BPOV
My phone buzzes in my pocket, I fish it out seeing it is a text from Edward. No one had made it to our lunch table yet, so I checked to see what he sent me.
It's a picture of him and my dad. Edward, is holding up a burger from the diner. I'm not sure if I'm shocked that my dad brought him lunch or that he allowed Edward to take a selfie with him.
Since the incident at the hospital, Edward and my dad seemed to be more bonded than ever. My dad appreciated him for being there for me and Edward might have talked my dad out of going down to the hospital to give Bradford Hale a piece of his mind.
Obviously, those were Charlie's words.
"Ugh, Edward is such a kiss ass," Tanya says, taking a seat beside me as she keeps peeking at my phone.
I shoot her a glare.
"You mean he's so sweet," I corrected her.
She rolls her eyes.
"Where's Maggie?"
"She had a migraine during Algebra," she says, taking a bite of her salad.
"Where's Jazz?"
"Am I his keeper now?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.
"You are together most of the day, geez," I grumble.
Angela takes a seat on my other side, pulling her peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of her lunch bag.
"Ben not sitting with us today?" I ask, because he had joined our small group before Homecoming.
She smiles, shaking her head, her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes.
"Coach Clapp has the team meeting to go over plays since they got into the playoffs," she explains softly.
Tanya must pick up on her mood, because I see her eyeing her carefully. "I need to go get a water, " she announces.
"Are you okay?" I ask, turning toward her.
"Rosalie sent me a text," she murmurs.
"Really?" I was surprised.
"She asked if I could come over after school," she explains.
Now I'm even more surprised, I knew Rosalie was still buying time on giving her statement. The gossip around school was she was home now. Alice was still a zombie but had also returned to school.
Things were slowly becoming somewhat normal again.
"Oh," I responded.
"I think it's weird," Angela begins. "She just stopped talking to me, had a lot of surgery done, and then was best friends with Alice and Jessica. Like why now, does she want a religious council?"
"Can you give a religious council?" I ask, curiously.
She shakes her head.
Okay.
"Then why do you think that?"
"Well my dad's her pastor," is her only explanation.
"I mean my dad's a cop but I'm not arresting anyone," I tease.
This gets a giggle out of her.
"I just don't know what she could possibly want to talk to me about."
"Maybe she wants a friend?"
"She stopped talking to me and that hurt," she confesses.
Tanya takes her seat again.
"What'd I miss?"
"Rosalie wants to see me after school."
"How do you feel about that?" Tanya asks in her normal blunt way.
She shrugs, taking a bite of her sandwich.
"People suck, but sometimes things happen where they see the error of their ways. Maybe that's why she wants to see you, she wants to apologize and she needs a friend," Tanya muses before adding, "If she's a dick to you, you can always leave."
I was surprised by her sage advice until she got to the last part that was more on-brand for Tanya.
"I'll keep that in mind," Angela says with a small smile.
"So, are you coming over for dinner tonight?" Tanya asks me.
Her Gramps and aunt were arriving this afternoon, Esme should be picking them up as we speak.
"I told Edward I was but—" I trail off, because I've definitely had second thoughts.
"Aunt Liz is probably the most laid back person you'll ever meet, I think the only people in this world she might hate are Uncle Ed and Kate," she says.
"Is her hate for them equal, or does she dislike one more than the other?" I ask curiously.
"I'd say equally at the moment," Tanya says vaguely.
I wonder if she knows about the Instagram photos of her ex-husband and her former soon-to-be daughter-in-law.
"I really do think you should come to dinner," she says, oddly encouraging.
That was enough for me though, because after school I find myself showering and dressing in my nicest jeans and cream sweater. I let my hair hang in loose curls down my back, hoping this was appropriate enough for meeting my boyfriend's mother for the first time.
My boots are downstairs and lucky for me, so is my father.
"Well you sure clean up nice," he says with a twitch of his mustache.
"Thanks," I say dryly, grabbing my boots.
"Nervous, kid?"
"Yes."
"I think you'll be fine," he assures.
"Thanks," I say wryly.
I grab my coat as Charlie throws the keys to the truck to me, which means it must be working again.
He bought it for me when I was sixteen from Billy Black, but since I've had it, it has only worked a handful of times over the past two years. When I start it up the rattling is no more and not even one backfiring shot.
The drive to the Cullens is short, I let out the breath I'm holding as I pull into the driveway.
Here goes nothing.
I get out, but don't see Edward approach from the side of the house, worried until I see him on the porch.
His hands are in his pockets and he's smiling at me.
"Hey," he says, pulling me into a tight embrace.
"Were you keeping watch for me?" I ask with a grin.
"Something like that," he smirks with a kiss.
"Hmm," I say, pulling back.
"Ready to head in?"
"Were you hiding out until I got here?"
"I was getting ready for dinner, my mom checked in with me when I got home from work."
I nod.
"Relax, you look like I'm leading you to the gallows," he laughs.
I want to say this feels like that.
We walk into Esme's foyer and I see Edward's mom by the bar cart making drinks in the living room.
She's wearing a beautiful teal and white caftan.
An older man, who obviously is his grandfather, has his arm wrapped around Tanya on the couch as she talks.
His hair is a mix of copper and gray, the Platt genes run strong in this family. I'd say Edward looks most like his father in the face but his height and build is his grandfather.
"Hey, Bella's here," Edward announces to the room.
His mom's head whips toward us.
Her green eyes were bright and her smile was warm much like Esme's.
She sits the cocktail shaker down and walks over to us pulling me into a hug.
"It is so nice to finally meet you," she says in my ear.
"Nice to meet you too," I say lamely.
"Ma, let her breathe," Edward teases.
"Sorry," she says, pulling away from the embrace. "God, you are so pretty, like a little doll."
"How much have you had to drink?" Edward asks dryly.
"Do you mean on the plane or when we got here?" his grandfather quips.
"It was that kind of flight?" Edward asks, raising an eyebrow.
His grandfather only gives him a look before standing and holding a hand out to me. "Ethan Platt," he introduces with a kind smile.
"Bella."
Once he lets go of my hand he squeezes Edward's shoulder. "How's the job?" he asks him.
"Right now, cold," Edward tells him.
"You are still planning to start law school in Seattle in the fall?"
"That is the plan and I already accepted my spot," Edward confirms.
"Good," His grandfather says with a nod.
"Dad, I told you no law school talk this trip," Liz says with a sigh.
"I just wanted to see if he changed his mind. What if he loves working with his hands?" he defends.
Liz rolls her eyes.
"My precious Tanya hasn't decided where she is going yet," he adds.
Tanya makes a face, though I think she is leaning more toward California at the moment, but who knows with her.
"I'm going help Mom," she says.
"Edward told us you were going to the University of Washington in the fall," Liz says.
"Yes ma'am, I am," I confirm with a nod.
"Do you know what you want to study?"
"Psychology," I answered.
With the looks and the smiles on their faces, they look impressed.
I also notice that during the hour we all sit in the living room, Edward's mother has at least three cocktails in front of us after she poured the second one Edward tenses beside me.
"So how's work?" Edward asks Gramps.
Gramps takes a sip of his scotch and looks at Liz.
"What?" Edward asks with a frown looking between his grandfather and mother.
They both look at me.
"I can leave," I offer.
"No, stay," Edward said, taking hold of my hand.
"Edward, I had to let your father go," Gramps says carefully.
"What did he do?" he asks, gritting it out.
"He was caught having sex with an intern," he says slowly.
The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Edward blinks before disgust shows on his handsome face.
Liz's eyes fill with tears.
"How long?" he asks roughly.
"He claimed it started in September," Gramps answers.
"So they're, what," he starts taking a breath, "together now?"
"They were both terminated, so I can't really answer that," Gramps tells him.
Edward runs a hand over his face before turning to his mom. "What about you?"
"You know I don't like talking to your father unless it involves you, but this is something I think he broke everyone's trust on. You were engaged to her and now she might be his girlfriend," she explained. "I'm honestly too angry for you to even talk to him."
"When was this all discovered?"
"A few weeks ago, his assistant walked in on them and I was leaving for the day."
"He's an asshole, but I never thought he'd do something like this."
Liz and Gramps bite their tongues and don't comment.
Edward's arm comes to rest around me on the back of the couch, he's at a loss. His reaction is devastated, but I can't tell if it's about Kate or the betrayal of his father.
"Dinner is ready," Esme says entering the living room.
Her concerned frown only foreshadows the mood for the rest of the night.