Here's the latest chapter. A lot of progress in this one.
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Chapter 5 - But Who Learns How to Toughen Up
Bella was getting things ready for work the following day. Anthony would be at the firm's daycare, so she needed to pack lunch for both of them and get her coffee machine set. Anthony was splayed out on the couch watching some cartoon he'd found on Netflix, so for the time being he was entertained. A buzz from the counter behind her got her attention.
Talked to Esme this evening. Thanks for helping with Anthony's room.
You're welcome. We'll have to talk about getting him some things that will stay at your house so we're not carting his whole room back and forth when he stays with you.
That would be great. I'm making progress here. My studio went on the market just before I flew to Seattle, and I accepted an offer about a week later, so that should be finished soon. Other than that, it is a lot of crating up things and pulling my belongings out of storage.
How much longer will you be in Chicago? Bella asked.
I should be finished and on the road next Tuesday. The closing is on Monday, so I've got to have the place empty and clean by then. The moving company I hired will be leaving on Saturday morning. They'll store everything until my place is done.
And you're driving too?
Yes, I've got some things I don't want to put on the truck, plus my clothes. It seemed silly to fly and ship out a bunch of things and also have to ship my car, so I'll have that all loaded up when I drive out.
How long is the drive?
I've mapped it out and it is three full days. I've got hotels booked along the way so I have a goal to hit that is manageable, by Thursday night I should be pulling up to Esme and Carlisle's.
Well, I don't think you'll be staying there long. Your place is coming along much faster than I'd expected. The apartment is almost done and Esme said the studio isn't too far behind it.
I'm hopeful. Another 3 or 4 weeks as long as there aren't any setbacks.
The work seemed to be happening quickly. Maybe you can come over for dinner the Friday you get into town?
The dots danced for a moment or two before Edward's text came through. That would be nice. Thank you.
They sent a few more messages back and forth before saying goodnight.
The last week Edward was in Chicago, there wasn't a lot of communication between him and Bella. The few times they did text or talk, he was clearly stressed. One time he let it slip that his therapist was just as thrilled as he was that he would be away from his father. That fact shocked Bella, but knowing Edward Masen Sr. like she did, Bella didn't need anyone to tell her how toxic he was.
On Friday, Jane came down to Bella's office. "I've heard from Jared Cameron. He was hired by Edward Masen to handle the custody agreement. I set up a meeting with him for a week from Tuesday. Since you've both talked about this in relative terms, we both thought it best to mediate a bit. But I'd like to speak to you about your expectations specifically, so if you have time now we can take a meeting, otherwise we can schedule one for early next week."
"Now is fine," Bella told her.
They discussed what she had in mind for shared custody and Jane was impressed. Bella explained that if Edward was serious about being in their son's life, she hoped this would show she was serious about him getting that time with Anthony. Jane also gave her a list of financial statements she would need.
"I've asked Mr. Cameron for similar documents from Edward. We'll share them and each can come up with an amount for child support. That can be discussed at the meeting as well. Once everything is finalized, I will draw up the paperwork, and we can get a court date."
"I'll get you those documents by the end of the day."
"Excellent. As long as things go well, by the time Anthony begins kindergarten this will all be settled."
Bella smiled at that thought. She wanted it all behind her so they could move on with their lives.
Tuesday morning, Edward called as he drove out of Chicago to let her know he was officially on his way to Seattle. They talked briefly about the meeting, Edward happy that it was happening so quickly. He'd gotten his attorney all the documents that were needed. He'd asked Bella about the timing of everything and she explained it as best she could.
"If we have a signed agreement and everything is in order, the judge will speak to us briefly, if at all, and then sign off on it. You'd be required to show proof of payment of any back child support decided on then, as soon as the paperwork is filed with the clerk, the agreement takes effect."
"How long would a court date take?"
"Usually a preliminary hearing is thirty to sixty days. Considering we'll hopefully be going in with everything in order, the judge may get us into an earlier slot on their docket. It will be a single appearance, so that makes it easier."
"So by September maybe?" Edward asked.
"Could be."
That night, they spoke briefly as Edward settled into his hotel room. The two days that followed, Edward and Bella spoke when he left for the morning and when he arrived at his destination that night.
On Thursday night, Edward sounded tired but happy as he pulled up to Esme and Carlisle's. "We're still on for tomorrow, right?"
"As long as you can still make it."
"Wouldn't miss it."
Bella told Anthony Edward was back in Seattle and would be coming by for dinner the next night.
"Can we have ziti, Mommy?"
"If that's what you want me to make, I can."
"Yes, it's the bestest."
"Okay. But why don't you clean up? We don't want Edward to come over and see a big mess."
Bella's phone buzzed as she went to the kitchen to check on the ingredients for ziti. She always had the canned tomatoes to be used for the base of the sauce, but she needed sausage meat and the various cheeses. Not to mention bread. Bella made a list on her phone and noticed a text from Jasper.
Need a Saturday to yourself so you can work on some of your homework? Alice is away on a business trip and I could use some time with my partner in crime.
Sorry, just saw this. And a Saturday study day would be great. I've got a few smaller assignments I could knock out without Anthony begging to go out to the park.
Great. One of my co-workers is trying to get rid of his tickets to the Mariners game. I can buy the pair for us. Are you okay with that?
Yes! Though I'm jealous you're both going without me. I'll make sure Anthony is decked out in his gear for the game. He loves that jersey Carlisle bought him last year, even if it is still a little big on him.
Okay. I'll pick him up around 10am. We'll make a day of it.
Thanks, Jasper.
Anytime.
With a plan for the next night, and a day to focus on school this weekend, Bella settled in to watch TV with Anthony before bed.
Friday morning, Jane came down to Bella's office with the documents she'd drawn up first thing on Friday morning. Bella read them over and saw that it was exactly what she wanted. She signed all three copies and let Jane take them. If they could come to a compromise on Tuesday, they'd only need a second set of signatures before they filed the paperwork to get a court date.
Edward texted midday to ask if he could bring anything, but Bella told him she had to stop by the store on her way home so they were okay. He asked about dessert and she relented.
Just nothing with strawberries, he's allergic.
Okay, I'll make sure whatever I get is strawberry free.
Thanks for getting dessert. We don't eat it often so it will be a treat.
My pleasure.
Just after she set down her phone, Jenks came barging into the office. They'd been waiting for the jury to render a verdict in Lonnie's case, and she was guessing it had gone bad. She hadn't kept up on anything with it, even avoiding it on the news.
"What was the verdict?" she asked.
"They're still deliberating. I assumed it would be a quicker turnaround, but who knows," JJ growled.
"Whatever happens, and whenever it happens, we'll handle it. But you've got a stack of other cases to work on, so put that case out of your mind, JJ. You'll drive yourself crazy otherwise."
"You're right, I just hate that I got roped into this circus. I don't even know what's going on with you these days."
Bella sighed. "Alice and I still haven't spoken really. She's standing by the fact that she was right to tell Edward, and even Edward isn't impressed by it. So there's a lot of strain there, but thankfully, it isn't directed at me. Esme doesn't understand what's going on with Alice."
"And Edward?" JJ asked.
"He got back into town last night, we're having dinner tonight so he can see Anthony. And from there we have our meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Jane has the paperwork drawn up for our idea of a fair agreement, and we'll just wait and see how it goes."
"Okay, let's schedule a working lunch for Tuesday, as long as I'm not hearing the verdict. Because by then we'll both need it."
"That sounds great. It will let us both decompress. Now, I left you case law for the two cases you were hoping to make a deal on next week, but I haven't heard anything from you on those. Was there an issue?"
"No, the one for the Jensen case is exactly what I needed. I spoke to him and he's willing to take the deal if they agree. Spencer balked at the terms I was suggesting. I think we need to find similar precedents on both sides and show him how often it goes better and worse than sentencing guidelines and what those look like."
"On it. I'll take care of that and get it to you before I leave tonight."
That task from Jenks gave her afternoon a focus she desperately needed. By the time she had the ammo he needed to talk to Mr. Spencer on Monday, it was time to head out. She packed up her belongings and went down to the daycare to pick up Anthony.
They went through the store quickly. Bella reminded Anthony that she still needed to cook the ziti, so they couldn't linger.
When they arrived home, she set him up with Netflix and got to work on the meat for the sauce. The sauce itself had been going in the slow cooker all day, so she just needed to cook the meat through and then let that marry with the sauce for the last little bit.
From there, she grated the mozzarella and parmesan cheese into the ricotta and mixed it together while the ziti cooked.
A knock at the door had Bella running to let Edward in. "Hey, come on in."
"Thanks, here's the chocolate cake I picked up for dessert." Edward handed the box to Bella and she headed to the kitchen.
"Edward, come sit with me," Anthony called.
"In a minute, Buddy, I want to talk to your mom." Edward followed Bella into the kitchen and looked around. "Do you need any help? It smells great in here."
"No, I'm about to start mixing the dish all together. Then it goes in the oven. Go sit with Anthony, he's excited to tell you about everything you've missed."
True to what Bella said, Anthony babbled and rambled as he told Edward about his graduation and all the things he'd done with Jasper and Esme since he was out of school. Bella brought Edward a soda when she came into the living room, just as Anthony asked if he could spend time with Edward while he was on vacation.
Unsure, Edward looked to Bella and she smiled at them. "I'm sure we can work out some time in the schedule for you to spend with Edward."
Edward beamed at her and then returned his attention to Anthony. There was a calm about Edward when he was around Anthony, Bella noticed. It was something she'd never seen in him before, but she enjoyed the positive change in him.
Dinner was filled with laughter and more stories, as Edward described his drive, promising to show pictures of some of the things he'd seen along the way.
After dinner, Anthony decided it was time for Edward to get a tour. He showed off his room and his favorite toys and his blocks. Edward was enthusiastic as he was led around, which gave Bella a chance to clean up the kitchen and take the extra sauce and the leftover ziti and pack it for work lunches for the week.
Dessert was met with squeals from Anthony, but by the time it was over, Anthony looked like his exuberance was catching up with him.
"Anthony, pick out pjs and put them in the bathroom. You need to take a bath tonight, because Jasper's got a surprise for you tomorrow."
"I see Jasper tomorrow?"
"Yes, he has a whole day planned for you guys while I work on homework."
"Can Edward come?" Anthony asked.
"I'm not sure if he can go to the big thing Jasper has planned, but maybe he can meet you after? That's up to Jasper and Edward."
"I haven't hung out with Jasper in ages," Edward mused.
"You two should. He's a big part of making this thing work. Being a teacher, he has afternoons, weekends, and summers off. It helps a lot that he has time to spend with Anthony. And he loves kids."
"I'm shocked he and Alice don't have a bunch by now."
"She won't even agree to a wedding date. They've been engaged for two years, but she keeps putting it off. I feel bad for him."
"Alice has changed a lot since I left," Edward mused.
"And not all of it good. She's independent, which is great. But she also disregards others' feelings."
"Well, for what it's worth, I told her that pitting us against each other the way she did wasn't the way to force a reconciliation. She had this dream that I'd come home and we'd get married and be a family right away."
"She admitted that to you?" Bella was shocked.
"Yeah. I told her there's a lot of feelings here, good and bad, and it would take a while to unpack all of that and get to a place where we're more than civil for Anthony's sake. It would also take both of us wanting it."
"Maybe she'll listen to you better than she did to me," Bella groaned. "We used to be so close. But ever since she started working with these other designers, she's a bit more cutthroat."
"That's what I noticed too." Edward looked in the direction of Anthony's bin of blocks. "Are you really okay with me meeting up with Jasper and Anthony tomorrow?"
"He got a pair of Mariners tickets from a coworker, but I'm sure you guys can plan something. And as for being okay with it, I think it is needed. Soon he'll be staying with you, so having you spend more time with him around people he's known his whole life may make him more relaxed when you're actually alone."
"So, I'll see you on Tuesday?" Edward asked.
"Yup. I hope we can agree easily on this. Not just to avoid going to court and fighting over it. But I think the sooner we can explain all of this to Anthony and get him used to it, the better it will be."
"Agreed. I'm going to say goodnight to him." Edward stood up and walked down the hall.
Bella looked to the tall shelf where her little angel sat, a sad smile on her face. "Please, let this be an easy transition. We've had enough turmoil, and I can see the man I once loved is still there. That's who I need to be a father to Anthony."
Heavy footsteps had her turning towards the hall just as Edward walked out. "He's ready for his bath. I'm gonna text Jasper and see what he's got to say about tomorrow. Thank you for tonight. Dinner was delicious and it was nice to spend time with Anthony."
"I'm glad we got to do it. And after Tuesday, maybe we can start making plans for beyond then. We won't be able to have him sleep over with you until the judge signs off on it, but I'm willing to let you spend time with him when it works for both of us."
"I like that idea. Have a good weekend."
"You too, night."
Bella walked Edward to the door and locked up after he left. She got Anthony bathed and ready for tomorrow, and then she took a long bath herself, enjoying the chance to relax.
At ten am, Jasper showed up to pick up Anthony, who was buzzing around, so excited for the game, Jasper told him to grab his backpack and once they were alone, Jasper turned to Bella.
"Edward asked to meet up with us today, he said you were okay with it."
"Yeah, we're meeting next week about custody and he's starting to spend time with him. Anthony was hoping he could join you."
"Well, Edward managed to get a seat in the row behind us, so he's going to meet us at the concession stand right near the entrance to Section 330."
"I put a tube of sunscreen in his clear backpack. Otherwise it has his glove and his little medical kit with his epi-pen in case something unknowingly has strawberries in it."
"Cool, I'm gonna put my glove in there too, but we should be good besides that. Enjoy your day of writing briefs."
"Thanks," Bella said sarcastically.
Anthony came running back out and, with a hug to Bella, he and Jasper were off.
Bella settled in to do her schoolwork, writing up the briefs Jasper had mentioned. She'd done the research for most of it, and now she was writing what would be the basis for her final project. If she got the last of these submitted, she could write the final project once she got these back. Thankfully, her teacher was quick to respond when they were turned in.
She was so busy with her work that she was shocked when Esme opened her front door and poked her head around. "Is Anthony with Jasper today?"
"Yes, they're at the game with Edward. He managed to get a seat behind the tickets Jasper had."
"Oh, that sounds wonderful. I'm sure the boys will enjoy it," Esme said as she sat across from Bella.
"Esme, what's wrong?"
"It is something with Elizabeth's estate, but it concerns you."
"What's that?" Bella asked.
"Elizabeth set up a type of trust for Edward when he went to school. The idea behind it was that it would only pay out to him upon his graduation. She named me as the person to oversee it in case something happened to her."
"Edward graduated years ago, so why would this be an issue that concerns me? Unless you want me to look into it because it hasn't paid out?"
Esme shook her head. "No, dear, he got the money from his account, but she set up a second account, that one is for you."
"What?" Bella asked, shocked.
"Yes, and it will be paid out to you when you complete your law degree in December. I was contacted by the lawyer in charge of the trust, asking for your information so once he's sent proof of your completion of the degree program, he can send you the check."
"Why would she do this?"
"From what I've gathered from her papers, she was planning to tell you about it. She wanted to make sure that you completed your education after you found out you were pregnant with Lizzie. Honestly, I don't understand why it wasn't paid out after your undergrad, but from what I gathered from the lawyer, Edward had known about it, so he'd claimed it. But since you never knew about it, you didn't know to claim it. Lizzie was battling cancer for the first time when you were about to graduate from your undergrad, so that might explain why it wasn't passed along to you. But the fact remains, I have some paperwork for you to send to this lawyer, and then once you get your final grades in, you can submit your proof to him and be paid out."
Bella paced. "I didn't ask for this, Esme. I've never asked for money from any of them. I've accepted that I'll be taking money from Edward for child support. And I'm planning to use the sum they determine is owed from the last five years to dig myself out of the debt I've amassed with credit cards and student loans. That way I'll have more of my own money to put towards Anthony's care going forward."
"I think that's smart. And this may help chip away at it too."
"Chip away? Is it not some obscene number?" Bella stopped her pacing.
"$45,000 isn't something to sneeze at, but it isn't a million."
Bella's shoulders sagged. "That would go a long way towards paying off my student loans. Though, I'd need to figure out what the taxes are on that."
"He may be able to help you with that. I'll leave you with this, and you can send it off and figure everything out with Mr. Welch."
Bella took the large envelope from Esme, her hand shaking slightly. "Thank you, Esme. I know all of this has been hard for you. She was your sister, after all."
"Thank you, Bella. You've always been gracious when it came to my Lizzie and the strain that was there largely because of her husband."
"Well, I understood better than most how vile that man could be." Bella squeezed Esme's hand.
"Will you ever tell me what happened with him?"
Bella shrugged. "I don't even think Edward knows. And if anyone should hear it, he's the first."
"I understand. I'll leave you to your afternoon. I hope I haven't derailed your work."
"I'll be fine, Esme. And I'll call Mr. Welch on Monday and get this squared away."
Esme and Bella hugged and she walked her to the door. It took Bella a while to return to her work, but she managed to get those briefs off to her teacher. For her other class she had videos to watch with questions that followed, so she did a few of those. The paper for that class was nearly outlined, and once she understood this section, she was hoping to complete the outline so she could submit that and get approval for the paper.
Her eyes were sore by the time she closed the laptop, but it had been a productive day. She slipped the papers from Esme into her briefcase. She would deal with them on Monday after speaking to the lawyer in Chicago.
She heard the jingling of keys outside the front door as Jasper let Anthony into the apartment. Bella was surprised when Edward didn't follow them in, but Jasper had an explanation.
"Edward got a call from the movers that his things had arrived and he needed to go and inspect everything as they moved it into the storage space he's renting."
"Oh, well, I'm glad you all had a nice time. Was it a fun afternoon, Anthony?"
"Yup. Edward left when we got to the car, and Uncle Jasper and I got pizza for dinner. We brought you some."
Jasper held out the box and Bella smiled at him gratefully.
"That sounds perfect. Now, I'm sure you're all sweaty, so how about you take a quick shower to clean up and then we'll watch a movie."
"Kay, bye, Jasper." Anthony ran off.
Bella thanked Jasper again and went to take care of Anthony.
The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and preparing for the next week, which Bella knew would be stressful and full of emotion.