A/N: I don't own Twilight or its characters; they belong to Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

Jake and I agreed to meet back at my house shortly. He wanted a little space to process everything and some time to think, but he promised he would give us a chance to tell Vanessa before he said anything to her.

This plan gave me time to explain to Bella that Jake now knew about us, and we'd ask Vanessa to come over so Bella and I could tell her together, the way it should have been with Jake. Then, finally, both the kids would know, and I might get a decent night's sleep for once.

But before I left Masen's, I caught Emmett alone and looked at him intently. "Thank you for talking Jake around. I don't know what I'd have done otherwise. He didn't want to hear it from me."

Emmett clapped me on the shoulder. "I don't know how much you heard, but I didn't say anything that wasn't true."

I held his gaze. "I heard enough to know I've been a miserable prick for far too long."

Emmett laughed. "You've had other priorities for far too long."

I scoffed. "Sure, let's go with your wording." I turned more serious. "You really got through to Jacob in a way I could never have, and I appreciate it. Very much."

Emmett waved away my words. "You know I've always got your back, Ed. I wasn't sure I could talk him down at first, though. Bro, your son's a freaking hothead! He practically had steam coming out of his ears!"

I laughed. "Well, he does get some of his genes from his mother!"

Emmett scoffed. "That's true. Good job he gets the rest from us Cullens, huh! Dude, I can't believe he finally knows. Surely that's a massive weight off your shoulders?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but we still have to tell Vanessa. I hope she isn't upset, because I'm getting sick and tired of justifying my relationship." When did my life get so complicated? When I woke up this morning, I thought Bella and I would spend the day having breakfast together and reading the Sunday papers. I wasn't expecting to explain my love life to half my family.

Emmett gave me a soft smile and a shoulder nudge. "Ed, Fuck 'em! You don't need to justify anything. If the kids are unhappy, they'll soon get over it. Besides, Vanessa can't react much worse than Jake did."

"Let's hope not!" I sighed. "I'll let you know."

I'd left Masen's first, knowing Jacob wasn't too far behind me, but I needed to get home before him and tell Bella he now knew about us. Fuck! That was another conversation I wasn't looking forward to.

As I unlocked my front door, I could smell the croissants Bella had promised. "Honey, I'm home," I joked, thinking how this would indeed be our home soon, and I'd get to come home to Bella rather than an empty house.

"Hi, handsome," she greeted when I found her in the kitchen. "Crisis averted?" she enquired as I walked closer and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah." I breathed her in, enjoying this moment of calm before the next storm.

"You don't look too happy about that." She stroked her palm over my slightly stubbled cheek as I forced a smile. "Edward, you look pale and exhausted. What's wrong?" The concern in her voice made me feel even worse for not telling her any of this sooner. Christ, all I wanted to do was melt into her arms and relax.

Instead, I frowned and took her hand. "Sit with me." The smile fell from her face as I led her to the kitchen table, keeping hold of her hand as we sat.

"Edward, you're worrying me." She sat sideways, facing me and studying my face.

I tried to smile naturally. "Things are okay … but I do have to tell you something."

She spoke in barely a whisper. "Go on."

I took a deep breath before looking her straight in the eyes. "Jacob knows about our relationship."

"What!" Bella's hand dropped mine and flew to cover her mouth. "What? How? Edward! How did this happen?"

"Calm down…" My voice fell on deaf ears as Bella stood, almost knocking the kitchen chair to the floor as she started pacing the room.

"How? I thought we were going to tell the kids together." She looked at me, hurt pouring from her as she raised her eyebrows at me.

"I know, I wish we had. Jacob stopped by when you were in the shower this morning. He saw me half-dressed and saw your coat and shoes by the door. He put two and two together, and I couldn't lie to him when he came up with four. Bella, I'm sorry it happened this way, but I'm so sick of this deception; it's breaking me. I couldn't lie to him." My voice cracked slightly as I gave into the emotions I'd been battling all day.

Bella looked stunned as I continued. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you at the time, but I'm not sorry that he knows. It's time everyone knew so we could move on with our lives."

Bella's gaze softened slightly. "Well, how did he take it?"

I sighed. I wished I could phrase this better and tell Bella everything was fine, but I wasn't going to hide what had happened.

I scrubbed a hand down my jaw, fidgeting as I tried to find the right words. "He was pretty mad. He stormed out before I could work out what to say or do for the best."

"What do you mean he stormed out? He's mad? Oh, God, Edward…this is bad…so bad."

"Bella…" I stood and held her shoulders, slowing her pacing and forcing her to look at me. "He said some pretty hurtful things I didn't want you to hear. It wasn't his finest hour, and I think, given time, he'd admit that himself."

"Hurtful things, like what?" Tears were welling in her eyes as she looked at me, begging me to make her understand.

"He was shocked. So shocked he had no filter. He stormed off to Masen's. I caught up to him there, but Emmett was already calming him down. Emmett really stood up for us, and Jake listened to him."

"So, what happens now? Jake just hates us?" She shrugged, faking nonchalance, and I ran my hands through my hair.

"No. No, he doesn't. He's still not thrilled, but he's calmed down, and he wants to come over and talk."

"But Vanessa doesn't know…" Her voice was rising, and her breath was rushed. I held her shoulders to try and calm her.

"Exactly. So, we should tell her. Today. Now."

"Edward … I'm not ready," she spoke with such panic she actually turned pale.

"I know, but we have to. Jacob is on his way here. We need to get Nessie and talk to them both."

"He's coming here. Now?" Her panic rose further as I nodded.

"Yes. We have to face this head-on."

She stopped pacing and studied my face. "Edward…I…." she paused and fell into my arms.

I held her. "It'll be okay," I told her, kissing the top of her head as she calmed her breathing.

"That's easy for you to say; Jacob knows now."

I held her at arm's length so I could look into her eyes. "Yeah, and look at us." I patted down my body. "We're still standing. We're still here. Together. The world didn't end."

"Oh, God, I feel sick." Bella walked to the sink and filled a glass with water, downing every drop before she slammed the glass down with more force than usual and dipped her head as she gripped onto the worktop. I walked up behind her and turned her to face me.

"Sweetheart, we knew we'd have to do this. Just think, once they both know, and everything's out in the open, we can finally relax. We can move forward; you can move in here and…"

We were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

Bella's eyes went wide as I scoffed. Now my son decided to use the doorbell! Shame he hadn't earlier today.

"I'll let him in." I leaned forward and kissed Bella softly before we parted, and I walked down the hallway.

I took a deep breath and stood taller when I opened the door. "This is still your childhood home, Jake," I told him as I stood aside for him to enter.

"Just checking." He answered and, for the second time, today started removing his boots and hanging up his jacket. As I closed the front door, his gaze shifted, and he looked somewhere over my shoulder. I followed his gaze. Bella was approaching us.

I walked around Jake and took Bella's hand, and after a second's hesitation, Bella clenched mine, and her other hand held my forearm. It felt good to stand together united.

Jake's eyes were about to bug out of his head as he looked from me to Bella and back again. "I…I need a minute."

I nodded. "Okay. We'll be in the kitchen; come join us when you're ready," I said, still holding Bella's hand as I guided her back down the hallway.

"He hates me!" Bella hissed as we entered the kitchen.

I batted away her words. "No, he doesn't; trust me, he's a lot calmer than he was this morning!"

"What did he say earlier?" She asked.

"Things I'm glad you didn't hear. I can see through his words to his hurt, and I can forgive him. I didn't want you to hear what he was saying when you are still getting to know him."

"How did you get him to calm down?

"Emmett. It was all Emmett. He set Jake straight and called him out on being selfish. He said things I would never have, but things Jake needed to hear."

Bella pulled the long-forgotten croissants out of the oven and put them out to cool. She walked to me and placed her palms on my chest. "It was good of him to have our backs. It sounds like we owe him."

"Definitely," I told her, just as Jacob joined us, looking apprehensive.

Bella dropped her hands from my chest and stepped away, busying herself plating up the croissants as Jacob watched us in silence. I hated how uncomfortable he seemed in what had always been his house. He took a seat at the kitchen table, and I plonked my pasta maker in front of him, making him snort.

"Thanks, old man. Maybe next time, I'll wait until you actually reply!" he joked.

"That might be best," I replied as I saw Bella's cheeks reddening slightly.

Once we were all seated, I turned to my son, more serious this time.

"Where's Nessie?"

Jake looked to Bella, seemingly sensing her mood. "She's just out running errands; the post office, returning some shoes at the mall, nothing urgent."

"Can you call her and ask her to come over?"

"Edward…" Bella started to object, but I cut her off quite sternly.

"No. Bella, please. If we don't tell her now, Jake has to lie to her or pretend he doesn't know, and I won't ask him to do that."

"You're right." Bella nodded at me and then at Jake.

We both watched as he pulled his cell from his pocket and called his wife.

"Hi, babe! Yeah, I'm okay, but can you come over to my dad's place? Yeah, now would be good. Wrong?" Jake looked at me and then Bella before he spoke again. "No, nothing's wrong, just ... it's best you come over as soon as you can."

Jake said a mushy goodbye to Nessie and hung up before grabbing a croissant from the plate in the middle of the table. "She was already in the car." He told us, breaking the croissant in half and dropping it on the table as it released a plume of steam. "Shit!" He glanced up at me. "She's not too far away; she won't be too long ."

I watched him but found it hard to read how he was feeling. I didn't know if he was genuinely calmer now or just trying to be in front of Bella. "Come on, J. Is it so bad that your mother-in-law and I get on this well?"

Jake shrugged, breaking off and then swallowing the whole half of the pastry in only one mouthful. "No, of course not, it's just very close to home, you know?"

I scoffed humorlessly. "Yes! Trust me, I know!" I took hold of Bella's hand on top of the table, not underneath it like I previously would have. I didn't want to hide us anymore. Bella squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back.

When I looked up, Jake's eyes were glued to our hands. He looked away, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Dad. I want you to be happy with someone; I really do, but … this is a little weird," Jake ventured as I sighed.

"You can't have it both ways, son. You want me to find someone, then disapprove when I do." I tried to keep the hurt from my voice, but I think Jake still heard it because he softened slightly.

"I don't disapprove." He looked from me to Bella and back to me again. "I don't," he repeated, still not convincing me with his tone of voice.

"Well, tell your face that," I grumbled as I grabbed a croissant myself, filling my mouth before I said anything I'd regret.

We sat in silence, quietly eating until Bella spoke.

"Jacob, I'm sorry you found out the way you did. Your father was ready to tell you; it was me that wasn't. I kept putting it off. If he had his way, you'd have known weeks ago."

"Bella, we decided together…" I started as she turned from Jake to me, shaking her head.

"Yes, we did, but we both know I was the more reluctant one. I'm sorry, Edward, I should have listened to you, but I was too worried…too scared …" her voice hitched on the last few words, and she gulped in a deep breath.

Jacob looked at Bella, and his face softened. He seemed to see things from her point of view for the first time, and he could see her fear and vulnerability. She turned back to Jake. "We both hated keeping this from you kids, and now my hesitation has caused this situation between you two." She shook her head as I squeezed her hand.

I shrugged. "We did the best we could," I told them both, standing and grabbing a jug of orange juice from the fridge and placing it on the table, along with four glasses. As I did so, the doorbell rang, and Jake and I looked at each other.

"I'll go," I told him, partly because I was already up, but mainly so there was no chance Vanessa would pick up on Jake's mood before we saw her.

I caught Bella's eye before I left the room, took a deep breath, and opened the front door.

A/N: How will Nessie react?

I have a milestone birthday between this chapter and the next, consider your review a gift to me, it would mean so much and your reviews really do encourage me to continue. If you're enjoying this story, please spread the love and recommend it anywhere you can!

Thanks as always to my great team of people: Frannie Walsh, Christy Wicklund, Gail Gaber, RebAdams, Heather Stack Riggs and Julie Gotcha Dodge for giving up their time to beta, pre-read and make banners for this chapter.