Somewhere To Begin Chapter 11, a twilight fanfic

Thank you to our wonderful Editor, Liz Vesper for cleaning things up for us and of course we have to thank our pre-reader, Connie… you guys are the best!

Chapter 11: It's A Small World After All

Edward

"Ugh." I groaned as I looked up at the sky. "Smooth Cullen, real smooth." I muttered while I dragged my feet to the car.

What the fuck did I just do?

I hopped in the car and turned around to Renata. "Are you buckled in your seat, Honey?"

She looked up from the iPad. "Yes, Daddy."

"Alright, let's go home." I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "After we get settled, you and I will have a talk about what happened today, and I have something else I would like to ask you, okay?"

I noticed her downcast expression as I looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Um, okay." She responded with hesitance.

"Jellybean, there is no reason for you to be nervous, there's just some things we need to talk about."

"Alright." She sighed.

I turned on some music as a distraction from berating myself for what I said to Bella.

I don't know where that came from or why I even said it. It's like suddenly, I had word vomit and I lost total control of what came out of my mouth. I was still cringing at the bitch brow she gave me, although I deserved it.

I feel like shit now. I came off as some pompous, judgmental jackass, to a woman—a beautiful one, I might add—that I don't even know. I was in no position to criticize anyone; I've got my own issues to work out.

From the way Mrs. Cope sounded, Bella and Aiden were going through the same changes as Renata and myself, but here I was Mr. Charm bringing up behavior and sponges.

God, that was so stupid.

It made perfect sense now that I think about it. Renata and Aiden could act out in class because of the changes at home. Ugh. I really hate that word. Changes. It came with such a negative weight, at least in my recent experience.

It's funny, really. Someone said the only thing we can be sure of was change. Change was constant, it made you more flexible and adaptable. But how did you adapt to your comfortable life being snatched from under you like a rug? How did I explain this type of change to my six-year-old daughter?

I call bullshit!

I don't care what they say. Not all change was good. I wasn't given a choice; it was made for me, for us. Hell, I still struggled with all of this and I was an adult. So how was Renata supposed to decipher the choices adults make?

I didn't have the details of what happened with Bella and Aiden, but I was sure his behavior was an aftereffect to their home situation. After all, these are just two kids that were trying their best to cope with adult bullshit.

I groaned before I glanced in the rearview mirror to check on Renata as I parked the truck.

"We're home, baby girl." I smiled.

Renata looked up from the game on the iPad and unbuckled her booster seat. She grabbed her backpack and waited for me to open the door for her. As we walked to the elevator, my phone rang. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and of course it was the call I knew was coming. Her name flashed across my screen.

"Hello?"

"Hi Edward. I'm sorry I'm just calling you. I had an unexpected lay over. Can you hold for a second?" She asked before I heard her muffled voice give an address. "I'm back. A Mrs. Murphy left a message on my phone about a meeting. What happened?"

"Renata had an incident at school, but we're just getting home. Can I call you back in a few minutes?"

"Oh, okay. Um… Sure. I'm in a taxi, I haven't made it to my parents place yet." She paused for a moment and cleared her throat. "Talk to you soon?"

"Yeah, I'll call you in a few." I ended the call and put the phone back in my pocket.

In all honesty, it still felt weird to talk to Gianna, but considering the circumstances, I'd put all of that behind me.

"Was that May-May?" Renata asked as we entered the elevator.

I pushed the button that would take us up to our floor. "No, that was Mommy."

"Do you think she'll be mad at me?" She asked, playing with the strap on her backpack.

"No Jellybean, Mommy won't be mad at you. But she will want to talk to you about what happened."

She nodded her head.

"Home sweet home." I unlocked the front door. "Go put your backpack in your room." I said after I removed her coat and hung it on the coat rack.

"Kay, I'm gonna go color in my playroom." She said as she walked to her room.

"Could you color in your room? I have to call Mommy back; you can't be downstairs by yourself."

Renata turned around. "Can we go to my playroom when you get off the phone with Mommy?" She asked with a smile and both of her eyebrows raised as she swayed from side to side.

"Yes, Sweetheart, we can go downstairs later." I chuckled.

She spun around and continued on to her room.

Now to call Gianna.

"You can do this; you are a grown man, dammit!" I walked to my bedroom and pulled my phone out.

Maybe I should give her a few minutes to get to her parent's place?

Yes, that sensible. I'm sure she wouldn't want to have this conversation while in a car with a complete stranger.

Or… maybe you're still scared to talk to her.

No! That's not it… I'm just… giving her a few minutes to get to her parent's house, like I said. I'll give her ten minutes, no big deal.

Fifteen minutes later, I hesitated over Gianna's name and grimaced.

"Don't be a bitch, Ed." I paced. "Grow up, you have to talk to her at some point." I raked my fingers through my hair. "This isn't about you or Gianna. It's about Renata, pull yourself together." With that last word of encouragement, I pressed on her name and put the phone to my ear.

As it rang, I continued to pace.

Did it get hot in here?

"Edward." She said with a shaky laugh. "I wasn't sure if you'd call me back."

You and me both.

"Yeah, I wanted to give some time to get to your parent's." Yeah right. I rolled my eyes at my own mental berating. "But to cut to the chase Renata had a… rough day today, that was why you got the call from Mrs. Murphy."

"Rough? What? Um… What…" She fumbled over her words. "What do you mean rough?"

"There's a boy in her classroom that she doesn't get along with. They've been having disagreements since school has started. Funny enough they both have something in common, Renata and Aiden; the boy in her classroom."

"And what could that be?"

"Aiden's parents are divorcing or have divorced as well, or at least that's what I'm assuming based on the things Mrs. Cope said." I waved my hand even though Gianna couldn't see it.

"Oh, um, well I-I guess that would make sense then. Two kids not getting along because of such major changes." She trailed off.

There's that word again.

"Gianna, none of this makes sense." I closed my eyes and took a breath. "This ongoing behavior between the two of them escalated into Renata kicking Aiden, and Aiden pulling her hair. One of the playground monitors had to intervene."

"What? He pulled her hair. Is she okay? And she kicked someone? Renata?" She said without taking a breath.

"Yes, Renata." I sighed. "She's fine, they're both fine. To be honest, Renata's behavior has been different here of late anyway, even my parents have noticed. We've even talked about possibly starting therapy for her, Carlisle recommended someone to me." An empty feeling hit the pit of my stomach with the thought of Renata going through another change.

"I'd meant to talk to you about that before now, but I wasn't sure how to approach you."

"What do you mean you weren't sure how to approach me?"

"Well Edward, you won't talk to me and I didn't want to tell your parents before I told you."

Heat flashed through my body. "Gianna, anything that has to do with our daughter is more important than—" I said in a sharp tone before I cut myself off.

She's right, I hadn't made myself as approachable as I could have. "I'm sorry I didn't mean for that to come out so harsh." I looked up at the celling and puffed my cheeks out and exhaled slowly. "Look, I know this isn't an ideal situation, but I will put my feeling aside to talk about anything regarding Renata. What did you want to tell me?"

She was quiet for a beat before I heard her sniffle. "I've noticed she's been more reserved than usual." She rasped. "You know how she loves to play with her dolls. The last time she was at my apartment, she sat by the window in her bedroom staring off for a while, and she looked so…" She took a deep breath, "lost. I didn't—I just watched her, wondering what was going through her mind." Her voice cracked. "I didn't know what to do, how to comfort her." She cried. "Her life is completely different, and it's all my fault."

Well…

No, you're supposed to be making progress. Be the bigger person, Edward.

"Gianna, um, don't… It's not your fault. Neither of us knows what to do; this is hard on everyone. There's no need of playing the blame game or pointing fingers. We're going to have to make the best of the situation."

She sniffled again. "You're right, thank you." She cleared her throat. "How soon do you think she should start therapy?"

"I'm going to get the number from Carlisle between tonight or tomorrow and call Monday morning. Hopefully, I can get her in one day next week."

"That sounds good. So, what else did the teacher say? Is Renata or Aiden in any type of trouble?"

"No. Since Mrs. Cope knew they both had family issues going on, she decided it was best to just have the meeting and if the kids stop arguing, the situation will be forgotten."

"Oh, thank God. It doesn't look good for kindergarteners to get in trouble. I mean, they're so young."

"True. But this is an unusual circumstance, it's more than two kids not getting along."

"Edward, we have to do everything we can to help Renata get through this."

"I have every intent on doing just that. I'll call you Monday to let you know when her first appointment will be."

"Okay, great. I'd like to speak with Renata for a few minutes before I go."

"Alright, hold on a minute." I pushed the mute button and walked back to Renata's room. "Sweetheart, Mommy would like to talk to you."

Renata stood up from her activity table as she bit her lip. I leaned down to kiss the top of her head to reassure her. "It's okay." I smiled, unmuted the phone and handed it to her.

"Hi Mommy." Renata said as I stood in the doorway of her bedroom.

Whew, that went better than I thought it would.

I could admit that the lack of communication between Gianna and me is all my doing, but it's time for me to grow up… and forgive. This divorce has been tough enough on Renata. Since we have joint custody, Renata went from one house to another. Not to mention the emotional stress it has caused. I was determined to work out my resentment of the situation itself to make sure her needs get met. I've accepted that I needed to stop avoiding Gianna for Renata's well-being and have at least a cordial relationship with her.

You just decided that.

Hey, better late than never. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Exactly, so you think you and Gianna are going to be buddy, buddy now?

God, even my conscious was cynical.

Okay, okay. I won't lie, it sounded easier said than done, but my Jellybean was well worth it and so was my peace of mind.

"I don't know." She said into the phone as she rocked her body from side to side.

I was a bit apprehensive about bringing therapy up to Renata, but I think… know she needed help that's beyond what Gianna and I can give her. I wouldn't allow this situation to cause more havoc than it already had by sticking my head in the sand and ignoring the obvious.

Renata shook her head. "Yes, I'll see you later. I love you too, okay bye." She held out her hand with the phone in it. "Here Daddy, Mommy wants to speak to you." She said before she went back to her activity table.

"Hey."

"I just wanted to thank you for taking ReRe on my week, I'll make it up to you."

"It's no problem at all." I smiled at Jellybean as she colored. "I'll never complain about spending more time with her. Plus, it's given us more time to get settled into our new place."

"How is that going? I'm sure Esme has added her touch." She chortled.

"It's great. We love it, especially Jellybean; she has her own playroom. Of course, Esme had her playroom decorated before we even moved in." I chuckled.

She laughed again. "That sounds about right." She hesitated. "Maybe when I get back in town, I can pick Renata up so I can see the new place?" I turned around, my back to Renata.

That could get awkward.

I guess I waited too long to respond. "It's okay, Edward. You haven't even seen my place. If that makes you uncomfortable…"

You have to move on at some point, Edward. For Renata, for yourself.

"I think we can do that." I interjected. "Maybe I can see your new place too."

"Great!" Her voice was pitchy. "I would really like that. I can't wait to see your place." I overheard talking in the background. "I've gotta go, we have dinner reservations. We'll talk Monday, right?"

"Yes, I'll call you Monday."

"Take care."

"You too. Bye."

"Bye, Edward."

I faced Renata again. "Sweetie, why don't you change out of your school clothes and get comfortable." I walked in her room, leaned down and kissed the top of her head again. "I'm going to change too. I think I'm going to get some popcorn; would you like some?"

She looked up from her picture with a grin. "Do we have the mixed kind?"

I laughed. "Yes, we have Garrett's cheddar and caramel mix. After we both get changed, let's sit down in the family room to talk, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy."

I walked back to my bedroom and replaced my work clothes for a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt. Once in the kitchen, I grabbed the Garrett's tin from the pantry and poured some in a bowl and made my way to the living room.

Renata was already on the couch, I sat down right beside her and held out the bowl. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

As I tried to think of ways to start this conversation, the only thing audible was the crunch of the popcorn.

"Jellybean." I waited for her to look at me. "Why don't you tell me what happened today?"

"Aiden and I got into a fight. He kept saying I had cooties. I even told him that Coco said cooties weren't real." She looked down. "But he didn't believe me and said I wouldn't know if I had them, cause I was a girl."

"Coco was right, cooties aren't real, and no one has them." I tilted my head, attempting to catch her eye. "Did you tell Mrs. Cope or Mrs. Murphy what Aiden and the rest of the boys were doing?"

"No."

"Why? Didn't you feel comfortable enough to tell either of them?"

She rubbed her hands down her pant leg and kept her gaze down. "I didn't want to be a tattletale." She rolled her eyes. "Then that would be something else they call me, a tattletale with cooties."

"You wouldn't have been a tattletale. Look at me, Jellybean." I waited for her to look up. "If someone is doing something that is bothering you, you can always tell an adult. You wouldn't have been doing anything wrong, okay?"

She nodded her head. "Okay."

"Why do you think you and Aiden have been arguing?"

"On the first day of school, Mike said I was staring at them." She widened her eyes. "But Daddy, I promise I wasn't. I was looking at the pictures on the walls. Then Aiden told me I had cooties."

"I believe you Renata, there was nothing wrong with you looking at the pictures on the wall."

"I felt bad, they said that in front of the other girls that I wanted to be my friends." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't want them to think I had cooties and then they wouldn't play with me."

"I'm sure they wouldn't think that." I scrunched my nose. "You all are at the age that you don't really want to be around each other. But that will change as you get older."

I'm not looking forward to that.

She stuck her tongue out. "I don't like boys, especially the ones in my class."

I hope she still thinks that when she's 16.

"Exactly Honey." I chuckled. "Little boys feel the same way as you do. I remember when I was your age, I pulled on a girl's ponytail because I liked her. Little boys do crazy stuff when they like girls. Even call girls names instead of admitting they like them."

"But Daddy, how can they like me when they wouldn't even let me play with them?"

"Boys don't always make sense, Jellybean." I sighed. I didn't think I would be explaining this to her so young. "Unfortunately, just because they said you had cooties doesn't mean they didn't like you."

"Boys are weird." Her eyebrows furrowed. "I just wanted to play. They didn't have to like me; not like that."

"I know, but in their minds, it made sense. It doesn't make it right, but that's what they believe."

"Boys stink." She mumbled. "I will have only girls for friends."

Don't get your hopes up there, Ed.

"Well, all boys don't stink. That's just how you feel right now."

"Uh-huh." She nodded her head up and down. "They stink so bad, Daddy."

"I'm a boy." I pulled her closer to me. "Do I stink?"

"You're not a boy! You're my dad."

"I'm not a boy?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "Why am I not a boy?" I asked with a chuckle and tickled her.

"Stop, Daddy." She laughed as she squirmed, trying to get away from me.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop." I waited for her to catch her breath. "I know your Uncle Emmett told you to say that, but all of you have to stop with the name calling. It's not nice for them to say that you have cooties, and it's not nice to say they stink."

"Kay." She nodded. "I won't say it anymore."

"Thank you." I looked her in the eyes. "Can you tell me why you kicked Aiden?"

"Cause." She mumbled as her eyes darted around the room.

"Cause why Jellybean?" I laid my hand on top of hers.

"Mike said I couldn't play with them." She whispered as she looked down.

"Well, that wasn't very nice of him, but I know Mrs. Cope said something." I paused. "Can you tell me what Aiden did?"

"When Aiden and Mike came to get the ball, I asked if I could play with them again. Mike said no and laughed when Aiden said I had cooties and they would catch them if we played together." She took a deep breath through her nose. "I kept trying to tell them that my Coco was a doctor and that he said cooties weren't real, but they wouldn't listen to me!" She said with tears in her eyes.

"Then you kicked Aiden."

Her chin dipped and touched her chest. "Yes." She muttered.

"What Mike and Aiden did was wrong." I squeezed her hand. "But you can't kick or hit people, even when they aren't being nice to you. Okay, Jellybean?" I said in a soft tone.

"I know I shouldn't have kicked him but…" She stopped talking, her bottom lip sticking out just a little.

"But what? You can tell me; you aren't in trouble."

It was quiet for a moment. "I was so mad. I couldn't stop myself. They just wouldn't listen to me."

I looked at her, really looked at her. Was this a part of the problem all along? "Do you feel like that a lot? That people aren't listening to you?"

"Sometimes."

"Can you tell me what you mean by sometimes?"

"Well, um." She fidgeted with her fingers as she looked at me. "When I told Mommy, I missed our old house, she said that me and her could have fun in her new place, but I miss us all being together and doing stuff together like we use to." She shook her head. "And Mike and Aiden didn't want to be my friend, even when I told them cooties weren't real." She huffed. "No one listened to me."

I leaned in closer to her. "I'm so sorry Mike and Aiden upset you like that." I kissed the tip of her nose. "I apologize for making you feel like I didn't listen to you. I always love to hear what you have to say, Sweetheart." I pulled her chin up. "You can always talk to me no matter what."

She blinked and let out a huge breath. "You mean it?"

"Of course, I do! You're so smart and creative. I want to hear everything you have to say. Just the sound of your voice makes my day so much better."

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows and gently bit her lip.

"Really." I nodded my head. "You are a joy to be around." I kissed her head. "Can I ask you a question?"

She nodded her head.

"How would you feel about talking to someone about your feelings?"

"Like you or Mommy?"

"Kind of, but it wouldn't be me or your Mom who you would talk to. It would be a friend of Coco's."

"I thought I wasn't in trouble. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Honey. You're not in trouble." I smiled. "Sometimes kids and adults need someone who they can tell and express all of their feelings to. And they can help us better understand why we feel the way we feel."

"I don't get it."

"Okay." I swallowed. "How do you feel about me and Mommy not being together anymore?"

"I don't know, sad maybe." She shrugged her shoulders. "I miss how things used to be and I still don't get why we can't all live together. Mommy told me she would explain some stuff to me when I'm older." She frowned. "But I'm confused now."

"I'm so sorry that you feel sad, but your Mom is right. What happened was so complicated that it would be really hard to explain it in a way for you to understand right now, but we can tell you more when you are older." Not that either of us is rushing for that day to come, I'm sure. "But right now, your Mom and I are concerned that because we aren't together anymore, the new places, school, and any other things you may feel or think but don't say are effecting you more than any of us know." I took a breath. "That's why you would talk to Coco's friend so she can help you figure things out." I looked into her eyes. "Would you be okay if you talked to someone about that? All the…" it felt like I was swallowing vinegar, "changes, in your life."

"Will you and Mommy be there with me?"

"We will always be with you. May-May and Coco would be there too, if you'd like."

She nodded her head. "Okay, I'll talk to someone." She said as she stood up.

"Mommy and I are so proud of you." I hugged her to me. "Everything is going to work out great." I pulled her back. "Now how about we get some dinner and go to your playroom."

She bounced on her toes. "Can we have orange chicken?"

"We can have anything you want." I smiled.

She smiled back at me. "Mommy and I are so lucky to have you. We love you so much."

"I love you too."

"Good. Now, let's order your orange chicken."

Since we've moved in our new place, we've become acquainted with a few of the restaurants that deliver. There's a spot less than ten miles from here that has the best Chinese food I've ever had. My real estate agent, Alice, recommended them to me, along with a few other places around here.

I ordered our food, and we watched a movie in the living room while we waited. After our food arrived, we went downstairs. As usual, the food was out of this world. I was stuffed. I cleaned up all the cartons while Renata played with her toys.

I walked over to my desk and pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Carlisle.

"Hey Edward."

"Hi, dad. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm doing good. I was just about to call you. How are you?"

"I'm good. I've had a busy day, which is part of the reason I'm calling you."

"Oh, really? Is everything okay?"

I pulled the chair out and sat down. "Everything is good, now. I had to go up to Jellybean's school for a meeting with her teacher."

"A meeting. Um, why—what was the meeting about? Is Renata okay?"

I told him about the meeting with Mrs. Cope, my interaction with Bella, and the conversations I had with Gianna and Renata.

"Well." He blew out a loud breath. "It sounds like you had an eventful day."

"You could say that again." I slouched in my chair. "So, could you give me the number to Dr. Perkin's office?"

"Sure, give me a second, I have her number in my office." He said as I heard his soft breaths as he walked. "Alright." He sighed. "Her number is (773)-335-3964." I jotted it down on the notepad that was in front of me. "I'll also call her myself. She's normally very busy and from what I hear some of my other colleagues say, she is a phenomenal psychologist."

"Thanks Dad. I really appreciate it." I was about to end the call. "Oh wait, what did you need, Dad? You said you were going to call me."

"Thank you for reminding me. We won't be able to watch Renata tomorrow night, your mom hasn't been feeling too well the past couple days."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Is she okay? It's not anything serious, is it?"

"No. nothing to be too concerned about, just an asthma flare up. You know how this cold weather can trigger that." His voice got louder. "And of course, you mother is the worst patient ever, and refuses to rest."

I heard Esme's soft response. "You hush Carlisle. Give me the phone and let me talk to my child. I want to know what's going on too."

"No Esme, you go get back in bed right now, I'll tell you everything later."

"At least let me say hi."

He huffed. "Okay say hi and then go get back in bed." He put me on speaker.

"Hi, Honey." She rasped. "What's going on with Renata?" She wheezed.

"Nope." Carlisle cut in. "You said hi, now you have to go lie down."

"But Carlisle." She wheezed again.

"Ma, you don't sound too good. Go get in bed, Dad can tell you everything."

"See, you've been outnumbered. Go lie down, love."

She tried to huff, but she sounded more like she was out of breath. "Fine." I could imagine her rolling her eyes.

"Goodnight, Ma."

"Goodnight, Sweetheart." She whispered.

"You better be in bed when I get back to the room." Carlisle said in a stern voice. "I'm watching you."

"I know you are." She said.

"Ew, your child is still on the phone." I shook my head. "Ma sounds like she swallowed a whistle, but you guys still find a way to be nasty."

"When you get my age, you find creative ways to express passion."

"That's really inappropriate. Goodnight, Dad."

He laughed. "Hold on just a second." He calmed himself. "I just wanted to tell you that you're doing a great job with Renata and even with the progress you're making with Gianna."

"Thank you, Dad."

"One more thing before I let you go."

"What's that."

"Apologize to Bella. If the woman is as beautiful as you say she is…." If we were in the same room, he would wiggle his eyebrows are me. "you wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to make a new friend."

I laughed. "Goodnight old man."

"Goodnight son." He snorted.

I placed the phone on my desk and chuckled as I rocked the chair side to side. Carlisle was a nut. He wasn't wrong, but still a nut.

"Daddy." Renata grinned. "Will you play with me?"

I stood up from my seat and walked towards where she sat on her play mat. "I would love to."

After we played tea party with her dolls and put together a puzzle, we brushed our teeth together, read a story, and then I got Renata tucked in for bed. "Goodnight Jellybean, I love you." I kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, I love you too." She said as I stood up from her bed and made my way to the door. "Daddy?" She called out. I stopped and turned to look at her. "Can we paint my room tomorrow?"

"I don't know if we can start painting tomorrow, but we can go pick out your paint color. Does that sound like a deal?"

"Deal." She said in a loud voice. "Goodnight Daddy." She turned on her side and pulled her covers up.

I pulled her door up, leaving a crack in it before I made my way to my room and plopped onto my bed. "Eventful day indeed." I rolled onto my stomach and placed my phone on the nightstand, charging it.

I'd need to text Jasper to let him know I couldn't make his dinner tomorrow.

The last mental image I saw before I drifted off to sleep was Bella's angry eyes.

You know how some people cried themselves to sleep… Was it possible to cringe yourself to sleep?

STB

I felt my shoulder being shaken. "Daddy get up, let's go get my paint."

I hope it's not 6am.

"Okay, okay. Let me see what time it is first, Sweetheart." I blew out a breath as I turned to look at the clock on my nightstand. It was a little after 9.

She jumped up and down on my bed, singing. "It's time to wake up." I groaned.

I grabbed her by the legs and lightly tickled her stomach. "No jumping on the bed Jellybean." She laughed, pushing my hands away. "Okay, Daddy." I smiled down at her. "I have to make us breakfast and then get dressed first." I walked in my bathroom to brush my teeth.

"Okay, hurry. I already brushed my teeth. I'm gonna go get dressed." She said before she ran out of my room.

Excited much? I see she's planned our day.

I smiled to myself, thinking about all the conversations that took place yesterday. See, Cullen, you're getting through this, day by day. I feel we're making a step in the right direction with therapy for Renata.

Renata ran back into my bathroom fully dressed. "You're still brushing your teeth, Daddy?" She frowned.

I held up my index finger, indicating one minute, as I continued to brush. After I finished brushing and washing my face, I left the bathroom and walked into my closet.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

Renata plopped on my bed. "Waffles!"

I chuckled. "I can do that." I decided on some stonewashed jeans with a burgundy hoodie with a matching hat and gym shoes. "Honey, go turn on some cartoons while I get dressed. I'll be out shortly to make breakfast."

She sighed. "Alright."

"Oh, wait a minute." I said, peeking out of the closet. "Let me see what you're wearing." She stopped in the doorway and turned around. She had on a light gray hoodie, with matching pants and a beanie on her head, with white chucks. I smiled and nodded. "Perfect."

Renata waved her hand at me. "Daddy I know how to match my clothes, Mommy taught me."

"I know Jellybean, you're a big girl."

"That's right." She said matter-of-factly as she walked down the hallway.

I quickly put my clothes on and sat in the chair to tie my shoes. I glanced at my phone on the nightstand and remembered that I needed to text Jasper.

"What's up J? I'm going to have to cancel coming to dinner tonight. I've got Renata this week and Mom's sick."

Less than a minute later, my phone buzzed. "It's all good. I hope Mrs. C feels better soon. No worries about bringing Renata, one of Alice's friends is bringing their child too, she'll have someone to play with."

"Okay, cool. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Nope, Alice took care of everything. Her address is 8891 N Cleveland Ave, See you around 7."

"See ya then." I stuck my phone in my pocket, put my hat on and walked out of my bedroom towards the kitchen.

I laughed. "You've been quite the busy little bee, haven't you, Jellybean?" I asked, looking at the ingredients sitting on the island, along with the waffle iron.

She walked into the kitchen from the living room. "I thought I would help by pulling out some of what you needed to make breakfast." She shrugged her shoulders.

I cupped her cheeks. "Sweetie, it only takes about 20 minutes to make, we'll leave soon enough, okay?"

She had a wide smile with a gleam in her eyes. "I'm so excited, Daddy!"

I kissed her cheek. "I know, but we have to eat before we leave." I turned and poured the ingredients in the bowl. "Oh yeah, we're going to Uncle Jas's house tonight for dinner to meet his new friend."

She clapped her hands together. "I haven't seen Uncle J in a while. I like going to his house. He always has fun games for me."

"Well, it won't be at Uncle J's place. It will be at his friend's house and you won't the only kid this time, someone else that's coming is bringing their child, so you'll have someone to play with."

"Oh." She pouted for a moment before she bounced on her toes. "That's okay, we can go to his house later. Is it a girl?"

I chuckled. "I'm not sure, Honey." I responded as I poured the waffled mix on the iron.

"Maybe she'll wanna be my friend. Can I bring some of my dolls?"

"Sure."

She ran towards her bedroom and yelled, "Thanks Daddy."

I smirked as I cut up the strawberries.

I'm enjoying seeing her smile a lot today. I hope for her sake that the other child is a girl.

In a matter of minutes, she came back with a bag full of dolls and set it near the door.

"We don't go until later on tonight, baby."

"That's fine, Daddy. I won't have to do it later." She explained with a bubbly voice.

"Alright then." I nodded, smiling. I platted the waffles with strawberries on top. "Breakfast is ready."

We sat at the island eating our food and talked about decorating Renata's room. We cleaned the kitchen and left shortly after that.

I opted to go to Home Depot today to avoid any more modeling inquiries. With it being Saturday, it was quite busy, so instead of wondering around the store until we found the right aisle, I asked the first person in an orange vest for assistance.

"Excuse me ma'am, where is the paint?" I asked as I held Renata's hand.

The tall blonde looked me up and down before she stepped closer. "I can show you where it is." She purred.

I stepped back. "We're fine." I said as I glanced down at Renata, bringing the blonde's attention to my child standing here. "Just give us the aisle number, please."

She looked down at Renata, then gave me an apologetic expression. "The paint is on aisle 17, sir."

I nodded with a tight smile. "Thank you." We turned and headed for aisle 17 before the blonde got any other ideas.

What the hell is it with these hardware stores?

"Please, Daddy, please." She begged with her hands together like she was praying.

"I don't know, Sweetheart." I rubbed the back of neck. "That's kinda bright, don't you think?"

"But I like it." She pouted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"It's pink, a very bright pink at that. What happened to orange?"

"Oh yeah." She grabbed my hand. "Let's go look at orange." She skipped pulling me to the section with the orange shades.

Hopefully, we're safe from the Pepto Bismol pink paint…

We looked at different shades of oranges for twenty-minutes and settled on Tiger orange and Fire yellow for an accent wall. I grabbed the other necessary paint supplies I needed, we checked out and headed back home.

Since we were going to be out this evening, I wanted to go home and review a few of the new business plans from this past week, while Renata played in her playroom.

Esme crossed my mind, so I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

His phone rang three times before he answered it. "Hey Dad, how are you and Mom doing?"

He chuckled. "Your Mom sounds better today than she did yesterday when you spoke." He exhaled. "But it wasn't without a fight though."

I laughed. "You know how Mom is, she's not the ideal patient. She's used to taking care of us, not the other way around."

"Yeah, I know, I have to admit I'm enjoying the time off. I got some other doctors to cover me so I could be home with her."

"Yeah, the extra rest is always good. Anyway, I just wanted to check on you and Mom."

"We appreciate that, son. Oh yeah, um…" He broke off as I heard ruffling in the background. "I had to step out of our bedroom, I didn't want to disturb Esme. Anyway, I wanted to apologize for changing your plans at the last minute."

"Don't worry about it, Dad, you take care of Mom. Everything worked out anyway, Renata can come with me because someone else is bringing their child too."

"Oh, well, that works perfectly then."

"It sure does." I smiled. "I meant to ask; do you need me to run to Nick's and get Mom some chicken noodle soup?"

"Nah, Emmett picked up some yesterday afternoon. Once she wakes up from her nap, I'll heat some up for her. Thanks for offering, though."

"No problem, Dad. Let me know if you all need anything."

"Will do. I'll talk to you soon, son, and kiss my Baby Girl for me."

"Alright, talk to ya later." I disconnected the call and continued to work on business plans. After another hour of reading business plans, I closed my laptop.

My stomach growled and reminded me it had been a while since we'd had breakfast. Renata laid on her stomach as she put her unicorn puzzle together on the floor, looking rather focused while soft jazz music played on the TV in the background.

"Hey, Jellybean, how about a sandwich, chips and lemonade for lunch?"

She looked up at me. "That sounds good, Daddy."

"Let's put all your toys away and then we can head upstairs."

"Can I put my puzzle on the table so I can finish it later?"

"Yes." I smiled. "I'll help you pick up your toys so we can finish quicker."

We picked up everything and put it in its proper place. We really lucked out getting a condo with a finished basement. They weren't commonly found in condos, but it was great for us. Renata had her own playroom, while I used one corner for my office without it taking away space in any of our other rooms. Depending on how long I decide to stay here, she may use this as her space when she's older or I can make this into my man cave.

A man cave would be nice…

I locked our basement door, and we took the elevator to our condo. I was tired from my hectic work week and thought about taking a nap before heading to Jasper's in a little while. Renata brought me out of my thoughts just as I opened the door to our condo.

"Can we look at The Game Plan while we eat lunch?"

"Sure, Honey. Go find it on the shelve while I make our sandwiches."

She smiled and ran off to the family room with the walls of built-in shelves full of movies.

I made the sandwiches and added the chips to our plates. I pulled out the eating trays and set them up in the family room. I poured our lemonade and asked Renata to help me bring everything in the family room.

After Renata started the movie, we settled down on the sectional and watched the movie in a comfortable silence. When we finished eating, I sat the eating trays to the side as Jellybean cuddled into my side.

"Daddy Joe takes care of Peyton the same way you take care of me."

I laughed. "I'd like to think I do a little better than him." I poked her side.

She giggled. "I think so too, you've never left me anywhere." She said as she climbed on my lap.

Before the middle of the movie, I heard her soft snores, with her chest rising and falling. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to set an alarm to wake us up in an hour. I watched the movie for a few minutes until my eyes became heavy.

What seemed like only minutes later, the alarm brought us out of our slumber. I opened one eye, looking down at Renata to see her already looking at me.

She yawned. "Time to wake up Daddy." She said with sleep still in her voice.

"Yeah, it is. Let's go brush our teeth first."

She jumped off my lap and ran to her bathroom. I walked into my room and headed to my bathroom. I handled my business first, then brushed my teeth.

I walked to Renata's room to make sure she picked a heavier coat since the temperature had dropped. "Here." I said as I handed her a black coat. "Gotta make sure you're warm, it's colder outside than it was earlier."

She took the coat from me and slipped it on. "This is one of my favorites coats." She said as she zipped it up.

I grabbed my leather coat out of the coat closet, turned the TV off and left a dim light on in the kitchen.

Renata stood by the front door with her bag full of dolls hanging from her arm. "I'm ready."

I smiled as I turned on the light in the front entrance. I opened the door leaving the light on, took Renata by the hand and we headed to the elevator.

I'm so glad we have garage parking, it's cold out here.

I secured Renata into her booster seat and started the engine. As we waited for the car to warm up, I put in Jasper's girlfriend's address into the GPS in the car. A few minutes later, I pulled out of the garage into the light traffic.

Jasper better be glad I like him or else I'd be at home, warm.

Even the expressway was unusually light. Because it's too cold to be outside. We arrived at her house at exactly 7:00. There were several cars in the driveway already, two of them belonging to Emmett and Jake, so I had to park a few houses down.

I looked at Renata in my rearview mirror. "Unbuckle yourself, but don't open the door. I'll come around to get you, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." She responded as she unbuckled her seat and slid her bag on her arm. I opened her door and held her in my arms until we were on the sidewalk.

We quickly walked down the street and I rang the doorbell. While we waited, I could hear unfamiliar voices laughing inside the house.

Sounds like a full house.

Renata must've heard the laughing too. She covered her mouth and giggled at the loud laughter.

Just as I was about to ring the bell again, the door was pulled open. Jasper stood there with a petite woman with a familiar mix of brown and blonde hair that hung well past her shoulders. They were holding each other by the waist and smiling. I jerked my head back with my mouth open. I hadn't even looked at Jasper yet because my eyes were stuck on my real estate agent, Alice.

Jasper cleared his throat as Alice I and stood there staring at each other. "Ed, man you okay?"

I shook my head. "Yeah." I cleared my throat. "Is this your girlfriend?"

Jasper looked down at Alice with bright glossy eyes. "Yes, this is my Alice."

Renata sniggered and pointed. "She's the one that showed us our new condo, Uncle Jas."

Alice bent down to Renata's height. "I sure did Beautiful." She said smiling.

"You're dating my real estate agent, J." I said with a bark of laughter.

"Oh, wow! It is a small world, isn't it?" Jasper said as his gaze shifted between me and Alice.

"Come on, let's get you all out of the cold inside the house." Alice said, waving her hand.

The moment we stepped in the house, we were welcomed with heat. Alice held Renata's hand and guided us to one of the spare rooms. "Follow me so we can put your coats on the bed." Alice said.

I nodded my head and followed. What are the odds that my real estate agent and my best friend are dating?

Renata and I laid our coats on the bed while Jasper and Alice stood outside of the room. "Come on Ed, I have some people I'd like to introduce you too." He bent down and kissed Renata on the forehead. "How is my girl doing?"

She beamed at him. "I'm good."

He took her by the hand. "I have someone I'd like you to meet too. You all can play together. I've got all your favorite games set up."

Renata patted the side of her bag. "I brought my dolls too, Uncle Jas."

He smiled down at her. "I don't know if he's going to want to play with dolls, Sweetie."

Renata stopped walking. "He?" Her shoulders slumped. "I was hoping it was a girl."

I swallowed loudly. "It'll be okay, honey. Maybe you can find a different game to play together, it won't be like the boys in your classroom." I assured her.

Jasper furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about, Edward?"

"I'll tell you about it later."

"It's my nephew, Beautiful. He's a sweetheart. It will be fine."

"Okay, if you say so." Renata mumbled.

We walked to the living room, and I heard Emmett's booming voice. "Well, look who finally arrived. It's figures you'd be the last one to get here." He said while he patted my back. He picked Renata up and spun her around. "Here's my favorite girl. I've missed you. How are you doing?"

She giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm good Uncle Emmy." She said hugging his neck.

"Ed, I'm gonna take her with me, I've got someone I want her to meet, okay?"

I waved him off as he headed to another part of the house with Renata in his arms. Jasper stood next to me with a dumb grin on his face. "Dude what's up with you?" I smirked.

"So, what do you think of her?"

"She's good people, at least from what I know of her." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Edward, she's the best. She's it for me."

"You know I'm happy for you, man."

"Thanks, Ed."

"Hey where's Jake and Ivey? I saw his car outside."

"They all headed downstairs as you were coming in. We set up everything downstairs since it's huge down there." He jerked his chin towards the kitchen. "Help me grab some more drinks out of the refrigerator to take downstairs."

"Cool." I said as I followed him to the kitchen.

We grabbed different types of beer, pop and lemonade. As we headed to the stairs, Jasper stopped me. "Ed, Alice has a sister that's single and she is just your type." He said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

I chuckled and shook my head.

"I know you're still dealing with your stuff man, but it doesn't hurt to get to know somebody else, you know. I'm not saying go marry the girl, just get to know her, alright?"

"Yeah, Jas, I'll see. We're already dealing with a lot, especially with how the divorce is affecting Jellybean."

"I can't even imagine, dude. Maybe you can be friends. She's divorced too. See, you already got something in common." He said nudging my shoulder.

"Yeah, that something to bond over." I deadpan. "Okay, let's just get downstairs."

After we walked down the stairs and set the drinks on a table at the far end of the basement, Jasper motioned for me to follow him to the crowd that stood around engaged in conversation. I immediately saw Jake hugged up with Ivey whispering in her ear and Emmett was standing next to a tall woman with dark hair, holding Renata's hand, smiling.

"Everybody, this is one of my best friends, Edward." Jasper said.

Everyone turned around from their conversation and my eyes landed on the last person I thought I would've seen tonight.

"Bella?" I said with an incredulous look.

"Edward." She said as she touched her cheek and her eyes widened.

Her response caught the attention of a man standing next to her. He turned around and met my gaze.

"Hello, Mr. Menard."

A/N: RECS: The Butterfly & The Hawk, by PearlyFox if you want a fluff story with a few twists and turns… this is your story.

Bold Gestures by SexyLexiCullen, this is a time piece dating back to 1958… if you're looking for some GangsterWard, this is your story!

So… whatcha think… share your thoughts & feelings guys!

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See ya next chapter!