Somewhere To Begin Chapter 6, a twilight fanfic

We have such Gratitude for our team of ladies that work with. They all go above and beyond to make sure our story is readable. Liz Vesper, our Editor, Connie Sanders and BohemianRituals, our pre-readers!

Chapter 6: Adjustments

Renata

"Renata." Mommy kissed my forehead. "Time to get up."

"No, Mommy." I groaned. "I'm still sleepy."

"I'm sorry, Honey, but you don't want to be late for school." She lightly tapped my arm. "Let's get going."

I rubbed my eyes. "Okay." I pulled the cover off of me, sat up.

She chuckled. "No pouting."

I stretched. "I'm not pouting." I yawned.

"If you say so." She grabbed my hand and pulled on it. "Go brush your teeth and wash up, I'll put your clothes in the bathroom."

I slid out of my bed and went to my bathroom.

Once I finished brushing my teeth and taking a shower, I put on my clothes and went to the kitchen to see what Mommy made for breakfast.

"Please don't do this." She whispered.

She was on her phone.

"I'm so sorry." It sounded like she was crying. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Was she talking to Daddy?

"Mommy?"

She turned around, her eyes wide.

"I'll call you back." She sniffled. "Hey Baby." She put her phone on the counter. "You scared me." She smiled, but her eyes were red. "You look so pretty."

I had on a pair of jeans, a shirt and tan shoes.

"Are you okay, Mommy?"

She walked to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

Why wasn't she answering my question?

I frowned. "Why were you crying Mommy?"

She took a deep breath. "It's nothing, Lovebug, just grown-up stuff. Nothing for you to worry about. Now." She squeezed my shoulders. "Let's get you some breakfast." She pushed me toward the table.

I sat down and watched Mommy as she made bacon, eggs, and toast. She hummed as she moved around.

Things had been weird.

Mommy and Daddy told me they weren't together anymore, not that I'm sure I even know what that really means, and then we moved out of our house. Mommy got an apartment and Daddy stayed at MayMay and Coco's house.

I had a room at Mommy's and May-May and Coco's. They were nice, but I missed my old room. I missed our old house.

Now that Mommy and Daddy weren't together anymore, I don't see them at the same time.

I'd spend some time with Mommy, then she takes to May-May and Coco's and I spend some time with Daddy. I didn't like it. When I was with Mommy, I missed Daddy and when I was with Daddy, I missed Mommy.

I had fun with both of them, but…

I missed when we were all together.

I missed how things used to be.

"Are you excited about your first day of school?" Mommy placed my food in front of me.

I picked up my fork and shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah."

"You don't sound like it." She sat down. "Wanna tell me what's on your mind?"

I'd been nervous about school since she told me I wouldn't be going to the same school as my friends who used to live next door to me.

"I won't see my old friends." I poked at my food.

"I know." She sighed. "And I'm sorry about that, but," she smiled at me. "You can make new friends at school."

"I don't know anyone at school." I raised my eyebrows.

"You can get to know them." She placed her arms on the table and crossed them.

"I don't want to." I shook my head. "I liked the friends I had." I stabbed my fork into my eggs a little harder than necessary. "I liked my old room, and our old house, and when we were all together."

Her shoulders slumped. "I know you're still adjusting, but things are different now and-"

"I don't like different." I threw my fork; it bounced on the table and fell to the floor. "I want things to be the way they were." I pushed my plate away from me and slammed back in my chair.

"Renata Michele Cullen." Her forehead was wrinkled, and her mouth hung open.

That wasn't nice. I knew that. But she wasn't listening. I didn't want to make new friends.

I looked down at the table. "Sorry, Mommy."

"No Baby, I'm- I'm." She stuttered. I'm sorry." She sighed. "I'm so sorry that your life changed because, becau-" She stopped talking.

"Cause what?" I looked at her.

She was biting her lip and looked down.

I slumped my shoulders and looked down at my shoes. Why won't she tell me anything?

"I don't… I don't."

I looked back at her.

"Ugh." She rubbed her hands over her face. "I don't know how to explain all of this to you right now, and I know one day I'll have to, but…" She stretched her hand across the table, waiting for me to put mine in hers. "For now, just know everything will be okay; everything will work out. It has to." She squeezed my hand. "Eventually." She mumbled.

Edward

Today was Jellybean's first day and my stomach was in knots, as if it was my first day, and not hers.

I wished I'd been there to see her face when she got up. She was not a morning person.

I chuckled to myself as I walked to the main house, imagining her narrowed eyes, wrinkled forehead, and pouched lips.

"Morning Ma." I said as I entered the kitchen.

"Hmm." She had just taken a sip from her mug. "Hey Honey." She smiled as she set her cup on the counter. "Want some coffee?"

"Yeah." I sighed. "That'd be great." I plopped down onto one of the barstools at the island.

She turned around and got a mug out of the top cabinet. "You're quite dressed up just to see Renata off to school." She added coffee and creamer to the mug and handed it to me.

"Thanks." I took a sip. "Actually, I'm going to work today."

I had been out of the office for six weeks. It was time to go back, but I wasn't going because I needed to, even though I was needed. I was going back because I wanted to. I wanted to have some normalcy in my life again.

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Good." She tapped the counter twice. "That makes me happy to hear."

"Something other than me makes you happy?" Dad wiggled his eyebrows as he walked into the kitchen, toward her.

"Ew." I chuckled and took another sip of coffee.

"Stop it." She swatted his chest, but there was a soft smile on her face.

He kissed her forehead. "I was just kidding, kind of." He smirked. "So, what did you hear that made you happy?"

"Nothing too exciting, I just told Ma that I was going to work today."

"Oh." Dad blinked. "That is good news." He leaned against the counter.

"Yeah, well." I shrugged and looked down at my watch. "I gotta get going, I don't want to be late." I gulped down the rest of my coffee and stretched over the island, putting the mug in the sink.

"Alright, give Renata a kiss for me." Ma said.

"Yeah, let her know we missed her." Dad said.

"Will do." I got up out of my seat and headed for the door.

"Drive carefully." Ma said. "We'll see you at dinner."

"Um." I turned back around. "Actually, Renata and I will be a little late. We're going to…" I cleared my throat. "Go look at some condos after she gets out of school."

I didn't want to make a big deal about this. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing; I reached out to a realtor earlier today, not expecting to see anything soon, at least not this soon, but she was available today, so I took that as a sign.

I needed to do this.

I said I would get my shit together, and I meant that.

"Oh." She jerked back slightly and placed one hand over her chest. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"That's great, Edward." Dad said.

"It's wonderful." Ma beamed.

I nodded. "Hopefully, we'll find something we like."

"I'm sure you will." Dad said.

"I know you will." Ma said.

"Fingers crossed." I pointed behind me. "I'm going to head out now. I'll see you guys later." I turned back around, walking toward the door again.

"See you later." Dad said.

"Have a great day." Ma said.

"Later." I waved and went out the door.

STB

I pulled into the school parking lot and took the first open space I saw. I got out of my truck and looked around.

I didn't see Renata or Gianna.

I looked down at my watch. I was a few minutes early. They should be here soon.

That's fine. That gave me some time to gather my thoughts.

Gianna and I hadn't seen each other in about two months.

Even when she dropped Renata off or picked her up, that was done through my parents.

I knew it was silly, maybe even childish, but I just wasn't ready to face her, not yet.

But that would change today.

Suddenly, a car sped into the lot. They were driving so fast their tires screeched.

That's one way to make your presences known.

A tall, dark-haired guy got out. "Hey li'l man."

"Dad." A little boy smiled and ran toward the tall guy. "You made it."

Cute kid.

A woman stood behind the little boy. She was attractive, very attractive.

You're staring.

I shook my head. No, I wasn't.

Yes, you were. You were looking at that woman over there.

Wrong, I was looking in that general direction. She just happened to be there.

Wow, that was actually a pretty good cover up. I know it's bullshit, but not too bad for coming up with that on the fly.

That was not bullsh-

"Hey."

I tensed for just a second.

I relaxed my shoulders and turned my head in the direction that the voice came from.

It was Gianna.

She was holding Renata's hand and biting her lower lip as she looked at me.

"Daddy." Renata walked toward me, thankfully breaking the awkward silence.

"Jellybean." I picked her up and rocked her side to side.

"I missed you." She mumbled into my neck.

"I missed you too." I said in her ear as I tightened my arms around her.

"We should head in now." Gianna said lowly.

I put Renata down, took her hand, and headed toward the building.

I heard Gianna sigh before she took a few quick steps to catch up and took Renata's other hand.

We quietly walked into the school and to the classroom.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen." Mrs. Cope, Renata's teacher, smiled.

"Good Morning." I smiled back at her.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cope." Gianna said and took a step toward her. "Um… Actually, you can call me Ms. Davis." She whispered.

"Oh." Her smile fell. "My apologies."

"It's no problem." Gianna glanced at Renata. "It's kind of new."

I could tell Mrs. Cope didn't really know what to say.

"This is Renata." I placed my hand on her shoulder and moved her in front of me.

"Hello, Renata." Mrs. Cope smiled at her.

"Hi." Renata waved.

"It's nice to meet you." Mrs. Cope said.

"Nice to meet you, too." Renata looked down and mumbled.

"Oh, she's a shy one." Mrs. Cope looked between Gianna and I.

"Yeah." Gianna sighed. "Something like that."

Renata could be shy sometimes. She was the type of child to be more observant, quiet until she got to know someone. She had always been like that. So why did Gianna say that, or more accurately, say it like that?

I squeezed her shoulders. "Just until she gets comfortable."

"That's good to know." Mrs. Cope said before she bent down, so she was eye level with Renata. "Are you ready to go inside the classroom?" She asked softly.

Renata shrugged her shoulders.

"Why don't you tell your Mom and Dad, that you'll see them later." Mrs. Cope straightened and took a step back, so Renata could walk through the door.

Renata looked between both Gianna and me before her eyes settled on me. "See you later."

I kissed her cheek. "You're going to have a great day, okay?"

"Okay." Her little shoulders were slumped.

"Hey." I tapped her nose. "I mean it."

She scrunched up her nose and gave me a small smile.

"I'll see you soon."

She nodded and walked to the door, but before she went into the classroom, she looked back at us one last time.

I made a goofy face at her until she gave me a real smile and walked into the classroom.

"First day jitters." Mrs. Cope said. "It's normal, but she'll be fine."

"I guess." Gianna sounded unsure.

"Trust me, she'll be okay." Mrs. Cope nodded. "Have a good day." She said before she went inside the classroom.

Hopefully, it was just first day jitters.

Had this been a year ago, I would have believed it was just that, first day jitters. But I knew that wasn't the case.

I peeked through the small window. Renata was seated at a table, doing her usual quietly observing.

She would be fine.

I turned and headed back in the direction we had come, and went to my truck.

That wasn't so bad. We got through that without speaking. That was fine with me.

I unlocked and opened the door.

"Edward."

Guess I spoke too soon. I didn't even hear her behind me.

"Edward." She said again.

"What do you want, Gianna?" I asked, my back still toward her.

"Can you look at me?"

I sighed and slowly turned around.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek and stared at me.

I raised my eyebrows.

"I-I, um I…" She stumbled over her words.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and exhaled loudly.

"I'm sorry." She blurted out and played with her fingers.

"What?" I frowned.

"For hurting you." She took a step toward me. "I didn't mean to do that and I'm so, so sorry. You have to know that."

I jerked back.

"I mean it Edward. I would never intentional-"

"No." I chuckled humorlessly. "No, we're not doing this… having this conversation."

"Well, when then?" She threw her hand up and dropped them to her side. "You won't talk to me."

"I don't know." I clenched my jaw. "But not in a parking lot, at our daughter's school." I shook my head and turned to get into my truck.

"Wait." Gianna said. I put one leg in. "Renata and I talked this morning."

I paused.

"She's still not… adjusting too well. You should have a talk with her."

"Okay." I nodded. "I will."

"I really am sorry."

"Goodbye Gianna." I got into my truck, started it, closed the door, and quickly drove off.

STB

"Good morning Mr. Cullen." Carmen, the receptionist, perked up in her chair and smiled as soon as I walked through the door.

"Good morning, Carmen."

"I didn't know you'd be in today." She looked at me intensely and toyed with her necklace as her tongue darted out and licked her lip.

I tried not to grimace.

And by tried, I actually mean I failed.

Carmen hadn't always been so forward and flirtatious with Emmett and me, but not long after we hired her, she changed. It's like she learned the job, made sure she did it well, and then lost all sense of what we expected of her professionally; at least with not flirting with your bosses.

While her antics could be… overwhelming, it was never really offensive. However, she became more tenacious when she learned I was getting divorced.

At first, I found it comical how she would try to be suggestive yet professional, but as she got worse, it got old really quick.

Don't get me wrong, Carmen was a good-looking woman, but I had never and would never be interested.

I've learned the best way to handle these situations is to ignore it… her.

I leaned against her desk. "Do I have any messages."

I knew I had some. I'd been out of work, but I needed to get her back on track.

She dropped her necklace and hunched her shoulders. "Yes." She sighed. "Today, so far Mr. Boyd would like to set up a conference call with you, and Mrs. Simmons from Evans Fur & Clothing wanted to meet with you and Mr. Cullen."

"Alright." I nodded. "Schedule that call for Mr. Boyd this week, then look at Emmett's and my schedules, and see when we can meet Mrs. Simmons."

"Will do." She mumbled.

I pressed my lips together and turned, so she wouldn't see me laugh. "Thanks Carmen."

I walked to my office, opened the door, and looked around.

I missed this place.

I took a seat at my desk and immediately noticed the pile of folders full of business plans. I knew my first day back would be hectic. I took an unplanned… vacation.

I'm sure my work phone and email were full of messages. Not that I would complain.

I felt lucky. Business was great, and I truly loved what I did.

I picked up the folders and glanced through them.

A gas station, a technology company, a floral business, oh a strip club. We'd never done one of those before.

I put the other folders down.

"Let's see what we got here." I opened the folder.

The business model looked great, but nothing about it stood out to me. It was missing the x factor.

That being said, the revenue trends and price history started out good, but there has been a slow decline over the last eight months. However, the debt-to-equity ratio was actually pretty good.

All in all, their numbers weren't too bad. But I'd have to let Emmett look through it and see what he thought about it.

I looked up at the top of the sheet to see the company's name.

Chix on Dix.

"Hmm." I squinted at the paper. "They got straight to the point." I chuckled.

If we worked with this company, I thought a name change would be important.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Emmett poked his head around the door. "Is that Edward Cullen in the flesh, at work?" He said as he walked in and plopped down in a chair.

"Shut up." I held up the folder. "You have to see this." I smirked as I handed it to him.

"You're on your 'A' game and being proactive, I like it." He said as he took the folder.

I waited for his reaction. If anyone else would find this funny, it would be him.

"Dude, what the fuck!" He barked out a laugh. "Chix on Dix?" He stood up from the chair and sat on the edge of my desk. "This is my kinda place." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Of course, it is." I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"You know, we'll have to go check them out first before we consider taking them on. You know, to be thorough." He beamed.

I snorted. "I'll leave that one to you."

"Aww, come on Eddie." He stood up. "You gotta go; we're a team."

"Whatever, Em, we'll talk about it later." I leaned back in my chair. "It could be quite profitable, but the name has to change."

He nodded. "Yeah, it needs some work."

"I'll get Carmen to set up a phone conference with them later this week."

"Sounds like a plan." Emmett sat back in the chair. "So?" He sighed. "You're back at work, and you have clothes on…"

I threw a pen at him.

"Hey, no need to be violent." He laughed and held his hands up. "I was just trying to compliment you."

"Didn't sound like one to me."

"Well, it was, at least to me." He shrugged.

"Oh well, if that's the case, you suck. That's my compliment to you."

"Okay, okay." He laughed. "I'm trying to be serious." He breathed out. "I'm happy you're back."

"Me too." I nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're kinda important to the business, not as important as me, but…" He shrugged.

"Was that supposed to be another compliment?"

"No." He shook his head. "Not at all."

I snorted and picked up another folder, getting back to work.

"So?" Emmett said after a few moments of silence.

I looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Tell me, man. How'd it go?"

"How did what go?"

He rolled his eyes. "He's going to make me pull it out of him." He mumbled. "You and Gianna, duh." He widened his eyes.

I sighed and put the folder down. "It went fine."

"Did you actually talk to her, like with words, from your mouth?"

"How else would I have talked to her?" I frowned.

"I don't know, maybe through text." He shrugged. "It's not like you haven't been avoiding her."

Of course, he felt the need to point that out.

"Yes." I blew out. "I talked to her, and used my mouth, whatever that supposed to mean."

Now I wasn't going to tell him it wasn't, necessarily, a pleasant conversation, but we talked.

"Good, things have improved some." He raked his fingers through his hair. "Now I just need you to do one thing, and we can stop talking about her."

"What's that?" I placed my elbow on the desk and leaned my chin against my fist.

"Say her name."

I scrunched up my face. "Why?"

"Because it'll make me believe that you're really okay and you haven't said her name out loud in a long time."

I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it.

He was right.

For a while, I didn't even want to think of her name, let alone say it. I was just so angry. I mean, I was still angry, but I was supposed to be getting my shit together.

"Gianna." I mumbled.

Emmett leaned forward in his chair. "Say it again."

"Gianna."

"Louder."

"Gianna."

"Didn't that feel good?" Emmett stretched his arms out wide.

I shrugged my shoulder. "It wasn't bad."

Honestly, I didn't feel any different, but I'll let him have his moment.

"See, it wasn't like saying Mufasa." He placed his hand on my desk, as if he were comforting me. "You didn't shutter. I knew you could do it."

"Emmett." I shook my head. "You're so stupid." I laughed.

I can always count on Emmett to lighten the mood.

"I got you to say it, though." He smirked. "Now, let's get down to business. Dark Dining, what are your thoughts?"

I pressed back in the chair and sighed. "I haven't looked at that portfolio yet, but to be honest, I don't like the sound of it." I frowned. "Who's gonna eat in the dark, by choice?"

"You didn't do your homework, Eddie." Emmett tsked. "There're some restaurants in New York, Cali, Arizona, DC." He counted off with his fingers. "Just to name a few, and they're doing well." He stood up and sat on my desk again. "When have I ever steered you wrong? Trust me on this. It's a good deal for us."

"Trust you, huh?" I folded my hands on the desk. "Get the presentation together and wow me."

He titled his head to the side. "Challenge accepted.

I smirked. "I'm looking forward to it." I picked the folder back up. "Do you have any other potential projects?"

"Yeah, do you remember my old college buddy, Carl?"

I shook my head. "Nah, can't say that I do."

"Doesn't matter." He waved his hand. "He asked me to help a friend of his, you know, with my being an expert in marketing." He smiled and popped his collar. "I'm meeting them at noon."

I chuckled. "You're so modest."

"Hey, my work speaks for me. You already know that." He playfully nudged my arm.

"Mmm." I hummed. "What's the name of the business?"

"Touch of Butter, the bakery on Michigan Ave." He rubbed his chin. "Rosalie Hale is the owner, I believe."

I sat up in my chair. "That is one of the most popular bakeries in Chicago. Is she looking for investors?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure, but you know I'll be asking, and I'll even turn on the charm." He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Em, please, we want her business."

"Hardy har har." He deadpanned. "You're not funny, douchebag." He said as he walked out of my office.

I shook my head and chuckled and got back to work.

STB

"Hi Daddy." Renata smiled when she saw me.

She looked to be in a better mood. Maybe it was first day jitters after all.

"Hey Jellybean." I grinned and took her hand. "How was school?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It was okay."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why was it just okay?"

She bit her lip. "Only one girl talked to me."

"Sweetie, it was the first day. I'm sure you'll make friends in no time."

She looked away. "I guess you're right."

"Yeah, maybe I am." I chuckled. "Why don't you tell me what you learned?"

"Well, we wrote our letters and learned some new sight words." Renata tapped her chin. "We read books and talked about the stories, and I met my music teacher, Ms. Dawson, and the art teacher, Mr. Adams."

"It sounds like overall you had a pretty good day."

"It wasn't too bad."

"Tomorrow will be even better." I unlocked the truck and opened her door. "I skipped lunch, so I'm a little hungry. How about you?"

"Yeah, me too."

"Okay, we'll grab a snack." I said as she got in. I closed her door, got in the truck, and drove off.

Traffic was light, so I turned in to McDonald's parking lot in a matter of minutes.

We ordered our food and found a table near the back.

I needed to tell her we were going to be looking at some condos and eventually would move out of my parents' house. We needed our own space, but I hoped it wouldn't upset her.

"Sweetheart, how would you feel about us getting our own place?"

She sat her drink down. "We wouldn't live with MayMay and Coco anymore?"

"No." I shook my head. "But we can visit them, and you can spend the night with them anytime you want, like you always have."

She nodded and then frowned. "So, I would have another room?"

"Yes."

"Will this be the last one?"

"Yes."

She chewed on her lip.

I guess she was thinking about what I had said. That was more than fair. This was a lot of change for a child, and it all happened pretty quick. I'm sure it was hard for her to wrap her head around.

She sighed. "Okay."

I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "You're okay with us getting our own place?"

"Mommy has her own."

She didn't really answer the question, and more than that, she seemed indifferent. Like it was going to happen whether she liked it or not.

And unfortunately, it was. I hated that.

But I didn't want her to look at it as a bad thing.

"Tell you what." I leaned against the table. "If you help me pick a place for us to live, you can decorate your room however you want. We can even paint your room your favorite color: orange."

She pursed her lips. "Promise?"

I smiled and nodded. "Promise."

"Okay, deal." She gave me a small grin.

I chuckled. "Let's finish up so we can meet the real estate agent."

After we left McDonalds, we parked in front of the building where our first appointment was. I noticed a petite woman with long brown hair that stood near the entrance.

We got out of the truck and walked towards the glass doors.

The short woman looked at us with a warm smile. "Hi, are you Mr. Cullen?"

Her smile was so genuine I had to smile back. "Yes, I am. Are you Ms. Swan?"

She nodded and held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you and you can call me Alice."

"You can call me Edward, and this is my daughter, Renata."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

"Hi." Renata smiled and waved.

Alice looked back at me. "I have a few condos lined up for us to look at today." She pulled out some papers from the folder in her hand. "These are the specs for the first viewing." She handed the sheet to me and opened the door to the building and went in. We followed behind her. "The elevators are over this way." Alice pointed.

We got off on the tenth floor and walked to door 1016.

"This condo is 2715 square feet, with three-bedrooms, four bathrooms, plus a library. It's an open floor plan with high ceilings, and an amazing lake view." She paused and turned. "I'll be at the front door. Let me know if you need anything."

"Okay, thanks." I smiled.

Renata and I walked through the condo, but it didn't really look kid friendly to me. It was nice, but not my style.

I looked down at Renata. "Do you like it?"

She scrunched her nose. "Not really."

"Me either."

We walked out of the library and towards the front door.

"So, what do you think?" Alice asked.

"It's nice but not our style."

"Alright, give me a minute to turn off all the lights and we'll go to our next appointment."

After we left the first condo, we looked at two more, but we didn't like those either. I didn't care for the location of one and the other was outdated and too dark.

By the time we were on our way to the last condo, I wasn't as optimistic, but when we pulled up in front of the building, I immediately liked the location, it was close to my parent's place, Jellybeans school and my job. And Lake Shore Park was down the street.

We met Alice at the entrance. "What do you think, so far?" Alice asked.

"I like what I see."

Alice smiled. "I saved the best for last."

We walked into the building, and Alice led us to the elevator. "This is the last penthouse available in this building, it just listed a couple of days ago." She entered a code on the keypad, and the elevator moved.

Moments later, we got off the elevator.

I liked the feel of this place as soon as we walked in.

"This penthouse is 3800 square feet and is considered a smart home. It has three-bedroom, three bathrooms, formal living, dining and family room." She pointed. "The kitchen is newly renovated, and I can't forget the breathtaking view, which you can enjoy on your private terrace." She handed me the specs. "And it has a finished basement. I'll give you a minute so you all can look around."

The kitchen was gorgeous, the bedrooms were huge, and the basement was big enough for Renata and me to share.

This place could really work for us.

I looked at Renata. "So, what do you think?" I asked.

"I like it, Daddy."

"Me too, a lot." I pointed. "This part can be your playroom and that part can be my office."

"That would be cool."

"So, do you want to put an offer in?"

She nodded. "Yeah, let's do it."

STB

"There's my girl." Ma smiled as soon as she saw Renata enter the kitchen.

"MayMay." Renata smiled, walked toward her and hugged her.

"I missed you." Ma kissed her forehead.

"Missed you too." Renata sighed.

"What about me?" Dad pouted. "I missed you the most." He held out his arms for a hug.

Renata giggled. "I missed you too." She hugged him.

"Hey squirt." Emmett waved. He was already seated at the table with food.

Was I invisible?

"Hello to you all too." I crossed my arms in a huff. "I can tell I was missed too."

"Not as much." Dad shrugged. "We just saw you this morning."

"Wow." I nodded. "I can feel the love."

"Of course, we missed you." Ma walked over to me and kissed my cheek. "But maybe just a tiny bit less." She smirked.

I shook my head and chuckled.

"Okay, we get it." Emmett sighed. "Everyone was missed. Can we eat now?"

"Must you be ruled your stomach?" Dad rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Emmett frowned and pointed between himself and Dad. "Did we just meet?"

Dad opened his mouth to say something sarcastic, I'm sure, but Ma cut him off. "Let's eat."

We took our seats and passed the food around the table.

Ma had made spaghetti with meatballs, salad, and garlic bread. It was one of Renata's favorite meals. I'm sure she appreciated that.

"How was school, Renata?" Ma asked.

Renata told them about her day, what she had told me earlier, even the part where only one person talked to her.

"Your Dad is right, just give it a little time. Before you know it, you'll have more friends than you know what to do with." Dad smiled.

We had light conversation, and everyone briefly discussed their day as we finished our meal. It eased into a comfortable silence.

"Coco?" Renata looked at him.

"Yes." We all looked at her.

"What are cooties?"

Dad frowned. "Cooties aren't real. Why do you ask?"

"Are you sure?" She tilted her head to the side.

Dad grinned and chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure."

"How did you hear about cooties?" I asked.

"A boy in my class said it." Her eyebrows drew together. "He kept saying I had them."

She didn't mention that earlier.

"That's not very nice." Ma said.

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" I asked.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"If he tells you that you have cooties again, you just tell him that he stinks." Emmett pointed his fork at her.

Renata laughed. "Okay."

"Why would you suggest that to a child?" Ma shook her head.

"No, just no." Dad said.

"Don't listen to your uncle." I said.

"Seemed fair to me." Emmett shrugged.

"Cooties is a made-up thing." I looked at Renata. "You do not, nor will you ever have them, okay?"

She nodded her head. "Okay."

"Good." I poked her nose. "Now why don't you tell them about the condo we put an offer on."

After we finished our meal and Ma decided she would decorate our potential new place. Then we left the main house and went out to the pool house.

I still needed to talk to Renata.

"Am I not sleeping in my room tonight?" Renata asked.

"You are, I just wanted to talk with you." I said as I guided her to the couch and took a seat.

"Am I in trouble?" She picked with her thumbnail.

I raised my eyebrows. "Why would you be in trouble?"

"Cause." She looked down. "I was mean to Mommy."

She didn't mention that either. Actually, neither of them did.

"How were you mean?"

"I got angry threw my fork and told her I didn't want to make new friends, that I liked my old ones, and that I liked my old room and the old house better."

I guess that's what she meant about not adjusting.

Now it made sense why only one girl talking to her bothered her, and why she seemed indifferent about getting a new place.

"Okay." I nodded. "Did you apologize to your Mom?"

She nodded her head.

"Good, I'm sure she appreciated that." I sighed. "You're not in trouble, okay?"

She peeked up at me. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

She relaxed and leaned back into the couch. "What do you wanna talk about?"

I chuckled. "I just wanted you to know, that you can talk to me and your Mom, about anything. We know that all of this hasn't been easy, and it can be confusing. Even at this young age, you're going to have thoughts and feelings, like being upset about everything that has changed. And that's more than okay. But your Mom and I want you to know is that even though things are different, we are always here for you." I looked at her. "Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah." She played with the sleeve of her shirt. "I think so, but can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Will we ever go back to our old house?"

I sighed. "No, Sweetheart, we won't."

"Why not?" She asked softly as she rubbed her hand over the arm of the couch.

"Because me and your Mom aren't together anymore."

"Why?" She blinked at me.

How was I supposed to answer that? It's not like I could tell her the truth.

"It's…" I paused, trying to think of the right word. "Complicated, and I'm not sure you would completely understand."

Hell, I didn't understand it my-damn-self.

"But why can't you tell me now?" She frowned. "I'm smart."

"I know you're smart, Jellybean." I leaned over and kissed her cheek "But it'll have to wait until you're older."

"Hmph." She crossed her arms. "I don't like that."

"I know." I sighed. "But that's all I can give you for now."

"I wish I was older now." She mumbled.

"Don't say that." I ruffled her hair. "I'm not ready for that."

She blew out a breath and pouted her lips, her arms still crossed.

In spite of it not being a funny situation, I snorted and kissed her cheek again.

When, or if, the day came, and she wanted to know, I would tell her; I wouldn't lie. But a part of me hoped, wished that she—by some miracle—wouldn't want to know. That she would be okay with the idea that marriage just didn't work for her Mom and me, that we separated because we loved each other, and wanted what was best for each other.

I would be okay if she believed that.

It would have been much better than the truth.

A/N: Y'all know what to do… show us some love and drop those reviews, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the Cullen fam.

Thank to everyone who's going on this journey with E & B. It's a slow burn but we promise you that we're going somewhere. So, sit back and enjoy the ride!

RECS: Take the Ice by BellaMarie117, it's an oldie but goodie! I absolutely love Edward & Bella's relationship in this story… also I loved coming through the process with Bella as she grew as a person.

First & Ten by Nolebucgrl, this story is on my Top 5 list! If you haven't read it, please do yourself a favor and read it.