34

EPOV

"Surprise"

The week after we got Bella's house secured, she decided to hole herself up in her kitchen and perfect some dog food recipes for Wanda. She'd revamped her whole diet, and Wanda had shown a lot of improvement, but this gave me the afternoon free, so I decided to set up my garage and get organized.

I'm moving my toolboxes around when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Eric Yorkie: Hey, Edward! The house is almost finished, so I'm thinking about hosting a party in about a few months. I'd love for you to come by and see how everything turned out. I'll keep you updated.

I text him back and tell him to let me know so I can make sure I'm there. I get back to it and find myself knee deep in sorting tiny pieces when my phone buzzes again. Figuring it's Eric responding, I ignore it since I'm not wearing my watch. But when it buzzes again several times, I reach into my pocket to pull it out just as a car pulls into my driveway.

I'd know that black Town Car anywhere. I glance down to see Alice's smiling face flashing up at me and swipe across the screen to answer.

"Edward! Oh, shit! I'm so sorry. Dad's on his way! I found him going through my purse, and he had my planner with Bella's and your addresses in it! I tried to—"

"Alice, breathe." I turn to fully face the car and watch as my father exits the car, straightens his suits, and eyeballs me. "He's already here."

"Edward, I'm sorry. I never meant to—"

"It's okay. I know."

"I'll leave right now. I can be there as soon as I can. You don't have to do this alone." The pleading tone in her voice breaks my heart.

"This isn't your fault, Alice. Don't worry. I'll call you later. I love you." I end the call and pocket my phone, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the workbench I built late last week. I say nothing, waiting for him to make the first move. He's always made me earn his approval, but he never gave it.

I have no desire for his approval now. I have little to no desire for a relationship with a man who only thinks about money or his status. He's looking at my house, the home I'm making for myself, and I can't help but wonder if there isn't a small part of him that thinks this is the life I deserve or need.

Away from the hustle and bustle, away from the noise, away from the small, elite circles of people who only care about your annual income and where you're vacationing for the summer, or how much money your husband gives you for allowance each week.

"Your mother misses you." He's trying to bait me, and maybe I shouldn't feel so bitter; maybe she does miss me, but she misses the money more than her son.

"Then why isn't she with you?"

"She had a luncheon today; she couldn't miss it. You could call her." He tucks his hands into his pockets and looks me dead on.

"She had a luncheon today. That she couldn't miss. Okay, and what are you doing here? And how did you find out where I live?" Uncrossing my arms, I walk out of the garage and onto the drive. I want people to be able to see me. I want Bella to be able to see me if she looks out her front windows.

"We haven't talked to you in almost six weeks. No one knew if you were dead or left the state. I—"

"Bullshit." I hold up a hand to cut him off. "Alice knew where I was, and I know she told you I was okay. I haven't spoken to you or Mom in that time because for the last, I don't know, almost a decade, all you've done is tell me what a disappointment I am and ask for money."

He has the good grace to look aghast. "Son, that's not—"

"No, you don't have the right to call me 'son' anymore. As far as I'm concerned, you're trespassing. Leave; you're not welcome back here and neither is Mom. Either of you show up here again, I'll call the cops."

"How dare you try to cut me out of your life. You owe me for raising you! You ungrateful little shit!"

"I owe you?" I scoff, feeling nauseous. "I didn't ask to be born. And you didn't raise me. Mom didn't raise me. A team of nannies, of which I'm fairly certain you banged on the regular because they changed so frequently, raised me. Get off of my property and don't you ever come back here."

"I'll sue you." His face is red, his teeth gnashing together.

"For what? Your case will be thrown out. I never invested in you. I never borrowed money from you after I was 18, and I never signed any legal or monetary documents with you. So, sure, you can try." I can feel the bile rising in the back of my throat. For all of the arguments we've had, it's never been this bad.

"You want to do this, Edward? Really? I'll cut Alice out of our lives. She won't have her parents anymore." I can feel the breath leave my body.

"You could do that," a small but firm voice behind him says very clearly. He spins around, and as he does, I see Bella standing behind us, holding her phone up. "But I have Alice on FaceTime, so she knows the truth."

"Who the fuck are you?" My father advances toward Bella, but Alice's voice comes across the speaker.

"Dad, stop!" He freezes in his tracks. "How could you?"

He stands there for a few minutes, gaping like a carp, before he hurriedly climbs into his car and rushes out of the drive and down the street.

Through the ringing in my ears, I can hear Bella consoling Alice just before I retch into the bushes right next to the garage.

A few hours later, I wake up to soft voices coming from somewhere nearby. I sit up gingerly, cradling my head. Wanda is curled up next to me, and I rub her side gently. She snuffs a little but raises her head as I crawl out of bed.

I walk to my bathroom to splash water on my face and take stock of the situation. I'm still not totally sure what really happened. After a few minutes, I pat my leg and watch as Wanda begrudgingly hops up, and we head downstairs.

There, I find Bella cooking with Alice and Jasper sitting at the island, keeping her company. She freezes when she sees me, as my sister and her boyfriend turn around to look at me.

"Hey, Alice." I can't say anything else because she's flung herself into my arms. We spend a few minutes crying into each other, making promises to support each other, and when we pull away, she straightens up.

"You should have kicked his ass."

No one says anything for a solid minute until we all burst out laughing. I walk around the island to wrap my arms around Bella's waist, nipping at her neck and ear. "What smells so good? I'm starving."

Bella turns in my arms. "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

I nod. "Later. I want to talk to Alice first, if that's all right. Then we can talk."

"Of course. Have a seat." She turns to Jasper over her shoulder. "You set the table. Alice, you're on drinks."

As they disperse, Bella takes my face in her soft hands. "I was so worried." She presses her lips to mine, firmly, calmly, warmly. I feel safe, protected … loved.