AN: Words cannot express how happy you make me with your sweet reviews and words of encouragement. Thank you.

Disclaimers: SM owns it. Chapter song comes from Missy Higgins' "Where I Stood." I've used it once before. It was really the inspiration for Jessica and Riley's relationship.

Chapter 21

She Will Love You More Than I Could

I don't know who I am, who I am without you
All I know is that I should
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you
All I know is that I should
Cause she will love you more than I could
She who dares to stand where I stood

BPOV

Another Wednesday.

Another no-show.

"This is completely ridiculous," I mumbled to Carmen as she pulled the tray of cookies out of the oven. "Two weeks in a row – with the same excuse? Wouldn't you drag your sick ass to see your child? Even if you were on your death bed? If it's the only day of the week you get to see him?"

Carmen hummed quietly as she placed the hot cookies on the cooling rack. I eyed her specutively as she removed the oven mitt from her hand and dutifully placed it back in its drawer.

"Spit it out, Carmen."

She smirked as she wiped her hands on her apron.

"I'm just not surprised, Bella. This is typical Jessica behavior. You would drag your sick ass to see your child. I would drag mine. Jessica Stanley would not. None of this surprises me."

I was amazed.

"Seriously?" I frowned. "But she seemed so sincere during that first visit. She was all smiles and friendly…."

"Yes, both of which only confirmed to me that something wasn't right. Jessica never smiles. Jessica is never friendly." Carmen shrugged helplessly. "For Riley's sake, I'd hoped she'd changed. But I wasn't optimistic. She is very manipulative and conniving. She always has been."

I grabbed a cookie, which was still too hot to be eaten, but I was in desperate need of chocolate.

"He's too calm," I mumbled between bites. "She has no idea what she's doing to that child."

Six o'clock had rolled by, and Riley had simply shrugged before asking if he could watch television in his room. Both Edward and I had offered to watch with him, but he merely shook his head and said he "preferred to be alone."

What five-year-old boy "prefers to be alone?"

A five-year-old boy who'd had his heart broken one too many times.

Riley had smiled blankly before retreating to his room. Edward had cursed under his breath and scurried to his study to call his attorney. Carmen had wiped her tears and rushed to the kitchen to bake.

What about me? Where was my outlet to relieve all of my stress?

I finished my cookie and considered my options as I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a juice. I drank and I pondered.

I knew what I wanted to do. I knew what needed to be done.

Jessica Cullen was seriously pissing me off.

She had broken her son's heart once again. She had fooled me into believing that she was actually making an effort. She was causing my family to hide in bedrooms and kitchens and ignore her shitty behavior because none of it surprised any of them.

Shouldn't she be held accountable? For something? Finally?

I decided she should.

I also decided that a phone call wasn't good enough. But I realized in making a visit, I was possibly going to come face-to-face with the one man on this planet I really didn't want to see.

Was I ready to face that fear just to kick Jessica's ass?

I made a tray with two plates of cookies and two glasses of milk and carefully walked toward the study. Edward was growling expletives into the phone as I placed one plate and one glass on the desk. His face softened as he gazed up at me. He looked so tired. I leaned down to kiss his cheek before turning and carrying the rest of the snacks to Riley's bedroom.

I wasn't surprised to find him sleeping peacefully against the pillows as the SpongeBob theme song echoed in the air. I placed the cookies and milk on his nightstand and grabbed his remote. I adjusted the volume to a low roar and settled on the bed next to him. As I ran my fingers through his hair, I contemplated the risk I was about to take.

Riley deserved so much more than this. He deserved a mother who loved him. Who adored him. Who would play with him and care for him and let him be a little boy without all of the manipulation and insincere gifts.

I closed my eyes and said a prayer. A prayer for strength. A prayer for courage.

I kissed Riley's forehead before retreating to the living room. I powered up my laptop and searched for the address I needed. Within moments, the location appeared on the screen.

I scribbled it furiously onto a slip of paper before sticking it in my pocket. Without a word to anyone, I grabbed my jacket and bag and walked out the door.

The subdivision was immaculate. The lawns were well manicured, and the neighborhood security was out in full force. The homes that lined the streets were all majestic and cold.

Beautiful, of course. But cold.

It was the perfect neighborhood for the two coldest people I had ever met in my entire life.

I expected the house to have its own gated entrance, so I was pleasantly surprised and a little relieved to find that I could pull right into the driveway and knock on the door. I had no way of knowing if she was home. Or worse - if he was home.

But then I remembered Riley's bright green eyes, and I decided it didn't matter.

I took a deep breath and pushed the doorbell. It took a few moments, but finally, the door opened just enough for me to see that Jessica was holding onto the knob for dear life, and I gasped as my eyes raked across her face.

I had prepared myself – hoping to give her the benefit of the doubt. I wanted her to be deathly ill. Only that scenario would enable me to forgive the turmoil she'd caused in our home during the past few weeks.

What I wasn't prepared for was her black eye and the purple bruise across her right cheek.

"I've been expecting you," Jessica whispered soberly. Her voice sounded fatigued. "Actually, I expected a phone call, but this works just as well. Come in, Bella."

She stepped away from the door, and I pushed my way through. She turned away from me and walked toward the living room. I closed the door before following her. The house, of course, was nothing short of perfection. Not a possession out of place. I should have been engrossed in the fine pieces of artwork that adorned the walls and the Italian leather furniture that surrounded the room. But it all seemed inconsequential considering the marks on Jessica's otherwise flawless face.

She motioned for me to sit down. I sat across from her, trying desperately not to ask the question I wanted to ask.

I decided to start small.

"I hear you've been sick…."

Jessica laughed. "I am, yes. Morning and night, it seems…."

I nodded although I had no idea what she meant. My eyes flitted around the room and my ears perked, hoping to deduce whether we were alone.

"He isn't here," she whispered softly, as if she could read my mind.

"I'm glad," I admitted quietly.

She searched my face, trying to decide if she believed me. Finally, she nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, I'm sure you are. He wasn't very kind to you, was he?"

This surprised me. What had Jacob told her?

"Umm…." I replied shakily. "I really don't want to discuss Jacob with you. I'm more concerned with Riley."

Jessica laughed again. "Jacob didn't want to discuss you, either." Her fingers ghosted along the bruise on her cheek, and I grimaced as she winced. "Obviously…."

Rage coursed through me.

"He hit you?"

"Oh yes," she admitted with a sigh. "My fault, of course. I mean, he told me that he didn't want to talk about you…and I just kept pushing him. But I saw the way he looked at you, and I saw how frightened you looked when you saw him….so when I got home that night, I demanded answers…."

Her voice dropped lower as her eyes raked across her entwined hands in her lap. "What is it about you? Edward loves you. Riley loves you. And Jacob…."

"Jacob never loved me," I fired back defensively. "If he told you that he did, then he's a liar. And if he put that bruise on your face and blackened your eye – then he doesn't love you, either."

She ignored that.

"Jacob is still…..very protective of you. He told me that he fell very hard for you…very quickly. And that you were pregnant with his child…."

My stomach muscles twisted, and I felt Carmen's cookie making its way back to my throat. I swallowed slowly and took long, cleansing breaths.

"He even came to your parents' house….in the pouring rain….beating on your door and screaming your name…" Jessica shook her head sadly. "He loved you, Bella. It devastated him when he heard you had miscarried."

I couldn't ignore the way her hand ghosted along her own stomach, and I gasped softly.

"Jessica, you're not…."

"I am," she smiled tiredly. "So, see? I was telling the truth about being sick. The morning sickness has been dreadful. But it's okay. Because Jacob will love me. Not you. Me. He will love me because I can give him the one thing you couldn't."

My head was reeling. Jacob was abusive. Jessica was pregnant. She wore a black eye and a bruised face and was happily patting her stomach and gloating that she was a better woman than me because was going to give that monster a child.

Was she insane?

"So we both get what we want, don't we?" Jessica's voice was light and happy.

My head creased in confusion. "Meaning…."

"Well, obviously….you get Edward and Riley. Jacob has always been very clear that he would never raise another man's child. And now…." Her hand lovingly stroked her tummy. "Now he'll have one all his own. We're getting married, you know…"

My eyes flashed to her other hand. Sure enough, a gigantic diamond adorned her ring finger.

"And what about Riley? Did you forget that you have another child?"

Her eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "Riley will be just fine. I know that I'm not a good mother, Bella. But I want to be. And with this baby….well, I get a fresh start. A clean slate. I deserve that. I can learn from the mistakes I made with Riley, and I can be a decent mother to this child."

"But Jessica…." I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. "Jacob hits you…."

"Oh, this?" Her finger stroked her purple cheek. "This is nothing, Bella. A small price to pay for the joy he brings me. I'm still learning his moods…his boundaries….I've always been a little…difficult. Jacob is just what I need."

For some reason, sympathy for this woman coursed through my veins, and I felt the desperate need to save her from herself.

"But Jessica," I whispered softly, as if I was talking to a child, "He hits you. And….don't you worry that he'll cheat on you? Did he explain that he was married when we met?"

"Yes," she admitted calmly. "But he won't cheat on me. I am giving him a child. He will love me and this baby and give us everything I've ever dreamed of…."

Unbelievable.

"Jessica, I think you're making a huge mistake."

Her eyes crinkled with a smile. "Actually, I am at peace with my decision. We all get our happy endings."

"But Riley…"

"Oh, Bella..." Jessica sighed. "Riley loves you. And I love him. I really do. But I have come to understand that I have to love him enough to let him go. You are so much better for him than I am. I was not good to Riley. I wasn't good for Riley. You threatened to kick my ass if I ever hurt him. That's how I know that he will be just fine. Please say you'll take care of him?"

And that's when I realized that this woman was giving me her child.

"This is unbelievable," I whispered softly. "You're just…giving him away?"

Jessica nodded. "I suppose it does seem that way. But I know you love him. I'm not wrong about that, am I?"

I closed my eyes in resignation.

"I love him. I love him very much. But Jessica….he's your son…."

"But you're good for him. Better than I could ever be. I know it may seem cold to you, but really, I'm doing him a favor. You will love him unconditionally. You will let him get his clothes dirty and color outside the lines…Please, Bella…." Her voice was shaky as her eyes filled with tears. "Please take him? Please be the mother that I could never be. Please let me give him that?"

My eyes ghosted to her stomach, and sympathy for her unborn child almost suffocated me. She was bringing this baby into a world where its father was abusive and the mother viewed it as a clean slate.

But I couldn't worry about that child.

I had my own child – a boy with his father's brilliant emerald eyes – waiting for me at home.

Suddenly, I was very thankful that Jessica Stanley had no lasting interest in her son. The woman was either certifiably insane or the stupidest woman on the planet. Either way, she wouldn't be hurting my child anymore.

"Okay," I whispered sincerely, and she surprised me by enveloping me in a hug.

It was after midnight before I made my way back to the penthouse. I found Edward pacing on the terrace with his cell phone against his ear.

"Nevermind," he snapped at whoever was on the other end and abruptly shut his phone. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

"Sorry, Dad…." I murmured guiltily as I flopped onto the patio furniture. Didn't he realize that I was having a moment – possibly the biggest moment of my life?

"Yes, I was calling him next," Edward spat angrily. But then he noticed my tear-stained cheeks and my red eyes.

"What's wrong?" He murmured as sunk down onto the couch next to me. He pulled me by the hand, and I found myself cradled in his lap. I rested my head against his chest as he softly stroked my hair.

"Nothing's wrong, I don't think….."

He sighed against my hair. "Where did you go? Why have you been crying?"

I sniffled against his shirt and wiped my eyes. "I went to see Jessica."

Edward tightened his hold around me. "I suspected as much. Why didn't you tell me that you were going?"

"Because you would have demanded to go with me, and I didn't want an audience when I kicked her ass."

"I see." His voice was amused as he gazed at me in wonder. His fingertips softly traced my cheekbone. "And did you effectively kick it?"

"I didn't have to," I sniffled softly. "Jacob had already done it for me."

Edward's eyebrows knitted together. "What does that mean?"

He listened quietly as I explained the bruises on Jessica's face, her pregnancy, and the ring on her finger.

"Wow," he breathed softly against my cheek.

"Yeah…." I whispered sadly. "And I tried, Edward. I tried to make her understand that the entire situation was completely fucked up, but she just kept smiling and telling me how we're all getting our happy endings. Jacob is going to hurt her, and he's going to hurt that baby….and she just….she just didn't hear me. She was too busy gloating that she could give him what I couldn't, and I couldn't even get pissed about that before she started begging me to take care of Riley…."

This got his attention.

"She asked you…"

"No, she begged me. Literally begged me. She just…..gave me her child. She said that she knew that I'd love him and take care of him, and she begged me to take him. She told me to tell you to have Marcus to draw up whatever papers are necessary. She won't contest the divorce. She won't seek custody. She won't fight anything. She wants to be free so she can marry Jacob as soon as possible."

The tears that had subsided threatened to spill again.

"What kind of mother does that?" I whimpered softly against his collar. "Doesn't she realize that he's this wonderful, adorable little boy who likes to read and color and build sandcastles and swing and do all of the things that five-year-olds like to do? How could she just give him away?"

My sobbing turned uncontrollable, and Edward rocked me in his lap, whispering soothing words and kissing my cheek softly. I had no idea how much time had passed, but eventually, my tears lessened, and I found that I was able to take a deep breath once again.

"Bella…." Edward whispered softly. "You realize that he's always been yours, don't you? Since the day you walked through the door, Riley has been yours."

I stared into his handsome face, illuminated by the stars in the sky and the sparkling lights of the city below us.

"I love him so much," I whispered sincerely.

"I know you do, baby," Edward smiled at me. "That's why I know that – for the first time in his life – Jessica has finally done the right thing for my son. She's given him a real mother."

I smiled through my tears, and Edward gently pressed his lips to my forehead.

"Is that what you want?" He asked quietly.

"Without a doubt," I answered automatically, because I knew it was true.

Edward smiled that heart-stopping smile that always melted my heart. "Well then, I guess it's time for me to make some plans…."

I nodded. "Yes, she wants the divorce to be final as soon as possible."

Edward grinned. "That won't be a problem. But I was thinking of more personal plans…something to make all of this a little more official for all of us…"

I frowned.

"Official?"

He nuzzled my nose with his. "If you're going to make my son the happiest little boy in the world by being his mother…."

I couldn't ignore the way his voice whispered mother so reverently. It made my skin tingle with joy.

"Yes…."

"Then I think it's only fair that you make his father the happiest man in the world, as well."

"And how could I possibly do that?" I asked with a smile.

His emerald eyes were scorching as they gazed into mine.

"Marry me, Bella."

Fan Fic Rec – Are you reading "An Introduction to Swirl and Daisy?" You should be!! It's the sweetest story I've ever read in my life. It's rated T, and I rarely read those. But it is so worth the read! The author doesn't need my rec, but I wanted to give it a shout-out because it's just too original and cute.

As always, I love to hear from you.