A/N: What!? I am posting early?! Yes I am! I wanted to celebrate the fact that the rest of this story is entirely written! Totally finished! Complete! So, my celebration is victory!

Thanks again to my wonderful fantastic betas. You two are awesome!

Enjoy the chapter a few days early!

Chapter 24 – Breaking Down

"Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you."

Denis Waitley

Edward

When I was in high school, I was invincible. I know people say that, but I really was! I drank beer once and never got in trouble. I slept with my high school girlfriend and my parents felt so sorry for me that she got yanked away, they didn't punish me.

However, as an adult, I find that my invincibility has left me. The cocky teenager has been replaced by a man who is desperately concerned about doing the wrong thing and any repercussions that may follow.

As I sat on the deck in the house I rented, I watched the clouds roll by, remembering when just such an incident happened. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, but with all my heart I wished that I had thought about my reaction more. It would have solved so much.

About a week ago, Bella had called me after work.

"Hey, beautiful. How are you doing?" I said, answering the phone.

"Okay, I guess. The kids have been driving me crazy lately, and I feel like I'm not getting enough sleep. Work is slow right now, so the days just creep by…I'm sorry, I guess I just called to complain." She sighed into the phone.

"How about I take you guys out tonight? Dinner, maybe?"

"I don't know…Emily is teething again, and is super cranky. The last time she had a tooth coming in, she was fine, but this time…well, let's just say my normally super sweet child is a raging brat right now. I think I just want to go home and relax tonight. Thank you for the offer, though."

"No problem. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not tonight. Just listening is nice."

Bella's voice made alarm bells go off in my head. She sounded so exhausted that she could drop at any moment. "How about we drive up to Tahoe this weekend? Maybe getting the kids out of the house will help?"

"Oh, um…" Bella's voice faded for a moment. "We actually have plans this weekend that I can't break."

This is where my stupidity kicked into high gear. I got frustrated…I got frustrated with a single mom who didn't have the time for me. It wasn't my finest hour.

"With who?"

"Huh?"

"Who do you have plans with?"

Bella paused for a moment, again, before continuing. "With my children. What's your problem?"

I almost stopped myself, but the monster had been woken up inside me already, and I just couldn't. "Is there another guy?"

"What?!" Bella screeched into the phone. "Are you kidding me? Do you seriously think I'm seeing someone else? Just how much free time do you think I have?"

"If it's not another guy, then why are you being so secretive about this weekend?" For some reason, I couldn't stop myself.

"You know what, Edward? I called to have a conversation with my boyfriend about the horrible time I'm having right now. All I needed was a little support, and you accuse me of cheating on you? Go to hell."

Bella had hung up the phone after that and hadn't returned my calls for the rest of the week.

After the twentieth or so text had gone unanswered, I'd decided to give her some space. Unfortunately, I hadn't made many friends in the month I'd been in Reno, so I was all alone contemplating opening a beer at noon and feeling quite lonely.

A car I didn't recognize pulled into my driveway. For a moment I thought—hoped—it was Bella, but Emmett got out instead. He was carrying a pizza and a case of beer. He didn't smile as he walked up to me, but he didn't look angry either.

"What's up, man?" Emmett said, sitting down on the chair opposite mine.

"Oh, you know, not too much. How're you doing?" I wasn't sure if he knew about my riff with Bella, and I wasn't sure I was comfortable talking to him about it anyway. Emmett and I had hung out a few times in the last month, but we were far from becoming best friends.

"I hear you and Bella had a fight a few days ago," he said casually, bringing up the very thing I hadn't wanted to.

"Yeah," I said, shrugging. How much can I really talk to him about?

"Well, I know that she isn't talking to you right now, so...Rose suggested that it would be better for the situation if I came over and explained."

I waited, unsure of what to say. Emmett cracked open a beer and grabbed a slice of pizza, holding the box out for me to grab one also. He sat quietly for a moment, before he shifted his chair so he was sitting next to me, staring at the sky.

"I met Jake after they moved to Reno. It was a total chance encounter at a grocery store, of all places. I was rushing to grab the stuff on my list and accidentally ran into a display, throwing cans of food all over the place. Jake was shopping with Emily and stopped to help me pick everything up. We struck up a conversation and somehow ended up becoming friends. He explained how they had just moved here and didn't really know anyone yet, so I offered to show him around town.

"Rose and I became friends with both Jake and Bella, and the kids were wonderful. Rose and I don't have any kids, so it was nice hanging out with children." Emmett shifted a little and took a sip of the beer before continuing. "Jake and I were like long lost brothers, and Rose and Bella got close really fast, too. It was a great friendship.

"When he died, I was devastated, but knew that Bella and the kids had to be feeling it much harder than I was. I mean, we had only known each other for a couple years, you know? Jake was a good man, Edward, but he and Bella had a great friendship, not a marriage. Rose and I used to talk to each other about how little they touched, kissed…or whatever. They never sat next to each other, and they never held hands or anything. Rose said that Bella seemed like she was starved for attention, but didn't think that Bella would ever say anything to Jake about it.

"Anyway, I wanted to tell you how we met so you can understand something. Jake and I were close, yes, but I hadn't known him for all that long before he died. In the last year and a half, my loyalties shifted to Bella and the children, not solely Jake." Emmett turned to face me, and his face was fierce. "I know what happened with you two the other day, and I have to tell you that I couldn't be angrier at you. Bella is the most loyal person I've ever met in my entire life, and I can't believe what you said to her. I know that I shouldn't be getting involved, but it's important that you understand something. If you hurt her, or the kids, I will kill you with my bare hands without thinking twice about it."

I hung my head in shame as he spoke to me…no longer feeling invincible as I had in my youth. I had been stupid, and I was being called out on it. He wasn't saying anything that I didn't know, though…it was an assumption that he was protective of Bella and the kids; an apt one, apparently.

"I understand, Emmett, I really do. Trust me, I know I was a moron. I tried to call her back immediately after she hung up on me, but she hasn't been taking my calls or returning my texts. I'm not sure what to do, or even where she is to be able to apologize."

Emmett was silent for a moment. "Today is Jake's birthday. Only the second one since his death. Bella took the kids out today to spend time talking about him."

And there it was. I'd thought that there wasn't anything that could make me feel worse about the situation, but it had happened. I struggled to keep myself poised and in control, but I felt that control slipping. Emmett clapped his hand on my back, in support, maybe, but whatever it was it released everything I had been holding in.

"Emmett, I don't know what to do," I said, leaning forward and resting my head in my hands. "I am a total ass, and I don't know how to fix it."

"Listen, man, I like you, I do. You are great with the kids, and you are normally nice to Bella, but she is all mixed up right now. Bella is loyal, remember? She struggles every day with the loyalty she has to Jake because of the children and her own friendship with him, and the love that she feels for you. She is a single mom of three kids with a very demanding job, and just trying to stay afloat. Bella is the last person to ask for help, typically, but she needs it from you.

"Don't bother her today, though. Today has to be for her and her children, period. But, you need to do something for her that shows her you will help her…that you respect her boundaries about Jake. It should get better, but for now because of the kids she has to think about him every day."

"I understand that…I do. I just wish she had told me what was going on. I didn't know it was Jake's birthday!"

"I don't know exactly what was said, but I have a feeling that she would have told you if you hadn't fought." Emmett sat back in the chair and took another bite of pizza. "Blending into a family is never easy."

"Ha! Don't I know it. Tell me something, Emmett."

"Hmm?"

"What was Jake like?"

Emmett smiled for the first time since he had shown up at my house. "He was really funny. He had a great sense of humor…perhaps a little unorthodox, but really funny. He was the kind of dad who would get down on the ground to play with his kids, even if it was playing with Barbies. He really loved his kids and showed them that every day."

"One more question…" I took a deep breath. "Do I have a chance of integrating into this family?"

Emmett laughed, which was not what I had expected. "Bella loves you, the girls adore you and JJ is coming around. I think he'll love you, too, before long. You already are integrated into this family, Ed! The funny thing is that Rose and I can see it so clearly, but you are the one who isn't seeing it."

"Does Bella see it?"

"Not only does she see it, she's shocked at how quickly it happened. You moving here was a great idea."

"Doesn't feel like that some days."

"Only the days when you are being an ass."

"Good point, Emmett…and thank you." However I was feeling at the moment, I was glad that Emmett had come over.

"I may be pissed at you, man, but I can see how much you love her. You're a good guy," he said, standing up. "Now, come on you sad sack of shit. Let's go play some pool or something."

I walked away from my house feeling the heavy burden of my idiocy. Somehow I would have to make it right.

A/N: Boy, you guys are smart. You totally called that things were going to go downhill. How will Edward fix this? Should he have to? What do you think is going on in Bella's head? You will find out with the conclusion to this issue on Tuesday!