Chapter 04

EPOV

I can't seem to shake the giant pit in my stomach as I leave Emmett's house. It's been there all night, which made it hard to eat that delicious pot pie Rose had. I make a mental note to get a Costco membership so I can always have one on hand, but I digress. Hanging out with Emmett for the few moments I was there before Bella was easy enough. He's a big talker and clearly trusts anyone he comes into contact with because he was as comfortable with me as he is with his family. He also knows how to make your sides hurt from laughing so much. He just all around seems like a great guy to hang out with and I find myself happy I can now call him a friend.

That thought doesn't do anything to help ease the pit that's taken up residence in my gut. To make that pit even worse, Bella walked in, completely unguarded, as if nothing out of the normal had ever happened in her life. I've read the files Chief gave me. I know everything that the police know about what happened to her, which is a lot. And for her to come in and just accept me right away, joking with me even mere minutes after meeting me, makes me sick to my stomach. She's so trusting and kind and just naïve. And I don't mean to sound harsh, that's the last thing I want. While her being so accepting of me is going to make my job easier, it's also going to make it harder.

I knew the implications going into this. I know these friendships won't be lifelong. I know I can't really get attached to these people. The problem is, though, I think I already am. It's been so long since I've had actual friends here that I forgot what it felt like to be surrounded by people who aren't your family.

Realizing how genuinely fucked I am, I start driving towards my house. Thankfully, Chief set up an officer from the graveyard shift to keep an eye on Bella and Jasper's house. This way, I have my nights to myself and I can actually sleep without having to worry about anything happening while I'm not on my watch.

As I park my bike, lowering the kickstand with my foot, I pull my phone out of my pocket. I pull up my recent calls and press Alice's name to call her. While it's ringing, I make my way to my front door, unlocking it and heading inside.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Alice answers.

"It went well," I shrug even though she can't see it. "This is going to be a lot harder than I first anticipated," I admit.

"Why? What's wrong?" she asks, sounding a bit worried.

"They're all amazing people," I confess. "The kindest people I've met in a while, actually. "And they're genuinely fun to be around. They completely accepted me in their group with open arms."

"That should make your job easier?" she questions. I sigh in response, walking over to a fridge and grabbing a beer. I'm not normally one to drink Bud Light, or any light beer for that matter. I like my breweries. Alice makes fun of me, calling me a beer snob because of it but I like what I like.

"I mean, it makes it easier, I guess," I say as I pop the cap off my beer. "But how do I do this knowing they're oblivious to me lying right to their faces? I could barely eat at dinner tonight, Al," I frown.

"You need to talk to the Chief, Edward," Alice states. "This is an awful position he's put you in. No matter how this news breaks after the Chief feels he doesn't need you on the assignment, someone, or several people, are going to be hurt."

"Trust me, I'm well aware of that," I groan. I'll probably be the one getting physically hurt after Emmett kicks my ass into next Monday. "I'll talk to Chief about it tomorrow," I mutter as I bring my beer bottle to my lips. "You know, Forks was supposed to be simple," I chuckle darkly.

"Nothing's ever simple, Edward," Alice replies, bemused, and I can tell she's rolling her eyes.

"Ain't that the truth."

BPOV

My eyes spring open and I'm suddenly coughing and wheezing for air. My lungs protest, refusing to supply oxygen to the rest of my body. I shakily sit up, one hand clawing at my throat while the other digs its fingers into my blanket, trying to hold onto anything that can anchor me.

The panic attack claws its way through my body, latching itself onto every thought, snaking its way through my system, replacing the oxygen in my veins. The only thing my eyes will let me see is James. Grabbing me, hitting me, shoving me. I can feel the ghost of his hands as they make their way across my body.

Jasper's in my room within minutes, as he is every night I have a nightmare. There isn't much he can do, but he still makes a point to be here. I feel bad, though, like I'm a burden. He hasn't had more than a few nights of peaceful sleep since I've moved in and it's not fair to him. This isn't his cross to bear but he's certainly taking on some of the weight.

Jasper pulls my hand from my throat and squeezes it in his as he crouches down to be eye level with me. His eyes bore into mine, trying to give me something to focus on but I'm too far into my attack to even fully notice, let alone register it.

My every thought, every feeling, in this moment is filled with James. The look in his eyes when I've done something to anger him turning to the softness they hold after he's lashed out at me. The soft touches as he promises not to hurt me again. All those promises, every lie he ever told me, fill my head and I can't make my way past them. I won't do it again, Baby, I promise. You just made me so angry, I couldn't stop. He couldn't stop quickly turned into he wouldn't stop, although he never admitted to it.

"Breathe, Bella," Jasper's voice coaches. "Deep breaths." I try to focus on my breathing but the feeling of James' crushing fingers makes it impossible. The feeling of his large hand wrapping around my ankle to pull me back down the stairs keeps me held into my attack. I can practically taste the blood from hitting my jaw on the stairs on the way down.

"Breathe with me," Jasper's voice calls to me again. After this, I begin to hear his exaggerated breathing. A long breath in. Pause. A long breath out. Trying to focus on the sound of his breathing, I try to shove my way through the thoughts and the panic. Inhaling and exhaling deep breaths is a struggle at first from my hyperventilating but Jasper keeps up his part of the exercise until I'm able to begin to control mine.

Once my breathing becomes smoother, Jasper moves to sit next to me, his breathing going back to normal. His hand pulls from mine and begins rubbing my back soothingly. I continue my deep breathing, feeling the panic still trying to claw its way back to the front of my mind. With every large inhale, I can feel the attack dwindling until it's finally finished.

I wipe away the tears that streak my warm, flushed cheeks. Closing my eyes, I hang my head, embarrassed and frustrated. I could have gone my whole life without having to bring my brother into this. I hate that he's been vested with the responsibility of pulling me out of my attacks.

"What can I get you?" he asks after a few moments.

When I first moved in and he was faced with my nightmares and panic attacks, Jasper asked to go to a therapy session with me to talk about them. I was incredibly nervous because my sessions were basically just reliving what James had don't to me and how I think I can overcome it and what I feel I need to do in order to move on. The session Jasper went to was different, though. He asked questions about how to help me through my attacks and Dr. Greene provided tips for him to do during my attacks as well as things to do after my attacks. Asking what I need is something that she suggested he ask me after an attack.

"Water, please," I whisper. Jasper rubs my back for another second before getting up and heading downstairs to get me a glass of water.

I grab my phone, disconnecting it from the charger, and check the time. It's nearly six in the morning and, while sleeping in would be amazing, I don't think I'm going to be able to fall back asleep. Sometimes I can fall asleep again after a nightmare, but the ones that are as intense as this one make it near impossible to sleep afterwards.

Jasper comes back into the bedroom a few moments later with a glass of water and my anxiety medication. I smile at him as I take the glass and the bottle. Setting the glass on my end table, I twist the bottle cap off and pop a pill into my mouth before grabbing the glass again and chasing it with water.

"You feeling better?" Jasper asks softly. I nod, breathing in deep.

"Yeah, thank you," I say before standing. "I'm probably not going to fall back asleep so I'm thinking about heading to the diner. You want to come?"

"Nah, I'm definitely going back to sleep," he chuckles and I blush in embarrassment for waking him up. Sensing how I'm feeling, Jasper places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it lightly. Without another word, he leaves my room, heading back to his down the hall.

I close my bedroom door before making my way to my dresser. I grab a pair of sweatpants and slip my legs into them, pulling them up over my pajama shorts. I pull down my tank top straps to put my bra on before replacing the straps and shrugging on a zip up hoodie. This definitely isn't anywhere near a cute look, but at this point, I don't really care.

Bending over, I pile my hair on top of my head before straightening up and fastening it in a messy bun with a hair tie. I shove my feet into a pair of black and white checkered slip-on Vans before leaving my bedroom. I walk down the stairs, as quiet as I can be, and down the hall to the front door. Picking up my purse and keys, I leave the house, locking it on my way out and head to my truck.

I'm not overly fond of the idea of going to the diner by myself but I wasn't about to force Jasper to go with me. I'm twenty-seven-years-old and should be able to do things independently by now. I know I have reason for being nervous, but there's no reason I can't go to the diner alone. It's not like there aren't going to be any other people there. I know for a fact that there are regulars that are there every day at the same time for their coffee and breakfast. Dad used to be one of them before the doctor told him he was eating his way to an early heart attack. Now it's more like once a week instead of daily.

I park my truck in the lot outside the diner before heading in. At this diner, you don't wait to be seated. There's a sign at the front for any new people that walk in, instructing customers to seat themselves. I go for a boot at the back of the diner, sitting so I'm facing the front of the diner. I want to be able to see the people that come in so I don't have to be blindsided if James comes in. Which is a stupid thought, by the way. James never—and I mean never—gets up before nine unless he's working. Plus, there's other people around so James wouldn't dare do anything.

Living in a small town means that everyone knows your business, no matter how much you try to keep it under wraps. While people don't know the details, they do know that James and I are in the process of a divorce and he's not allowed anywhere near me.

"Good morning," the waitress greets as she comes over. I smile up at her. She looks about college age, her young blue eyes looking tired, not quite matching the cheerfulness of her smile. Her hair is gathered at the top of her head in a more perfect messy bun than I could ever dream of creating.

Seeing her reminds me of my college days. My family isn't exactly the richest, but it's not like we're living paycheck to paycheck. Having three kids going off to college so close together meant they couldn't help out as much as they wanted to with our tuition expenses, meaning all of us had to get jobs to avoid mass amounts of loans. I was lucky and joined a work study program so I worked at the front desk of my dorm on night shifts. The days were long but at least I was able to do my school work while I worked at night. Not many people stroll through the main lobby or need assistance late at night so it was the perfect time to make sure I was all caught up.

"What can I get you to drink?" she asks, pulling her notepad out of her apron. I blink away the memory before looking up at her.

"Can I get a coffee, please?" I ask. She writes it down and nods, smiling again and giving a hum of confirmation, before walking away.

I don't bother looking at the menu, knowing exactly what I'm getting. That's another thing about this diner. Not only does it have its regulars, but the regulars typically get the same thing. The only person I know of that doesn't get the same thing nearly every time is Emmett, who likes to work his way through the menu.

Pulling my phone of my pocket, I start scrolling through emails. It's amazing how many parents scramble to get their kids better grades right before the end of the semester. It's not like I haven't reached out to them multiple times to tell them their kids are failing my class. One of them is even a football player. Their father has emailed me three times this week alone asking for extra credit to bring his son's D up to a C+.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice startles me from my emails, making me jump. My heartbeat quickens and panic tries to wedge its way back into the forefront of my mind as I mentally scold myself for not being aware of my surroundings. At this point in my life, I can't afford to forget about my surroundings, especially while I'm alone.

Gathering my thoughts, I glance up at the person standing by my table. My nerves calm a bit when I see Edward standing there, smiling softly at me.

"Yeah, yeah, sit," I insist, motioning towards the other side of the booth. He shrugs out of his jacket before getting into the booth, scooting over so he's directly across from me.

"Sorry if I startled you," he apologizes, giving me another smile.

"No, it's fine, I just wasn't expecting anyone to come to the table," I brush it off with a wave of my hand. "I just got caught up in my emails," I continue, motioning to my phone before turning the screen off and wedging it between my thigh and the seat cushion. My heartbeat slows, the panic slowly retreating back into its resting place.

"What are you doing here so early?" I ask bluntly. He raises an eyebrow, giving me a slightly puzzled look.

"I mean, I could ask you the same thing," he smirks. The waitress walks back over with my coffee, setting it in front of me with a smile. When she notices Edward, she straightens, smoothing her apron, nervously, with her hands.

"Good morning, Sir," the girl greets, blushing when he looks up at her. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll take a coffee, please," he orders, giving her a smile. Her blush deepens a bit as she nods and walks away, completely starstruck by Edward. I watch the girl for a second before turning to my coffee.

"I asked you first," I say, picking up where our conversation left off. He looks at me, puzzled, for a brief moment before realizing what I was saying.

"I like to wake up a little early on the Saturdays I work so I can grab some breakfast before heading to the hospital," he explains. I nod as I grab the bowl of creamer cups. I try to think about my answer before answering my end of the question. I don't want to dump my problems on him, especially with just meeting him yesterday.

"I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep," I shrug. "I invited Jasper but he wanted to sleep more, so I came alone." I open the first creamer cup, dumping the contents into my mug. I grab another, then a third, then a fourth.

"Are you sure you have enough cream in there?" Edward chuckles. I look up at him as I grab a fifth cup, opening it and pouring into my coffee. The front door chimes open and my eyes instinctively make their way over to see who's walking in before looking back at Edward.

"Five creamers are perfect," I say proudly. Grabbing the sugar, I tip the glass jar over so a steady stream of the white granules falls into my mug. I glance up at Edward's wide-eyed expression before focusing back on my coffee.

"As a doctor," Edward starts and reaches for the sugar to stop me. When his hand touches mine, I flinch back, dropping the sugar. Luckily, his hand is there to catch it. Otherwise, that could've been a disaster. "I'm going to have to say that's enough sugar," he finishes, setting the sugar back in its spot on the table. He glances over at me, clearly noticing my spasm when his hand touched mine.

"I," I say, my voice already shaking. I take a deep breath and look down at my coffee, hating how panicked that spontaneous touch made me feel. It wasn't even threatening; he was just reaching for the sugar and accidentally touched my hand in the process. "I like my coffee sweet," I finish, my voice thankfully level.

"I couldn't tell," he says dryly, but jokingly. I take a sip of my coffee and, while it's sweet, I still get that hint of bitter I try to avoid.

The waitress brings over Edward's coffee, setting it down with a smile.

"What can I get you both to eat?" she asks. I look up at her and her focus is solely on Edward. I glance over at him and he motions for me to order with a smile.

"Could I get pancakes with strawberries, please?" I order. She glances at me before writing down my meal and looking back at Edward.

"I'll do two eggs over medium, hash browns, bacon, and dry wheat toast, please," he orders. She smiles at him before writing down his meal and announcing it'll be out soon. I watch as she walks away, her hips swaying far more than they need to, before looking back at Edward.

"She's completely into you," I giggle.

"What?" he asks, chuckling.

"The waitress," I roll my eyes. "She is totally into you."

"She's, like, twelve," he retorts, laughing. The chime of the front door rings out again and, once again, my eyes make their way to the front of the diner. Satisfied with the innocent person walking in, I quickly turn my attention back to Edward.

"I think she's a little older than that," I laugh back. "Watch, when she comes back with the food. I'm totally invisible to her." I take another drink of my coffee and catch Edward looking at me with his nose slightly scrunched and his eyebrows pulled close together.

"That's disgusting," he says jokingly before taking a sip of his black coffee.

"Now, that's disgusting," I counter. "That has to be so bitter."

"This is the way you're meant to drink coffee," he defends. "What you have isn't even coffee anymore."

"It still tastes like coffee, it just doesn't punch you in the face." Edward gives me a questioning glance and I can tell he's trying not to laugh at my words. "What?" I ask.

"You're such an English teacher," he chuckles.

"What?" I laugh.

"It doesn't punch you in the face," he repeats my words teasingly. "Using metaphors in casual conversation."

"It's actually personification," I start but then stop, laughing quietly. "Okay, so you brought out my teacher side," I admit, shrugging. "It was only fair, I guess, seeing as I brought out your doctor side." I raise my mug to reference my sugary coffee before taking a sip. He shakes his head, smirking.

Our waitress comes back with our food and I give Edward a look to remind him to pay attention to her. He smirks and glances up at her. She's already looking at him and almost drops my pancakes onto the table from how flustered she gets.

"Enjoy your food," she smiles, making eye contact with Edward. Her blush deepens even more but she holds a look of confidence in her expression, satisfied that he's finally noticed her. When she saunters away, her hips swaying again, I look at him and raise an eyebrow. He looks back at me and rolls his eyes.

"She's just being friendly," he justifies with a chuckle, picking up a piece of bacon.

"Oh please, she wants to feed you that bacon," I say as he takes a bite of it. He scrunches his nose and drops the bacon onto his plate before giving me a look of fake annoyance.

"Did you have to ruin my bacon?" he groans.

"I'm only telling the truth," I laugh. He shakes his head at me before picking up his bacon again. The front door, yet again, chimes open, and I breathe deep, looking at the front of the diner. When I look back at Edward, he's already looking at me. Diverting eye contact, I reach for the syrup.

"You're really going for more sugar?" he teases.

"Do you expect me to eat my pancakes without syrup?" I ask. The pettiness in me wants to drown my pancakes in the syrup, which I would have done if I was ten-years-old. My adult, realistic mind knows that I won't eat the pancakes if they have that much syrup on them. Instead, I opt for a light amount, drizzling it over the top of the pancakes, before placing the bottle back in its place.

I take a bite of the pancake and have to fight not to moan at how good they are. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to figure out how to make pancakes this good at home. It may come from the fact that I use box mis for my pancakes, but I can never seem to have pancakes as satisfying as these.

"I'm shocked my family didn't scare you off last night," I tease between pancake bites. He smirks, giving a quick laugh, and shakes his head.

"You guys definitely know how to put on a show," he laughs.

"Oh, that wasn't a show," I giggle. "That's us every time we're together."

"Somehow, I believe it," he chuckles and lifts his coffee mug to his lips.

"When Emmett first told us about you, we referred to you as the guy Emmett had a crush on," I confess. Edward chokes on his coffee, coughing uncontrollably into his sleeve. I do my best not to laugh as he struggles to breathe properly as his coughing subsides.

"What?" he finally rasps out.

"I thought I was very clear," I tease.

"Why did you refer to me as that?" he clarifies, giving me a look to show that he knows I didn't need the clarification.

"Because it was fun," I grin. He rolls his eyes, shaking his head at me.

The front door opens a fourth time. This time, a familiar face enters the diner. He turns to walk to a table but stops when he spots me, cocking his head a bit when he realizes who I am. Edward senses that I've spotted someone and turns to look before turning back to me.

"Bella," Dad calls as he walks over to the table. "You're here early."

"I couldn't sleep," I smile innocently at him. "Does Mom know you're here?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Your mother doesn't need to know everything I do," he scrunches his nose, his mustache twitching a bit, and I can tell that she knows even though he's denying it. His face turns back to serious and he looks at Edward before looking back at me. "Who's this?" he asks gruffly.

"Dad, don't be rude," I scold, frowning. "This is Edward, the client Emmett was telling us about at dinner. I met him at Emmett's yesterday and we just happened to run into each other this morning," I explain before looking at Edward. "Edward, this is my dad, Charlie."

"Chief will be fine," Dad says as he extends a hand.

"Dad," I say pointedly as Edward takes his hand.

"Erm, Charlie is fine, I guess," he mutters sheepishly.

"It's nice to meet you, Charlie," Edward nods, taking his hand back. Dad nods, giving a grunted response back before turning back to me.

"You alright?" he asks an di know he's not talking about me being with Edward.

"Dad," I frown but his parenting stare doesn't relent. Sighing, I answer him. "Yes, I'm fine, I promise."

"Did you come here alone?" he questions and I have to fight to roll my eyes. This is beyond embarrassing to be happening in front of Edward.

"Yes, I did. Jasper is sleeping," I say, hoping my tone will stop him from pressing this subject further. I couldn't get that lucky, though.

"You sure that's the best idea?" At this point, I'm stating to get pushed past annoyance into aggravation.

"I'm in public. There're other people. I'm fine. Now can I please eat my breakfast with my friend?" I ask, feeling like I'm in high school again, needing permission from my father. It seems like Dad forgot Edward was even there and, upon my mentioning him, he glances at Edward before looking back at me, nodding.

"Enjoy your breakfast, Bells," he smiles sheepishly and gives my should a squeeze before walking to the bar to sit. I glance at Edward only to be met with his patient eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. I can't even begin to imagine how red my face is from my embarrassing encounter. Dad hasn't managed to embarrass me like this since high school, which is saying something.

"Sorry, he's kind of overprotective," I explain in a mumble, biting my lip nervously.

"You are his only daughter," Edward points out lightly. "Unless you have other siblings I haven't met," he adds on. I smile and shake my head.

Edward and I eat in silence for a few minutes afterwards. It's a comfortable silence, which I'm not used to. The silences I had with James were always tense with me waiting for him to snap or be loving, never knowing which to expect. The silences I've had with my family, apart from Jasper, have been uneasy lately, too. I know they're just worried about my well-being but their concerned stares don't do anything to help my anxiety.

The front door chimes once again and I glance up. The person that walks in heads to the bar, greeting the woman behind it. My eyes make their way back to my immediate surroundings and I notice Edward looking at me.

"What?" I ask, self-consciously. Do I have something on my face? Leave it to me to have whipped cream or syrup on my cheeks or chin. I grab my napkin and quickly swipe at my lips before returning it to my lap nervously.

"Are you waiting for someone?" he asks curiously. I furrow my eyebrows, giving him a questioning look.

"No, why?"

"You keep looking at the door every time it opens," he points out. Blush colors my cheeks once again, embarrassed that I've been called out on it. I know he's noticed but I didn't realize it was excessive enough to bring attention to.

"No, sorry, nervous habit," I explain, looking down at my plate. "I just like to be aware of my surroundings, you know?" I look up at him and he's nodding at me.

"That's always a good idea," he agrees. "You seem nervous when you look over there," he adds. I take a minute to think about what I'm going to say. It'd be completely ludicrous to tell him about James after only knowing him for a little over twelve hours. But something in me makes me believe Edward wouldn't judge me for it. His whole demeanor seems to scream empathy and understanding. Before I can convince myself not to, though, I'm talking.

"Remember when I said my ex wasn't a good husband?" I approach the subject cautiously. Edward nods, his stare locked onto me, showing me I have his full attention. "He was," I start, trying to figure out how I want to explain it. No matter how I say it, it sounds like it's out of a soap opera. I finally settle on, "abusive."

I let the word hang there, trying to see how Edward's going to react but, to my surprise, he just waits patiently for me to continue.

"We were together for nearly four years. And the first two were amazing. He was caring, attentive, gentle," I list, remembering the good times James and I used to have. "My family absolutely loved him. He was the perfect guy to bring home to meet your parents and I was happy with him. Then he proposed and something changed. I first thought it was because of the stress from planning the wedding but his behavior never changed back. He was mean and," I say, stopping and shaking my head. I'm not going to go into detail. Not today, at least. If Edward sticks around after this, I'll tell him later in our friendship. "He was mean," I repeat. "But it wasn't always like that. We had days where we would feel like our old selves and I would start to hope that he was past the meanness I had experienced. But then something would set him off again."

I stop talking for a few minutes and drink my coffee, gathering my thoughts. Edward is silent and I'm unsure if it's because I've scared him or because he can tell I'm not finished. Either way, he's still looking at me, his gaze more intense than when I first started speaking. When I'm ready again, I continue on with my story.

"We had a fight on our first wedding anniversary and I picked that night as the time to really stand up to him. I'd tried in the past but quickly gave up but something about that night made me realize this was the final straw." I look at Edward before saying the last part, trying to make sure I haven't scared him off with my words. "I woke up a week after that night in a hospital room. Jasper had come over because I hadn't been answering my phone. He found me at the foot of the stairs. It didn't take long for my dad and the police to find James. He was at the bar down the street from here." I look up at Edward again, waiting for him to say something.

"That's," he breathes out, shaking his head. "I mean, excuse my language, but that's fucked up," he says, looking at me. His eyes overflow with emotion. Anger, sadness, frustration. The one thing I don't find, though, is pity and I'm thankful for that. It's hard to look at anyone, my family included, and not see the pity in their eyes when they look at me.

"It is," I shrug, agreeing with me. "I just spent so long believing the lies he fed me. He told me he'd change and that he loved me. I wanted to believe him so much so that I stayed."

"You didn't deserve that," he frowns.

"No, I didn't. And it took me a long time to realize that." He nods, still looking at me, his stare still brimming with intensity. I look down at my plate, my pancakes now soggy, the whipped cream melted into a white puddle on the plate.

"That explains why you reacted the way you did when I grabbed the sugar from you," he notes and I smile up at him sheepishly.

"You just took me by surprise. I can get a bit jumpy sometimes."

"More reason why you don't need anymore sugar," he jokes, lightening the mood. I smile at him thankfully and give a slight laugh. "And that's reason for not having caffeine either," he adds.

"Sorry, Doc, sugar and caffeine are a permanent part of my diet," I giggle and take a sip of my coffee for emphasis.

"You can't say I didn't try," he chuckles. I smile and look down at my soggy breakfast again, poking at it with my fork as if it's a specimen that may come alive. We're silent for a few moments again. I'm in slight disbelief that I actually told Edward about James. I'm in more disbelief that Edward didn't take this as his cue to run as far from me as he can. He's still his friendly self that I met last night.

"I need to get to work," Edward muses as he looks at his phone. I glance up at him and his eyes move from his phone screen to me. "Thank you for telling me about your es. I'm sure that wasn't easy." I blush and shrug, giving him an uneasy smile. He moves to the edge of his booth seat before speaking again. "I've got breakfast. Next time it's your turn, though," he says, winking, before getting up.

"Thank you," I smile, not only for the breakfast but for making it known that he wants to hang out again. It makes me feel better knowing that I didn't scare him off.

"Anytime, Bella," he smiles. He shrugs on his jacket and walks up front to pay. I grab my purse and coffee mug before making my way over to the empty seat next to Dad. As I sit down, he glances over at me.

"How was your breakfast?" he asks, shifting on his barstool to face me a bit more.

"It was good," I nod. Edward is really kind."

"So was James," Dad points out with a quirked eyebrow. It wasn't intended to be mean, just a warning, but it frustrates me that he's almost making a comparison. I bite my cheek, trying to prepare myself to speak calmly.

"Don't," I say defeatedly. "Please, just don't. Edward is a friend. And I know I messed up with James. It haunts me every day so I don't need you reminding me."

"Sorry, Bells," he sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just worry about you."

"I know you do, but I'm an adult, Dad. I learn from my mistakes." Dad seems to accept my explanation, taking a drink from his coffee. "I told Edward about James after you left the table," I confess, my voice soft and unsure.

"How long have you known this boy again?" he asks but his tone doesn't have any hint of judgement to it like I had expected.

"Since last night," I say, letting out a humorless, breathy laugh after. "But he'd picked up on some of the things about me that come from James. And then you came over with that inquisition and I could tell Edward was confused but wasn't about to press the subject."

Dad doesn't say anything, instead just choosing to look at me, his eyes almost calculating. He's never been a man of many words, unless you give him a couple beers and a fish fry with his buddies. I can tell he's thinking of what to say, though, so I wait patiently, drinking my coffee as I do.

"I should head home," I say as I stand up. "I'll see you later." Smiling softly, I squeeze his shoulder like he did to me earlier and walk off.

"Bella," Dad calls after I take a few steps. I turn to face him again. "You know I'd do anything to keep you safe, right?"

"I know," I smile at him. "Love you," I add on as I step backward a few steps. He says it back slightly mumbled, having never been too savvy with his feelings, as I turn to walk towards the front. I leave the building, quickly making my way to my truck, before heading home again.

Hey everyone!

Thank you for your patience, I know this one took awhile! I'm doing my best, I swear! These past few weeks have just been a tad busy.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Be sure to leave a review so I know what you thought!

Twilight What?