Chapter Twenty Two

Edward

I was even more confused when my phone rang early the next morning and I found myself talking to Bella once more.

"Bella? Where are you? What the hell is going on? Where are you? Why have you refused to answer my texts or take my calls?"

"Do you really want me to answer that now? Or would you rather meet and talk in person?"

"In person? You mean meet? Where? When?"

"This evening in Boston."

This was far more than I had expected. Did she know I'd tracked her down? Was she about to tell me that she had been playing cozy family with Jasper and had now got it out of her system? I decided to play things cool.

"Of course, where? I'm only too pleased to talk to you, Bella. I want to understand what happened."

"6 pm at the Skywalk observatory."

"Wonderful. We can have dinner afterwards."

"In the multimedia theatre."

"Of course. Do you want me to pick you up? Just tell me where. I know you don't have a car."

"Just be there, Edward."

She hung up then but although her attitude had been cold and curt I felt that I might be getting somewhere. She had after all contacted me and that must mean something. I decided I was not going to let her leave until I had some answers.

Bella

I had hated every second of my contact with Edward but it was necessary and Jasper had stood at my side the whole time with one hand on my shoulder to give me moral support.

When we told Megan of our plans she bounced around like the Energizer bunny!

The thought of spending another night in a hotel and this time with Jasper and myself obviously pleased her and even I had to smile at the thought of spending a night in a hotel room with a man, not my husband or boyfriend, and my daughter. It was the kind of experience that should have been mine and Edward's. We should be showing our very special little girl the delights of Boston. Taking her to the skating rink or movies although I suspected that Edward's idea of an entertaining evening might include a musical recital or a gallery visit rather than a trip to the cinema.

I wondered if I was maybe being unfair to Edward. Maybe Megan would have been a different child if brought up by Edward and myself but then he was responsible for that never being an option. I hoped he lived to rue the day he had abandoned her to die. I hoped he lived for eternity understanding just what he had lost and grieving for it because he would never get his hands on my daughter. I'd kill him first and not even blink as I did so.

I think Megan sensed something was up. Of course, the last time she had an expedition to the city she had met me so maybe she just wondered what surprises were in store for her this time.

The hotel Jasper had picked was quiet, away from the bustle of downtown and far enough removed from Edward too. It certainly wasn't the five-star luxury he preferred and was used to and I found it much more relaxing. I hated being waited on hand and foot, it just wasn't me. And that was something he had never quite understood. I think he had expected me to be grateful that he had brought me up in the world. Well, if so he had been sadly mistaken.

An hour after we arrived Mary appeared and this time I was formally introduced. She seemed like a really nice matronly sort of woman and it was clear that Megan was pleased to see her. Not only that, she seemed genuinely fond of my little girl.

"I thought I might take Meg to the park if that's OK with you Mr Whitlock?"

Jasper looked at me and I nodded. It was nice how he included me in all the decisions regarding Megan without making a big deal of it.

Kneeling down to say goodbye to Megan I was touched when she threw her arms around me and gave me a hug.

"You won't be gone long will you mommy? Promise you'll be back soon."

"I promise. Poppa and I will be back as soon as we can. In the meantime, you be a good girl for Mary."

"I will. She's going to take me to the park and then.."

She leaned forward to whisper in my ear,

"We're going to get a chicken burger and an ice cream but don't tell poppa. I'm not allowed them very often."

"OK. It'll be our little secret. Now, you have fun and I'll see you again soon."

There were hugs and kisses for Jasper too before we left and knowing that I was reluctant to leave Megan he took my hand in the elevator.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. She gets on really well with Mary and I don't imagine for a second that Edward plans on doing anything like snatching her. I doubt he's put two and two together and if he has...Well, I think it highly likely that my friend is also keeping an eye on our little one."

I was grateful for his reassurances and warmed by his words, 'our little one' and continued to hold his hand until we got to the car.

It was a quarter to six when we parked and made our way to the Skywalk and I became more nervous with every step. Jasper took my hand again and I felt the slightest of calmness settle over me. I knew he was helping me prepare for my meeting and I smiled my thanks.

"You'll be fine. Do you want me to come up with you or just hang around in case you need my support?"

"I guess I should see him alone but please, don't go too far."

He smiled reassuringly and gave me a hug,

"I'll be close by. Good luck, you'll be fine. I know you will."

He certainly had more faith in me than I had in myself.

I paused for a moment to brace myself and then entered the theatre looking around nervously for my husband. Surprisingly he wasn't there waiting. Was he trying to look cool by being late? If so it would backfire, having to wait for him to arrive would only annoy me more, if that was possible.

Hearing the door open again I turned to see Edward stroll in looking like a male model, a look of casual indifference on his face. I noted the heads of the few females in the theatre turned to look and thought yes, once upon a time he had made my head turn too. Now he only made my stomach turn!

He walked slowly over to join me and smiled,

"Bella. I was worried about you but you look OK. Everyone wondered why you had left the way that you did. Esme has been in constant contact asking if I've heard from you. Where were you? What's going on?"

Realizing this was not the place to have such a serious conversation I motioned for him to follow me outside onto the skywalk which was almost deserted now.

"Let's not play games, Edward. You know where I was."

He frowned, unhappy that I wasn't going to play his game.

"OK, but if you are expecting me to apologize you can forget it. You are still my wife and I care about you. I'm worried about you, you haven't been well and I don't want to see anyone take advantage of you in your fragile condition. So, of course, I made it my business to trace where you were."

"How very noble of you, Edward. That must make you feel so righteous."

"I don't want to fight with you, Bella. I assumed you had asked to meet me to talk things out so we can move forward. Was I wrong?"

"No. I guess you were right in many ways. We do need to talk things out so we can move forward."

I could see the relief in his face, he thought I was going to have a minor breakdown and ask him to take me back. His ego really couldn't envisage any other scenario. How shocked he was about to find himself.

"By anyone I take it you mean Jasper?"

"Yes. I did warn you about him and how did you find him? Or did he find you? What did he offer you? A replacement child? I saw the human kid with the two of you. It appears pathetic to me. He always wanted you, I could tell that. A fool could see it, and once he discovered you had lost the… Well, he found out and he found himself a kid to replace it. If that's what it took to make you happy I could have found you one. We could have adopted but has he thought it through? Does he realize that sooner or later it will discover you aren't normal and then what? Does he kill it and find you another? Or is he banking on the idea that you'll get over this pathetic motherhood craving you have and you can dump it somewhere and ride off into the sunset together? Have you thought about that? Don't forget he has nothing to offer you, he's a dangerous nobody, Bella. For God's sake, open your eyes and see him for what he is, just another monster."

I stared at him in disbelief. He really had got it all worked out in his own warped way and now it was for me to burst his bubble.

"Another monster? Do you mean like the one I lost? What was it again? Oh yes. A deformed male creature. That is how you described it, isn't it?"

He had the grace to look a little uncomfortable and embarrassed.

"Very well. I'll admit that was thoughtless and cruel and I apologize. I should have wrapped it up more kindly but I was upset. You had just walked out on me, leaving me to look a complete fool in front of my family. It must have upset you and for that, I am truly sorry. However, it does not excuse you running off with Hale, whatever he was offering you."

"You will never understand, Edward. You didn't understand when I told you I was pregnant and you have pressured and lied to me constantly ever since. I can't believe a word you say."

"Are you calling me a liar, Bella?"

He frowned and I saw him worrying at my words, trying to get to the meaning behind them. Suddenly his frown deepened and then I saw a burst of clouded understanding.

"Oh, I see. Jasper told you that I killed our child, did he? How does he know? He wasn't even there, he left weeks before the accident? Or did he tell you that I pushed you downstairs in order to ensure you had a miscarriage? He's full of lies Bella. The wolves, Jake, took the body and disposed of it. You know that. Why would you listen to him?"

"Actually Jasper told me no such thing. He didn't see what happened in the house but he did see Jake outside."

Edward's face clouded over, "Well, if he was there why didn't he stop Jacob Black from taking the body? Why didn't he stay to tell me what had happened? He's lying to you, Bella. And you are so emotionally fragile at the moment that you made it easy for him to persuade you that whatever he said was the truth. Don't you see the holes in his convenient story?"

"Talking of holes, I saw a lot of them in your recollection of the events that night, Edward. You never were able to explain why Jake would take a child's body. You can't tell me where he took it and the only message we got when Carlisle asked Quil Ateara was to look closer to home. What do you think he meant by that?Any ideas?"

Edward wasn't sure where I was going with this and it made him extremely uncomfortable and nervous and he did what Edward always does when under pressure, he went on the offensive.

"So I was right, the wolves and Jasper all tried to blame me for losing the body and probably killing the damn thing too. I would have expected you to stand by me. How could you possibly believe me capable of such a terrible thing?"

"I didn't Edward. I believed you when you told me your version of events and I tried so hard to move on, to grieve for my loss and pick up the pieces but something always stopped me. I didn't understand it, I thought I was going mad. I wanted to end it all. I was close to suicide and I felt guilty that it would hurt you. Despite the fact that you had treated me so badly when I was carrying our child I felt sorry for you."

"I was just trying to get you to see sense, Bella. But you refused to believe anything anyone said to you."

"Yes. I did because what I was carrying was our child. A product of our love for each other or at least that's the way I saw it. It soon became apparent that I stood alone. Not one person backed me up."

"No. Not even Jasper. OK, he may have refused to encourage you to do the right thing but he was against you continuing just like the rest of us."

"Oh, I know. He's quite open about that but he's tried very hard to make up for his earlier attitude."

Edward laughed harshly, "Like giving you a substitute child? Clever and manipulative. I have to admit he's some piece of work."

I took a deep breath and stared straight into his eyes,

"Actually Edward he did more than that. He gave me the truth and proof of it. Jasper was there that night, he took my baby, the innocent child you abandoned outside to die. He saved her life. The little girl you saw me with, that's my daughter. Living proof of your treachery and cruelty. What do you have to say about that Edward Cullen?"

He stood there in shocked silence, eyes wide and mouth open a little, paralyzed by shock and I revelled in it.