Hello my Darlings!

Welcome back! I'm in a Grace Mood this morning (running off very little sleep because I was up watching Outlander for the first time ever last night), so I downed my first cup of coffee and banged out another chapter! It's still quiet rough, but thats the process.

This one has been beta'd by the lovely Fran S. Sunflower, so it should not be rough at all!

Chapter 17: Edward

I couldn't fight the stupid as hell smile on my face as I looked down at Bella's texts. We'd been flirting for two days now, and it was driving me up the wall. I couldn't wait to see her again.

"So," Alice said, plopping next to me on the porch swing. We were all in a post-turkey daze. My parents had gone upstairs to take a nap, and Emmett was currently snoring on the sofa in the living room.

I looked at my sister. "What's up?"

She grinned. "You asked the woman out?"

I let out a breath, reaching up to scratch my jaw. My stubble tickled my fingers. "Yeah," I said, smirking. "We went out." Alice stared at me, obviously waiting for more. I shrugged. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "You've got this stupid smile on your face right now," she pointed out. I felt my neck flush in embarrassment. "You really like her, don't you?"

I cleared my throat. "We haven't spent that much time together," I hedged. "But yeah, I really like her."

Alice grinned. "What about her kid?"

I glanced at her. "We're taking it slow."

"Slow?"

I shrugged one shoulder. "She doesn't want her daughter to get attached in case things don't work out."

Alice frowned when I looked up at her. "I guess that makes sense," she said slowly. "What does she need to be convinced it's going anywhere, though?"

I looked at my sister in surprise. "I don't know."

"So, you're just going to keep going along with her terms, blindly accepting them?"

I frowned, shifting a little. "It's not really like that. She's got a lot more at stake."

Alice reached out to me, her shoulder bumping my own. "How is that any more important than what you have at stake?"

I stared at her in surprise. "I don't know. It's just different."

Alice sat back, seeming to think this over. I was getting confused. I understood where Alice was coming from, but I hadn't thought about my relationship with Bella in these terms before. I wanted to be worthy of her and Gracie; shouldn't that be enough?

"I just don't want you to become someone you're not and get hurt in the process," Alice said softly.

"Maybe I'm becoming someone I should be," I pointed out. Alice considered that.

"Maybe," she conceded. "I personally happen to like you as you are. I hope this woman isn't expecting you to change for her or her kid."

I shook my head. "She isn't," I said quickly. "Bella isn't like that."

Alice was quiet for a long moment before she nodded. "Okay, good."

We sat back and rocked gently on the swing for a few minutes in silence. I knew where Alice was coming from, but I also knew Alice was sensitive to the topic of identity right now. She was struggling to find herself beyond the influence of her friends, and she tended to lash out at anyone who questioned her. She'd grow through it, I was sure, but it would still take some time.

"How are things at work?" I asked, wanting to shift focus. She looked at me.

"Oh, uh, fine."

Considering Alice once spent two hours ranting about every interaction she'd had at work that week, her answer felt confusing and suspicious.

"Fine?" I repeated.

She licked her lips, shifting on the seat beside me, her eyes flickering away from me.

"Mhmm."

There was something she wasn't telling me. I leaned over, nudging her with my shoulder.

"Is it Heidi?"

She looked up at me in surprise. "Heidi? No, that cow was easy to deal with."

I stared at her. I thought she and Heidi were friends, but apparently, I'd missed something.

"Did something happen?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "She's a manipulative bitch, and I'm sick of it." Suddenly, Alice flushed, looking embarrassed. Her eyes flickered up to me before landing back in her lap.

"God, I have a horrible confession," she muttered. I watched her, intrigued. She was quiet for a minute before letting out a hard breath. "That night I brought Heidi to meet you, I had completely selfish intentions." My eyebrows rose, and I leaned back, motioning for her to continue. She huffed. "Heidi had managed to snag one of the clients I'd been working on for months. It was my white whale, and I'd been working with them day in and day out, trying to get them to come to us for their work. It was a huge account, and that bitch managed to snag them right out from under me." Her eyes were snapping with fire, and she shook her head, her nostrils flaring. "Heidi doesn't respond to outright confrontation, at least not like a rational person. She fucking loves it, and it just fuels the pettiness in her. If I wanted the client back, I needed to manipulate it away from her." She glanced up at me, and I started to see where this was going.

"I was part of the manipulation," I murmured. Alice let out a long breath.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I'm such a bitch," she moaned, sitting forward and putting her head in her hands. "I wasn't thinking; I was just so mad."

Alice's ruthlessness didn't surprise me. She'd always been that way. I was a little annoyed she thought she could fuck with my personal life like that, but since things hadn't worked that way for her, I could afford to be gracious about it.

I reached out, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I forgive you, Ali."

She sat up, looking at me in surprise. "What?"

I shrugged. "It was shit, and don't do it again," I said, my voice turning stern to let her know I wasn't fucking around. She nodded. "But I get it. I'm sorry Heidi put you in that position."

Alice let out a breath and leaned back, curling into my side as my arm wrapped around her shoulder. "God, this makes me feel like more of a bitch," she moaned. I snickered.

She slipped out of my arm, and I looked at her. "What are you going to do about the client?"

Alice shook her head. "I don't know that I can do anything. They love Heidi, and she's already got a team working for them," she huffed. "I blew it."

I reached up to pat her back. "Another white whale will come along," I promised her. She shrugged, obviously not believing me.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us lost in our thoughts. I wondered if I could get Bella and Alice to hang out. Bella was such a good person with such a strong moral compass; it was bound to wear off on Alice.

"Have…" Alice's voice broke me out of my thoughts, and I looked at her. She looked like she was wrestling with what she was about to ask me. "Have you ever seen someone and known immediately, without even talking to them, that they were different?"

I frowned. "Different how?"

Alice glanced at me. "Like, important. Important to you, even though you don't know them yet."

I smirked. "I got that feeling when Gracie and Bella walked into my life," I pointed out. I hadn't realized it right away, but it had been there. I'd known from the first time I laid eyes on sweet little Gracie that this was a child who could change my life. "Why?"

I caught Alice's blush as she looked away from me. "Nothing," she muttered. I opened my mouth, wanting to push it, when Dad stepped out into the yard, surprising me.

"We're doing pie," he said, motioning to the house. I nodded, and Alice stood quickly. She darted into the house before I could press her further.

…

I heard the buzz of my phone across my sofa and nearly fell off the damn thing as I dove headfirst across it. I hadn't heard from Bella since Thanksgiving Day when she'd sent me some painfully arousing texts about all the meat she couldn't wait to devour. I'm absolutely stuffed, shouldn't have been as hot as it fucking was, but I absolutely could not stop staring at the text. I guess I was just turning into a sick bastard.

I pulled up my phone, my shoulders slumping when I saw it was a text from Emmett. He wanted to come over and hang out, but I knew it was probably because he wanted to raid my Thanksgiving leftovers. Mom portioned them out to both of us equally, but the big bastard always ate his within a day.

I tossed my phone down and returned to the Thanksgiving mini-sliders I'd made from leftover rolls. He could have my leftovers over my dead body.

My phone buzzed again, and logic told me it was Emmett, but after considering it for half a minute, I couldn't take it anymore and reached over to check. It wasn't Emmett, and I smiled when I saw it was actually from my friend Liam.

Liam:

Hey, Ed. I'm in town. Beer?

I smiled, quickly texting him back my response in the form of a resounding yes. I shoved the rest of my slider in my mouth as I waited for him to respond. Liam and I had been friends since undergrad. We'd been freshman roommates and had hit it off really well. Though life had taken us in some very different directions, we still tried to keep in touch and reconnect every once in a while. I hadn't seen him since almost April, and we were long overdue to catch up. He texted me the bar info, and I got up off the sofa, taking my dishes to the kitchen. I tossed them in the sink, resigned to deal with them later.

I slipped into my bedroom, stripping out of my clothes and tossing them across the room haphazardly. I decided I desperately needed a shower, having skipped one yesterday. I texted Liam my ETA before heading into my bathroom.

The prospect of hanging out with Liam had brightened my day considerably. It was far better than waiting around for a text from Bella, or worse, waiting for Emmett to storm my apartment looking for food.

I showered quickly, not bothering to take time to shave before getting dressed.

Liam was from Tacoma, but after college, he'd moved down to Portland for work. It wasn't that far; hell, we used to drive to Portland for donuts and coffee when I was studying at U-Dub, but now that we were adults with jobs, I rarely got to see Liam anymore.

The bar he'd mentioned wasn't too far from my apartment, and it took me almost no time to drive down. The rain was holding out for now, but it was cold as hell.

I could see Liam sitting at a table just inside the front doors. He looked different from college. We'd both been skinny, scruffy kids who thought we were the shit. Liam was still skinny, but working in a corporate office had refined him, polished his scruff.

Even sitting in jeans and a sweater, he looked expensive.

"Hey, man," I called when I was close enough to his table. Liam's blue eyes lit up, and he stood, pulling me into a brief hug and smacking my back twice.

"Hey, Ed. It's great to see you." We sat at the table, and Liam grinned at me. "You look great, man."

I smiled. "Thanks, you too. How are things?"

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Oh, you know. Same old," he shrugged.

"How are things at work?" I asked, flagging down a waiter. He came by, and I ordered a drink while Liam ordered some nachos for the table. The kid left to fill our order, and I turned back to Liam.

"Just about the same," he shrugged. "Insurance doesn't change all that much," he chuckled. I smirked.

"Right."

"What about you?"

I hesitated. There was still the barest hint of sting when I thought about not getting Bella's job, but I swallowed it down. "Things are great. We're picking up a lot of tech and aerospace right now. Should be good business coming in."

Liam grinned. "That's great, man. How are things with Victoria?"

I winced. I hadn't realized I hadn't seen him since I'd broken up with her. "We broke up a while ago. You called it, by the way." He smirked.

"Went crazy?"

I nodded. "Beyond. She's ancient history now."

Liam laughed. "Good. Anyone else in the picture?"

I shifted. "Uh, yeah, actually. I just started seeing this woman, Bella." I paused, smiling. "She's a researcher at the aquarium. Smart as hell and probably the most patient woman I've ever met."

Liam snorted. "She'd have to be to put up with your ass."

I smirked, and the waiter brought over my drink. I sipped it, trying to gather my courage to confide in him about Gracie. "Have you ever dated someone with a kid?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Liam smiled.

"Yeah," he stopped, clearing his throat. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that."

I stared at him in surprise, motioning for him to continue.

"Do you remember the woman I was dating, Siobhan?" I nodded. I remembered hearing him talk about her last time we spoke. "She's got a daughter, Maggie." I felt my eyebrows rise.

"Really?"

Liam nodded. "She's a great kid. Funny as hell." He paused, smiling. "Maggie spends a lot of time at her dad's house, so we didn't see each other all that much at first."

"How old is she?"

"Six." Liam sipped his beer.

I sat back, stunned. "I had no idea."

Liam nodded. "I actually just asked Siobhan to marry me. I was sort of hoping I could ask you to be my best man."

I lit up. "Of course, man, congratulations!"

I was surprised as hell but happy all the same. Liam grinned and held up his beer. I toasted him with a clink of our glasses and shook my head. "I didn't realize things with Siobhan were that serious."

Liam shrugged. "When you know, you know. She gets me, and honestly, the fact that she comes with Maggie is even better. I love that kid."

I was surprised. Liam, like me, had enjoyed his bachelorhood. I didn't realize he was ready for a family commitment.

"Her dad is in the picture?"

Liam nodded. "Her dad is a dick, but he's good to her, and that's all that really matters."

I thought about that. I didn't know about Gracie's dad, not really. I wondered if he was in the picture at all.

"So, she has a kid?"

I looked back up at Liam. "Yeah. Gracie. She's four." I leaned back in my seat, shaking my head. "It's actually how we met."

At his raised eyebrow, I told him the story of Gracie finding me at the bar. He laughed aloud, drawing attention to our table. I grinned and chuckled with him.

"She sounds like a handful."

I nodded. "She's cute. I haven't spent much time with her, but yeah, she's a blast."

Liam grinned. "It's not always easy," he said after a minute. "Dating a woman with a child. There is a lot to navigate, and you have to be patient as hell, but man, it's worth it."

I thought about that. "I feel like I don't deserve them," I said after a moment, voicing a fear I hadn't even been able to admit to myself. Liam's head tilted slightly.

"What do you mean?"

I shoved a hand through my hair. "I don't know. They're so good, and Bella has her shit together. They have this happy life I know they've had to work hard for, and I feel like I'm coming in like a wrecking ball. I like them, really I do, but I'm scared I'm not enough for them. They need someone who can step up, and I don't know if I have it in me."

Liam took a deep breath as he considered my confession. Finally, he spoke. "I see you haven't gotten any smarter since undergrad," he said dryly. I frowned at him. "Dude, you can't overthink this shit. You man up, or you get out. If you want it, you have to work for it. That's what they need. They don't need you with one foot out the door because you are pussyfooting around. They need you to make a choice, one way or another."

I frowned. I could see what he was saying, and I realized he was right. I'd had one foot out the door this whole time, thinking I couldn't be good enough one day.

"We don't have to grow up, man," Liam said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "We gotta get older but growing up isn't mandatory." He paused, tilting his head. "I tell you what, though, life is better when you do decide to grow up. Things just mean more."

I got what he was saying. I was a grown-ass man, but that didn't mean I'd been acting like one. I suddenly felt ashamed of myself, embarrassed I'd been so childish and immature. How the hell had Bella stuck with me even this long?

Liam sipped his beer, then smiled, lightly tapping my shin with his foot. "You'll get there, man." I looked up at him. "You're halfway there," he pointed out. "You have a stable job; you're not out partying every night like we used to do. The rest, you'll learn."

I nodded. "Thanks, man."

We sipped our drinks as I let his words process. After a minute, I looked at him. "So, tell me more about Siobhan and Maggie."

It's a journey, with Edward for sure. Another piece of the puzzle, clicking into place for him.

This week I don't have any recommendations because my mind is so thoroughly saturated in the Highlands. Watching Outlander makes me miss my home and life in Scotland deeply. Alas, that's a time I cannot quite return to... yet.

So instead of trying to remember anything beyond that, I'm going to sort of pimp my own work. Because I'm challenging myself to write some seriously different works.

Family style: Home (mostly pregnancy); Yours, Mine, and Ours the rewrite

Humor: Lockdown; Along the Way (I mean, I laughed at that Assward, lol)

Mob: Vengeance

Fluff: Yours, Mine, and Ours; Along the Way; Match (O/S); I Want You To (O/S)

Finally, I want to hear from you. What's your favorite genre to read or write?

Love to you all!

See you next Monday!