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After a few moments, Dan's cries were slowing down. He let go of me and simply held my hand, while the other rubbed his face furiously. It was then that I stood up and with a blank face, turned to face the Cullens. Alice was looking at me with sympathy and I gave her a small smile in return. Carlisle had a look of calm on his face, but his eyes were full of questions as his steady gaze focused on Dan. It was Esme's expression that flooded me with guilt. There was no anger. Hell, I would have welcomed her anger. No, instead, there was sadness. Lots and lots of sadness, swirling around her green eyes as she took in every single part of her grandson.
"Oh, Bella. Does he know?"
It didn't take a genius to know who she was referring to. Just as I was about to reply, the sound of tires screeching disturbed the evening silence. When I turned around, it felt like the whole world stopped moving for a second. I forgot – no, I didn't know how to breathe as my worst nightmare came to life.
A familiar silver Volvo slowed down to a stop in the driveway. There had only been one owner of such a car here in Forks.
Edward.
I want to tell her that I love her, but that's what you say before you say goodbye. I'm not ready for goodbye yet.
- Nyrae Dawn (Charade)
Edward P.O.V.
The day after my meeting with Bella was hectic.
Meeting after meeting, I had to attend. I barely even had time to eat. Many suppliers from around Port Angeles had set a meeting with me to talk about our stats, as well as buyers and fellow associates who wish to be in partnership with Cullen Corporation. Not to mention different reporters also followed me around, hoping to set an appointment or for those who dream high, question me right then and there.
Yet despite my busy day, a certain chocolate-eyed brunette wouldn't leave my mind.
It was quite frustrating actually. The fact that I kept trying to push her out of my mind, yet somehow she always finds a way to worm herself back into my thoughts, was driving me nuts. Even with all my meetings and conversations, her scowling face would just pop out of my head randomly.
To say it was distracting would be an understatement.
The gods must be in my favor today though because I still managed to go through the day without anyone questioning my sanity.
By the time five-thirty rolled around, I was dead tired. I couldn't wait to just head home and sleep or be in the Cullen residence for some of my mom's cooking. Though, the latter would have to be reserved for tomorrow's brunch.
Any thoughts of rest were brought to a halt when a loud racket was heard from outside my office room in the Cullen Corp building in Port Angeles. A familiar voice boomed throughout the hallways and I felt a slight headache making its' way into my head when I realized whose loud voice it belonged to.
Not a second later, the door to my office banged open, revealing a face I had not expected to see until around next month.
"Eddie! Wassup, my man?"
Cue my migraine. "Edward, Emmett. My name is Edward. Jesus, when will you get tired of calling me that horrid name?"
My step-brother broke out into a grin. "The same time you'll stop being annoyed with it."
I watched him make his way to my sofa after closing the door. He was sporting a casual attire of black v-neck, cargo shorts and some rubber shoes. He had his backpack seated beside him. Though Emmet was not exactly irresponsible, he never grew out of the teenage stage. He still dressed and acted like he was a teenager. It was both amusing and annoying.
Don't get me wrong. I like Emmett. He's a fun brother and since I was given a chance to be have siblings, I'm glad it was him and Alice. However, his energy and overall jokester personality can be a bit overwhelming at times, especially when you've had one hell of a long day.
Said sibling then noticed my staring and rolled his eyes. "Spare me the lecture, Edwardo. I'm not hearing it." He raised a brow. "Busy day?"
Cracking some bones in my neck, I closed my eyes as I faced the ceiling. "You have no idea."
Emmett chuckled. "It always is with you, isn't it?"
I shrugged, before turning to face him again. "So, mind telling me why you're here now? If I remember correctly, you were supposed to be here a month from now."
It was his turn to shrug. "Nothing exciting kept me in Athens. I thought, might as well head home for a few weeks, you know? I realized I haven't really seen you guys in months and well, I kinda missed our boring ole' pamilya."
His chuckle was contagious. I stood up from my chair and went over to him, giving him a brotherly hug. "I guess I missed you too, you big bear."
"You guess?"
"Take what you get, Emmett."
A laugh. "Sarcastic as always, I see."
We were silent for a moment before I motioned for us to sit back on the couch. "Why are you here in my office though? Why didn't you just go straight home?"
"Well, a little birdie told me that you were in our Port Angeles office. I thought I'd drop by and we'll head on to Esme and dad's place together."
I sighed. "So you spoke with Alice lately, huh?"
Emmett grinned. "Yup."
"Okay, I still have one more meeting then we can leave."
"Man, you're working yourself to death, Edwardo. Take a breather some time, yeah?" Despite his voice coming out playful, there was worry and concern underneath the teasing.
To appease his worries, I let out a small laugh. "Whatever you say, dad."
Before he could let out another word, I slipped out of my office.
The meeting only lasted for about an hour and thirty minutes.
When I entered my office, Emmett was eating some chocolate mousse and listening to his iPod. I quickly fixed my things and prepared to leave. We went over to my condo for me to change into a more casual outfit, before finally heading over to our parents' home in my silver Volvo at around ten minutes to eight in the evening.
Even though Emmett and I are as close as brothers can be – I still couldn't find it in me to tell him about how I was as Edward Masen. The only part Emmett, Alice and Carlisle have seen of me is the responsible, respecting and hardworking Edward. They never saw my despicable side; the player side.
To them, I was brought up perfectly.
It pained me to think of how they would react if they saw the other side of me. Admittedly, it was a side of me from my past, but it was still me. Someone I can never escape from.
These were the thoughts that came to my mind as we headed over to Forks. The timing was rather odd, actually, but nevertheless, I let it be. Emmett was asleep for most of the drive so really, all I had were my thoughts.
It was around quarter to nine when I passed by our gate. By the time I crossed over the large steel of bars protecting our home, my gut was telling me that there was something wrong.
When I entered the driveway, I immediately noticed three things. One, all of my family members were home since I saw them all outside. Two, they had visitors considering there was a Prius and an Audi in the driveway. And lastly, Bella Swan was one of those guests.
The moment I turned the engine off, I shook Emmett awake before stepping outside.
I got closer towards my family and noticed that there was tension in the air so thick; you could practically cut it with a knife.
My eyes darted to each and every one of their faces and noted the difference in all of their expressions. Carlisle looked as calm as always, though there was a hint of confusion in his eyes. Esme was looking at me with tears in her eyes, disappointment clear. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but concluded now was not the time. Alice looked at me accusingly, anger evident in her stance. And lastly, Bella looked extremely pale, a look I imagined she would have had she seen a ghost.
Am I missing something?
A head suddenly popped out from behind Bella's waist just as a voice suddenly spoke. "Mom, I'm sleepy."
My eyes darted to where a child's voice came from and I felt my whole world freeze. My eyes bulged out of their sockets and my mouth was hanging open at the sight of this familiar looking child.
He had copper colored hair, high set of cheek bones, long pointy nose, and emerald eyes. The child looked very familiar because he looked a hell of a lot like the younger version of the man I see in the mirror every morning.
The child in Bella's hand looked like a replica of me.
What.
The.
Fuck.
Is happening here?
A lot of thoughts came crashing all at once and I didn't know what to do. Though one thought struck out from all the rest. It made me even more of a selfish asshole, but hope swelled inside of me at the possibility.
Could it be that Bella kept our baby after all?
I felt my mouth open and close without letting a word escape while my eyes stayed glued to the child clinging to Bella. He was examining me as well, confusion clearly showing in his green eyes.
Just as I made a move to step closer to the child, I heard Bella's voice speak. "We have to go."
Everything seemed to move in fast forward then. Bella quickly pulled the child into her arms, thanked my parents for a lovely evening and kissed Alice on the cheek before settling in her car – all the while making sure to avoid eye contact with me.
The Prius left first. I didn't even get a chance to see who it was, but I was pretty sure it was that Rosalie friend of Bella's. After a few more seconds, Bella's Audi came to life and she sped off our driveway, as well.
And with that, she was gone.
I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I still couldn't move. The shock from discovering the child was keeping my feet planted to the ground. My eyes were still on the empty space where Bella's car had driven off.
I could feel everyone's stare and I could hear their voices asking what that was about, but I couldn't find my voice. Even if I could talk, I wouldn't know how to explain anything to them.
Emmett made his presence know then. "Damn, Edward. You've got some explaining to do. I didn't know you had a kid."
Well, neither did I, Emmett. Neither did I.
Author's Note: Hi. Miss me?
This was not edited or given a thorough reread. I will do that once I 'm not feeling tired.
I'm so sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait. I got all of your angry reviews, as well as your angry messages. It is all my fault, yes. But I have promised you all that I will have this story finished, and I intend to keep my promise. Also, I know I promised the confrontation in this chapter but I don't know, for me it didn't work. Hopefully though, we'll see the awaited confrontation in the next chapter.
I hope you have not given up on this story yet!
Yes, I'm aware that this chapter is rather boring – but please bear with me. Next chapter will be good. Well, hopefully, I can write it well.
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