Chapter 11

At 1:29 PM the next day, I'm waiting on my dad's porch, anxiously watching the Cullen's house. I perk up when I see Edward step out of the garage and walk his bike out.

"Afternoon, ma'am," he nods with a smile as he meets me.

"Afternoon."

He glances up at my dad's house, like he's looking to see if he's watching, before kissing me quickly and handing me my helmet.

"How far is it?" I ask.

"About forty-five minutes."

We get on the road, and all I think about is my arms around him, my head resting on his back, and the gentle vibrations of the bike beneath me. It's comforting. Like my version of a warm blanket.

Too soon, we pull into a small baseball diamond and park among the smattering of mini-vans and trucks.

Edward takes my hand as we make our way to the bleachers to find Kate. She's a couple rows up, and has a small spot saved for us beside her.

"Hi, Edward." She waves. "Hi, Bella, thanks for coming. Ben will be so excited."

"Happy to be here," I say. And I genuinely was. This feels normal to me. Feels right. I feel like me, not some other version of me that's stiff and boring and sad.

"Has he been up to bat yet?" Edward pushes his shirt up his forearms and leans forward, looking for Ben.

"Not yet, he should be up soon," Kate says.

Watching the game makes me miss playing. My dad coached my team when I was a kid, but as I got older, pageants took up more and more of my time and I just...stopped playing.

"There he is," Kate says, smiling. "On deck."

I peer down and see Ben looking adorable in his uniform, taking practice swings as he watches his teammate at the plate.

"He looks nervous," Edward says.

"He struck out his last game. Each time. Might still sting a bit." Kate smiled.

"Be right back." Edward handed me his jacket and hopped down from the bleachers. He rounded the back of the diamond until I could see him behind the fence just past Ben. He caught his attention and they seemed to be talking.

"So," Kate starts. "It's good to see Edward with someone like you."

"Someone like me?" What does that mean?

"I've known Edward for awhile now, honey, and he's never sounded so consistently happy as he has the last couple of times I've talked to him. Right around the time you came into his life. The boy deserves something good in his life after all of the bullshit he's been put through."

"He does…" I agree. He deserves all the good things. It warmed my heart to know I could be one of them because he's certainly one for me. Maybe the best.

Edward claps and backs away from the fence as Ben steps up to the plate. The first pitch is in the dirt, but the second one...even from here I could tell it was perfect.

I hold my breath as he swings, and connects so perfectly with the ball that the smack echoes.

"Yes!" I stand a moment before all of the parents do, cheering him on as he runs to first base. Edward mirrors my excitement, yelling Ben's name with absolutely joy from the side. He rounds first base, second base. As he approaches third base, I glance behind him to see where the ball is. He's got time. If he can run fast enough.

He glances up and for a moment our eyes connect, and he smiles.

"Go." I mouth, nodding toward home plate.

In a moment, he's turned and heading home, sliding into to score just as the ball reaches the catcher's mitt. He did it. Homerun.

Edward is a heap of happiness, jumping and yelling so much that you'd think he hit the ball himself.

He and I meet each other's gaze, and in that moment the world falls away. I'm perfectly content here, with him, sitting in the stands watching his brother play baseball, feeling it was always supposed to be this way and always should be this way.

They win by two runs. Ben surprises me by running to me first, bypassing Kate and Edward in a rush of giggles.

"I did it!" He squeals.

"You did! I'm so proud of you!" I say, giving him a high five.

"Thanks for coming to my game," he says.

"You're welcome buddy, thanks for the invite." I smile and reach for Edward. He puts his arm around my waist and I lean into him.

Past Kate. Past Ben. I see something...rather someone, who makes my breath catch. My mom's boss is standing in a small group and his eyes are locked on me. Does he recognize me? Does he recognize Edward? Will he say something to her?

I turn my back to him and try to re-engage in the conversation.

After we say goodbye to Kate and Ben, we hop back on the bike and head back to town.

My dad's cruiser isn't in the driveway, but he should be home soon. My mind is racing a million miles a minute, trying to keep up with my heart. I can't shake the feeling that he recognized me and this is all about to blow up in our faces.

"You're quiet," Edward says, as we sit on Charlie's couch.

"I know."

He reaches out and places his hand on my legs, curled up beside me on the couch. "What's going on?"

"My mom's boss was at the game. He saw us, Edward."

He's quiet for a long time. "Maybe it's a good thing."

"A good thing? How could that be a good thing, one word to my mom and this is…"

"It's what? Your mom finds out our little secret and it's over?"

"I don't know what it is, Edward." I run my fingers through my hair. "It's complicated."

"It's not complicated for me, Bella. I'm falling in love with you, what am I supposed to do with that?"

At that moment, we both become aware of Charlie standing behind us. He clears his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt," he mumbles.

"Hi, Chief." Edward diverts his eyes to his lap.

"Edward." He nods.

"Dad," I say.

"Bells." He puts his hands on his hips. "I'll just...go away." He shuffles down the hallway and I hear the bathroom door close.

"I should go." Edward stands and starts toward the door.

"No." I rush after him and catch him just before he steps off the porch toward his house. "I don't want you to go."

"You don't want me to go, but you don't want to be seen with me. Make up your fucking mind, Bella." He's not angry. Maybe he should be.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." He turns to leave and I let him go.

Charlie is in the kitchen, pretending to drink a glass of water when I walk back inside.

"Boy problems?" He asks, clearly because he thinks he's supposed to, not because he wants to.

"We don't have to talk about it." I sit at the table and bury my face into my hands.

"I know. But you can."

"I don't know what I'm doing," I say, my voice muffled against my skin.

"Sounds like he does." He leans down and kisses the top of my head. "You can do it, baby."

I don't need to ask what "it" is. I know he means tell my mom. Stand up to her. Live my life without wondering what she's going to do or think with each step.

When I get home later that night, I'm fidgety and unfocused. My phone buzzes on my desk and I hold my breath. Is it him?

I'm disappointed when I see Angela's name pop up on my screen.

What costume did you get?

Costume? Then, it hits me. The Halloween dance, that I'm forced to volunteer at for the pageant, is in a week. And I don't have a costume.

I grab my keys and rush to the store before they close. The only place that sells Halloween costumes in town is pretty picked over.

I roam over the empty shelves, wondering how I'm going to make this work.

"Do you need help?" A voice behind me asks.

"It's my own fault, I waited too long." I turn and stop. I know who she is right away even without her nametag. Edward and Rosalie's sister. "You're Alice."

"And you're Bella. You've got my brother in quite a tizzy." She winks. "Can't go wrong with a classic." She diverts her attention back to the costumes and pulls a 1920's flapper dress out. "You'll look great in this."

I consider it for a moment and throw it into my cart, just glad to have something. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'm sure I'll see you around." She skips off.

I grab a few more accessories and call it good.

When I get home, I lay in bed the rest of the night, waiting for him to call or text or something. He doesn't.

I wake up early, and for the first time in a long time, I just want to go for a walk in silence, before the world starts up again. Before my mind starts racing again.

As soon as I step onto my porch, I notice a single rose on the step. No note. No ribbon or bow. Just the rose. A peace offering from the boy who has a piece of my heart.

I realize in that moment there's no one I'd rather fight with than him. And that has to mean something right? I decide right then and there, as soon as the pageant is over, I'm going to tell her. Everything.

A/N: Thank you so much for your patience in this longer than expected delay in posting. Had a lot of personal things going on, and beyond that 2020 in general was a hard creative time period for me. I appreciate your support!

A small note about Quarantine, just because I've had some asks of it. While I respect anyone who wants to use a creative outlet to deal with the current world environment, I have no desire to write a story that has even a remote resemblance to what is going on right now with the pandemic, so that is on hold indefinitely. I hate to do that and I'm so sorry about it, but I just cannot mentally handle that. I hope I can get back to it someday.

Thank you!