Fran is the beta extraordinaire and, shit, I can't quite remember exactly who pre-read this for me, but I'm going with 2browneyes, Judyblue and Michele, maybe? Thanks, ladies :)
Summary: The kids are older, Jake and Seth are nine, the twins, five, and the princess is three. Edward and Bella face a situation Edward had hoped to avoid, though it was always inevitable
EPOV
"What book do you guys want me to read?" I ask the twins as they settle into their bunk beds. Not much has changed over the years, only the players. At the age of nine, Jake and Seth no longer allow me to read to them, but it's made a little easier to accept because Trynt and Trystan are all too willing to make Daddy feel better by listening attentively.
"Dog Man," Trystan calls from the top bunk.
I look to Trynt to see if he has any objections. He just shrugs, so I grab the book from their shelf and make my way over to my usual chair where I sit in the lamplight and read.
Not even ten pages later, a quick peek at the boys lets me know they're both sleeping soundly. I nestle them in their covers and make my way down the hall where Bella has already tucked my princess in nice and tight.
In the glow of her nightlight, I run my hand over her soft brown hair, admiring the way it shines in the dim light. At three, she's already her own little person—Bella's mini me. I'm already a weak man when it comes to my wife, so it isn't hard to imagine how this little one has me wrapped just as fucking tight.
I place a soft kiss to her cheek and whisper, "Goodnight, princess."
After staring at her angelic face for one more minute, I get up and retreat from her room, my mind already fast forwarding to Bella.
With five young kids, quiet moments are fucking precious. My steps quicken as I get closer to our bedroom, and when I open the door, I can hear the water running in the bathroom. Eager to join her, I hurry in that direction, already stripping my clothes along the way.
By the time I have the bathroom door shut and locked behind me, I'm naked and hard as a fucking rock. Seeing the outline of her nude, water covered body behind the glass enclosure causes my cock to start leaking.
With swift but determined steps, I stalk across the bathroom and almost rip the door from its hinges when I snatch it open. Bella doesn't even react, she just continues soaping her body in the most sensual way I've ever seen.
My tongue comes out and sweeps over my bottom lip as I stand transfixed by her every fucking move. The suds run a trail over her bare skin that forces my eyes to follow and my feet to move.
Sliding in behind her, I grip her hips and pull her flush against me. "Goddamn it, Bella. Do you know what you're doing to me?"
She slips around to face me, her tits lift and push together, distracting me. "I have an idea," she says coyly, rubbing her slippery body against mine.
I drop to my knees to worship the womanly body before me, lifting both her tits and running my thumbs over the tight buds, using the soap as lube. My eyes land on hers and watch as they fall closed, and she pulls that fucking plump lip in between her teeth. There's nothing better than the face Bella makes when she's feeling pleasure. It's the moments like this that I live for, especially when they're so fucking sparse these days.
When a slight moan escapes, I scramble back to my feet and push my mouth to hers with urgency. The water cascades between us as I grip the back of her head, angling her so I can shove my tongue deeper. My other hand slips down her back and cups her ass at the juncture of her thigh. Needing no more encouragement, she lifts and wraps one toned leg around my hip and writhes against me.
My muscles tense at the pleasure that shoots through me as her slick folds slide against my cock. A growl rumbles low in my chest, and I rip our lips apart, bringing my other hand down to lift, pinning her against the wall. Eye to eye, I thrust once, experimentally, watching as chills race over her heated skin.
"I can't be easy tonight, baby. I fucking need you."
Reaching down, I line up my cock and enter her in one, hard thrust. Sweet, tight heat envelops me as teeth sink into my shoulder to muffle her moan. A surge of passion races over my skin as I pull back and thrust again, and again, and again.
With legs locked tight around my waist, Bella bounces with every move I make. Her head beats a steady thump against the wall as she watches me with heavy-lidded eyes.
A pounding on the door brings every movement to a screeching halt. Both of us stare wide-eyed and frozen at the other.
"Mom!" yells a voice, which belongs to a kid I want to strangle.
My whole being slumps in my spot, but I'm not fucking giving up yet. Those boys are supposed to be in the damn bed! With tentative strokes and a finger over my lips, I start moving again. Bella's eyes widen even more, but she doesn't admonish me.
Her breaths speed.
I smirk.
More pounding. "Mom!" This time it's Jake's voice.
"I'll … Out in a minute," she yells as best she can while my cock moves in and out of her at a tortuously slow pace.
Using the wall for leverage, I slide my palm up and grip her hair, extending her neck to the side. My lips land on silky skin, and they nip and suck with each thrust.
The banging starts again, and this time, it sounds like a herd of elephants is trying to beat down the door. "Mom," Seth whines. "We can't find our cleats."
Bella opens her mouth, but all that escapes is a quiet moan.
I smirk some more and pick up my pace.
"Mom, come help!" the devious duo whines in unison.
I chuckle. "She's helping your dad find the soap." Bella's eyes jump to mine, but I just smirk harder and swivel my hips. "Go to your room, and she'll be there in a minute," I yell a little more sternly than necessary.
"Dad?" Seth asks like he can't believe I'm in here too.
"Yeah, son. Just go. I promise she'll be out soon." I try to sound as sincere as I can while keeping my hips moving at a steady pace.
Finally, I hear the faint sound of feet pattering through our room and the door shutting behind them, and instead of feeling relief, I feel urgency. Stepping back to let her legs drop, I quickly spin her around and brace her hands against the wall.
"This is going to be fast and hard, baby," I growl, lining up and pushing inside.
Her resounding moan is all the fucking encouragement needed. Gripping her hips tightly, I start thrusting mine at a hurried pace. Her moans set the tone, and when I hear that special one, I repeat the movement over and over until her back arches and her nails start digging into the tile. The burn in my stomach builds in the wake of her spasms until I'm emptying inside her.
Removing her fingers from the death grip she has on the wall, I hold her close while we both catch our breaths. A few seconds later, I grab the body wash and that fucking pink ball thing and start quickly cleaning her up so she can help the boys find their damn shoes.
*****SLT*****
The next morning is a repeat of every weekday morning. I get up and make breakfast, taking a minute halfway through to wake everyone else, and we eat at the table as a family once it's done. Then, I kiss my family goodbye—the ones who still allow it anyway—while they load in with Bella. Autumn will be dropped at Esme's, and it's to school for the rest of them.
This morning, as Seth's trying to slip by, I grab his shoulder. "Hey, you get your shoes sorted last night?"
"Yeah, Dad." He tries to climb on in.
"Well, where were they?" I ask holding him back, because duh.
Both the boys stand there, looking embarrassed. Finally, Jake says, "They were under Seth's bed."
"That's it?" I furrow my brows. "You didn't look under your beds before you came yelling for your mom's help?"
Seth's eyes go to the ground, and Jake just shrugs. "Sorry."
I sigh. "It's not that big of a deal, but geesh, dudes, you should've already had your soccer bags ready before bedtime. Besides, you just used your cleats two days ago. Be a little more considerate next time, yeah?"
"Yes, sir," they say in unison.
I smile and hold out my fist. "Cool. Have a good day at school, and I'll see you this afternoon."
Seth gives me a bump and climbs inside, and so does Jake, but he adds, "Don't forget to put our bags in your van, Dad."
"No problem." I chuckle and pull the door closed behind them.
After cleaning up from breakfast, I don my chef jacket so I can head into Switch It Up. Owning a restaurant is tiring but fulfilling work—with a competent fucking staff that is. Every hire can't be perfect, but it's gotten to the point where I won't allow anybody to employ kitchen staff except me.
With a sigh, I grab my keys and the boys' soccer bags and head out the door. This morning, I make my usual run to Pike Place Market.
"Morning, Eleazer," I address the old man who's been supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to the restaurant for the past two years.
"Morning, Edward. What ya after today?" he asks, waving his hand over the generous selection of fresh, farm-grown goods at his stand.
With my fingers propped on my chin, I scan over the offerings laid out before me. "You got enough of the butternut squash to fill an order?"
Old man Eleazer tips his chin downward. "Sure do. That asparagus is as fresh as they come, too."
I smirk. "Sounds good, El. I'll take some of both."
It takes two fucking trips to load the boxes in my car, but I'm satisfied with my purchases. My mind's already moved on to what recipe I want to use or if I'm going to create something new. By the time I arrive at Switch It Up, the kitchen's already abuzz with prep work.
A shit ton of paperwork awaits me in my office, but I can't seem to care. I grab my knife case, set up my prep station and join the rest of the kitchen staff. I don't get to cook as much as I'd like, and though it makes them nervous as hell to have me around, I try to make my presence known as often as possible.
After a satisfying morning of physical work, I retire to my office to do paperwork in the afternoon. Some time later, a chuckle breaks my concentration.
I look up to see Jay casually propped against my door frame. "What the fuck are you laughing at?"
"Never thought I'd see you bent over a stack of paperwork with your reading glasses on instead of in the kitchen," he replies with an easy shrug. "I told you I'd get to it this afternoon when I got here."
I snort. "You know I can't leave that shit lying around, bro. Drives me nuts."
He throws his head back and chuckles heartily. "Who are you, and where the fuck is my brother?" he asks, searching around the room for another person like an idiot. "You're like the new, improved, OCD Edward or some shit."
"What the fuck do you expect?" I ask incredulously. "I have my own restaurant and five kids under ten. Might as well be two sets of twins." I chuckle and shake my head, remembering the lengths I had to go just to have a minute with Bella.
"Wait a minute." He holds up his hand, stopping my thoughts from wandering too far. "What was that look for?"
I reorganize my face into a confused expression and lift my brows high. "What look?" I ask as if I have no clue what he means.
He snaps his fingers and takes a couple steps into the room. "Uh huh, I saw something brewing behind those beady eyes."
Throwing my head back, I laugh hard before pulling my reading glasses off and rubbing my eyes. "Seriously, man. Schedule is my life these days, and all this paperwork drives me nuts!" I wave my hands at the different stacks perched haphazardly across the desk.
He pushes his hands out in front of him. "Okay, bro, chill. Go check on the kitchen, and I'll get started on it now before the dinner crowd hits." He glances at his watch. "Hell, when you're done there, head on out. I owe you for staying late last week."
I scrub my hands over my face and stand, stretching my neck to get out the kinks. "Thanks, bro." On my way by, I pat him on the back.
The rest of my afternoon is much smoother after loading all that damn paperwork on Jay. I chuckle to myself as I make the filling for butternut squash ravioli.
When it hits two, I start cleaning up my station and stop by the office to let Jay know I'm gone before heading out to the minivan. This is our routine. Bella does mornings, and on the couple afternoons she's in the office, I do pick up.
First up is Autumn. I park and head inside Esme's to get my baby girl. Esme gives me a beaming smile as soon as she sees me. "Edward, how are you?"
I bend and kiss her cheek. "I'm doing well. How did her day go?"
"You know that girl gets along with everybody." She shakes her head and starts leading us back to where my princess is playing with another group of kids.
Since the boys were here, Esme has expanded and added her own Pre-K programs, and Autumn is currently in her three-year-old class. She's smart as a whip anyway, but since she started, I can already see the difference on the basic things like recognizing letters and shit.
It takes her a minute to spot me, and when she does, she just gives me a smile and a wave. That's it. She doesn't run to her daddy with arms wide open or anything. "Autumn, let's go, baby," I say sweetly and squat, opening my arms so she'll get the hint.
She glances at me and holds up a finger. "Just a minute. Let me finish this."
I drop my arms, defeated, only to feel a gentle touch on my shoulder and a light chuckle. "They grow up quickly, don't they?"
Realizing the touch isn't from Esme, I immediately stand and take a step to the side. Not recognizing the woman, I cross my arms. "She's just trying to finish her puzzle," I say, not liking this stranger commenting on my princess's failure to fawn all over her daddy.
She throws her head back, giggling like I said the funniest shit ever. When she looks to me again, she's batting her fucking lashes and playing with a string of pearls that hang from her neck.
Oh shit, I know this look.
I start moving toward Autumn, and when I reach her, I crouch down beside her. "Come on, princess. We have to get the boys. Jake and Seth have practice today."
She snaps her eyes to mine. "Really?"
I nod and open my arms. Instead, she takes my hand and says, "Let's go."
I may huff a little as I stand, but with her hand secured in mine, I start leading her from the room. As we pass the unknown woman, she drops down beside my daughter and holds out her hand.
"Hi. I'm Tia. What's your name?"
Autumn looks at her strangely, then up to me. I shrug one shoulder, so she turns back to the lady. "I'm not posed to talk to strangers," she says and starts pulling on my hand again.
I chuckle and smirk at Tia as we leave her squatted on the floor with her hand held out, a confused expression on her face.
"Do you know that lady, Daddy?" Autumn asks after we've left the building.
I look down at her and shake my head. "Nope. Never seen her before."
She holds her free hand up and waves around as she asks, "Why strange ladies always talkin' to us?"
A sarcastic chuckle escapes before I can stop it, and I swoop down and grab her, placing her on my hip and poking her belly with my pointer finger. "I have no idea, princess." I snort. "Maybe they're lonely and need some friends."
"You not wanna be they fwiends?" she asks, her green eyes serious.
I tilt my head, pausing to choose my words wisely. "Well, everybody needs friends, but I have a lot already."
"You can never have too many," she says, and she's being completely serious. "I have bunches of fwiends."
Smiling, and attempting to change the subject, I tickle her belly. "Of course you do, princess. You're the best friend in the whole world."
Her giggles fill my ears, and luckily we've reached the car so the subject is dropped. Once I have her buckled in, we make the short drive to the elementary school while my princess goes on and on about her day. I think she replays every second of it by the time we arrive.
The fucking pick-up line is already long, so I pull in and move inch by fucking inch until, fucking finally, I can see the boys waiting. They make an imposing group. Jake, Seth, Jared, Joseph, Trystan, Trynt and Leah all stand together.
I smile to myself as I stop in front of them. The boys slide the door open and Jake and Seth load in the very back seat while the twins settle in beside their sister. I wave at the three others left waiting on Vic and send a smile to Leah, who's the only one to wave back anyway.
"How was school today?" I ask as we pull away from the curb.
"Fine," both Seth and Jake say at the same time.
At least my other boys are still interested in me. Trystan and Trynt take off, talking about their day, almost completing each other's sentences. Every now and then Autumn breaks in to ask a question, and they patiently explain whatever she wants to know. I smile to myself as we make our way to the field.
Since the school doesn't have a team, and the boys want to play, we've signed them up for soccer at the local YMCA. They're actually pretty good at it, and the twins are eager to get their start next season. It doesn't hurt that Joseph and Jared play, too, and even though they're on different teams, they all practice side by side.
When we arrive at the field, the boys grab their bags and run off toward where the rest of the kids are gathering. I unload the smaller three, and as earlier, Autumn only wants to hold my hand on the way to the sidelines. I grit my teeth but smile at my baby as we head to a bench.
Trystan and Trynt position themselves in the grass between the white line and us, and I let my princess roam the area right in front of me. After a couple minutes, Vic sits beside me with a huff while Leah takes off and joins the twins.
"That school line get to you?" I ask, giving her a side glance.
She rolls her eyes. "I don't know why I don't get there earlier. It's the same every day. I spend more time in that line each afternoon than I do getting them dressed and dropping them off in the mornings."
I bump her shoulder and chuckle. "In my experience, to be close to the front of the line you have to get there an hour before school's even out. Fuck that noise. At least we're moving, even if it is only an inch at a fucking time."
She just shakes her head, and we scan the different teams out there today. Jake and Seth are practicing their dribbling almost directly in front of us, and Trystan, Trynt and Leah run up and down the sidelines, keeping an eye on all three teams. For the most part, Autumn just runs around in front of me, unless the older kids are down this way, then she joins them until they run off again.
After practice winds down, the coaches gather their teams to center field for their daily pep talk, so I yell to the twins and Leah to head back over this way. By the time they make it to us, I notice our boys have collected together and are about to head this way. I stand, ready to pick up Autumn, when I hear a ruckus.
My eyes search for the noise and immediately zero in on a group of boys gathered halfway between here and center field. And of fucking course, every single one of ours is in the middle of it.
I glance to my princess, unsure what to do, until Vic gives me a shove. "Go! I've got these." She waves at the four smaller kids standing around us.
As I start moving, the ruckus gets louder, so my feet move faster. When I'm close enough to see what's happening, I notice a bigger kid, and two about the same size as my boys, are faced off with the Masen crew. I can't quite make out the words yet, but it's obviously a confrontation.
Just as I'm about to grab Jared's shoulder, because he's closest, Jake scoots to the side and sticks out his foot while Seth hauls back and shoves the big kid as hard as he can. The boy falls to the ground before I can catch him.
Due to the presence of an adult, namely me, the other two kids scatter, but the big kid is already getting up. "I'm gonna make you pay, Looney Twins!" he yells and starts to charge at them, but I put my hand on his chest.
"You're going to do no such thing," I bark and turn to my boys. "I'm sure this is some kind of misunderstanding. Seth, Jake, apologize to this kid for making him fall."
They both look at me like I've lost my damn mind, but I haven't. I tense. "I said apologize," I say in the most I-mean-business, dad-like voice I possess.
Both boys give me nasty looks, but at least they mumble, "Sorry." Even though they don't look at the kid.
I look back to the little fucker that called my sons a name. "This is the end of this little altercation. I suggest you not call my sons anything other than their names from here out. Got me?" I ask, giving him a withering stare.
He bobs his head quickly. "Yes, sir."
"Good." I move my hand from his chest and wave him away. "Now get out of here." He scatters and I turn my hard gaze to the rest of the Masens. "Get moving!"
Even though it's obvious Jake and Seth are still pissed at me, they know better than misbehave. As soon as we reach the sidelines, Vic gives me a questioning brow. I just shrug and shake my head. I look around to see where the fucker's parents are and notice he's getting on a bike. I watch until he takes off down the street with his little gang of two in tow.
As we're walking back to the parking lot, I move up beside Vic. "Talk to your boys and see what they say, okay?"
"Sure," she agrees. "I'm not sure they'll say much, but I'll see what I can do."
I nod and look ahead where Jake and Seth are walking, still tense as hell. I take a deep breath. Looks like I may be on their shit list tonight.
The ride home is silent aside from talk between the smaller three. Neither Jake nor Seth say a word. By the time we get there, the tension is so thick you can't even cut it with a fucking machete.
As soon as I turn off the ignition, I turn to face the boys. "Go to your room. I'll be up shortly." Jake huffs and gets up, snatching the door open. Both he and Seth file out with their soccer bags and huge ass attitudes. I take a few deep breaths before getting out to unload the other kids.
When we walk in the house, all is quiet. I head to the kitchen and set out a snack on the table before trudging up the stairs. "Trystan, Trynt," I call toward their room. "Snack's ready."
Once I hear their feet heading my way, I turn and head to Seth's room. With two raps, I enter and go sit beside him on the bed. "What was that about?"
He rolls to face the other direction. I grit my teeth. "Fine. Have it your way. See you at dinner." I get up and stalk from the room, shutting the door behind me—loudly.
Following a different path, I get the same results from Jake. I leave them both alone in their rooms until dinner. Heading back downstairs, I go straight to the kitchen. I'm actually thankful to be cooking. It's my passion and a good way to work out my current frustrations.
By the time I'm almost done, I hear the front door. Sighing, I head out to see my wife. Before I've even made it to her, she's read me like a book. Her hand goes to my cheek. "What's wrong?"
I shake my head and pull her closer, pushing my lips to hers. I sigh into the kiss, everything in me automatically settling. When we pull apart, I say, "Trouble with Jake and Seth."
"What now?" she asks, propping her hand on her hip, and I can't help it, I smile at her cuteness. Even after five years, my wife can still be a spitfire when necessary. Maybe I should sic her on them instead.
"Some little fucker at soccer practice called them the Looney Twins," I tell her, my jaw tightening as I think about it.
"Edward," she admonishes, smacking me on the chest. "Do not call other kids names like that!"
"He called my kids a name!" is my smart reply.
There goes that hand again, propping right on that sexy as hell hip. "He's a child. You're not. Case closed." She punctuates it with a jab to my chest.
I grab her finger and try to look like I'm sorry. "Fine." Then I pull her closer and kiss her once more because those damn pursed lips are too much to ignore.
A tug on my pant leg breaks me away. "Daddy, we gotta finish cookin'."
I reach down and pick up my princess—and she doesn't complain—before kissing Bella one more time. "Go get changed. Dinner will be ready soon. Bring the boys down too, would you?"
She smiles and nods before moving up the stairs. When she leaves my sight, my princess and I return to the kitchen to set out dinner. When Bella reappears, it's with two normal boys and two who are still sulking. A silent head shake is all it takes to let me know she didn't get anything out of them either.
Dinner is usually a quiet affair, but tonight it holds an extra tenseness. Jake and Seth barely eat, and they damn sure don't speak. It puts me on edge to be shut out so thoroughly. I do my best to stay lively with the other kids, but it isn't without effort.
Bella does what she can to keep everything upbeat. "Are we ready for dessert?" she asks, smiling brightly.
I guess that's the straw that breaks the camel's back, because Seth's fork hits his plate with a loud clang and he stands, his chair falling behind him as his hands make a huge smack on the table.
Before I can admonish him, he starts yelling, "Pretending everything's okay isn't going to make it true!" With that, he turns and stomps from the room. Jake leaves his seat and swiftly follows.
I sit stunned, staring at the two vacated chairs.
"What's got his panties in a twist?" Trystan holds up his hands and asks.
I can't help it, I burst out laughing because the only other alternative is to march up the stairs and force the boys to talk. And I'm sure Bella would divorce me by the time I'm done.
When I get myself under control, dessert is already on the table, but I can't stomach anymore food. I excuse myself and grab my cell phone.
Pulling up Vic's number, I hit dial. "Hello."
"Vic, it's me," I say like an idiot. Of course, she knows it's me.
She laughs into the line. "I know." Then she sighs. "So, what exactly happened?"
I flop down onto the couch. "Pretty much what you saw, aside from that kid calling my boys the Looney Twins."
She lets out a small gasp. "Why would he call them that?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"Have they told you anything else?" she asks curiously.
"Not a fucking word," I reply, scrubbing my hands over my face.
"Me either, but look, Jay will be home any minute. I'll send him up. They tend to be freer with information when it's their dad asking," she replies, and I can hear the concern in her voice, probably the same as she can hear the desperation in mine.
I sigh and grip my hair. "Have him call me."
"Will do." I toss the phone on the couch beside me and lay my head back, closing my eyes. I don't know how long I stay like that, but a soft touch has me opening them to see my upside down wife. I grab her hand and pull her around to my lap.
"What are we going to do with them?" I murmur.
She fucking snorts and scratches through my stubble, sending a wave of calm moving over me. "Edward, it was just an altercation, maybe even with a bully. They have each other and their cousins. They'll come to us when they're ready, or maybe they won't even need us."
I blow a breath out my nose while I consider her words. Most of them are right, but there's something, something about this that is bothering me more than it should. Finally, I offer her a nod. "I'll trust you on this … for now."
She smiles and moves her hand into my hair to scratch there too. I almost fucking purr. Just as she goes to speak, my phone rings from beside me. I jerk upright, almost dumping her to the floor, and grab it.
"Yeah."
"Bro, this is not good," Jay says in lieu of a hello.
"Fuck," I swear, cutting my eyes to Bella. "What is it?"
"Man, that kid, he's fucking with the boys about Maria," Jay says, his voice is every bit as hard as I feel.
Everything clicks into place for me. Maria was sentenced to a mental hospital for her actions when Jake was in the hospital. She's still there today, but what makes my heart pound is the fact that we haven't ever mentioned her to the boys—never, not once, zero, zilch, fucking nada.
They've known the basics, hell they lived it, and we've always made sure they were informed of the "mistake" when they were born. Every now and then, we'll discuss it to refresh their memory, as I'm sure we'll do many more times so that the twins and Autumn will be well informed, also. But we've never felt compelled to fill them in on the aspects of who their other parents are. There was no reason, they have two parents.
I breathe deeply, doing everything in my power to keep from finding out who that kid is and where he lives. He had no goddamn right, and I'm fucking incensed.
A calming hand grips my cheek and questioning eyes pierce me.
I bring the phone down and hit speaker, pulling Bella tighter into my arms. "You're on speaker. Jay. Can"—I take a deep breath—"can you repeat that for Bella."
"Shit, man, make me the bearer of bad news why don't you," he says with a chuckle, only he can't make it believable. The tension is thick even through the phone. "All right, look, Bella, when that kid called the boys the Looney Twins, he was referring to Maria."
Her whole body stiffens in my arms and her wide eyes jump to mine. "No," she says on a gasp, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth.
"You're sure, Jay? One-hundred percent, fucking positive that's what he's teasing the boys about?" I ask, praying that this is some sick joke on my brother's part.
He lets out an audible sigh. "Positive. Look, Jared told me he's been saying shit for a couple weeks now and that Jake and Seth just had their fill of it today." He pauses and somehow I know there's more coming, so I wait. When he speaks again, it's as if even he's afraid to admit the rest of it. "Uh, well, the thing is, you see—"
"Spit it the fuck out, Jay," I say, pulling Bella even closer, bracing for the worst.
"The boys used their time in the library to Google her. Everything," he finally says, and it is as if all the air in the room disappears, and there's not enough to keep me alive. My chest tightens and my heart pounds.
Bella's small frame shaking on my lap is the only thing keeping me in the present, keeping me seated in my spot, keeping me sane at all. Some fucking idiot parent has talked a bunch of shit in front of their kid, and said kid has taken it upon himself to say things to my kids that I haven't even deemed them ready to know!
"Motherfucker!" I say to no one in particular as I sling my phone across the room. I know Bella probably needs me, but I'm no use to her like this. I slide her beside me and stand, pacing back and forth, tugging my hair and mumbling about how I want to hunt some fuckers down and wring their necks.
Bella steps in front of me, her hands landing on my chest. "Stop, baby, you have to stop." Her hand moves up to cup my cheek. "They need us to fix this for them."
"Damn right they do," I snap, already forming a plan.
"Edward," she says and shakes my chin with her hand. "Not like that. They need us to explain it to them, everything. They need to know the real truth, our truth, not the media based truth. We would've told them eventually, now it'll just have to be sooner."
"Bella, do you really think it's going to be that fucking easy? That we can just explain it all away, explain her all away?" I pull my face from her grasp and glare over her head. "I had hoped they never had to know she even existed."
"That was never possible," Bella says softly, and her words are enough. It was never fucking possible.
I meet her eyes. "How?"
"We talk to them, whether they want to talk to us or not." She shrugs like it's the simplest thing in the world.
And maybe it is.
I bring my hand up and rub my eyes, hoping to quell the headache that's building. When I pull them away, my wife is right there, waiting to comfort me. She steps into my chest and wraps her arms tightly around me.
After standing like that for a few minutes, I notice something strange. "Are you sniffing me?" I ask with a chuckle.
She giggles and pulls back. "It isn't my fault you smell like rosemary." Her smile drops and her face softens. "We'll get past this, Edward."
I nod, even though right now it feels like there's a huge mountain in front of us. I look around and notice it's quiet with only a lamp illuminating the space. "Where are Autumn and the twins?"
"Autumn's already down for the night, and the twins are in their room. You can read to them when we're done," she explains, and my eyes snap to the clock. I didn't realize I'd been zoned-out for so long. "Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," I reply on a sigh.
She takes my hand, and wherever she goes, I follow. Up the stairs and down the hall, stopping outside Seth's door. With a small knock, she pushes it open. "Seth, we need you to come to Jake's room."
He gets up with a huff and rolls his eyes as he passes us. I take another deep breath, readying myself. We follow him down the hall, and instead of knocking, he just barges right in. "Mom and Dad are behind me." I hear him say.
My hand tenses, but Bella's there to reassure me with a squeeze of her own. With one more, gentle look, she leads us into Jake's room. Both boys are sitting on his bed, watching us with thinly veiled contempt, but they don't know we've come with ammo.
Bella goes to the side that gives her best access to them both and kneels down on the floor. I follow her lead and take a seat beside her.
We're all quiet for a few moments before Bella finally speaks. "We know what happened."
Both boys' eyes widen, but Jake doesn't miss a beat. "I knew Jared would spill," he says to Seth.
"So." Seth shrugs. "It doesn't mean anything that you know."
"Of course it does, sweetie," Bella says, using that mom voice she has down pat. "You do know all you had to do was come to us, right? We'd have answered any questions you asked."
"No!" Seth yells. "You should've told us!"
"Hey, now," I say, speaking for the first time. "I completely understand you're angry, but you do not yell at your mom. Ever."
At least he has the decency to look apologetic—for a second anyway. His anger snaps back in place pretty quickly. "Look," I start, figuring I might as well try my luck. "If I had my way, you'd never, ever, know that she even exists, but it's not about me. We would've eventually told you. We have a responsibility as your parents to tell you. We just weren't sure you were ready."
"I'm not ready! I don't want to know about her! She's crazy, and she's my real mom," Seth says, and tears are forming in his eyes, which he buries behind his arm.
"Sweetie," Bella says standing and sitting beside him, wrapping an arm over his shoulder. "She's not your real mom, I am." She looks to Jake. "I'm the only mom you have, either of you."
"And she's not crazy," I add since that idea seems to upset him so much. After all, I assume that's where the nickname came from. "She only pleaded insanity to keep from going to jail. She's a cruel, money hungry bitch, but she's not crazy."
Seth wipes his cheeks and looks to me. "Really?"
"Yes, really. Why does that part bother you so much?
"Because Collin said that if our mom was crazy, then we would be too," he answers, with a sneer.
"Son, she's not crazy, but even if she was, you've been raised with an awesome Mama, there's no way you'd be like Maria." I'm sure I'm stretching the truth here a little, but in this instance, I think it's okay. I file Collin's name away for future use and scoot up on the bed beside my family. "Do you have any more questions?"
It's Jake who speaks up. "Is Maria my mom or Seth's?"
I wondered why Seth was the upset one in this scenario, but as usual, I bet he's trying to look after Jake, he always has. Or maybe he doesn't even realize.
"As I said before, she's neither," Bella reiterates. "But, she did carry you in her tummy"—she points to Jake—"and she cared for you until you were six months old." She finishes by brushing her hand down Seth's cheek. "But after that, she was never a part of your lives."
"Will you tell us what happened?" Seth asks, his face cleared of the previous worry and now only filled with curiosity.
"Of course we will," Bella says as she brushes a curl off his forehead.
Between the two of us, we reiterate what we've always told them about the switch and how that was resolved, but this time, we make sure to explain as much as possible about the time Maria attempted to reenter our lives. We want to be detailed, but we also want them to understand that none of her actions have any bearing on them.
I blow out a deep breath when it's all out there, relief settling inside almost immediately. It's fucking done, and my boys seem to be okay. A little contemplative at the moment, but now they know the whole story, and they understand it.
After a few minutes of silence, Jake asks, "When she gets out will she come here again?"
My teeth clench at the thought, but we need to be realistic here. Of course, she's never supposed to contact us, but supposed to and does isn't always the same. I can't fill them with false assurances.
"Look, dudes," I start, making sure to choose my words carefully. "She's never supposed to come near our family again. If she does, though, she'll pay the price. We won't ever let her get near you guys. Ever."
"But," Bella speaks up as she gives me a weird look. "When you're older, you may decide that you want to talk to her to get your own answers. And that's a part of being grown; making decisions for yourself."
My eyes narrow at her for a second as she speaks, and when she stops, I turn back to the boys. "Now your mama is just talking crazy." I roll my eyes to make light of my comment, but Bella's words are hard to hear, even harder to imagine. "But seriously, dudes, I hope we can be there for you in a way that makes you never feel the need for that. We'll also understand if you do and be there for you if the time comes."
Seth and Jake both are already shaking their heads in unison. "I never wanna see her," Seth spouts, his nose wrinkled in distaste.
"Me either," Jake agrees. "She's mean."
I chuckle at his cute self for being so diplomatic. "Yeah, son, she's very mean, but you know what?" I point to Bella. "You have a mama, the best mama in the world right here." I reach over and grab her hand as I gather them up in my other arm.
Together, in our little bundle of four, we have a family moment. And now that the hard part's over, and my boys understand, all the stress from earlier is alleviated. But there's one more matter to get straight.
"So this Collin kid, what's the deal?" I ask, pulling back and lifting a brow.
Seth shrugs. "He's just been saying stuff at practice."
"Does he go to your school?" Bella asks, her tone sharper than it has been. Mama bear is alive and fucking well.
The boys shake their heads. "No, just soccer."
"Hmph," is her intelligent reply, lifting a brow in my direction as if to say, "You better handle this."
I smirk at her because she's too cute with her ire. "I'll call the coach tomorrow, and if that doesn't work, I'll set up a meeting with his parents." The latter idea already sounds like something I might enjoy.
"We can handle him, Dad," Seth assures me.
I shake my head sadly. "Not the way you did today."
"But he started it!" Jake exclaims, trying to justify their actions.
"I understand that, son. And I don't want you to think that you aren't allowed to defend yourselves, but you only use physical violence as a last resort. And I don't think today was a last resort since you hadn't even come to us for the truth yet." I lift a brow so they understand exactly what I'm getting at here.
Seth huffs. "I guess."
I ruffle his hair and try to lighten the conversation a little. "Hey, I get it," I say with an easy chuckle before getting serious again, "but I also don't want my boys going around beating people up for saying a bunch of crap. Sometimes, the ones who do stuff like that have something bad going on in their life, and they don't know how to deal with it, so they project it onto other people."
When I finish, both boys are looking at me with their heads tilted a little, and Bella actually reaches her hand over and places it across my forehead. "Who are you and what have you done with Edward?" she asks in a teasing manner.
The boys crack up, and I can't help it, I join them. She is right to an extent. After all the things that went through my head earlier, here I am preaching wisdom and shit.
I rein in my laughter and hold up my hands. "All right, maybe that was your mama's intelligence rubbing off on me, but it's true. Maybe this Collin kid has problems at home or at school, so he comes to the soccer field and does mean things trying to make himself feel better." I shrug. "Why don't you try being his friend instead of letting him get to you?"
Seth smacks his hand against his forehead. "Dad, you have no idea how these things work."
"Sure I don't, buddy. I was never a kid," I snark, laughing through my nose. "Look, I'm not saying you have to be his friend, but I am saying you need to come to an understanding."
"Well, now that we know what happened, his words won't bother us so much," Jake says with a decisive nod.
Bella ruffles his hair. "Good. But we expect you to keep us informed. If he's bullying you, we want to know. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," they reply in unison.
I blow out a gust of air. "So, everything's okay now? All your questions answered?" I look between them, seeing much better demeanors than earlier.
Seth looks to Jake before turning back to me. "Sure, Dad. We're good."
I smile wide, so glad something I've always dreaded is behind us, and it looks like everything is going to be okay. I stand and wait while Bella covers them in kisses before grabbing her hand and pulling her up beside me.
"Night, dudes." I hold out my fist for a couple of bumps.
They oblige, and I start leading Bella to the door. Just as we're going to exit, Seth's voice stops me in my tracks. "Hey, Dad."
I turn around to face them. "Yeah?"
"Will you read to us?" Jake asks all shy looking and shit.
My face goes from stunned to fucking joyous in seconds. "Hell, yeah!" I do a fist pump, then grab my stomach as Bella elbows me, even though she's smiling too.
"Go," she says and gives me a little shove. "I'll read to the twins tonight."
I can't wipe the smile off my face, even as I lean in for a quick kiss. "Thank you, baby." Then in a whisper, I say, "Wait up for me?"
She gives me a nod and a sexy smirk. "Go."
And I do.
I read to my oldest boys for the first time in two years.
There you have it! It was superrrrr hard to get back in these guys' head, so I hope I did a good job and chose something you were interested in reading. Replies may be slow, but I'll get to them when I can.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and Happy Holidays to everyone else. I hope your week is filled with family and love.
See you Monday for TB :)
