A/N:
Sorry if i have not responded to your reviews. I assure you that i do read and love each and every one, this week has just been crazy.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
I HIRED MY HUSBAND AN ESCORT
Chapter 29
Edward's POV
I stand and walk to her room. I'm not sure what I will find, but I know that I need to go in. I walk in and can see Tanya and her dad in a heated conversation. I clear my throat making my presence known. Her dad looks at me and gives me a small smile. He says something to Tanya before walking towards me. I was not able to hear what was said, but whatever it was, did not make her happy.
"I'm sorry for what I said, Edward."
I'm left confused, as he says nothing else before he walks out the door. I look at Tanya, and she is pissed, but smiling. She motions for me to come closer, and I walk until I am at the foot of her bed. She looks worn out. Her hair is wet and matted to her face. Her face has a flush to it, and she moves slowly.
"How are you?" I ask. I may be upset with her, but I'm not a complete ass. Even I know that labor and delivery are not easy. It takes a toll on a woman's mind and body, and I'm proud that she did well.
"I'm sore, but OK."
"Good, um…I'm not sure why, but your mom told me I needed to come in here. Is everything OK?"
She tenses and looks away.
"Is the baby OK? Can I see her?"
She won't look at me. Is something wrong? There is still a chance that she is mine, and I'm beginning to worry. I turn and start to walk to the other end of the room where there are nurses and the baby. I can see her tiny foot, and it makes me smile.
"No, please don't go."
I turn to her and look at her in question. Why can't I see the baby? What is she doing?
"Why can't I? There is a chance that she is mine. Is she OK?"
"She is fine, but I don't want you to see her. You don't even believe that she is your daughter. Just go, Edward."
I know that she is not able to move, so I ignore her and make my way to the baby. The nurse smiles at me as she moves to allow me a better view. I see her feet again; they are tiny and have ink on the bottom from where they made her footprints. She is wearing a tiny diaper and has a plump pink belly. I see her face and gasp. The nurse looks at me confused, but I turn and walk back to Tanya before she has a chance to say anything.
"Well, I guess I know the truth now."
"What do you mean? She is yours. She looks just like you."
"Like hell she does. She looks nothing like me. Hell, she barely looks like you. I'm guessing that she looks just like her daddy. I'll still demand the test, but I've seen all I need to. Does he even know about her?"
"How dare you."
"This is why your mom told me to come in, isn't it? She took one look at that little girl and saw exactly what I did. They know she's not mine, don't they?"
"You don't know what you are talking about…"
The nurse that was cleaning the baby walks over and asks me to leave. I tell her "gladly" and walk out the door. When I enter the waiting room, I see Bella sitting in the same chair reading a magazine. I smile knowing that this is one less thing that I have to worry about. I make my way to her, take her hand, and pull her up. We walk to the car in silence. When we are both buckled, I tell her.
"She's not mine, Bella."
"How do you know?"
"I took one look at her and I knew. She looks nothing like me, and I mean nothing. I am still going to get tested, but I know in my heart that she is not mine." I try to keep the emotion out of my voice as I'm still a bit disappointed I didn't become a dad today.
"So, what she said was true. There was someone else, and the whole time she was pushing for me to prove you were the one who was unfaithful. She even wanted me to fake it. Why?"
"I'm guessing it has to do with the prenuptial we have. If one cheats, well let's just say the divorce won't end well."
I fill her in on my plan as we drive home. She agrees that even though the baby is not mine, she is still innocent. I don't want the money that I will get from the divorce, and I don't need it, so this makes sense to me, and this will allow her a good start. I will make it so that her mom cannot touch it, and the baby can have access to it when she is 21. We spend the rest of the night talking. There is notably less stress, and it is so relieving.
Three weeks later:
Today, I will confirm what I already know. Today, we get back the results of the paternity test. Tanya still tried to pass the baby off as mine, but it's clear to everyone but her that I am not this baby's daddy. What's great is that without the stress, Bella and I have become closer. Once the divorce is finalized, I will make us official. Today is also the day that Bella will meet the rest of my family. We will all be going to my lawyer's office together then out to dinner. We have spent the last few weekends with my siblings, and they love Bella. It's like she's been part of this family forever. We get together and laugh, joke, and have fun. It's nothing like the get-togethers that we had with Tanya. They were always stiff, and there were many glares exchanged, but get the six of us together, and it's a blast.
I'm hoping my parents fall in love with her as I have. I want nothing more than for them to accept her. The other good thing is that my divorce case will be heard next week. If I'm lucky, I will be a free man in less than seven days. I want to ask Bella to move in with me, and I hope she says yes. Some days, it feels like I'm rushing into this, but I love her. It just feels right. I look over at the woman sitting next to me and smile. Just one look at her makes my day. I love that we can just be in the same space and feel comfortable. We don't need to fill the time with pointless talk.
I remember a day last week. We were watching a movie at her place, and I was looking at some old photos. There was one of her; she must have been about six or seven, and she was on vacation with her parents. They were at the beach, and she was in the water with her dad. After I chuckled a bit, she told me that a wave had just come and pushed her under. Her mom snapped the photo just as she came up. Her hair was everywhere. Her swimsuit was a bit twisted, and her dad was laughing. She had the biggest smile on her face. That photo started a conversation about family. She told me story after story of her family vacations, and I told her mine. We laughed until we had tears in our eyes.
"What's got you so happy?" the angelic voice next to me asks.
"Oh, I was just thinking of the other night and the photo." We both laugh; me a bit more than her.
"Oh come on, are you still on that? I love and hate it at the same time. I looked foolish, but it was such a great vacation."
"I know. I hope that we can make memories like that someday." I smiled hoping that she would catch on that I wanted a family with her.
"I hope so, too."
The rest of the ride is quiet again, with us hand in hand. When I pull into the lawyer's office, my family is already there as well as Tanya. Before I even have a chance to open the door, my mom is by my side. I give her a quick kiss before he gets out, and walk to the other side of the car to help Bella out. I kiss her again and then turn us so that I can introduce her to my mom and dad.
"Mom, Dad, I would like you to meet Isabella Swan."
"Please, call me Bella." My mom smiles from ear to ear. This will work out just fine.
My mom says nothing more as she pulls Bella into a hug. Bella chuckles a bit, before hugging her back.
"It is so nice to meet you, Bella."
"You as well Mrs. Cullen," Bella replies.
"Oh please, call me Esme."
Before I know what's happening, my mom and Bella are walking into the building arm in arm. They both look back at me and smile before continuing on. My dad laughs and pats me on the back.
"Well, son, I guess I'll have to meet her later. I think your mother has fallen in love with her already. She is beautiful."
"Thanks. She is amazing."
Before our conversation can continue, we are interrupted.
"Did you have to bring her? This has nothing to do with her. Why do we need this stupid test anyway? I have already told you what the test will tell you."
"Tanya, she has every right to be here because I asked her to be. I know you don't like it, but she is part of my life, and if I am lucky, she will one day be my wife. As for this test, you are right. I do know what it will say, but it's for you, not me."
I turn and follow the rest of my family into the building. We take the elevator up, and before Tanya has the chance to enter the same one as us, Alice pushes the button, and the doors close in her face. The look on her face is priceless, and Alice can't stop laughing.
We enter my lawyer's office, and I see my mom and Bella sitting in the corner laughing. When I overhear them, I turn beet red.
"Bella, you should have seen it. There he was, ripping his underwear off with one hand, a fist full of mud in the other hand, chasing his sister. The entire time yelling, 'I'm not a girl; I don't wear pink underwear, and I don't wear ruffles.'"
Bella was laughing so hard she was crying and trying to catch her breath.
"Mom, did you have to?"
"My God, Edward, you actually did that?" Bella said in-between breaths.
"Of course, Alice had stitched purple ruffles on my underwear and dyed them pink. I was only seven, and I was not a morning person, so I got dressed in the dark. I really had to use the bathroom, and hey, I was just a kid, so I didn't bother with pants. When I walked down the hall, I noticed everyone laughing at me. Alice took one look at me and ran. I knew something was up."
"But, Bella, what was funny was that he chased her down the street for an entire block. Without thinking, he took the underwear off and picked up the mud. We followed them laughing. I was nice enough to bring him a towel."
"I remember that day so well."
"You would, Alice, but you never did it again," I say laughing as I remember my payback.
"Of course not, you got me back."
I am just getting ready to tell Bella how I got her back when the door opened. A very pissed-off Tanya comes walking in, followed by my lawyer.
"Thank you for meeting me today."
"Can we just get on with this?" Tanya sneers.
"Of course," he responds.
"Well, I have the results here, and the envelope is still sealed. Edward, would you like to open them, or would you prefer me to do so?"
"You can open it. I already know what they say."
Bella and my mother come and stand next to us, leaving Tanya by herself. I still don't understand why she is so confident. Does she really believe that the baby is mine? I watch him as he opens the envelope, and unfolds the letter.
"The results say as follows. Edward, you are 99.999% not the father of Tanya's baby."
I look at Tanya, and her face is blank. My family says a few words, but I don't hear them.
"Thank you for confirming what I already know. I would like you to change the paperwork to show that she had an affair. I want the two hundred thousand added to the divorce."
"You can't!" Tanya yells out.
"I can, and I will. You signed the agreement, and you broke it."
Tanya says nothing more as she storms out of the office, slamming the door behind her.
"One more thing; I don't want the money."
There are several confused looks throughout the room. To be exact, everyone except Bella and I look as if I have lost my mind.
"Let me explain. I don't need the money. I have talked it over with Bella, and she agrees this is a great idea. I want you to set up an account. The account will be for Baby Jasmine. I know that she is not mine, but for eight months, I loved her, and she is innocent. I want it set up so that she cannot have access to it until she is twenty-one. Tanya can have no access to this money whatsoever. Jasmine can know about it when she turns eighteen, but if she needs to take any money out, she will need to get my approval. If, for some reason, anything happens, and she passes, or chooses not to accept the money, the full amount of the account will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital."
The looks of confusion turn to smiles. The looks on my parents' faces are pure pride. We may be involved in a lot of shit, but we still give back. We walk out the office after giving a few more details and head out to dinner.
A/N:
Sneak peak at the next chapter
My own parents were going to take Edward's side over mine. That was until I told them what I know. Sure, they were disappointed in me. I made a bad choice, whatever. When they found out who his family really is, it more than made up for it. Now, they know why they hold so much power and are working on a way to bring them down, every last one of them. Me, I have called dips on Edward and his bitch. No one is to touch them but me.
