Chapter 4
Edward's POV;
I woke up to my phone buzzing and checked the clock beside my bed. 7.30. Not bad. Evie was usually already awake, she must have been exhausted yesterday. I picked up my phone, my heart racing a little when I read Bella's name. I eagerly opened the text, expecting a time and place for us to meet.
Hey Edward. I think that we both have a lot on our plates because we're both single parents and maybe we should just focus on our children. I think if we tried to have a friendship it could get messy and I don't need messy right now. I'm sorry. Bella.
The crushing disappointment I felt when I read her text shocked me. I was so sure that I was closed off to her that I didn't realise that I'd let myself feel a little something for her. Maybe it was because she had been so kind to Evie. Maybe it was because she was stunningly beautiful. I sighed. I didn't know what to reply to her so I didn't.
I stretched my arms above my head. I had two more weeks off from work and I intended to spend every second of it with my little girl. I dreaded going back to work because it meant that Evie would start nursery. At least I would just be a part timer, mostly half days and no weekends.
I crossed the hall to Evie's room to check on her. She had rolled onto her stomach in the night. Her blonde hair was a birds nest on her head; I had to stifle a chuckle at how ridiculous it looked and supress a groan at the thought of having to brush them out later. She had her little thumb in her mouth and her comforter was wrapped around one ankle after being kicked off at some point during the night.
I untangled her from the blanket and gently woke her, if I didn't she wouldn't have her noon nap and then she'd be like a bear with a beehive up its ass.
"Evie, c'mon it's time to wake up baby girl." She groaned and tried to bat my hand away. I bit my cheek to stop myself from laughing. She was so much like me. In fact the only part of her that came from Tanya were her blonde curls and even their unruly nature came from me. I tickled her ribs, making her chuckle and bat my hands away again.
"Stop it Daddy!" I laughed and lifted her into my arms, enjoying the way she wrapped her little arms around my neck. I carried her down the stairs into the kitchen and strapped her into her pink butterfly highchair.
"What do you want for breakfast today Evie?" She sat and thought hard about her answer, her little eyebrows drawn together in such a serious concentrated face that I laughed.
"Can I have porridge Daddy? And some juice please." I nodded and reached for her princess sippy cup, filling it with orange juice from the fridge and handing it to her. She had almost finished the cup by the time I'd finished her porridge. I squirted a little honey onto it and stirred it a little to cool it down for her.
"It's still hot Evie so be careful, okay?"
She nodded and scooped a little up with her spoon, blowing it generously before tentatively lifting it to her mouth. I watched her as I drank my coffee. My daughter was absolutely everything to me and I couldn't imagine life without her.
When Tanya had told me she was pregnant I was scared but elated. We'd been together since we were 17 and I felt like we hadn't been progressing in our relationship. I'd had to convince Tanya to keep our baby, she was so certain that she would ruin our lives.
The pregnancy was hard on Tanya, she had awful morning sickness and back pain. Looking back I think that's part of the reason she resented Evie. She had an elective caesarean to deliver her because she didn't want to have to go through the pain of labour. I should have realised that she was a selfish bitch then. After Evie was born she didn't hold her once and refused to nurse her. She wanted no part whatsoever in naming her; in fact she wanted no part of being her parent. I had been the one to choose her name. Evelyn Grace Cullen, Evie for short. I thought it was beautiful, just like my baby girl.
She never fed her and complained every time she cried, gurgled, filled her nappy. Everything Evie did seemed to piss Tanya off. In the end I lost it with her. Damn it my daughter deserved better and I told her so. She just sneered at me and packed her bags before telling me that she didn't give a shit about me or Evie and that she'd been cheating on me for years. That I shouldn't give a damn about Evie because there was a chance that she wasn't mine. Then she turned on her heel and left while I threw up my dinner.
The thought that the little 6 and a half pound baby girl wasn't mine made me sick to my stomach. But I banished the thought away. Even if Evie wasn't biologically mine she was my daughter. I had been to every scan with Tanya. I carried a picture of her sonogram in my wallet with me. I had named her, fed her every bottle, changed every nappy and loved her unconditionally.
I almost chuckled at my fears that I wasn't her biological father. As she'd gotten older she had started to look like me. Now she practically had my face, everything from the sharp green of her eyes to the shape of her nose and the angles of her face. Little Evie was my carbon copy and I loved it.
"Finished Daddy!" I rinsed her dish and our cups before putting them in the dishwasher and lifting Evie out of her highchair. I carried her upstairs to the bathroom and ran the bath while she brushed her teeth. When she was done I unzipped her onesie and threw it into the hamper and lifted her into the warm water of her bath.
She was such a water baby, there were times when she was a baby that the only way I could stop her crying was to put her in the bath. She giggled and splashed while I washed her body quickly using her baby wash. I tilted her hair back slightly and cupped my hands together, using them to gently pour water over her hair. She stayed perfectly still and closed her eyes tightly in fear of getting the water in them. I reached for a facecloth and handed it to Evie; she held it over her eyes to protect them from the shampoo. I reached for her cherry scented shampoo and squeezed a dollop onto the top of her head, gently massaging it into the roots before washing the long tresses down her back. I used the shower head to rinse the suds away before adding conditioner to her hair and rinsing it out. I grabbed her brush and started to tease the tangles out of it gently, feeling like shit every time she winced. When I finished I grabbed her fluffy pink towel and lifted her out of the water, wrapping her in the soft material and placing a little kiss on her nose.
I picked out a cream coloured jumper and a pair of jeans out for her and dressed her quickly. Maybe we would go to the park today, the one where we saw Bella yesterday. Maybe she'd be there again. Even if she wasn't there was a pond and Evie loved feeding the ducks.
"I love you Evie."
"Love you too Daddy."
"Want to go to the park today?" She lit up when I asked her and I looked at her curiously. What had got her so excited?
"Will the lady and the baby be there today?" I closed my eyes and sighed. This is why I didn't let people meet my daughter! Now she would be disappointed.
"I don't know baby." Well it was honest at least. "Want to go downstairs and watch Dora?" She nodded enthusiastically and I carried her down after I grabbed my phone from my bedside table.
I sat her next to me on the sofa, the very sofa that I had texted Bella from last night. I flicked through the channels until I found one playing Dora and whipped out my phone to figure out what I would text back to Bella.
I'm really sorry to hear that you feel that wa-
Wow. Just wow.
Can we at least talk about thi-
Sounds like a cliché break up line.
I took a deep breath and started typing again. I would just be completely honest with her.
Evie asked about you today and I didn't know what to tell her. I understand that your priority is Oliver, Evie is mine. I don't want to disappoint her so if you could reconsider us being friends I'd appreciate it. Edward.
I leaned back and waited for baited breath for her to reply, watching Evie's expression as she watched Dora's adventures with Boots. 10 minutes later I heard a ping from my phone and saw that it was a text from Bella. I opened it and then immediately closed my eyes, scared of what I would read. Fuck me I'd become a pussy. I opened my eyes and read the message.
Meet me at the park in an hour.
Thank fuck for that.
