A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! I appreciate them so much! I know that you're all pissed at Bella, with good reason, and some of you are in the "he overstepped his the line" camp. You're right on both counts.
Scorpio11 – Thank you for pointing out the problems. These are human characters and they don't move at vamp speed. I appreciate you keeping me on track. Trust me, folks, this chapter is a lot better because of her.
SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement from yours truly.
So, shall we see what happened after the phone call from the last chapter?
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14.
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Edward looked at the phone in his hand and then the smirk on Jacob's face. He was sure that he had a look of disbelief on his own face, because he really didn't know what happened.
"Man, she got you good," Jacob commented as he began to laugh. Edward tossed the phone at him and saw him put it on the counter next to the other three that Volt had sent him at his request.
"Is she always like that when someone tries to help her?" he asked as Jared walked into the room having just finished showering.
The boys had been cutting lawns all day with Alice supervising them so that they didn't injure themselves, and when Edward arrived home from work, they'd been playing the new Wii that he'd bought them. When he'd suggested that they shower and go with him to the store, Jacob had rushed off first, leaving Edward to finish the game of Madden 2011 with Jared. Edward had lost miserably.
"Crabby? Uh, kinda. I mean, she tries hard to take care of us, but she gets mad when she can't get us stuff she thinks we'd like," Jacob told him as he perused the refrigerator, making mental notes of things that were needed.
"Jake, you ass. You used up all of the hot water. What'd I miss?" Jared asked as he cruised into the kitchen and sat down. He'd beaten Edward at Madden, and he was a bit smug, but he truly liked the guy for even trying to participate in things that they enjoyed. It was certainly more than their father had ever done, and while he didn't really have it in him to articulate his appreciation, he felt it.
"Ma just raked his ass over the coals," Jacob announced.
"Hey, language!" Edward called as the three stood in the kitchen.
"Really? Our language? Dude, you're as bad as we are," Jake answered with a huge laugh. Edward looked to Jared and saw him laughing as well.
"Fine, we'll all have to work on it, but for now, well, get ready for a war because it's gonna be a fucking floor fight when she gets home. Grab your phones…yes, you're taking the phones…and let's go. You can tell me what to make for dinner. By the time she gets off the damn bus, she'll be in a hell of a mood. I'd suggest headphones," Edward informed, causing the boys to laugh. He was preparing for battle. The beautiful woman with whom he was in love would see that he was serious one way or another before the night was through.
Two-hundred dollars and an hour later, Edward and the boys were carrying the groceries into the kitchen. He'd cruised by Carlisle's office, seeing lights on which meant that Bella was still working, and he was prepared to make spaghetti and meatballs as Jake and Jared had told him was one of her favorites.
He did, however, cheat. He bought pre-made meatballs and fresh pasta sauce because he knew time would be a premium. When he'd stopped to pick up the boys' pizza, he'd grabbed an order of garlic cheese bread that they'd told him she liked, and with the bottle of Italian red wine he'd purchased at the grocery store, he believed he was in good shape.
He'd set the table on the deck and added a couple of candles, having deemed that the deck lights were too bright, and he'd turned on the outdoor speakers so as not to interrupt the boys while they played games or watched movies.
Just as he was about to drain the pasta to add to the sauce where the meatballs were simmering, he heard Bella on the front porch, pacing. He walked into the living room and whispered, "Your mom's home."
He saw the two look at him and quickly click off the television. "We're goin' to Jared's room to play chess in case everything works out and we get to go see your Ma and Pop in Chicago. Good luck keepin' your balls," Jacob called as they ran up the stairs.
"Cowards," Edward commented as he turned off all but one light in the living room. He was grateful, however, that the boys were giving them privacy for their discussion. He hoped that neither Bella's father nor Emmett wouldn't show up at his house that night because he was pretty sure it was about to get loud.
##
The bus. The cross-town bus was the worst ride in town. If it wasn't seven miles from the office to Edward's house on Bennett Circle, she'd have walked it, but with staying late at the office and the argument that she'd had with Edward on the phone, she couldn't waste the time. Oh, she was kicking herself for not allowing him to pick her up from work, but her damned pride had gotten in the way, just as it had many times.
She saw her pride as her biggest flaw, and she'd let it get the best of her yet again. She had a wonderful man who'd put a ladder to the stars if she'd only ask…or at least a ladder to a tree to rescue a squealing cat if necessary…and she'd shoved him away with both hands. That wasn't at all what she had set out to do, but her damned pride had gotten in the way again.
As she climbed the front stairs of his home to the porch, she was nervous about with what she'd be met, but she couldn't very well sleep on the porch. She paced for a bit, and then she finally shoved her key in the lock and opened the door, smelling something delicious in the air which reminded her that she'd only had potato chips all day.
"I'm ho…here," she called as she slipped off her new flats by the front door, grateful that Carmen Denali had taken into consideration that she wasn't really one for heels.
"Kitchen," she heard Edward call. She dropped her purse on the bench by the door and walked to the doorway of the kitchen where she saw him dumping what appeared to be pasta into a large pot. When he didn't look her way after she cleared her throat, she was immediately worried.
"Is…where are the boys?" she asked. She was going to ask if she could help with anything, but thought better of it, based on his frosty demeanor.
Without turning to look at her, he answered, "They're upstairs with a new chess game that we picked up at the store. They said that if we're still together and they get to go to Chicago to visit my parents, they'd like to know how to play. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes if you'd like to change. We're eating on the deck." He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a salad, tossing it and then breezing passed her without looking at her.
"O-kay," she called as she turned to climb the stairs just as he closed the French door, having gone outside.
She hurried up the stairs and stopped at the door to the room in which Jared was sleeping, seeing the door cracked. As she was about to knock, she heard them talking. "Do you think that he'll kick us out?" she heard Jacob ask.
"Dude, he won't kick us out. She'll prolly get pissed and make us leave. I guess we'll be sleeping on that shitty pullout in Pop's office at the house," Jared responded.
"Shit. I guess he won't be our friend anymore either," Jacob offered.
In that moment, she knew it wasn't just her heart at stake. Her boys had bonded with Edward and his family, and if she acted on instinct, they'd lose the people who they'd come to think of as another family. She didn't know how she could do it to them.
Ida and Harold Uley only lived about fifteen miles from Forks, and they didn't even have the care or concern for their grandsons to call them, much less invite them to visit even for an overnight if their father wasn't with them.
The Masens and the Cullens, however, had shown them nothing but kindness, Edward being the spearhead of the campaign to show her and her boys that there were good people in the world. How could she turn her back on that?
She went to Edward's room without interrupting her sons because at that point, she didn't have any answers for them. She had no idea if Edward would forgive her for her ungrateful behavior, and she didn't know if he'd ask her to leave while he was gone. It was the great unknown, and she wasn't looking forward to finding the answers that lay waiting for her at the bottom of stairs.
She quickly changed into a pair of khaki shorts and a tank top that had been purchased on Monday and made her way downstairs, seeing the glow of candles from the deck. She tossed down a pair of flip-flops, slipping them on and making her way out to where he was standing at the railing of the deck with a glass of wine in his hand.
He turned to look at her and she swallowed hard, seeing the look on his face that she'd never seen before. He appeared to be closed off, and she didn't like it but she knew it was her fault, so she was prepared to take his rancor. She'd caused the problem with her lashing out at him regarding the kindnesses he'd shown her and her sons, and if he wanted to yell, she was prepared to take it…to a point.
"So?" she asked as she sat at the table and poured herself a glass of wine, waiting.
"So…um, it appears that we've reached a point in our relationship where you'd rather be somewhere else or with someone else who's not a 'young man'. I've only tried to shoulder some of the burden, but apparently, I've overstepped some boundaries that you have, so I'll back off. I'll be leaving in the morning, and if you haven't found another place to live while I'm gone, then I'll stay at Carlisle and Esme's house until you do. I'm not pushing you and the boys out; I'm just giving you the space you seem to prefer.
"I have no idea what you've gone through in your life, and I personally hope I never do because if I ever find myself as closed off and unaccepting of love and kindness, I think I'd be better off living in a cave. Dinner's in the kitchen. I'm leaving," he announced as he turned toward the house.
His words stung, but she wasn't going to let him leave like that without having her say. "You think I don't know what a bitch I can be? Oh, trust me, I do, but I've had to become that way because I'm responsible for two eleven-year-old boys who have no one else but me, and do you think I'm happy that I can't put a roof over their heads right now and have to rely on the kindness of strangers?" she snapped.
He wheeled on her with fire in his eyes. "Really? You just see us as strangers? I thought we were more than that, but I see that maybe I was just fooling myself. I love you and your sons, but you almost seem incapable of accepting it. Oh, I don't blame you because I can see that there haven't been a lot of people in your life who've shown it to you, but I…well, I actually feel sorry for you.
"I hope and pray to God that if I ever need someone and there's somebody there offering me love and support, I'll be accepting of it. You don't seem to be able to, but I don't blame you for it. Take care of yourself," he called as he walked away and into the house leaving her sitting in candlelight and tears.
She took a deep breath and thought long and hard about what he'd said, and she knew he was spot on in his assessment of her character. She'd been so independent that she didn't know how to allow herself to rely on someone else's help, and as she thought about it, suddenly, there were a lot of people in her life who were more than willing to help her. She was overwhelmed by the number of people who'd shown her compassion and support, and she wasn't going to let the most important one get away so easily.
She quickly ran up the stairs and into his bedroom, seeing him with a suitcase on the bed half-full of clothes. "You're right," she answered, feeling the bite of the admission. She'd never been willing to accept the fact that she let her pride get in the way a lot of the time, but in that moment, she couldn't help but admit that he was right.
Her parents had raised her to be self-reliant and not look to someone else to solve the problems in her life for her. Since the boys had been born, her parents had offered to help, but she always saw it as a test of some kind to see if she'd show weakness.
In her desire to prove her independence to her parents, and then to Sam, she'd become very used to turning down many offers of help with one situation or another. She was trying to change, which was why she'd let Alice and Edward do the things they'd done to date, but she felt consumed by guilt when they did anything for her.
She quickly thought back to the night that she'd fallen from the tree when Edward had called Esme and Alice over, and the three had stayed to help her when her own parents had left her to fend for herself, which seemed to be their way.
In that moment of clarity, she realized that maybe her parents' way wasn't exactly the right way. Maybe it wasn't showing weakness to accept love and support from those around you, as long as you were prepared to offer it in return.
When Edward walked out of the closet with a garment bag and an armful of shirts in his hands, she saw the hurt on his face, and she couldn't stop the tears. "You're right!" she shouted, taking a deep breath to continue her confession. "I'm used to carrying the burden alone, and I don't know how to share it. I've had to take care of those boys by myself since they were born, if I'm being honest, because Sam was, well, Sam. I don't know how to let someone help me because I've always thought it was my responsibility," she continued as the tears tumbled down her face.
She watched him drop his things on the floor and reach his hand out to her like an olive branch. She walked toward him with her own hand extended, and when he pulled her into a hug and wrapped his arms around her, she knew that nothing in her life would ever be the same.
"I'm so sorry…" she sobbed as she remembered her harsh words on the phone earlier in the evening. He didn't deserve them, and she felt guilt consume her.
"Bella, honey, don't be sorry. Just don't pull away from me again like that. I felt like someone was ripping my heart out of my chest. You're not alone in this any longer. You've got me and a lot of other people who care about you. Please, don't shut us out," she heard him whisper as he kissed along her shoulder and then her neck up to her jaw.
He pulled away and smoothed her hair back, looking into her eyes with love which melted her heart, yet again. "I want to be there for you and the twins. You three are my life now, and I can't be without you. Fuck, I'll be a miserable human being if you leave me. Please, don't shut me out," he begged with tears in his eyes. She couldn't stem her own, so she merely nodded her head in agreement and burrowed into his body, pulling him closer to her and absorbing the love that he offered.
Never before had anyone offered her what Edward Masen was offering in that moment…unconditional love and support and a place in his heart. She knew in her heart that if she turned it away, she was a fucking fool.
##
When the alarm sounded at 6:30 AM, Edward wasn't happy to hear it. It had been a long night, and he was exhausted. He wasn't looking forward to the two-week absence, given the headway that the couple had made the night before.
After the argument on the deck, he'd stormed upstairs to pack. He was shocked to see Jared and Jacob standing in the hallway, seemingly waiting for him. "Hey, don't let her get away with that. We heard everything, and she's always been like that. Grandma and Pop have tried to help, even slipping us money, but she won't have it. Don't leave us," Jared pleaded, which broke his heart.
"Look, guys, if your mom and I don't work out, I still wanna be in your lives. I really do care about you, and I'll be right here for you if you ever need anything. I love her, but if she doesn't want me, there's not a lot I can do," Edward told them as he walked into the room in which Jared was sleeping.
"She's just afraid that you're gonna be like our dad. He doesn't give a shit about any of us, and I heard Grandma 'Nee tell Pop that Ma thinks every guy's like him. Grandma said you're not like that, and Pop said that he hoped that Ma saw it before it was too late," Jacob had informed.
"We can talk to her," Jared, ever the peacemaker, had offered.
Edward shook his head. "I appreciate it, but your mom's gotta get there on her own. Don't worry, okay?" he'd assured them, not feeling assured himself.
"Can I make you breakfast? I can take you to the airport, Edward. Esme doesn't need to take you," Bella told him as she rolled into him. The feel of her naked body next to him made him consider quitting his job and staying in bed with her.
"It's okay, sweetheart. She's up this early all the time and you've got to get ready for work. I'm going to shower," he told her as he dragged himself from the bed, not at all ready to face the day.
As he climbed into the warm shower, he remembered what had happened after the blow-up, and he smiled as he soaped himself down.
After he'd assured her that she wasn't alone, she'd led him downstairs to eat the dinner that he'd prepared for her. They'd eaten, cleaned up the mess, and finished off the bottle of wine, both of them smiling at the new place in which they'd found themselves.
In his mind she seemed more accepting of the fact that he loved her and would do anything for her, and that made him very happy.
When they climbed the stairs to the bedroom, arm in arm, he was happy to hear her click the lock once she'd closed the door. She'd helped him pack, and once the chore was finished, they'd slowly stripped each other, not sparing the kisses. When the two climbed into the bed naked, they made love for hours. It seemed to him that he'd just climaxed inside her when she was coming after him again, and it was everything he'd hoped make-up sex would ever be. The last time he saw the clock, it was after 3:00 AM.
Just as he was about to wash his hair, he felt cool air and turned to see Bella climbing in with him. She looked as sleepy as he felt, so he pulled her under the warm spray and kissed her. His tongue couldn't help but tangle with hers because he knew it would be a long, lonely trip, and he wanted to take every advantage of feeling her next to him and her hot kisses that he'd grown to crave in the time he'd known her.
"Well, to what do I owe this guest appearance in my morning shower?" he teased playfully.
"I'm taking advantage of what I have before it's gone for two weeks," she commented as she curled into him under the spray, her arms wrapped around him tightly.
He laughed quietly so as not to wake the boys. "This isn't the most productive way to take a shower, Mrs. Uley," he quipped as he poured shampoo into his hands behind her back and began to gently message her scalp, enjoying her moan.
"Are you trying to wake me up or put me back to sleep," she asked as she stepped back a foot and turned around to give him better access to her hair.
After he'd finished shampooing her hair and then his, they stepped under the spray and rinsed together, arms wrapped around each other and eyes closed. He was grateful that she'd joined him, and he hoped she wasn't offended by his growing need for her, yet again. He couldn't help himself. It was always going to be that way, especially when she was wet and naked, pressed against him in the shower.
Once they were clean and fresh, they climbed out of the shower and wrapped towels around themselves, both finally awake. They brushed their teeth in silence with small smirks and giggles, and when they'd finished, Edward quickly shaved as Bella went to the bedroom to dress for the day.
It was the scene he hoped for that would play out many mornings in their future. He truly had no idea how things would be when he returned from Portland, but he prayed that every day would be started in a similar fashion.
It was what he was taking with him in his heart, and he knew that every morning when he climbed out of the shower in his lonely hotel room and brushed his teeth, he'd remember those moments until he could experience them again. It was a taste of heaven that he wanted forever.
##
"I'll call you tonight. Guys, take care of my girl, okay," Edward called to the boys at the table as Bella walked him to the front door. The couple had been surprised when the boys were settled at the breakfast table with pop tarts for everyone. Their excuse of wanting to say good-bye wasn't lost on Bella. She knew that they didn't know if it was going to be for a short time or for the last time.
"We will," they called as she walked him outside onto the porch to see Esme waving from her BMW as the rain poured down.
"Where's your umbrella, sweetheart?" Bella asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist after he dropped his bags on the porch.
"There's one in the garage hanging next to the ice scraper. Take it with you. Please be careful, love," he told her as he twined his fingers into her still damp hair before he kissed her again.
When they pulled away from each other and she saw his smile, she laughed. "It's as wet in Portland as it is here. Are you sure you don't need it?" she teased.
"A little water won't hurt me, Mrs. Uley. I think you found that out in the shower this morning. I love you, so much, Bella. I can't wait to come home to you," he told her as he kissed her again.
After he broke away from her, she watched him run to Esme's car and toss his bags in the back seat, hurrying into the passenger seat. The last thing she saw was him kiss his fingers and wave them at her, which she returned without a second thought.
When she went back inside, she knew she needed to have a discussion with her sons, and even though the hour was early, she thought they were awake enough to answer her honestly, so she dove in head first.
"Here's the deal. Edward wants us to stay. What do you think about that?" she asked as she sipped her coffee and dug into her pop tart waiting for their answer.
Jared was the first to speak, which surprised her because he was always the more reserved of the two. "Stay, like while he's in Portland, or stay, like for a long time?" he asked. It was a fair question.
She swallowed her food and wiped her mouth with the napkin she'd pulled from the container on the table. "For a long time. We talked a lot last night, and he doesn't want us to move out. I told him we'd talk about it and have an answer for him when he gets home," she answered honestly.
She drifted off into dreamland and remembered the conversation.
"Babe, I want to come home to you and the boys. I want you here. I don't want you to find another place to live, and God knows that I understand that this is tricky because they're hitting puberty and we're not married, but I want you guys here. You have no idea how happy I am to see my home full," he told her as he held her after they'd made love for the second time.
"I want that too, but we've only known each other for…" she'd begun.
He cut her off. "No answers right now. Talk to them. Hell, have them call me if they want to talk about shit. Bella, you don't understand how much I love you. I want you here, in a home that we make together. You need to think about this, I know, because that's how you operate, but I want you and the boys here. Please consider it," he'd asked. She'd merely nodded before they'd dozed. It had been wonderful.
Snap…snap… "Ma, wake up. We're goin' back to bed, but you're goin' to work. We're fine with it. We like him a lot, and if it's what you want, then we're down," Jacob told her with a laugh in his voice.
She smiled, and they agreed that they'd give it a shot. They'd make a family home with Edward Masen. She believed that the boys were happy about it, but she worried that it was because of the Wii and the new bedrooms and the cable. She knew that they liked him, but she worried that it would be too much for Edward once the everyday events that came with raising two eleven-year-old boys became familiar to him.
She worried about it until Friday evening when they were sitting by Esme's pool. They'd been invited over, and since they had nothing else to do, they'd gone over to visit. Alice, Jasper, and the boys were in the pool playing basketball, and they were waiting for Carlisle to come home because he'd been called into the hospital for an emergency.
He'd phoned to say he was on his way, so Esme asked if it was okay to wait dinner. Bella agreed because she was enjoying the summer evening and the warm air. The sounds of her sons laughing with Alice and Jasper didn't hurt either.
"So, how've things been at the house?" Esme asked. Bella laughed at her subtlety…she was about as subtle as a Sherman tank.
"Lonely. He has a big personality, and when he's not there, it's not the same. We miss him, but he's going to come home to a lush garden. The boys and I went to Reed's the other day and bought mums to plant in the flower bed near the big oak. Jake says that we have to pinch the tops off until the end of July so that they bloom at the right time. Have you spoken with him since he's been gone?" she asked as she sipped her beer.
"I have, actually. He's very…" Esme began as they both heard laughter come from the pool and a huge splash. When Bella turned to look at what had happened she was shocked to see Edward spring up from the water and shake the hair from his eyes.
"Well, woman, what do you have to say? I can't be away from you for more than three days, and you're just gonna sit there," he teased as he grabbed Jacob around the neck and dunked him before Jacob grabbed him.
She laughed and walked over to the edge of the pool, scooting off her sandals and then jumping in the pool in her clothes. She felt hands around her waist pulling her to the surface, confirming to her that she'd always have someone helping her keep her head above water. Edward was home, and he'd always keep her above water.
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E/N: So, how'd I do? Can't wait to hear from you. Next chapter, oh, we embark on a really fun part of the story. Thanks for reading.
Till next time…xoxo