EPOV

Day 1

"Welcome to Chicago…" the captain of the flight announces, leading into his landing spiel.

I close my eyes feeling the tug in my chest. I hated leaving Bella behind, but this was her last Christmas before college and I knew Charlie appreciated having this time with her.

Maybe next year she could come back with me.

"Hun, you're next," the older lady sitting beside me said.

I opened my eyes seeing that it was now my turn to get off the plane.

"Sorry," I say sheepishly.

I stand grabbing my bag from the overhead compartment.

I hadn't checked a bag, so I was able to go past the baggage claim. I see Gramps' driver, Felix, waiting for me at the arrivals.

"Edward, how was the flight?" he greets warmly.

"Good," I smile. "Is he in the car?"

"He is."

I nod.

Kate didn't take getting kicked out of the brownstone well. Neither did my father, I had multiple calls from him, which I ignored.

Gramps told me that my father decided to open his own practice, he was still trying to get everything in order and planned to open after the New Year.

My grandfather only knew this because several of my father's former clients reached out saying he had been in touch, unfortunately for my father, these clients were loyal to Gramps.

Once we are at the car Felix opens the door for me. Gramps is in a suit and working on his phone while I slide into my seat.

"Are you missing that sweet girl of yours yet?" he asks with a smirk.

I frown.

"Edward, it is only six days, you'll survive," he says, rolling his eyes.

My phone pings in my pocket.

I pull it out, noticing it's a text from Bella.

I smile at the photo of her laying out on her bedroom floor, her hair fanned out around her. She has one eye open and the other closed. She is definitely high and I see Jazz's bare foot beside her, so I know she is definitely baked.

Emmett said he could never let a girl he was dating be close with another guy. I explained that I don't have the right to let Bella do anything. She is her own person with her own friendships and it would be wrong if I tried to control her in that way.

He was quiet, but I think I got through to him and I knew it would possibly help him with whatever he had going on with Rosalie Hale.

"Again it's only six days," Gramps says with a chuckle before taking my phone from me.

Day 3

I trudged down the stairs of my mom's house.

I woke up in a mood, missing Bella and regretting not spending the holiday in Forks. I also was tired and needed coffee to wake me up.

I was a little surprised my mom hadn't woken me up early, it was almost ten and I had already texted Bella to make sure she found the gift I left for her.

I hear hushed whispers as I near the kitchen.

I open the door to see my mom in her robe and her hair piled on top of her head. She isn't alone. My father is dressed in a charcoal suit and with a wool coat on. Kate stood by his side dressed just as elegant in a cream pantsuit and camel coat.

My eyes narrow in on the noticeable bump that wasn't there a month ago.

Everyone must have heard me enter the room because there is silence and they are all looking at me.

"We weren't supposed to meet until tomorrow," I say to my father, breaking the silence.

"Today is Christmas," he responds.

"And I'm spending Christmas with Mom," I say.

"Edward," Kate speaks up.

"You don't get to speak in my mother's house," I spit. "You are not welcome here or any property I or the Platt side of my family owns. You showed up at my aunt's house on the last holiday—"

"Wait," Dad says, looking warily at Kate.

"Oh, so you didn't know that she flew all the way to Forks to see me Thanksgiving?" I ask smugly. "I'm assuming she didn't know about her pregnancy then," I say gesturing to her stomach. "Your girl is a voyeur, Dad. She was outside my place for God knows how long until me and my girlfriend noticed she was out there."

"I knocked," she mumbled.

"Girlfriend?" Dad asks, confused.

"Yes, he's dating a lovely girl, Ed. Perfect for him actually," Mom says, giving Kate a pointed look.

Kate makes the mistake of letting the cool look on her face slip for a second.

"It's new," Kate says.

"They are both moving to Seattle in the fall," Mom helpfully supplies.

I know what she is doing and with the look of irritation on Kate's face, it's working.

"Okay, out of respect for Bella we are leaving her out of this," I say speaking up.

"So you left and met a girl," Dad muses. "That's why you stayed."

"No, I stayed because I got into an excellent program in Seattle and I wanted to take a year working with a company with a great carbon footprint," I explain.

"This was never about Kate?"

"Kate and I were over the moment she had James' dick in her mouth, but it looks like that doesn't matter to you," I say to him.

"Hunter?"

I nod.

My dad looks at Kate who is very white.

"I recommend a paternity test," I say to them both. "Can you both leave so mom and I can have our holiday together?"

My father looks embarrassed while Kate is trying to look unbothered. It doesn't take them much time to leave after this.

"Your father is jealous of you," Mom says, placing a scotch in front of me.

"Scotch, really?"

"Your father has a possible love child with your ex-fiancée, this calls for a morning scotch," she says bluntly.

It causes me to laugh as I take a sip.

I watch her take a sip.

"When we met, I showed up to this fundraiser on the arm of one of the most eligible bachelors in Chicago. I could feel eyes on me that whole night, for years I thought your father was crazy about me but in reality, he wanted me because the young up-and-coming Senator had me on his arm," she says with a sigh.

"And you think that's what he's doing with me?"

"Baby, look at you, you are more handsome than your father was in his prime. You are more intelligent than he is, look at the percentile you were in when you graduated," she states before pausing. "He went after Kate to set you off and make himself feel worthy."

"That's why you brought up Bella."

"I brought up Bella so they both know how invested you are with your new life in Washington," she explains.

I mull over what my mother has pointed out. I remember a time when I would do anything for my father's approval but once I started college I realized it wasn't me who wasn't living up to expectations but him.

Bella and I text some but this morning's events didn't help my mood. I felt as though I couldn't be present with her.

Day 6

I stopped at the brownstone early this morning, I wasn't leaving until this afternoon. I wanted to make sure all Kate's things were out and grab the new key since I had the locks changed.

While I was in Washington, I was planning on listing this place on Airbnb, my mom already said she'd check-in and keep up on the cleaning while I was gone.

It made sense to keep this place since I would be back to visit Mom and Gramps. I wanted to bring Bella here and show her where I grew up.

Once I finished up with the building manager I bump into my father in the lobby.

"You didn't show up the day after Christmas," he says instead of greeting me.

I look around the lobby and see the doorman is watching us.

"Not here," I say nodding to the door.

He wordlessly follows me to a coffee shop I used to frequent around the corner.

We both order a coffee and take a seat in the back corner of the café.

"You thought it was a good idea to just show up at my building?" I ask, breaking the silence.

"I knew you would need to stop there before you leave," he answers. "The building co-op was quite clear that Kate needed all her belongings out before today."

"I think you're sick," I tell him.

"I fell in love with her," he says simply.

"But is she in love with you?" I throwback. "She showed up in Forks very upset that I'm with someone."

"She said she's a child," he snaps.

I laugh. "Bella is an adult and there is only a four-year age difference between us. What's the age difference between you and Kate?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Kate is an adult," he hisses.

"She's a freshly graduated sorority girl, dad," I say with a laugh. "And now she has a child on the way, you'll be what, in your seventies when the kid graduates?"

His glare intensifies.

"I'm going to be honest with you, dad. You created this little life with her yourself, when I come into town we can have dinner but she will not be there. Kate is nothing to me, she's an unfaithful social climber and if you stay with her, that is on you. I dumped her and have moved on with my life," I say hoping he understands that I will not be involved with whatever they have going on.

I finally saw him for how desperate he was.

I glanced at my watch, noticing that I had a couple of hours until my flight.

There is an itch in me to get back to Forks.

I pull up the flights and see there is an earlier flight leaving in an hour as opposed to the one I am supposed to be scheduled for this afternoon.

I message Felix my change of plans as I book the earlier flight.

"I'm going home," I say to my father while I stand.

"Where does this leave us?" he asks.

"Why does it matter to you now?" I ask.

My whole childhood he wasn't around so why now. Was my mom right when she said he was jealous and now trying to compete with me?

"You're my son."

"You should have thought about that before you started fucking my former fiancée," I say turning to leave.

As soon as I'm outside the coffee shop I'm on autopilot to get to the airport.

I feel like the last few days Bella had been walking around on eggshells. I wasn't trying to be a dick, but I was distracted with the most recent revelations.

On the plane, I know it's still too early in Forks for her to leave so when I land I order a car to take me straight to Bella.

As I get out of the car I notice Rosalie Hale pulling out of her driveway. I'm propelled to get to her now.

I pound on the door like a mad man hoping she's okay.

I see her through the door, looking a little sleep rattled but beautiful.

She hurries to the door pulling it open, "Edward?"

"Are you okay?" I ask out of breath.

Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I saw Rosalie leaving," I say in explanation.

"Oh," she lets out a breath before nodding. "Yeah, she stopped by to tell me she gave her statement. She and her father are moving to Seattle, so she'll be finishing out the rest of the school year there."

Bella's watching me carefully.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"Kate's pregnant and saying it's my dad's baby," I blurted.

Her eyes widened.

"I think you should come in," she murmurs, ushering me in before shutting the door behind me.

A/N: I think this story is wrapping up. Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. Also, a thank you to CoppertopJ for betaing!