Edward tucked her hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Bella, you already explained why you didn't tell me about Hailey and I understand. You don't share your personal life with people that you barely know, and let's face it, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot with one another," he said with a chuckle. "Unless, of course, your phone number really is 1-206-FUCK-OFF?" He smiled when she laughed as well.

"I'll admit I was pissed when I found out there was a whole part of your life, a really important part of your life, that you didn't share with me. I mean, how can I know your favorite color and how you take your coffee, but not know that you have a kid? And I kinda felt stupid that I'd never noticed the two of you together, because you guys aren't exactly invisible around the apartment building. But you've really got nothing to apologize for."

"Well, thanks for that. I will promise to be honest with you from now on," she vowed quietly, eyes downcast.

Edward felt a twinge of unease at her words, knowing he wasn't exactly forthcoming about his own past, but he shoved the feeling aside. "You mentioned ground rules?" he asked to redirect his thoughts.

"Well the first one is because we're not really sure what we are yet. I don't want to confuse Hailey by labeling us something we're not comfortable with yet. I want to introduce you to her as a neighbor, a friend, which means no obvious PDAs in front of her, no spending the nights together when I've got her, stuff like that," Bella answered, hoping he would understand that such things would just upset Hailey.

Edward wasn't thrilled about the restrictions, but could understand the need with her daughter around. "Yeah, that's fine, although if things progress I hope we can revisit that rule. Didn't you say that her dad has a steady girlfriend?"

Bella nodded, her heart fluttering a little at the thought of being Edward's 'steady girlfriend' and wondering if they'd ever get to that point.

"All right. Any other ground rules you want to talk about?" he asked, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, surprised that he felt more settled and contented than he had all week long.

Bella nodded again, keeping her gaze on her hands where her fingers traced patterns on his forearm. "Yeah. If we're going to try this, see where it leads like you say, I want to be the only one in your life while we're seeing one another. I'm not asking for a long-term commitment right now, but I won't be one of several that you're exploring things with," Bella said hesitantly, afraid it was a condition upon which he wasn't willing to compromise, but one she wasn't willing to concede, both for Hailey's sake and her own.

"Exclusivity is preferable for me as well," Edward agreed, thinking of Bree. "I missed that day in kindergarten where they taught us that sharing is caring."

Bella chuckled, relieved and yet still uncertain. "But you do have to share me," she reminded him softly.

He reached down and grasped her chin, raising her face so that she had to look up at him, his eyes filled with confusion. "I thought you said that Hailey's father was out of the picture?" he asked. He remembered their soft words and embrace in the hallway and wondered if perhaps things weren't quite as settled as she'd led him to believe.

"Jasper is very much in the picture when it comes to raising Hailey, but we don't have any romantic feelings for one another," Bella confirmed. "When I say that you have to share me, I mean that you have to share me with Hailey. I'm a single mom; I come with a child that I often have twenty-four hours a day. Are you going to be able to handle that?"

Edward felt relief swamp him. "As I said before, I've never been in this situation before, so it's going to be a learning experience for me. I hope I'm mature enough to manage, although I can understand why you'd doubt that."

"I don't doubt you, Edward," Bella protested. "It's just not going to be easy. I'm in school during the days, I work some evenings or have study group and I have Hailey others. Time alone is going to be at a premium. I'm not trying to scare you off, but I'm trying to let you know that it could be rough."

Edward shrugged his shoulders again. "If it's important to us, we'll manage, right? I work full time and sometimes overtime at a really physical job. It's not like I want to go out clubbing and drinking every night at the end of a hard work day. I went to school too and I remember the demands, so if you need to study, then you study. We'll make time when we can. I mean, it's not always going to be like this, is it?"

The look of animated horror on his face was so comical that Bella couldn't stop herself from laughing. "No, Edward, I already told you I'm not going to be a student and a waitress forever. Once I graduate I expect to have a regular job with semi-regular hours. But graduation is still six months away and I've got finals coming up in just a couple of weeks and my capstone courses next semester along with clinicals. This is probably the worst time ever for me to start dating again."

"I don't care, I still want to try," he said, giving her another lengthy kiss that made her toes curl. "But really, how do you manage school, working and a kid? I mean, you're graduating in five years, which is pretty typical any more. How'd you manage that with Hailey thrown in the mix?" Edward asked curiously. He really did admire all that she was able to do, even if it did concern him when it came to any relationship they were going to try to have.

"Well, I did a year of community college back near my hometown to make it a little more affordable. I had already been in the nursing program for a year when I got pregnant. Hailey was born in May, at the end of the semester, but my professors allowed me to take my exams early. I had three months off with her over the summer break and when I went back to school again in the fall I had to take a lighter load because I needed to work more, which added a year to my schooling, even with grants and financial aid. I make it work, but it's not always easy, especially when it comes to finding money for everything I need for school and for Hailey."

"Doesn't her dad pay support or something?" Edward asked, not sure if he was overstepping by asking.

"Yes, but because we share custody, it's not very much. Plus he's just out of college and starting his career himself; it's not like he's a millionaire or anything."

Edward felt his unease grow as he thought of the trust fund he would have inherited if his parents hadn't kicked him out; his share of the Masen fortune would have made him a millionaire several times over. Well, it was a moot point now, because there was no way Esme and Carlisle were going to change their minds and he wasn't about to grovel and bend to their wills now, not when freedom was so sweet and came with such amazing benefits.

He watched her stifle a yawn and smiled. "You're tired and it's late; you should get some rest."

"I am tired; like I said, it's been a long week. What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked.

"Spending the day with you and Hailey?" he replied tentatively.

"Mmm, good answer," she said, curving her hand around his neck and pulling him down for another kiss. "Do you want us to come get you when we're up and ready?"

"Sure," he replied. "Are we talking breakfast, lunch, what time?"

"Lunch time. She's an early bird, but I won't subject you to a Hailey wake-up call. It's bad enough I don't get to sleep in, like ever, on my weekends," Bella laughed.

Her statement reminded Edward that she had child-free weekends as well and he wondered how soon was too soon to hope forsleepovers. He tried to push the thought from his mind. "Walk me to the door?" he asked instead.

Bella moved off his lap and then accepted his hand when he rose from the couch, following him the few steps to the front door. She didn't hesitate when he reached for her, rising on her tippy toes and wrapping her arms around his neck as his lips sought hers in another passionate kiss. They were both gasping for breath by the time they separated and Bella wanted nothing more than to grab him by the collar and pull him back inside the apartment.

He pressed one more soft kiss to her lips. "Sweet dreams, Bella," he said in a husky voice as he backed away slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Edward," she breathed, watching until he disappeared out of sight.

There was a lot of speculation regarding Edward's decision and their conversation, sooooooo... your thoughts? Was there anything that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration? You know I'm dying to hear what you think! If I haven't heard from you before, why not? Go ahead, click that little "Review this Chapter" button below and introduce yourself and let me know what you think. I don't bite...too hard at least :) And if you're a new reader, please let me know where you found the story. I had a huge influx of alerts this week and would love to thank whomever recced the story!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read!