**Fiddling was had. Words were added without supervision. All mistakes are mine.
Song:
"You Make Loving Fun," Fleetwood Mac
Chapter 18
Edward reaches over the console, taking my hand. "You okay? You look like you're a thousand miles away."
"I'm fine."
"Is that 'I'm fine' as in you're really okay or 'I'm fine' as in you're mad at me?"
I turn to him and smile. "Really, I'm okay. Just nervous."
"What's to be nervous about? It's a birthday party."
"You're not at all nervous about meeting everyone today? My parents, my brother-in-law, my nieces?" I lower my voice. "Not to mention my ex and his family." I sigh and sink a little farther into my seat. "I'm nervous."
"Well, I'm not. It's a privilege to meet your family." He brings my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles, murmuring, "And the rest of it—Garrett and the others …" He shrugs. "I'm sure it won't be a picnic, but I'll be right beside you all day, so it'll be worth it. He glances at his rearview mirror, lowering his voice even more. "Besides, this is Seth's day. For his sake, I can play nice with his father for a few hours."
I lean over the console and kiss his cheek, much to my whining children's chagrin. "I love you."
Since my rented townhouse is small and has virtually no backyard, Rose and Emmett have always volunteered their home for my kids' parties or any other big event. That hasn't changed, even though Garrett wanted to host at his new house. But like I told him back in January for Jacob's birthday, for now, celebrating these special days on somewhat neutral ground is best.
But even neutral ground can be nerve-racking when you're about to introduce the man in your life to the rest of your family. And the first test is standing on his front porch when we pull up.
"So, that's Emmett?" Edward asks as he shifts into park.
"Yeah," I reply, my eyes still on my brother-in-law.
"He's huge, isn't he?" Seth says from the backseat.
Edward chuckles. "Yeah, but I think I could take him. What do you boys think?"
Seth giggles and Jacob shakes his head as he smiles, each of them giving his opinion on who would win in a match between Edward and Emmett.
Edward turns back to me, gently nudging my chin until I face him. "Hey, it's going to be fine."
I raise a brow. "Fine as in—"
He silences me with a quick kiss. "It'll be fine. I promise."
The boys hop out of the car and run toward the porch. "Uncle Em!"
"Hey, guys!" Emmett opens his arms as Seth jumps into them. "Happy birthday, squirt. How does it feel to be eight?"
Seth shrugs. "No different than yesterday."
Emmett chuckles, placing Seth on his feet. "Serena's in her room playing a new video game. I think your mom and Aunt Rosie want you to stay up there while we set up." He looks my way. "Right?"
I nod, turning to my kids. "Yeah. Unless you'd rather help us set up?" Unsurprisingly, they'd rather play a game than work, so they take off for the front door. Before they get inside, I shout, "But don't get messy. The party starts in two hours."
I hear a duet of "okay, Mom" before they disappear into the house.
Emmett turns his attention to my boyfriend, holding out his hand. "You must be Edward."
Edward places his hand in Emmett's, shaking it. "That's me. Nice to meet you, Emmett."
"You, too. Can I get you a beer or anything before the women put us to work?"
Edward chuckles. "Sure." And like they're old friends, they walk off toward the backyard, where I'm sure Emmett has a cooler full of adult beverages.
A wave of anxiety rolls through me as I think about Edward facing some kind of inquisition without me at his side. But he's a big boy. I'm sure he can handle it.
"Hey, you."
I turn to my sister. "Do you think they'll be okay?" I point to the closing gate at the side of the house.
"They'll be fine." Grabbing my hand, she tugs me toward the door. "Besides, we have work to do." She looks at me over her shoulder and raises a brow. "We also have some catching up to do."
I groan as we reach her kitchen. "Not today."
"Then when?" She opens the door leading into her garage and disappears, her voice fading. "When will we have time to dive into the juicy, gory details?"
"Fine. What do you want me to tell you? I spent the weekend with him, and it was …" I sigh, thinking about how we spent those two days completely wrapped up in each other. I give up the fight of keeping it to myself. "It was heaven, Rose."
She walks back into the house and plops a giant box of favors and decorations on her kitchen table. "But what did you do?"
"What do you think we did?"
"Come on," Rose whines. "You have to tell me more than that."
I shoot her a look, as if to say, "Seriously?"
"What?" she asks, feigning innocence.
"You want details about my weekend with Edward … at my son's birthday party?"
She rolls her eyes and pulls packaged tablecloths from the box. "Our kids are upstairs, and the guys are busy setting up the tables outside. And it's not like there are any other kids here yet."
"I know, it's just …" I involuntarily shiver. "It's weird. I already told you it was good."
"And that's all you told me." She lays her crossed forearms on the counter and leans closer. "Confidence oozes out of that man. He looks like he knows what he's doing, that's all I'm saying."
"Oh, my god, Rose," I say laughing, nudging her away. "Stop it! I'm not telling you anything else."
"Can you at least tell me if he"—she lowers her voice—"took care of you?"
I look over my shoulder, making sure there are no prying ears, then turn back to my sister. "All I'll say is now I know what I missed out on while I was with Garrett." I fan myself and let out a satisfied hum. "Because the things that man can do with his tongue …"
We dissolve into a fit of giggles, which lingers as we unpack the party supplies. It's how our parents find us when they walk through the front door minutes later.
"What's so funny?" Mom walks toward us with open arms. "How are you?" We each get a hug and kiss on the cheek. "I've missed you two."
"Mom, we were just at your house last month," Rose says. "It's not like it's been that long."
"Will you please let me fawn over my daughters for a moment, Rosalie? Am I not allowed to miss you?" She turns her focus to me. "And where is the new man in your life? You said he'd be here."
I grin at the mere mention of him. "He's outside with Em." Over Mom's shoulder, I spot my father bringing in a huge box. "Hi, Dad."
"Hi, sweetheart. Where are we putting the gifts? This is kind of heavy."
I narrow my eyes at him. "What did you get him?"
My father's expression—defensive and proud all at once—puts me on edge. "We got him one of the things on his wish list."
When I turn to my mother, she shakes her head. "Nope," she says, "you're not getting it out of me. You'll have to be surprised right along with Seth."
I sigh. "Fine. There's a table out back for gifts."
Snatching the last of the tablecloths, I lead my parents outside. Thinking of the introductions to come, nerves threaten to crawl up my throat, but I swallow them down.
Edward and Emmett are nowhere to be found, but all the tables are set up under the awning. I walk toward the round table in the corner of the patio and rip open the plastic tablecloth, smoothing it out over the table. "There. All set."
My father sets the box on the table and looks around the yard. "So, where's this Edward we're supposed to meet today? Is he here yet?"
"Yeah, we came together. He was helping—"
As if he were summoned by my words alone, he comes around the corner of the house, laughing with Emmett and carrying a huge gift bag. The way his easy smile lights his face makes my heart skip a beat. When he looks up and spots me, as if he could sense my eyes on him, my feet move on their own accord.
I reach him and grab his hand. "Come meet my parents."
"You know, there's no turning back after this," he teases as we close the distance.
I snort a laugh. "I'm pretty sure we passed that point a while ago." My stomach twists, but not in a bad way, especially when Edward steps forward and introduces himself.
"Chief Swan, Mrs. Swan. Edward Cullen." He reaches out to shake my father's hand. "Bella's told me so much about you both. It's nice to finally meet you."
My father says hello, and I feel like I'm almost out of the woods … until Mom steps forward. "Oh, aren't you a looker!"
"Mom!"
She turns to me, her eyes twinkling with mischief and false innocence. "What? He is." Her focus returns to Edward. "But I'm sure you get that a lot, don't you?"
He fights a grin. "I hear it from time to time, ma'am."
"So, Edward," she says, looping her arm through his, leading him toward a table, "tell me about yourself."
Instead of looking panicked, Edward seems amused. "I'll be happy to tell you all about myself, but"—he glances my way—"I promised Bella I'd help her get this party set up for Seth. As soon as that's done, I'm all yours."
I'm not sure who's more shocked, me or my mother. But the slow grin spreading across her face, and the matching one on my father's, are a pretty good sign they approve.
"Well, let's see what my daughter needs help with, shall we?" she asks. As they pass by me on their way to the back door, she leans toward me and winks. "This one's a keeper."
An hour later, all the decorations, inside and out, are up, and my sister's house looks like a Batman comic book threw up all over it. The kitchen is set up with snacks, and the balloons and streamers Edward helped hang are all over the family room.
While I make some last-minute adjustments, I watch as he talks with my parents. Dad, especially, seems genuinely interested in whatever Edward is saying, and my mother looks positively starstruck.
"That's going pretty well," Rose says as she walks past me toward the kitchen.
"It is, isn't it?" I turn to follow her, lowering my voice. "Did Em say anything?"
"Did Em say anything about what?" the man in question asks, startling me as he walks into the kitchen.
"Dammit, Em!" I glare at him, my hand on my chest. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."
He chuckles, kissing my cheek. "Sorry." Rose gets a bit more than a kiss on the cheek. "What else needs to be done?"
She smiles at him over her shoulder. "I think we're all set."
He snags a few chips from the stash on the counter, unceremoniously shoving them into his mouth. "What were you two talking about before I interrupted?"
I shrug. "I was just wondering if you said anything to Rose about Edward."
He grins. "Maybe, maybe not."
I groan. "Oh, come on."
"He seems like a good guy, B."
Unexpectedly, relief floods my veins. "So, you hit it off?"
"We did. Like I said, he seems like a stand-up guy. I even suggested the two of us go out one night to grab a beer." He pushes off the counter and grabs a few more chips before Rose can shoo him out of the kitchen. Before he slips from the room, Emmett looks my way, his eyes filled with amusement. "And that's why I'm going to go rescue him from your mother. I mean, did you see the way she was looking at him?"
All of Seth's friends have arrived, and Alice dropped off Brandon to keep Jacob company. Even my ex-in-laws made it. That introduction isn't nearly as awkward as I thought it might be. They're friendly and welcoming, and when Elenor, my ex-mother-in-law, wraps Edward in a hug, I'm floored.
But as the clock ticks past the official start of the party, it's glaringly obvious who's missing.
"Is Daddy still coming?" Seth asks.
"He'll be here soon." It's the first time I've ever tried to reassure my son about something I wasn't sure of myself. "He probably got held up with something."
"But he should be here already." With his eyes downcast and his chin on his chest, he looks so sad, and I hate it.
I catch Edward watching us, and he looks almost as sad as Seth does. But then he leans over to say something in Emmett's ear. Whatever he says is answered with a nod, and when he glances at me, there's determination in his eyes. It shouldn't shock me, but I could kiss him for what he does next.
Edward stands, bringing the whole room to attention with a clap of his hands and his commanding voice—the voice I imagine he uses on his squadron. "All right, cadets. Everyone get changed into your swimsuits. The water balloon fight will commence in twenty-one minutes, at exactly 1300 hours."
The house erupts in a flurry of excitement. All of the kids make a beeline for the bathroom so they can change.
Meanwhile, I make my way toward Edward. "Thank you."
"Is everything okay? You and Seth looked so damn unhappy, I didn't know what else to do but distract him."
"He was asking why Garrett still isn't here."
He purses his lips. "Has he called or texted you?"
I look down at the blank screen of my phone and shake my head. "Not yet."
"I'll help Emmett and Rose keep the kids busy so you can call him, okay?"
I rise up on the tips of my toes and peck his lips. "Thank you."
Bypassing the swarm of kids, I step out the front door, dialing Garrett as I sit on the porch step.
"You've reached Garrett McCarty. Please leave your—"
Frustrated, I end the call. "You son of a bitch," I murmur, tears pricking my eyes.
I'm used to him disappointing me. He did it for years. But I've been so hopeful he wouldn't let our kids down when it mattered.
As I swipe an escaped tear from my cheek, his car pulls up to the curb. I watch as he helps Kate from the passenger side before he opens the backseat to pull out his half of our gift.
"Sorry we're late," he says as he walks up to the house. "Kate got a call and—"
"Kate, can you excuse us for a minute?" I ask, not taking my eyes off Garrett.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I'll be inside."
When I hear the front door close, I narrow my eyes. "Was there a reason you couldn't call to let us know you were going to be late?"
"Look, I didn't know we'd be this late. And if she hadn't needed files she had at the house, she could have handled it in the car on the way over here."
I cross my arms over my chest. The old me would have let this slide. I would have let him talk his way out of it and accepted his apology at face value. But I'm not the same woman I was a few months ago.
"Not good enough."
He rolls his eyes. "Come on, Bella. I'm, like, thirty minutes late. Cut me some slack here."
"I don't think I will. This is important to Seth. You should have at least called me."
"Hey, it's not a big deal. And since when are you so … uptight about things? You never used to be."
"I guess I've figured out a few things since we split up, namely that I deserve better … that my children deserve better. I'm not going to put up with this kind of shit anymore. You need to reassess your priorities. Your children come first. Always. If my boyfriend—a man who only met them a month and a half ago—can put them first, so should their father."
"I'm sorry, okay? She got that call right as we were about to walk out the door, and she couldn't deal with it in the car."
"You and Kate have two cars. There's absolutely no reason you couldn't have left her at home and been here on time for your son."
"I really don't see what the big deal is. It's not like we missed it."
"Tell that to your son." I turn on my heel and walk into the house, with Garrett silently trailing me.
Silently, he steps outside and greets his son with a hug and a ruffle of his hair. The fact that Seth seems hesitant with him isn't lost on me.
"I hope you read him the riot act," Rose says from behind me.
"I'm not sure it'll do any good." I face her. "Is everything ready out there?"
"Yeah. Dad's on the grill, and Em is about to start handing out buckets of balloons."
"Well, we better go supervise. I'm not sure Emmett can be trusted to keep the kids away from the adults."
When I walk outside, all the kids are in the backyard, listening intently as Emmett explains the rules of the water balloon fight. And standing at his side, ready to help hand out mini buckets filled with water balloons, is a smiling Edward.
And just like that, I'm smiling again.
After food is served and all the kids have eaten, I bring out Seth's cake. His eyes are huge, and so is his smile as everyone sings to him. I place the cake on the table and take my spot behind him, next to Garrett, just like we always have. But unlike the way I felt back in January at Jacob's party, this time I don't feel awkward or uncomfortable. This time, I look over the heads of the kids crowding the dining room table and spot the reason for my newfound confidence.
Edward sings along with the rest of the family, like he's always been part of it, and I fall a little more in love with him.
"Make a wish," I tell Seth when the song is through.
He closes his eyes and bites his lip, thinking, and a moment later, he blows out the eight candles.
Kate monopolizes the McCartys' time, fawning over my ex-father-in-law and kissing up to Elenor. For some reason, it rankles me.
"Honey," my mother says, gaining my attention. "Don't pay her any mind."
"I'm not." Disbelief is written all over her face. "I'm not," I repeat.
"Then why do you keep looking over there?"
Petulantly, I huff and settle back in my seat. "I don't know."
"Here we go," Edward says, placing a beer bottle and a glass of wine in front of me before sitting in the seat beside me. "I didn't know what you'd want, so I grabbed both. I'll drink whatever you don't."
His thoughtfulness makes me forget about the vapid woman sitting twenty feet away. I peck his lips. "Thank you." It's then I eye the glass of wine in his other hand. "And that one?"
"Oh, this is for your mom. Here you go, Renee."
"Why, thank you, Edward. That was so thoughtful of you."
"You're welcome. I hope that's okay."
"It is, thank you. White wine is perfect on a warm day like today."
He indulges my mother with his signature grin before turning to me. "So, it's been a while since I was at a kid's party. When does he open his gifts?"
"As soon as they're done with their cake, which shouldn't be too much longer." I chuckle. "Or whenever I get the energy to get out of this chair and do it."
He places a hand on my shoulder and runs his thumb along the side of my neck, his voice low. "I'll make sure to take care of you when this is all over."
When I hear my mother's choked giggle, I realize it wasn't quite low enough.
"Okay, time for presents!" I stand and snatch the wine glass off the table, walking away from the giggling pair.
"Sweet!" Seth's excited shrieks only get louder as he tears the rest of the paper off the huge box.
"You can't be serious." I stare, slack-jawed, at the gift my parents have given their grandson. I turn to my father. "Really, Dad? Drums?"
"What?" he asks defensively. Now I know where Rose gets it. "It was on his wish list."
I groan, but Edward pulls me closer to his side, whispering in my ear. "Maybe they'll agree to keep it at their house. That might change his tune pretty quickly."
"That's doubtful. On both counts."
I watch as Seth moves on to the next gift, an overstuffed gift bag. I recognize it as the one Edward carried in earlier.
"Yes! Legos!" Seth shouts, tissue paper flying out of the bag as he pulls three large Batman Lego sets from it. "These are the ones I wanted!"
Edward chuckles beside me, and as I look at him, he's focused on Seth.
"Thank you," I whisper. "You didn't have to do that."
He looks down at me. "I wanted to."
"That had to cost you—"
He tips his head toward Seth as he shows a friend one of the sets. "You see that? That smile is worth every penny."
While the kids run off the rest of their energy, I start the arduous chore of cleaning up. On my second trip to the kitchen with dirty dishes, Kate follows me. She doesn't say anything at first, so I focus on washing out the fruit salad bowl.
Silently, she stands near the doorway, and her persistent presence is unnerving. The longer she stands there, the more uncomfortable I feel.
I look over my shoulder and ask, "Did you need something?"
She clears her throat. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I know you're upset with Garrett about us being late, but it was my fault."
"It's really not. He's a grown man who's responsible for his own actions." I glance her way and give her a forced smile. "But thank you."
Her footsteps grow closer until she's leaning against the counter. "I feel like you and I should … I don't know, be able to have a civil conversation by now. I mean, we'll be doing this co-parenting thing until the kids are grown … maybe longer, and—"
My head whips up, my brow furrowing as I look at her. "Excuse me?"
"What?"
"Co-parenting? I'm sorry, but when did you decide to declare yourself a parent to my children?"
Her exasperated sigh grates on my nerves. "I'm marrying their father in six months. I'll be their stepmother. Saying I'm going to parent them isn't unreasonable. Maybe if we were all on the same page, they wouldn't be so resistant to me stepping into that role. And I understand I'm not their mother—I'm not trying to be—but we need to find some kind of compromise."
While I don't really disagree with what she's said, some of it bothers me. "What do you mean resistant?"
She stands a little straighter. "Every time I've tried to discipline them, they've been less than cooperative. Jacob, especially. I expect a certain level of behavior from them while they're with us, and I don't think it's too much to ask that they be respectful of me and my home."
A dark, humorless laugh rumbles in my chest. "Discipline," I mumble to myself as I shake my head and turn off the faucet. Trying to quiet my raging thoughts, I take a breath and reach for a dish towel to dry my hands. "Exactly how are you trying to discipline them?"
"When it's just the three of us and there's an issue, I take away privileges, like video games or TV time. But they roll their eyes or ignore me. As I said, they don't respect me."
I don't like it, but she does have a point. "Then I'll speak to Garrett and see how he wants to handle this. I'll talk to the boys' therapist, too, and maybe we can come up with some kind of plan. But for now, until we can talk everything out, I think it's best if you leave the parenting to Garrett and me. And if there's any discipline to hand out while they're with their father, he is the one to do it."
She nods. "I can live with that."
I sigh and cross my arms, leaning against the edge of the counter. "I know we're more than a year into this, but the boys are still adjusting. Right or wrong, they still see you as the one who broke up their family. If what you're telling me is true, in their eyes, you're trying to replace me. Can you see it from their perspective?"
"I can, but it has never been my intention to replace you. I see how much it upsets Garrett when they don't cooperate, and I … I hate it." She opens her mouth but seems reluctant, almost like she doesn't want to tell me what she's thinking. When she finally speaks, it's with hesitation. "We've talked about having children, but we can't have two sets of standards, two forms of discipline for his children and mine under the same roof."
Her words echo in my ears, and while they have merit, I can't help but feel a sense of apprehension. In the last year, my kids have come home in tears too many times to count. I've watched my oldest turn into a completely different child as he adjusted to his new home life. And I still get angry when I think about her pulling Seth's not-quite-loose tooth. I can already guess that our parenting styles won't be the same. But I also know that she's going to be a permanent part of my children's lives. Accepting that and learning how to work together to put Jacob and Seth's wellbeing first is paramount.
I take a good, long look at her. She's younger than me by a decade. In her prime with her best years ahead of her. Her honey-blonde hair is perfectly styled, and every time I've seen her, she's put together like she just stepped out of a magazine—not a thing out of place. No laugh lines surround her eyes or mouth, and I'm certain she didn't have to pluck a gray hair from her head this morning. She's also a commercial real estate agent, and I'm sure she brings in more money than I'll ever see.
I used to resent everything about her—her youth, her beauty, her success.
But when I think about where life has led me—to a love like I've never known with a man like I've never known—I don't envy her youth or success for a moment.
"You must hate me," she says when I take too long to respond.
I shake my head. "Not really. I mean, you'll always be the other woman, no matter how much time passes. But, apparently, you're here to stay, so I have to learn how to live with you being part of my life and my children's lives. We'll work on making sure the boys understand they have rules in your home they're expected to follow."
"Thank you," she replies softly. "I appreciate that."
I nod once. "You know, honestly, you did me a favor."
"A favor?" she asks with an incredulous laugh.
"I'm so much better off now than I was then. I've found a great guy who puts me and my children first. I finally see that I deserve more than Garrett was able to give me. So," I say, tilting my head as I see our situation in a whole new light, "maybe I should thank you."
She mirrors my posture by crossing her arms over her chest. "You want to thank me?"
"I do. Garrett and I were never meant to be." I think about the only good things to come out of my relationship with Garrett—Jacob and Seth—and count my blessings. My life wouldn't be the same without my children. I can never regret my failed marriage for that fact alone. But my life now is so much better without Garrett in it. I crack a grin, feeling just the tiniest bit of glee with what comes out of my mouth next. "But he's your problem now."
As if on cue, Garrett calls from the other room, "Kate! It's time to go."
She thumbs over her shoulder, stepping back. "I should …"
"Yeah. Thanks for coming today."
Without another look back, she walks out of the kitchen, stepping right past a strangely serene-looking Edward.
"How much of that did you hear?"
He purses his lips and tilts his head, seeming to choose his words carefully. "Enough," he finally says, wrapping his arms around me.
I press my face to his chest, mumbling, "I really do want to hate her."
"But?"
I look up. "But for the first time in a very long time, I'm happy. My heart is too full to hold onto the hate I've had for her. And in some twisted way, I'm grateful for her role in what happened between Garrett and me."
Edward raises a brow. "Oh?"
"It all led me to this part of my life. It led me to you."
A/N: Can I get a collective "awwww"? How are we feeling about Kate after that? And have your thoughts on Garrett changed any? For better or worse? Heh. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
TFMU was a great time, and I was so happy to see so many of you there! I think I'm still recuperating. Lol. If you want to see some of the pics from the weekend, I shared quite a few in my FB group.
Remember, the best way to stay up to date with what I'm up to, join in the discussion, and to see exclusive weekly teaser pics, check out my Facebook group, Sunshine Fics. I'd love if you all could join us. I'm also on Twitter at CSunshine1220.
I will "see" you in two weeks!
Be kind.
Stay safe.
Stay well.
Lots of love
~Sunshine
