"Edward, I'm serious, stop it. I'm going to be late for work," I giggle at his playful attempts to keep me from getting dressed.
"Stay home. You are your own boss." He pries the brush from my hand and plants kisses along the side of my neck, while I try to pin my hair up.
"I can't. I have patients to see, and so do you, Chief. Now, can I please have my hairbrush back?"
"They say being involved with a doctor is never easy." He lets out a dramatic huff and falls back onto the bed.
"Ditto, Doctor." I straddle his waist and kiss him softly on the lips. "I have to go."
He sits up and watches as I straighten my skirt and reach for my glasses and briefcase. I blow him a kiss as I head out of the door.
"Hey, I forgot to mention that Alice and Jasper are having a get together at their place this evening. She invited Rosalie, Emmett and us. Shall I tell her that we'll be there?" He calls out.
"Sure, sounds like fun. I'll pick up dessert."
"I'll call you later. Have a good day."
"You too." I yell as I rush out of the house, checking my watch. I'm twenty minutes late.
I hurriedly start my car and call Leah to let her know that I'm on my way.
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Despite a tumultuous start, my day eventually settles down after a cancellation and one session, which had to be cut short.
I suddenly remember that I promised dessert for this evening's soiree.
"Leah, what's the name of that bakery you bought those delicious pastries from last week? I need to order a cake or some kind of dessert for tonight?" I call out, and she appears at the door.
"Oh, it's called Let Them Eat Cake. I could stop off during my lunch break."
"That would be such a lifesaver, I had to take my car to the mechanic on the way in this morning," I sigh gratefully.
"It's not a problem. What did you have in mind?"
"Something decadent with fresh berries."
"I think they can accommodate that. I'll be back in an hour," she chuckles.
"Take a little extra time for yourself if you need to, Leah, and thanks."
Glad that's taken care of, I reluctantly turn my attention to the mountain of unopened mail on my desk.
"Bills," I scoff, as I pull the tray toward me. Leah pokes her head back in.
"Doctor Swan, I have a lady out here without an appointment, who insists on seeing you. She says she's an ex-patient. I've offered to make an appointment when you're available, but she refuses to leave without seeing you?" She says worriedly.
"Do you know who she is, Leah?"
"She says her name's Angela Newton."
What the hell can she want? I sigh in resignation, might as well get it over and done with. I really don't want her to be hanging around when my next patient arrives.
"Give me two minutes, then send her in, thank you, Leah." I hurriedly clear my desk and tidy my hair. I don't move to the more comfortable seating area, as I normally would have done. I have no intention of having a full-blown session or encouraging her to stay for any length of time.
She enters the room diffidently as always, but her eyes hold an unfamiliar look of determination. She's lost weight, which on her already small frame is very noticeable, and she looks tired and stressed. Despite knowing that her own actions resulted in her being in this position, I can't help but feel compassion for her. I push down the sickening feeling that Edward, the man I now know and love, had some part to play in it.
"Hello, Angela, how are you? Take a seat, please." I motion to the chair in front of my desk. She frowns slightly as she glances back at the seating area, but complies and gingerly sits.
She's yet to say a word; her eyes wander around my office and finally come to rest on me as I take my seat across from her.
"What can I do for you, Angela? You do understand, don't you, that I'm no longer your doctor, so this is not an official visit."
"I know that, Doctor Swan, how can I forget; you did summarily dismiss me as your patient, after all. Almost as soon as you learned of my relationship with Edward, as I recall," she says snidely.
"Angela, I really have no intention of discussing your liaison with Doctor Masen. Why are you really here?"
"I want some answers. I think that after nearly twelve months as your patient, where your obligation was to help me in my relationship, that I deserve to understand why you told me to do something that ended my marriage?"
I can't believe her nerve. I understand that she's upset that her marriage is in tatters, but she's the one responsible for that, not me. Hell, if we're being honest here, not even Edward can be held responsible.
"Angela, this visit is entirely inappropriate. The breakdown of your marriage is something that you need to discuss with Mike, and if you need to, with your new therapist.
And just to be clear, I did not tell you to do something that ended your marriage. I told you to be honest with your husband, because that is what one does in an honest and loving relationship. Both parties in a marriage have the right to expect honesty." I look at her intently; her lip quivers slightly, but I can also see suppressed anger.
She's angry, and she holds me responsible for the breakdown of her marriage, that's clear.
She really is a silly, naïve young woman. And her reckless foolishness has cost her, her marriage; she just can't see that right now. I must end this, or it could escalate into something ugly, she's clearly not thinking straight.
"Angela, you have to see that it was your actions alone, that caused the problems you're now facing. Yes, Doctor Masen should not have had sex with a married woman, but you were the one who chose to cheat on your husband, you were the one who made a commitment to Mike when you married him, no-one else. All I did was give you advice, which in the long term, was the best for your relationship with your husband. I simply advised you to be honest with him. I still believe that to have been the best advice. Things would have been much worse had he found out from someone else. Mike is angry and hurt right now, but you have to give him time to come to terms with his feelings. I don't know if there is still a chance for your marriage or not, but you need to allow him the time to find out how he really feels once he gets past the anger.
And you, Angela, need to be honest with yourself. You need to face up to the consequences of the decisions and actions you've taken."
I sit back, feeling exhausted by it all.
Damn, will the drama ever end?
Throughout everything I've said, she hasn't moved, she's simply sat and stared at me, the picture of angry confusion. Angela has always been timid, and overall her demeanor hasn't changed, but I can see the pent-up anger behind her natural façade. She blinks once and takes a deep breath.
"And what about you, Doctor Swan, when do you get to face the consequences of your actions. What is the price that you get topay for having given me advice that cost me my marriage, what consequences do you get to face for now being with the man that helped to break up my marriage? What do you pay, Doctor Swan? Why do I have to be the only one who pays? I watched you and Edward at the banquet, looking so happy, in love, out in the open. Why do I have to accept having been a dirty secret, and you get it all?"
That's it; there is nothing more I can say to make her see the error of her ways or to take responsibility for her actions. No good can be served to either of us by prolonging this.
"Angela, I'm going to have to ask you to go. Right Now. Please leave, I'm no longer your doctor, you are no longer my patient. But as someone who really cares about your wellbeing, I urge you to seek help. If you are no longer seeing or want to see Doctor Denali, then please find another therapist. You need to talk to someone. Good luck, Angela."
I stand and gently but firmly take hold of her elbow and usher her to the door.
She scoffs and turns to me before she opens it, "I hope that you get to face the consequences of your actions one day soon, Doctor Swan; and when you do, remember the advice you gave me today."
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I'm angry and perplexed. An hour after Angela Newton's passive aggressive confrontation, and I'm still seething.
Who the hell does she think she is? After everything I did to try and help her, she blames me. I realize that as a professional I should be used to this type of irrational behavior, but it's hard not to take it personally. After all, her accusations were directed at both my professionalism and personal life.
The Newton's are as different as night and day, but it's obvious that both are very dysfunctional people. It's becoming clear to me that their marriage would have hit rocky ground, no matter what the catalyst might have been.
The illuminated screen of my cell phone finally draws me from my mental rambling.
"Hi."
"Hi. Am I interrupting a session?"
"No, I'm…I'm not with a patient right now."
"Oh, I've been trying to reach you for a while. Are you okay? You sound a bit upset, is everything all right?"
"Everything's fine; just a tedious day up until this point. I had to put my car into the shop this morning."
"Yikes. What happened?"
"Well, it started off with a flat tire that needed to be completely replaced, and then they called to tell me that there was a problem with the alignment."
"Poor baby, I take it you'll need a ride home?"
"Please, would you mind?"
"Not at all. I'll be there around five. Is that all right?"
"Five's good. I'll see you then."
"Bye."
I remove my glasses and massage my temples. Mentioning what happened with Angela to Edward would be a disaster.
He'd no doubt confront her, and an angry Edward is pretty formidable. She's timid and already feels like a woman scorned by two men. Any further altercations may cause irreparable damage. I really hope she seeks the help she so desperately needs.
"I got the most delectable blueberry cheesecake." Leah dances in and places the box in front of me. "It's infused with lemon liqueur."
"It sounds yummy. How much do I owe you?"
"It was forty dollars, but you don't have to pay me…"
"Nonsense, you did me a huge favor by picking this up." I dig through my purse and hand her two bills.
"I hope you'll enjoy it."
"I'm sure everyone will."
She looks at me questioningly.
"Edward and I are having dinner at his sister's tonight. I didn't want to arrive empty handed."
"Ah, I see. We'll, I'm sure they'll love it. I hope everything went well with that appointment? I'm sorry, Bella. I did try to get her to leave?"
"Appointment," I frown. "Oh, you mean Angela Newton…everything's fine."
If only she knew the half of it.
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I take a quick peek at the delicious looking cake before placing it in the refrigerator.
I reach for the mail tray just as my office phone rings.
Christ, I'm never going to get through this mail. "Yes, Leah?" I press the intercom.
"Your Mom's on the line," she informs me with a hint of humor.
I quickly check my cell and see that I've missed two calls from her.
"Put her through, Leah."
I brace myself for my mom's usual unintentional, but comic, rant.
"Isabella Marie Swan, why haven't you called?"
"Hi, Mom, how are you?"
"I'd be ecstatic if my one and only daughter would take time out of her busy schedule to call me."
"I'm sorry I missed your calls this morning, Mom. Seriously, how are you? I've been meaning to call."
"Oh, you know me, Sweet-pea, I'm always wonderful. I just miss you terribly."
"I miss you too. Where's Dad?"
"He's gone fishing with a few of his buddies. He's been running around like he's just rediscovered the fountain of youth. I've been trying to get him to take it easy, but you know how he is."
"Is everything all right with him?"
"Nothing to worry yourself about; his optometrist told him he has a minimal strain on his left eye and needs to start wearing glasses. Well, you can imagine how that went over."
"Extreme macho behavior, huh?" I laugh.
"The only way he'll wear those glasses is if I'm with him and 'nagging' as he puts it."
"Give him some time. You know how he feels about aging. He doesn't ever want to feel like he's getting too old to do the things he once could. Retiring really hurt him, Mom."
"I know. He'll never admit it, but he hates retirement. You should give him a call later, maybe try and convince him to follow doctor's orders."
"Yes, I would love to do your dirty work for you, Mom," I chuckle. "I love and miss you both so much."
"Then that means you should be coming home for a visit soon."
"We'll see. I do have some free time coming up."
"I'm going to hold you to that, Sweet-pea. Now, I know you're busy, so I'm going to say bye for now, and I love you."
"Okay, tell Dad I love him, and I'll call later. I promise."
"I will. Bye, Sweetheart."
"Bye, Mom."
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"Are you nervous?" He leans in and whispers after ringing the doorbell
"Am I nervous about having dinner with your sister? Of course not."
"She told me that she was pretty hard on you when you first met."
"That was an emotional and sensitive situation, what with Josh being so badly injured, since then, we've gotten along rather well."
"You guys are late, and I'm sure it's your fault." Alice accuses Edward as soon as she opens the door, before kissing him on the cheek.
"Guess again, Sis." He gestures to me and enters, leaving me gaping in indignation.
"It was not my fault, Edward Masen."
"I know it wasn't," she whispers and gives me a quick hug. "You look gorgeous as always, Bella."
"Thanks, so do you; pregnancy agrees with you."
"Well, it's good to know that I look better than I sometimes feel," she jokes. "Everyone's out back. I hope you like barbecue, but even if you don't, just pretend. Jasper likes to think he's some sort of grill master."
"Okay, but I love barbecue," I chuckle. "Oh, and I brought dessert."
"That was sweet of you. Thank you."
By the time we reach the back garden, Edward and the guys are already engrossed in laughing banter, and Rosalie is manning the grill.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, you can't cook?"
"Flipping charred meat over fire hardly constitutes as cooking," she scoffs as she gingerly pokes at the food with a fork.
"I'm surprised that Jasper has let you anywhere near this grill." Alice adds, peeking over her shoulder.
"If he knows what I do, he'd get back over here in a hurry."
"Ha-ha. Shut up, Bella."
"Bella, help yourself to anything. I have soda, wine, beer; whatever you want. I'm going to finish the salad."
"Do you need help with anything, Alice?"
"Not at all, just relax and enjoy yourself." She smiles and disappears into the house.
"She's a sweetheart." Rosalie mentions as we take a seat on the patio.
"She is and speaking of 'sweethearts' leave my poor receptionist alone. You're starting to scare her."
"Oh please, Leah is just afraid of finding a soul mate. And by the way, I know it was you that told her not to answer my calls. Cock blocking is such hater move, Bella."
"Cock blocking?" I laugh mockingly, and she glares at me.
"Sounds like someone's lingo is rubbing off, Em." Jasper quips as they join us.
Edward sits down next to me and kisses my cheek as he hands me a glass of wine.
"Hey, I like a woman who speaks her mind. Is there something wrong with that?" Emmett winks at Rosalie, and her responding smile illuminates her face.
"Thanks, babe. Bella is just pretending to be prissy. In college, her mouth was just as potty as the next woman's."
"I do not have a potty mouth."
"Let's not call it a potty mouth…" Edward pauses contemplatively. "A dirty mouth is more appropriate."
Everyone laughs, even Alice who joins us, bringing over a huge bowl of salad.
"Oh, I have a dirty mouth, Edward?" I glare at him in mock admonishment.
"It's a beautiful, pouty, dirty mouth, sweetheart." He cradles my chin and pecks my lips.
"This coming from the dirtiest mouth of all," Alice informs.
He shrugs and takes a drink of his beer. "I will not hide who I am."
"I have to admit that when it comes to colorful words, the Masen's have it hands down." Jasper holds up his hands in surrender, and Alice stops what she's doing to glare at him.
"Excuse me, Jasper Whitlock?"
"Well, of course not you, babe. I mean you're a Whitlock." He smiles sheepishly.
"I was born a Masen. Don't pull any of that shit with me."
"See, I rest my case." He turns to us as he gestures to her. We laugh as she swats him playfully.
"Stop showing off for our guests and watch the barbecue before it burns."
Emmett nudges Edward and snickers. "I guess we know who wears the pants in this marriage."
"Yes, and we know who wears the pants in your relationship. Don't get me started on you, Emmett Masen."
"Uh oh, someone's pissed off." Edward mumbles.
"I am not pissed off. I'm pregnant." She pinches his arm, and everyone laughs as he winces.
"One would think that the three of you would know better than to rile up a pregnant woman," Rosalie remarks snidely as she pops the cap on her beer bottle and takes a healthy swig.
"What a gem, Em." Edward dryly comments on Rosalie's brazen behavior.
"Bite me, Edward. Jasper, how long until the food is done, I'm starving?"
"Pipe down, Em, good barbecue takes time and skill. You can't rush red meat."
We try desperately to suppress our laughter at how serious Jasper obviously is about the art of barbecuing.
I'm enjoying myself, but I can't seem to completely forget Angela's visit. I understand that she's hurting and feels the need to lash out, and that she's in denial, but her accusations have really gotten to me.
"Hey?" Edward leans in and whispers solicitously. "Are you okay, we're not being too obnoxious for you, are we?"
His happiness and love for his family are so visible in his eyes and demeanor, and it's just what I need to push down the negative thoughts. I gently scratch the light stubble on his chin and return his smile.
"I'm okay."
He frowns slightly, obviously not completely convinced.
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"Mmm, Bella, where on earth did you find this cake?"
"My receptionist introduced me to this new bakery. Their desserts are to die for. Uh, Alice, you may want to limit yourself. The cake is infused with lemon liqueur."
"No wonder it's so good." Rosalie mumbles with her mouth full, and Alice pouts.
"Damn it. Six more months." She huffs and pushes the cake away.
"I'm sorry," I laugh regretfully.
"I can't eat another bite of this, Bella. I feel like a stuffed turkey."
Everyone extols the delights of the cake as they too reluctantly slide their plates away. The entire meal was delicious. Turns out, Jasper is as good on the grill as he proclaims.
The guys are checking out Jasper's newly designed games room, while Rosalie and I help Alice to clean up.
"So, are you hoping for a girl?" Rosalie hands Alice a set of plates to place into the dishwasher.
"Honestly, I have no preference this time. When I was pregnant with Josh, I was leaning towards a little girl. I fell in love with all the frilly, pink baby-girl clothing and nursery décor. Jasper of course wanted a boy and was thrilled when he was born; we both were.
Josh was such a joy coming into our lives, that I instantly forgot about my silly thoughts of a girl the minute I saw his face."
"So, you didn't know the gender until after he was born?" I add, placing the rest of the leftovers in the fridge.
She smiles and shakes her head as she reminisces.
"I've learned that the sex of the baby doesn't matter. Truth is, you fall in love with them the minute you realize they're a part of you, growing inside of you."
Her sincere joy makes it difficult not to share in her happiness.
"Besides, I've also come to realize that you can spoil a little boy as much as you can a little girl. There's a flipside to pink and frills, it's Spiderman and football. All thanks to my husband and brothers; your respective, significant others." She laughs teasingly.
"I can't wait until the two of you are in my position, and I'm the one who gets to ask these questions."
Rosalie and I look at one another in wide-eyed shock.
"Oh, yes, the Masen's, are without a doubt, serious about procreation. We want tons of little one's running around, growing up together. So, the two of you better get your childbearing hips into gear. I want nieces and nephews." She demands playfully.
"Bella and Edward have moved in together." Rosalie blurts out in an accusatory tone. "She should be the first."
"Rosalie!"
"Hey, no need to be secretive, Bella. Edward told me all about it when he came back from Dallas. And I agree. Edward's older and more mature. No offense to you and Em, Rosalie."
"None taken." She holds up her hands in emphatic agreement.
"Edward is destined to be a father. He's wonderful and so cute with Josh, to the point of being nauseating, at times. Can you imagine what he'd be like with his own little boy or girl?
"Uh…"
"Not to mention what a gorgeous little baby it would be." Rosalie chimes in.
"Um…Edward and I aren't quite ready for babies," I chuckle nervously.
A tiny snicker escapes Rosalie, followed by one from Alice. I glance between the two of them suspiciously. My obvious discomfort sparks more amusement as their snickers morph into snorts, which in turn becomes full blown laughter.
"Oh, I get it. The two of you are horrible."
"You should've seen the look on your face." Alice squeals.
"Ha, ha, laugh it up." I deadpan, as Rosalie attempts to control her hilarity and gives me a hug.
"You're such a little bitch, Rose."
"It was all Alice's doing. I swear, at first I thought she was serious too, then I caught on."
"As my best friend, you're supposed to warn me." I teasingly shove her away and walk back out into the yard.
"Hey, it wasn't all a joke. I still want nieces and nephews." Alice yells after me, giggling loudly.
Although, I'm definitely not ready for children, I can't help thinking about what she'd said. Edward does have a soft spot when it comes to Josh, and I know that he'd be an exceptional father. I recall his expression the day he revealed the truth about Lauren's baby; how hurt he was when he told me she'd miscarried.
He was equally devastated when he later discovered that he wasn't the father of that baby, after all. His life would be so different right now if he'd been a father.
Lauren. That witch, she caused so much turmoil in his life; it's almost inconceivable that he was able to move on to find happiness.
Edward credits me with being his motivation for doing that, but he's wrong. Therapy sessions didn't bring about his change, nor did our relationship.
In fact, a small part of me feels that I only contributed to Lauren's irrational behavior by getting involved with him. The successful, loving, caring person that he is now, is the man he's always been, the man who hid himself behind an impenetrable wall for so many years. No matter how hard Lauren tried to destroy him, that man remains, scarred but still strong.
Thoughts of her, her despicable acts and Angela's visit pervade my mind as I viciously shove garbage into the trash.
"God, I know it's trash, but what did it do to you?" Rosalie exclaims.
"I've got to be the world's worst therapist."
"Okay, what's going on, surely you can't have been that upset by my and Alice's little prank?"
"Do you think I'm a good doctor?" I fix her with a serious expression.
"Of course, you're a good doctor. Where is all this coming from, Bella?"
"An ex-patient of mine practically accused me of giving her advice which ended her marriage. And I can't help but wonder whether I did the right thing, Rose. Advice that I believed to be right ended up causing hurt and damage."
"Bella, I can't speak to the specifics of the case, but I know you, and you would never intentionally do anything to harm another person. You are the consummate professional, and you care about your patients' wellbeing. You would never do anything unethical or something that countermands your training."
"I didn't say I did it on purpose." I huff and run a hand through my hair. "I'm just saying, what if I unconsciously gave bad advice, and it resulted in ruining a marriage?"
"Are you insane? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"
"How ridiculous what sounds?" Edward walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Your girlfriend here is having some major self-doubt and recriminations. See if you can talk some sense into her." She walks away.
"Self-doubt and recriminations? You're not having second thoughts about moving in with me, are you?"
"No…of course not. Rosalie just has a big mouth and an overactive imagination." I hope he'll just drop the subject.
"That might be true, but you're keeping something from me. I can sense it; I've sensed it all evening." He turns me to face him.
"It's just work. I have an early day tomorrow, and it doesn't promise to be an easy one."
"Difficult patient?"
"I can't discuss it, Edward, but none are more difficult than you were." I tease and he nods, smiling wryly.
"Touché, Doctor Swan. I was a pretty big pill to swallow, wasn't I?"
"One of the biggest."
"Can't I just be the biggest?"
"Is there enough room for that and your ego?" His arms snake around my waist, pulling me close.
"I can make room."
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.
"Hello, Doctor Swan. I've been waiting for you, I'm sure you remember me." Justine spins around in the chair.
"Oh, not pleased to see me? Well, too bad. I have things to say to you," she sneers.
"Wondering what we had in common, what I could possibly want to discuss? Oh, please, I can tell that you know exactly what we have in common.
Why so tense, Doctor Swan, relax while I tell you a story.
It's about a man; the kind of man all women dream about; classic good looks, wealthy, successful, an amazing lover. He sounds perfect doesn't he?
Well, although he's perfect in every way, my problem is that he used me for his own selfish gratification, and when he was done, he tossed me out as if I had no more worth than last week's garbage.
Now, I know you're asking yourself, why any woman would want a man like that, but the real question is, why would you want a man like that, Doctor, Swan?
Edward is a real enigma, isn't he?"
"I'll say." Victoria struts in and raises an eyebrow at me.
"Look at her standing there, all prim and proper. She might not want to admit it, but she wanted him from the moment she first saw him, who wouldn't? It wasn't until she caught me having sex with him in the office that she decided to act on it. The next day, she fired me. How's that for knocking out the competition, right, Doc? And a month later, she's answering his door, wearing his shirt."
"Well, at least you weren't a patient of hers." Angela sneers; showing no sign of diffidence now.
"I came to her for help with my marriage. She encouraged me to tell her about my affair with Edward, and before the session was over, she'd convinced me to confess to my husband and pawned me off to another therapist.
That confession cost me my marriage, but what did you get out of it, Doctor Swan? Oh, right, you're now dating the man that I confided in you about.
All those things I told you in confidence. Every sexual secret I disclosed, you wanted to experience for yourself. You wanted Edward. You had to have him, and damn anyone that got in your way, Victoria me…"
"And even his wife." Lauren saunters in nonchalantly. "Sorry to crash the party, ladies, but I think my story trumps everything I've heard so far.
You see, I met our dear Doctor Swan months ago.
Imagine seeking help to save your marriage to an unfaithful husband, whom you love with every molecule of your being. All you want is to have a family, and a life filled with happiness.
Then imagine the person you've trusted with the most intimate details of your life, the person who promised to do whatever it takes to help you hold on to your husband, only to have her stab you in the back and steal him for herself. Isn't that right, Bella?"
"You're going to answer for your indiscretions, Doctor Swan."
'I didn't do anything wrong!' I want to shout out, but the words are stuck in my throat. I seem pinned to the ground as I stare at them, a united front of accusation and vengeance. And suddenly, it all becomes clear; they're in this together, they're united in one common goal, to ruin me.
"You're going to pay." They promise ominously.
"No!"
I gasp as I sit bolt upright.
"What's wrong?" Edward's voice is thickened by sleep as he sits up beside me and rubs soothing circles on my back. I wipe my forehead, now drenched with sweat and struggle to bring my labored breathing under control.
"Nightmare."