Chapter 29 – Family

Edward

"Are you two going to get married?" Claire asked as we were all walking to lunch one afternoon.

"Huh?" I asked completely taken aback.

Were Emily and I actually dating without me ever realizing it? Sure, we seemed to spend a lot of time together, and I did like the dynamic of having someone else there to share a bit of the responsibility, but did that mean we were slowly on our way to becoming a family?

I never once thought about Emily romantically, but maybe I should have. The four of us were great together and she definitely seemed to fit with who I was becoming with Bree. But was it enough?

I decided to ask Emily on an official date, and I took her out with some of the guys. The band wasn't the biggest part of my life anymore, but if I were to end up with anyone, then that someone needed to be cool with what I did for a living. I had given up everything for a girl once in my life, and I wasn't willing to do it again, at least not for anyone but Bree –Who was I kidding, if I ever felt again what I felt for Bella, I'd give it all up in a heartbeat. Luckily for my band, a feeling like that only came along once in a lifetime and my chance had long passed.

But to my surprise, Emily got along great with everyone. She held her own and wasn't afraid to drink a few beers straight from the bottle. But what surprised me the most was just how supportive all the guys were.

"I think it's great, man," Jasper pulled me aside to say.

"Really?" I asked, still unsure myself.

"Yeah. You've been seeing this woman for a few weeks, and that's like years for you. I'm really proud of you for actually taking it slow this time," he explained.

"This is our first date," I said evenly.

"Yeah, a real date, not falling in love from having sex one time on a roof."

I gritted my teeth.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that," Jazz said defensively. "You know what I mean. This is good. Emily is beautiful and fun, and she's at a similar stage of her life as you are with the whole kid thing. Maybe a complete family is just what you needed all along. Finding some contentment could do you some good. Besides, look at you, you've grown some facial hair and your hair is the shortest I've seen it since your days in the military. You're even looking the part of adult family guy."

"The haircut and facial growth is to help me stay incognito; I don't want to scare Bree by being mobbed. Speaking of being an adult and all, why haven't you settled down yet?" I asked, spinning his lecture onto him.

"Settling down isn't for everyone," he rebutted.

"Maybe you just haven't found the right person yet," I told him. "And maybe when you do, you'll just know instantly and you won't have to worry about taking it slow."

"Real love takes time to grow," Jasper said while slapping me on the shoulder and slowly leading me back to the group. "Nothing is instantaneous. I've done the whole relationship thing, and it was good while it lasted, but I don't want it back. You, on the other hand, seem to want a relationship, and yet, you don't want to put in the time. You just expect it to be there. Like I said, nothing is instantaneous, and nothing is that easy. Love is work. And I'm retired."

"I never said love was easy. Obviously if it was we wouldn't be having this conversation right now, would we?"

"Touché," he relented. "But I have to ask you something. Why do I get the feeling you were hoping I'd say I didn't like Emily?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I think Emily is great and I'm glad everyone likes her," I said, unsure if I was being honest or not.

For the next few days, nothing changed. Bree and I had some quality one on one time, and we hung with my band a bit, and we spent time with Emily and Claire, but then my freak-out reached an ultimate high.

"This place is so amazing," I heard Bree telling Claire as the four of us sat in a new little café that I had never tried before. "They have the best food in the city."

"When did you ever eat here?" I asked her curiously, knowing I had never taken her.

"Oh, I never ate inside, but their garbage was the best thing I had ever eaten," Bree said enthusiastically. "And sometimes, the cook would leave food out back for anyone who wanted it. It was the only hot meal I had for the entire time I lived on the streets."

And she was absolutely right about the food, it was amazing, but for whatever reason, sitting in The Second Chances Café while looking across the table at Emily staring adoringly back at me, I suddenly felt sick. What the hell was I doing there? It was one of those surreal, out of body moments, where you have no idea how you got to a certain place, but it was clear to me right then that I couldn't stay there for a moment longer.

"Wait, we have to get dessert!" Bree protested when I asked for the check. "They have the best pie in the world."

"Not today," I told her evenly.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked me when we got outside.

"Hey, girls why don't you go play on the bike rack over there," I told them, to which they happily agreed. "Emily… I wish there was some magical thing I could say to make this easier, but…."

"But you don't want to see me anymore," she finished for me.

"I'm sorry. I think you're great, really I do, but I think I just realized that I've been trying to be someone I'm not for Bree's sake."

"Oh, please tell me you're not going to send that poor girl away?" she asked, legitimately concerned.

"No, the opposite actually. I love Bree," I told her confidently. "And every time I think about my future, she's always a major part of it. But I think I wanted to give her a family so badly that I've pushed this thing between you and me… and it's just not right. I don't want to keep stringing you along; it isn't fair to anyone."

She nodded. "I hope we can still get the girls together every once in a while."

"That would be great. And I really am sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You were never anything but wonderful, and we had a lot of fun."

We said our goodbyes and that was that, but it seemed just as Bree and I were getting used to it being just the two of us again, fate stepped in and changed everything one more time….

"What do you mean her biological mother is seeking custody?" I yelled at the Child Services agent through the phone; I was only grateful Bree was in the shower and couldn't hear. "The woman couldn't be bothered with her for over a decade, but now, all of a sudden she wants her back? I don't think so. She must have some kind of ulterior motive, and I will not allow Bree to be hurt again!"

I was beyond angry, but more than anything, I was scared shitless. Bree and I were a family. I was literally days away from applying for a permanent adoption. I couldn't lose her now, and I wouldn't. I would fight for custody and I would do whatever it took to win, including throwing my money around and having my lawyer dig up whatever dirt on the woman to prove her to be unfit to take Bree from me…