Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. I don't own these characters. This story is not meant to violate the rights held by Stephenie Meyer.

Note: Thank you, thank you for the new adds and the reviews. I have plenty of pre-written chapters, so I'll probably update more frequently at least this week :o) Also, I have added the link to my Facebook group on my profile. xxx


Break in the Clouds

"Would it kill you to wear a tie and a real shirt?" Lauren asked irritably as she got out of the truck. "We never go anywhere these days, and then for your birthday – your own birthday, Edward! – you can't even dress up."

"I'm sorry," Edward said flatly and slammed his door shut. He locked up the truck, pocketed the keys in his jeans, and pushed up the sleeves of his long-sleeved t-shirt. They were only going to Aro's, for fuck's sake. Jeans and a black shirt were perfectly fine. This wasn't fine dining – it was marinara from a can. Italian food in Kansas . . .

Edward's own version of a perfect birthday would be beer with the buddies and then a fuck with Bella.

But Lauren had kept him busy all fucking day long. First breakfast with the in-laws, lunch with his parents, a half-assed blow job, and an early movie at the Grove. Really, the only time he'd had to himself was the shower he took when they stopped by home to change for dinner.

Oh yeah, Edward was definitely enjoying his thirty-seventh birthday.

He was too dead inside to complain, though. For the past few weeks, he'd had several encounters with Bella where something sparked up inside of him, but it was squashed the minute he returned to reality.

Even if it was multiple times a week they found a way to hook up, it wasn't enough for him to latch on to any flare of life. Twenty minutes in the parking lot, ten minutes in the bathrooms, a quickie in the back room of Smoothamin C while Rose took lunch, some up-against-the-wall in an alley one night, fifteen minutes in the truck . . . they had fucked on every floor at the Grove, either in the personnel corridors when management had left the building or in the bathrooms, but Edward had started to crave more of the break in the clouds that Bella provided. He needed it to last longer.

Because every other aspect of his life remained the same. His wife always had those headaches, and the couple times she'd instigated sex . . . Since Edward had begun his affair with Bella, he'd basically stopped asking Lauren. Regardless, the pointless times Lauren took the initiative were because she wanted them to start a family, but she was sorely disappointed each time he donned a condom.

No fucking way the wife is gonna trap me with a kid.

Shaking his head, he sighed to himself and opened the door to Aro's and let Lauren enter first.

The small restaurant seated a fairly decent crowd, but it was Saturday and many wives forced their husbands to be social, so it wasn't weird. Besides, there weren't many restaurants to pick from in their town. Everything was pretty much centered around Grove Mall, and the smaller corner shops and clothing stores had either gone out of business or moved into the mall when it opened about seven years ago.

Seven years ago . . . When Edward was thirty, he wasn't completely closed off. He'd still had hope that he'd get away from this town. The security gig at the Grove was supposed to be temporary. He and Lau were supposed to work hard, save some money, and then get out. Yet, that didn't happen. Somewhere along the road, their savings had become a deposit on their house, and temporary had morphed into standstill and permanent.

Pulling a little at the neckline of his shirt, Edward tried to breathe a little easier.

"Oh, there's Leah and Jacob." Lauren pointed to a table in the corner. "I see they found a babysitter for the evening."

Edward said nothing; he just waited for the host to show up so they could get their table. But something in Lauren's words caused a memory to flash by . . . the Blacks and a babysitter . . . and then Edward remembered Jacob had said Bella babysat their children sometimes. Looking over at his buddy's table now, he saw the usual Jake. Bored, smiling in a placating way so Leah wouldn't get pissed, shoulders slumped, and no sign of life.

"And there's Mike and Jessica." Lauren pointed again, this time to a table in the middle. "Aw, look. They've brought their kids with them. So precious."

But all Edward could see was how miserable Mike looked. Hell, even Jessica.

Forget laugh lines. In this town, the lines came from constant frowns.

The feeling of being suffocated returned to Edward full force, although it never really left. Maybe it was just intensified now.

"Uh-oh." Lauren leaned in to whisper. "Your cousin is here. Bella, too. Maybe we should leave?" At that, Edward's head whipped around to track down the woman he couldn't fuck out of his system as much as he'd tried for a month now. "Bella's pretty nice, though," Lauren went on conversationally. "A little socially awkward and fat, but nice."

Edward didn't dignify that with a response, too busy eyeing Bella in that red dress. It was too modest; she was gorgeous and should put that sinful body on display, but Bella didn't see that beauty. Instead she hid. Even now, her light brown hair was down, and she was using it as a shield.

When he saw Carlisle lean over the table and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, something knotted up in Edward's gut.

Unlike the other men in the restaurant, and some women, Carlisle actually looked happy.

"We should join them," Edward said, trying to come off as flippant. "It's about time Carlisle and I bury the hatchet, right?"

He was already walking toward them.


Fanfiction written by AnotherPen, beta'd by InFlight75, pre-read by LAchick85 – we usually go by other names in the fandom.