Y'all are the fucking best. Thank you!
2
I start reading Edward's manuscript the second I get home.
Okay, well, not the very second. It's all I want to do, but I get Mikey down for a nap, clean up the kitchen, and reply to a few client emails.
With Mikey sleeping, I sit on the back patio and open Edward's manuscript titled "In Another Life."
I already know about parts of the plot since we've talked about it here and there over the last year while he's been writing it. His last book had elements of sci-fi, but this new one involves time travel. Essentially, it's about a man named Holden who lives in the year 2060 and accidentally travels back in time, leaving him stranded in 2016. He tracks down an astrophysicist named Lola, who has published articles on time travel, and enlists her help to get him back home. Despite being married in his old life, he starts to fall in love with Lola and has to decide between going back or staying in the new life he's fallen into.
It sounded compelling when I heard Edward talking about it, and after breezing through the first four chapters, I decide I'm into it. Time travel isn't necessarily my thing, but the way Edward writes, it is almost a "stream of consciousness," and the humor is dry but witty.
I make some mental notes here and there about some parts that could be fleshed out a bit more and other parts could be simplified, so the science behind the time travel is more easily understood by the reader.
All in all, it's nothing major that needs to be reworked, and if I didn't have to start prepping food for dinner, I'd easily be able to get through another four chapters.
I'm in the kitchen, seasoning ground beef for our burgers when I hear the front door open and close. I move to the sink to wash my hands. A second later, Jared walks in. I'm surprised to see him home since it's just after six. From the look on his face and the fact that his suit jacket is already off, I know he's in a mood.
"Hey," I say softly, drying my hands on a dish towel. "You're home early." It's early for him, I guess, but he still pulled a twelve-hour day.
He avoids my eyes. "Hey."
Mikey's coloring at his little kid's table, but he runs over to Jared immediately.
"Daddy!"
"Hey, buddy." He picks him up, and I notice their features are more similar every day, with their wide brown eyes and thick chestnut hair. I think Mikey will have Jared's height, too. "How was your day?"
"I drawed a picture."
Jared walks over to the tiny table to see his drawing, and Mikey hands it to him.
"This is for me?" he asks, and Mikey nods. "Thanks, buddy. I'll take it with me to work tomorrow."
Tomorrow is Saturday. I figured he'd be working—that's not unusual, but I thought it'd be from home. I guess that's his way of letting me know he won't be around.
"I have a few showings tomorrow," I remind him. "You were going to watch Mikey."
Mikey continues drawing, and Jared walks out of the room, returning with a bottle of whiskey from the bar cart.
"Can you take him with you?" he asks. "I have a lot of shit on my plate right now."
I give him a look. "No. I can't have him running around while I'm trying to meet with clients."
"Maybe your mom can take him? I just have to go in for a bit, then I'll work from home." He moves toward the cabinet to grab a glass.
"My mom is probably busy."
"What about your dad?" he asks, and I just laugh dryly because no. My dad has never watched Mikey before. He wouldn't know what to do, and I'd be more stressed out leaving Mikey with my dad rather than just having him come with me to the showings.
"Or you could call your parents to see if they can take him," I point out. "Since you're the one who is switching up the plans, not me."
"Bella, come on. Please don't start with that tone," he mutters, giving me a frustrated look.
I relent because we're going to have guests over soon and I don't want to start this.
"Fine. Whatever. I'll call your parents, then."
"Great. It's settled." To him, this is a non-issue. There's a solution, and we've moved past it. To me, it's just another inconvenience that I have to endure and problem-solve myself. He pours a small glass of whiskey and throws it back. "I'm going to shower."
"Okay. Don't forget, Edward, Gianna, and Seth will be here in half an hour," I remind him.
He unbuttons the top of his shirt, then does a couple more. "Cancel."
"What? No."
"I'm not in the mood to host, Bella."
"It's not like you have to do anything," I point out, sour. "You really want me to cancel half an hour before they're planning on being here? No. That's shitty."
"I had a bad day," he complains. "I don't want to entertain anyone."
I move closer and wrap my arms around his waist, looking up at him. "My day wasn't great either." Well, it wasn't until Edward gave me his manuscript. "We probably all had a bad day. Just… let's unwind, okay? Relax."
He looks annoyed but relents. "Fine."
With a quick kiss, he disappears to shower.
XXX
"Okay, so I like what I've read so far," I tell Edward.
The kids are playing outside. Gianna's sitting on the patio and typing away on her phone. And Jared's manning the grill. So Edward offered to help me prep the veggies for our burgers.
"Wait, you already read some of it?" he asks, slicing an onion.
"Yeah. I really like the voice—it feels natural? I don't know. But, yeah, I like it so far, and time travel isn't usually my thing."
"Thanks," he says genuinely. "I appreciate that."
"I was curious—why did you choose the year 2016 for Holden to travel back to?" I ask.
He's quiet. "I don't know. Just picked it at random."
"Hmm. There were a few things that came up for me while reading, but I don't want to overstep."
"Gonna tell me to scrap it all?" he asks, his laugh laced with self-deprecation.
"Stop being so hard on yourself," I scold. "Just know that I'm not trying to be overly critical, okay? I know you have people who already help you, so you can tell me to shut up if my feedback is off base."
"I mean, my editor helps to an extent, but I'd love any insight or feedback you're willing to offer," Edward tells me.
I arrange lettuce, tomato, and onion on a plate as I say, "I only read the first four chapters, but I think if you make the time travel explanation a little less confusing? Or find an easier way to explain it—that would be helpful."
"Yeah, I thought that, too. I've already changed some of that, but you don't have that version," he says, accepting my feedback easily.
I grab my wine and lean against the counter, facing him. "The only other suggestion I had was maybe you could flesh out Holden's thoughts a bit more in the beginning, like about why he feels alone and is unhappy in his marriage."
"He's not necessarily unhappy," Edward clarifies, and I detect a small hint of defensiveness.
"Really?" I sip my wine. "Okay. That was just how I read it, I guess. He seemed very… I don't know. It was a bit bleak being in his head before he time traveled."
"He's happy, but he just doesn't feel heard or seen, I guess."
I smile somberly. "I don't know. I think that'd make me pretty sad."
He holds my gaze. "Yeah."
The back door opens, and Jared pops his head inside.
"Burgers are done," he says, then shuts the door again.
"Well, I'm excited to read more," I say honestly, pushing off the counter and grabbing the plate of veggies. "It's an intriguing idea. All of the what-ifs. All the roads not taken in life. How one little decision can change the course of everything."
"Yeah," Edward says again in agreement, and I swear for the briefest moment, he looks sad.
XXX
Just after nine, I peek my head around the wall of the dining room to see Mikey and Seth asleep in front of the TV.
"Aw. They passed out," I tell everyone, moving back toward the table.
After we grilled and ate dessert, the boys wanted to watch Toy Story 4. I made a pallet of blankets on the living room floor, so they could lie in front of the TV and watch. I knew they wouldn't make it through half the movie before falling asleep.
"I heard they both had rough days," Gianna says to me, sipping the last of her wine.
I grab the bottle from the middle of the table and refill hers before mine.
"Yeah, it was a day, all right. Little mischief-makers in school, and then double meltdown at the playground," I recall, looking at Edward, who just smirks and shakes his head at their rowdiness.
Gianna winces. "Can't say I'm sorry I missed that."
Before I sit down in my seat, Jared grabs my waist, so I'll sit on his lap. I look at him, and he gives me a soft smile.
He's been quiet ever since he got home, stuck in his head about work. I tried talking to him about it after his shower, but he still wasn't interested. This is the first little bit of affection he's shown all night, and I gladly eat it up.
Edward tips his head back and drains his beer.
"During the boys' meltdown, we also got scolded by some hippie," I tell them, and Edward chokes on his brew, laughing as he remembers.
"What happened?" Gianna asks, looking amused.
"While we were trying to get the boys' shoes back on, some hot young mom told us that they should be barefoot, so they can connect with the earth or some shit," Edward explains.
For some reason hearing him call her "hot" makes me… I don't know. I'm not jealous. And he's not wrong—she was hot. It just makes me feel weird, I guess. The stupidest part is that Edward's wife is sitting right here, and she doesn't seem to bat an eye at the adjective he just used for another woman. So why the fuck do I feel slighted?
I gulp the rest of my wine, and Edward watches me.
"Fucking parent shamers," Jared chimes in, kissing my shoulder. "Did you two tell her to mind her own goddamn business?"
"No. I should've," I mumble, my annoyance doubling now that I know Edward found her attractive. "She rattled off her Instagram username, so we can follow her and read more about what she's talking about," I add, rolling my eyes.
Edward catches that, too.
"Wellnessmama69," he tells Gianna and Jared, and the three of them share a laugh.
"Of course, you remembered her username," I snark before I can stop myself. Edward just keeps grinning. "Are you going to follow her?" I ask, trying to sound playful, but it comes out weird, like I'm too curious. "Get some tips and tricks?" I add, hoping to save myself.
Edward really laughs now. "What? No."
"Okay, now I have to see what kind of content she posts," Gianna says, pulling out her phone, Edward glancing over at her screen.
I get up from Jared's lap and pretend like I'm suddenly interested in cleaning. I start picking up different items from the table, but I can feel someone's eyes on me as I leave the room.
I set dirty dishes in the sink, drink a glass of water, check on the boys, and turn off the TV. When I'm back in the dining room, the conversation has changed from the hot mom thankfully.
"What's the deal with this couple's trip?" Edward asks, swigging his beer.
"I think we all finally agreed on Napa Valley, right? Rose found a house on Airbnb with a hot tub and pool. She's going to book it for the second week in April," I say, sitting next to Jared. "She's supposed to let us know how much we owe her."
"Does she know to include my sister and Jasper? Alice said even though she'll be the boring pregnant lady, she still wants to go," Gianna adds.
"Oh, good! I'm glad they're going. I'll double-check, but I think, when I last heard, Rose knew that."
Our friend group kind of intermingled over the last six years.
Emmett and Edward are brothers, and Rose is my best friend. I introduced her to Emmett a few years ago, and they were married within the year. Gianna and Alice are sisters, and even though she and Jasper aren't around as often, it's always fun to hang out with them.
The trip is more than a month away, and while I'm sure I'll be able to go, I don't know if Jared can. We've already argued over it more than once.
It's a couple's trip. I don't exactly want to go alone, but if I had to, I guess I would. It'd be nice to get away, and it's not like it's the first time I've attended something solo. Thankfully, when we're all together, I never feel like the fifth wheel. If anything, it's more a group trip, I guess, than a couple's trip. But still, it'd be good for Jared and me to get away and take some time for ourselves without Mikey.
"That works for us. I already blocked my schedule for that time," Gianna says, looking at her husband. "Thursday to Monday, right? And I was thinking we could drive to Sacramento and stay with my parents for a day, then fly home Tuesday."
"Sure, if that works with my folks keeping Seth an extra day," Edward says because he's like me and thinks of stuff like that. "I might have to skip some of the shit we do in Napa, though," he adds after a beat. "It would be good to use that time to get through edits."
Gianna scoffs. "So you're gonna use a couple's trip for some alone time? That makes sense."
Edward gives her a look. "Not the entire time, but I have a deadline at the end of April. I don't know how close I'll be to it by the time we'd be in Napa."
"Then use every moment before then to finish your edits," Gianna says pointedly.
Edward laughs, but it's hollow. "It's not that simple."
Gianna rolls her eyes. "I know, I know. It's a 'process'." The way she says the word process comes out condescending, and something I can't name—don't want to name—flares inside of me.
"You know, huh?" he asks rhetorically. "You know all about my process? I find that hard to believe because any time I talk about my new book, you zone out."
"Now you're exaggerating," Gianna mumbles, drinking her wine.
"What's my new book about?" he asks, raising his brows. She's quiet, and they stare at one another. It feels tense between them, and the awkwardness in the room is palpable. "You can't even name the title? The genre?"
Still, she says nothing. "Edward—"
He stands from the table and walks into the kitchen. Seconds later, we hear the back door open and close.
"Sorry," Gianna tells us. "He's been irritated with me all week. With good reason, I guess. But we shouldn't have done that in front of you two."
"It's fine," I reassure her.
She looks sad, and while I feel a little bad, my concern is mostly geared toward Edward.
An awkward silence lingers before Gianna speaks.
"I have a friend who is going to reach out to you soon, Bella. They're looking to buy."
I don't know if she's being serious or trying to change the subject, but I'm grateful either way.
"Oh, great." I smile, forcing it a little. "Happy to help."
That's actually how I met Edward and Gianna—I was their realtor before I was their friend.
It took a year for them to find a house they liked. Edward was more involved in the process than Gianna was. I think she only went to see five houses in person while Edward and I visited over twenty.
The main issue was that neither truly cared where they lived. They didn't have certain criteria to narrow it down, so I kind of showed them everything, doing my best to talk up each one.
Eventually, when my neighbors decided to sell their house for a condo overlooking the Puget Sound, I figured it wouldn't hurt to show Edward the house next to mine. Whatever I said to help him envision his life here worked, and a week later, he and Gianna put in an offer well over asking.
And just like that, we became neighbors.