Disclaimer: This is kind of sort of mine, but not really.

Author's Note: Have I mentioned how amazing you guys are? Thanks to MrsSouzaBlack for beta'ing. And thanks to GentleFlame for her ever helpful input, and beta reading as well.

Chapter Ten

"You said her name was Rosalie?" Emmett asked, for the umpteenth time.

Ever since I had told Emmett about her, he had persisted with asking questions. He didn't seem to pick up on my irritation—as if my overall facial expression and demeanor didn't say that enough as it was. He had talked me into going to the gym with him to blow off some steam, and it had helped a little. I didn't frequent the gym, only on the off occasions that I went with Emmett, but I felt like I needed to divert my attention elsewhere.

It had been nearly an entire month since I had seen Bella. Almost a month of not really knowing how she was doing or what was going on with the baby. I had been given one update when she went to an appointment—she texted me to let me know everything was fine, but that was it. I was upset that she didn't feel the need to include me. I was even more pissed off that she didn't feel the need to even talk to me. After the night at my parent's house she had instantly become so distant, and I was never given the chance to talk about any of it. She wasn't answering any of her phone calls and the one time I went to her apartment she didn't come to the door. I had been tempted to use the key she provided but decided against—if she needed time, I could give her some. It wasn't as easy as I thought it might be.

I had called Esme to find out what was said, and that only spurred on my anger. She took it upon herself to lecture Bella about, and I quote, "opening her legs" to men like me. She horribly explained that men, like me, went through fazes with certain women and got over them. That though I may offer to pay for things the child needed, we would never be together properly. I let her have it then, probably more than necessary, but I had to convey my complete disgust with her behavior. She apologized, saying she was only looking out for my best interest but I couldn't accept it.

"Yes, Emmett," I replied, lighting a cigarette and pulling my hat down over my sweaty hair as we exited the gym. The cigarette probably seemed counteractive at this point, but I needed it. The crisp winter air felt amazing against my damp skin.

"On a scale of one to ten, what would you give her?"

I glared at him. While he was a great businessman, he could be dense in this particular area at times. Most of the time.

I only offered a shrug, inhaling from the cigarette deeply; I didn't care to have this conversation. I just wanted to get my post-workout smoothie and go back home. I still had to finish writing my piece for the Winter Festival.

"Oh, come on. Ease up, dude. Nine? Ten? More than ten? Better than Bella?"

On instinct my closed fist shot out at him, connecting with his shoulder before he had time to block it.

"Uncalled for, I know, I'm sorry. You have to lighten up, though…stop being so down about it. Maybe—I'm not saying what your parents did was right, at all, but—if she's not trying to contact you, it might be best to just leave it alone. Forget about it right now."

How could I forget about her? Forgetting about the woman carrying my child did not seem possible.

"Speak of the devil," I heard Emmett mutter, causing my eyes to whip around the sidewalk.

I furrowed my brow, my eyes lifting from the lighter in my hand to look for her. It was the middle of the day; I figured she would have been at work. Emmett pointed me in the general direction and I spotted her. She was dressed in a dark sweater, a black beanie, and a striped scarf; her hands cupped tightly around a steaming drink and a bright smile was plastered to her face. It actually felt kind of heart-wrenching. Here I was, with so many unanswered questions and she was just strolling around Manhattan, smiling at people.

That sounded pathetic, even just thinking it.

As I turned to walk towards her, Emmett stopped me.

"Wait, wait," he held me where I was by my arm.

I humored him for a moment, wondering if he was just going to make another wise crack. I kept my eyes on Bella though, watching as she stood outside of Billy's Bakery. Soon, a tall, tanned man emerged and her smile widened. The man returned her smile and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a hug. The fuck?

When he stepped back he bent down to kiss her forehead and rubbed her arms—as if trying to get her warmer. My teeth clenched as I watched and Emmett must have noticed as he released my arm, and I stalked across the street, tossing my forgotten cigarette to the ground.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A million thoughts were running through my head—mainly 'who the hell was this guy' and 'am I going to slam my fist into this mouth?'. I had been under the impression that we were exclusive. Was I wrong to think that? They seemed rather friendly, so he couldn't be a new acquaintance; at least I hoped he wasn't. I felt livid; I just wanted to inflict pain upon him for even touching her. He had no right.

Did he know that she was pregnant? Pregnant with my child.

My eyes went a little wide then at the thought and my steps faltered—what if she hadn't been truthful? What if there had been someone else she slept with and didn't tell me—what if she was playing the same game with him as she was with me? Were my parent's right? I hated to think of her in that way, but they looked so comfortable with one another, and the way he was looking at her made me feel insane with anger…or was it jealousy?

"Edward—I'm never the one to say this but take it easy," Emmett said—I guess he had followed me across the street. "It's the middle of the day, broad daylight and we're in public. Don't do anything stupid."

I didn't tell him that I was considering breaking this man's arms off. That would probably fall under the category of stupid.

When I finally stood behind her, I spoke; my tone was a mixture of urgency and anguish, "Bella?"

She turned to face me immediately, but my head was tilted back slightly as I gazed at the giraffe standing next to her.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" She asked innocently. Of course, her voice had always sounded so fucking innocent, but she couldn't hide the look of shock on her face. As if she had been caught.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," I murmured, sparing a second to look at her before returning my stare to the stranger. "Who the hell are you?"

He cocked an eyebrow, folding his arms in front of his chest as he repeated my own question back at me with a sneer.

Emmett looked rather unsure about everything; as if he was teetering on the idea of backing me up or pulling Bella out from in between me and this man. He could do the latter—I'd be fine on my own.

"Edward, Jacob, both of you calm down."

She definitely hadn't ever mentioned a Jacob to me.

"Jacob, this is Edward. I told you about him earlier?"

So they had been together for a while today already.

"Edward this is Jacob…my friend," She said.

"What are you doing with him?" I questioned, still curious.

I attempted to picture Bella with him, but the vision was clouded. I couldn't see it, or perhaps I just didn't want to see her with anyone else but me. How did she manage to have such an effect on me?

"We went up to the Metropolitan," she explained. "And after, I was craving some pastries from Billy's. This is nothing for you to worry about, or even to be concerned with."

I reached out for her hand but she pulled it away, causing me to frown.

"May I speak to you for a moment?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.

"We have somewhere to be, actually," Jacob spoke up.

"I wasn't asking you," I retorted, tearing my eyes away from Bella briefly to glare at him.

"Give us a second, Jake," she offered him a quick smile before walking away, and I followed after her.

"What are you doing with him?" I immediately asked when we came to a stop.

"I told you, we—"

"I know, I heard you. Why are you with him? I haven't seen you in weeks, Bella. Now I all of a sudden find you wandering the streets with some guy and you tell me it's none of my concern?" I twisted the hat backwards on my head so it wouldn't bump into her as I leaned forward. "Even if you hate me, or my family, this—" I reached a hand out to place over the thick clothing that covered her stomach, "Is my concern."

She pushed my hand away again. "You shouldn't be behaving this way. I'm certain whatever you're thinking in your head is wrong. I've been keeping you as up to date as possible with things concerning the baby, but when it comes to my personal life—I don't have to tell you anything."

Was I acting as jealous and insecure as I felt?

"What am I, or was I to you, Bella?" I pleaded, gazing into her soft, brown eyes.

"I really don't want to have this conversation right now and especially not here. Can we talk about it later?"

"Later?" I scoffed. "Like, after you go back to his place for a couple of hours—that later? Then you'll actually answer my calls?"

At the hurt look on her face I immediately regretted saying it.

She looked down to the ground for a moment, biting hard on her bottom lip. Then, without another word, she turned around and walked back towards Jacob. She grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him into the opposite direction. He shot me a quick look of, well, hatred probably, before pulling her closer to him and rubbing her arm.

Emmett looked at me, throwing his arms up in the air with a confused expression on his face; I shrugged.

"What the hell did you say to her?" He asked when I finally walked towards me.

"Something I probably shouldn't have," I shrugged again, "Whatever let's go home."

"He's like her little brother, you know," Emmett told me, "those were his exact words. He's living in New Jersey working as a mechanic and he came up to visit her—he seems like a really chill dude. He knows who you are, she told him about you—I think you're kind of overreacting."

I didn't want to be lectured by him at all. I started walking in the direction of the car.

"Maybe he's an extremely good liar; maybe they both are. Maybe I'm an idiot. I don't fucking know."

I didn't know what to make of this entire situation.

"You have some intense thinking to do. Hey, where are you going?" Emmett asked.

"To the car," I told him.

"B—but what about our smoothies?"

Trust that guy to worry more about smoothies than his best friend freaking the fuck out about his life. Fucking Emmett McCarty. He generally meant well, though.

I didn't hear from Bella again that night.

I must have sat behind my piano for hours, willing some ingenious inspiration to strike, but it never came. The song I was writing for the festival was mediocre, at best. I couldn't get the notes to come out how I wanted. They were all deep, minor chords rather than the jovial and jolly fluff a Christmas song needs.

I don't know when I took myself to bed, or when I fell asleep, but I could remember part of the dream I had.

I could see myself clearly, in the dugout of a baseball field and behind me was a little boy with a pout on his face. He had green eyes similar to mine—slightly darker, perhaps—and a mass of brown hair on his head. He was dragging a bat behind him and looking up at me. "But I don't want you to be mad, Daddy. I want you to be happy."

In the dream I responded sadly, "I'm not going to be happy."

The young boy's pout deepened, "But I want you to be, Daddy."

It seemed to vivid and real, as dreams tended to do, however I do not know what happened before or after that, only that the sound of my phone going off pulled me out of it.

It was a number I didn't recognize.

"Hello?" I answered half asleep.

"Is this Edward?"

"Who is this?" I countered.

"It's Jacob, Bella's friend. We need to talk."

Oh, the tangled webs we weave! This was a day early, 'cause you're all too sweet. (: For those of you asking, yes the Carlisle and Esme situation will be addressed, but there's more pressing matters at hand, right now. Until next time!