Good morning, Loves!
All mistakes are on me.
Twenty-Six: Bella
October 5, 2022
Cambridge, England
It's a beautiful October day, but all I can think is this will be my last Halloween where I get to hoard my candy. It's bad enough I have to share it with Edward, but now the Spawn?
I'm not far from the apartment when I get a text from Edward.
Edward:
We got out of our lecture early. Free for lunch?
I pause on the sidewalk to type out my response.
Bella:
Yeah.
I immediately know my response is too suspicious and Edward proves how well he knows me a second later.
Edward:
What's wrong?
I stare at my phone, trying to figure out how to put into words all that I'm feeling. I can't. I don't have words for these mixed thoughts and emotions in me, and I know the best way to sort through them is to just go see Edward. He'll know before I do what I'm feeling.
Bella:
Where do you want to meet?
He texts me a cafe two blocks down from where I am, and I head in that direction.
Edward is outside the cafe when I show up, and my heart aches when I see the worry on his face. He pulls me into his arms as soon as I'm near enough, and I sink into him, breathing him in. He's my home, and immediately I start to relax.
"What's going on?" he asks, one hand rubbing my back. "What did the doctor say?"
Edward had tried to get out of his lecture this morning, and when he couldn't, he tried to get me to reschedule my appointment. That hadn't been possible either, and in the end, I'd gone alone to the doctor. I knew it was upsetting him to not be there, even though I assured him all I was doing was making sure I was pregnant then getting my IUD taken out.
"We have a Spawn," I sigh into his chest. "We can evict them sometime in May."
I'm not looking at his face, but I can sense him smiling as he pulls his arms tighter around me.
"Did you already start drawing up an eviction notice?" He asks, chuckling. I smirk into his chest.
"The doctor thought I was crazy," I say, pulling back from him enough to look up at his face. "I could practically hear him calling me batshit in his head."
Edward rolls his eyes. "Then he's not the right doctor. We'll keep looking for someone better qualified." He assures me. It makes me feel better, and I lean into his chest again. "Have you called the girls yet?"
I hesitate. "No," I say, pulling back from him again. "I can't talk about it too much yet."
He frowns, but then nods, seeming to understand. "Well," he pauses and looks up at the cafe. "A few of the people from my program are inside. Are you up for meeting them?"
I glance at the cafe. "Sexy Corin is in there?" I ask.
Edward snorts. "Bella," he says, his voice a warning. I shoot him a grin and turn to head inside the cafe.
It's busy, but I can spot Edward's crowd quickly as all three of them look up at him when we enter. Two guys—one blond, one brunet—are sitting next to a girl with wild, thick red curls. She's fucking stunning, as I had predicted. It looks like everyone but the German grandma is here.
"Bella, this is Erik, AJ, and Corin," Edward says as we approach the table. "Everyone, this is my wife, Bella."
They all offer me hellos as Edward and I settle at the two empty spots left.
"It's nice to meet you," Erik says, leaning forward.
"Hey." I nod to everyone. I turn to Corin who has an easy, relaxed smile on her face. "You're fucking gorgeous."
Edward chokes on a laugh as he settles into his chair and Corin lets out a bright laugh.
"Thank you, as are you Darling," she says with a wink. Oh. Oh. I grin at her across Edward.
"You know," I start, but then Edward is clearing his throat.
"Bella," his tone is a warning, and I grin at him.
"We both think you're super hot," I say, turning back to Corin. Edward shakes his head, coughing again while Corin flashes us a bright smile.
"Well I'm quite flattered," she says, tilting her head. "You're a gorgeous couple." Her accent isn't as thick as I expected being that she's from Scotland, but she's rolling her r's in an almost hypnotic way. It makes me smile.
Edward grunts. "Babe, what do you want to eat?" he asks, standing abruptly. I grin.
"You!" I shout as he starts walking from the table. I see his shoulders flinch as he barks out a laugh. I turn back to the table and notice the guys are staring at me with wide eyes. "He's going to regret introducing me to you all."
Corin laughs. "Well I don't!" she flips her hair over her shoulder. "You're just what this stuffy old town needs."
I smile at her, and for the first time since finding out about Spawn, I feel sorta like I did back home.
