BPOV

I flopped a few stray hairs back into place, fidgeting with my appearance in my rearview mirror. If I had known my day would consist of a lunch invitation from Esme and Alice, I would have done more than throw my hair in a pony tail this morning. My dress was, at least, acceptable enough. A simple black cotton dress with short sleeves and a belt tied around my waist.

It had taken all of my willpower this morning not to go into a downward spiral of wondering if they were inviting me to lunch to tell me they knew. Knew. That I had spent the last two nights at Edward's, that I spent nearly every night in New York in his room before they got there. There were so many things they could know and throw in my face.

But, from the short amount of time I had spent with the Cullen's, they didn't seem like the vindictive type. Esme seemed to only want her children to be happy and Alice was too happy all the time for it to be fueled by anything other than kindness.

Still. A surprise invitation to lunch from the family of the man you were having an affair with couldn't end well. Could it?

I took a deep breath before I opened the door to the restaurant. It was crowded, full of late lunch goers. The walls all fresh white with paintings that probably cost more than my house scattered about.

"Can I help you?" the hostess asked, staring at me as I stood frozen in the doorway.

"Oh, I'm meeting, um, Esme and Alice Cullen?"

Her eyes widened for a minute before she hurried around her podium. "Of course. Right this way, Ms. Swan."

She led me through the crowded restaurant, opening a door in the back to a small, private room where Alice and Esme already sat.

My nerves picked up as I walked in, but they both seemed oblivious to it. I was greeted with warm hugs and welcomes and it only fueled my confusion. I had refused their invitation to basically everything in New York. Didn't really talk to a single one of them while on the plane home. Still, here they were, being nothing but unbearably kind to me.

In my experience, after a few days around me, people stopped caring. Stopped trying to get to know me or spend time with me once they realized how little I had to say to them. Their constant invitations and patience were more than a little confusing.

"Thank you for coming," Esme said kindly, smiling across the table at me. "We ordered a little of everything, I hope that's okay?"

"Of course," I nodded, not all that hungry.

"I asked them to hold off of the food for a while, though," Alice added, her eyes darting to her mother beside her. "We wanted to talk to you about Edward."

Shit. They knew. They had to. What else would they want to talk to me about?

"What, um, about him?" I asked, taking a nervous sip of the water in front of me.

"He's going to be furious," Alice mumbled, turning to her mother.

"He'll get over it," Esme countered. "He needs help, he's just too stubborn to ask for it."

None of what they were saying made sense. I could hardly picture Edward being furious at his mother or sister, not furious enough for Alice to look so worried.

"You know of the arrangement my son has with his wife?" Esme asked, her voice shockingly disgusted when she spat out the word wife.

"Yes," I answered hesitantly. "You all seemed… well-adjusted to the arrangement in New York."

His family knew of the separation, of course. They also seemed to understand that Edward was adamant about selling the happily married story to the public for the time being. Irina came to family events, showed up to support her 'husband' when necessary, and kept to her own happy, selfish little life with Demetri outside of that.

The whole arrangement was something I consciously stopped myself from thinking about weeks ago, because I couldn't understand a single thing about it. Even before New York, I knew Edward didn't like questions about his arrangement with Irina. He usually got grumpy and defensive whenever she was brought up.

I could hardly bring the topic up now. Any questions about his wife would make him think I was jealous or pushing him to get a divorce and thinking that this was more than it was.

I was jealous and I did want him to get a divorce and this whole thing was more to me than sex, but I could hardly let him know that. And, as much as I wanted those things, I was also very aware they weren't going to happen. I liked to think that made me a little less pathetic than the classic idiot girl having an affair and hoping for a happily ever after.

"I tolerate her for my son and grandchildren," Esme snapped, her voice surprisingly harsh, but not necessarily directed at me. It was the kind of bitterness that came from years of frustration.

"Edward tried to file for divorce two… almost three years ago, now," Alice said softly. She pulled out a file from her bag and handed it to me.

I took it, mouth hanging open in shock, and scanned quickly over the page, a few sections standing out immediately.

Petitioner: Edward Cullen.

Respondent: Irina Denali-Cullen.

There are two minor children who are the issue of Petitioner and Respondent.

The parties have been separated for approximately four years.

My heart started racing and my body burst into a cold sweat. I had tried to do as much damage control for his marriage and separation as I could, and he knew it. Official filing of divorce papers was one hell of a trail for me to miss, and for Edward not to tell me about. Unless…

"He never filed these," I stated softly.

"No," Alice frowned. "He told Irina about it a few days before his lawyer was going to."

"What does she have on him?" I asked slowly, not sure if I wanted the answer. It was the only explanation for why he wouldn't file after going through the trouble of having the papers written up.

The anger was gone from Esme's voice when she spoke next, replaced by sadness and defeat. "His children."

Alice continued on. "She threatened… everything. Taking him to court, trying to fight their prenup. She said she wouldn't agree to any kind of custody arrangement, filled his head with the idea the court would never believe him over her. She would fight him on everything, drag the kids through it all, too."

I dropped the divorce papers on the table before I involuntarily crumpled them in my hands. My anger hadn't really been an issue for me, not since Rosalie introduced me to the gym my freshman year of college. In Florida I used to be constantly angry, when I was allowed. It was always balled up inside because I had no outlet. It made me hate myself and everyone around me until I wanted to scream.

I felt that familiar ball of anger building back up inside of me again. For the first time, it wasn't directed at my family.

"So," Esme continued softly. "Edward bargained with her. Agreed to let her do whatever she wanted with the neighbor as long as he got to see his children whenever he wanted."

I wanted to scream and cry at the same time. "Do they know?"

The kids knew about the separation, obviously. Jesus, they spent a majority of their time living with Irina and Demetri. Edward only got them on the weekends.

"Just the basics. They don't know their mother is using them as bargaining tools to keep spending Edward's money," Alice snapped.

I scrubbed my hands over my face, worries of Alice and Esme accosting me over my affair with Edward long forgotten. Still, I wasn't quite sure why they were telling me all of this. Why call me to lunch now and spill all of Edward's secrets?

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked quietly. I almost wished I never knew, because it would make it so my heart didn't feel like it was suddenly shattered all over the floor.

"I saw how quickly my son was throwing his career away and the persona the media was giving him would only fuel Irina's claims. I had been begging him to agree to work with Renata for years, but he wouldn't. I thought maybe a new person, someone he knew didn't know a thing about Irina would be better to help on that front."

That made sense, I supposed, for why she hired me in the first place. Still, it didn't explain why they were telling me this now.

"Then, last week, I saw how well he worked with you." Esme went on with a shake of her head. "He trusts you. He listens to you and does what you ask with a smile on his face."

I frowned. "It's not like I order him around or anything."

"No," Esme agreed with a smile. "But, he agreed to that interview because you told him it would be a good idea. The last time he let someone else ask the questions was probably ten years ago."

"You also seem to dislike Irina as much as we do," Alice added with a smirk.

My cheeks heated. I disliked her for a lot of reasons, most of which I couldn't admit to them. "I just… never understood the arrangement." I shook my head, my brain too overloaded with information to think clearly. "I still don't understand why you're telling me this."

"Because… I think you're a bright young woman who can help my son more than you know."

"You have every resource in the world," I blurted out. "I mean… I'm sorry. It's just… you can hire the best lawyers, the best publicists, the best everything to help him."

"I can," Esme nodded. "And I have. My son has refused every ounce of help I have tried to give him, with the exception of you."

I shook my head vehemently. "I can't help with any of this," I said frantically. "I write press releases and Instagram posts. I don't…"

"I know you can't work miracles, Bella. But, in two years those kids aren't going to be her bargaining tools anymore and I can't have her sinking her claws back into my son."

My heart dropped into my stomach. "You think he would get back together with her?"

"I think she has been manipulating him since he was eighteen. And Edward's a peacekeeper. He doesn't like big blowouts or arguments. He likes making people happy."

We were all quiet after that. I stared at the divorce papers in front of me and Alice and Esme picked at the food that had gotten delivered.

What could I possibly do to help Edward decide to pull the trigger on his divorce? If what Esme and Alice said was true, Irina had been manipulating him, practically brain washing him, for years. I was a publicist, not a lawyer. I had no idea what went into a divorce, let alone a messy one like this.

I supposed part of the battle was Edward's desire to protect his kids from the public. It was one of the first things he said to me, that his kids were off limits. The moment he filed for divorce every tabloid was going to be printing his picture along with captions wondering about infidelity or a custody agreement. There would be hundreds of articles with fake inside sources that made up every scenario imaginable. And, of course, there would be Irina throwing a bomb on it all and probably making up stories of her own.

"I guess I could…" I shook my head, still not knowing what good I could really do for the situation. "I can try and make a game plan. Um, maybe show him what kind of response he could expect from the media and tabloids… make our own responses to everything, too."

Even as I said it, I knew it was all a guess at best. There was no predicting the future, but the public was pretty easy to anticipate.

Esme smiled at me. "That would be wonderful."

"It doesn't – he'll never do it if she's going to fight him in court. I can make a hundred plans but – "

"I hired you for him because every day that went by Edward was more and more convinced no judge would see him as a good father. Not when the world was losing faith in him. Whatever you're willing to do for him, Bella, I think would help."

Esme handed me a file, plans and notes from her lawyers that she thought might be useful for me, before she excused herself, claiming to have another meeting with Carlisle.

I stared at the folder in front of me, not sure what to do with myself.

"It's a lot to ask," Alice said quietly.

My eyes snapped up to her because, in all honesty, I had forgotten she was still here.

"My mom knows there's not a lot you can do. She just wants to help him."

I nodded, because I understood the feeling.

"You don't like us very much," Alice sighed.

Maybe it was because I was suddenly mentally exhausted, or maybe it was a Cullen thing that led to me constantly blurting out everything I thought around them. "I'm just not used to a family that cares so much about each other."

Alice's bright blue eyes turned sad instantly. "I know."

I frowned over at her.

"Don't be mad at Jasper. He didn't want to say anything… I was pestering him and – "

"It's okay," I mumbled. It wasn't like I was officially his patient or anything and he was violating any kind of code. He came and looked at my nose, probably asked Edward what happened in the first place.

"I'm sorry if I've been kind of pushy. It's just… sometimes you look like you could use a friend."

"I'm not great with people," I admitted. "Unless its work related."

"Well," Alice sighed with a smile. "If you ever need anything, you can call me. Or if you have any questions about Edward. Here's some more information from the lawyers, if that helps you at all."

Alice handed me a couple file folders, all filled to the brim. "They actually think they have a good case. Edward's just too stubborn to listen."

Or too scared, I thought. As I was stuffing the files into my bag, my phone started to vibrate on the table. Edward's name popped up on the screen.

"I should go," I sighed. It had been a lot longer of a lunch than I had planned for.

When I stood up Alice was quickly wrapped around me in a tight hug. "You're good for him. Please don't give up on him, no matter what happens."

As a client. I repeated in my head, even on the drive back to the theater. She was talking about the Edward as my client and nothing more. Still, I couldn't get past the way her eyes seemed to be telling me something else.

-B-

Sweat was dripping down my chest. My arms burned, legs burned, everything burned, really. Every smack against Emmett's protective gear echoed through the emptying gym. My two hours here had done nothing to dull the dangerous combination of anger and resentment and blood boiling hatred that had been flowing through me since this afternoon.

The gym usually closed early on Fridays but Emmett saw how little my usual run was doing to calm me down and offered to do some kickboxing with me. I didn't do it often, but today it felt like the only way to get my frustration out.

No number of jabs or side kicks or cross punches dulled the anger, though. Because all I could see in my head was Edward and Irina. All I could think about was how much of a bitch I was when I first started working for him, calling his show shit when it got that way because he realized he was stuck.

Stuck in a marriage he wanted out of.

Stuck to a wife who was using him for his money.

Stuck to a wife who was using his love for his children against him.

And now, what? I was supposed to be the bad guy and work behind Edward's back to convince him to get a divorce? He was going to hate me for doing it. The only stipulation he had ever given me was to stay away from his family.

It was going to ruin everything. The minute I gave him a plan to be free from Irina he would be free to do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted. And I was selfish enough to hate that.

He deserved his freedom, though. Because he was good. Good and kind and one of the only people in the world I had ever met that I could truly say that about. My life may have felt like it was going up in flames, but maybe I could help fix his in the process.

"You okay, Bella?" Emmett asked softly once I had doubled over, hands on my knees, out of breath.

"Fine," I grunted, fighting with the gloves on my hands until Emmett helped tug them off. "Thanks for staying."

"No problem. You sure you're okay?" he asked again when I grabbed my bag and fished out my keys.

"Yeah," I nodded. "People just… suck, you know?" It was a complete understatement of my current issues, but true.

"Yeah, I know."

I checked my phone as I walked to the door with Emmett, flicking off lights as he went. It was only about seven, but the gym should have closed by six.

Come over.

The message from Edward had been sent about twenty minutes ago.

The rational thing to do would be to end things now. Slow down and maybe let it fizzle out on its own. But, I knew better than to think I could ever make the rational decision when it came to Edward.

So, twenty minutes later I was pulling into his driveway, just as pent up and on edge as I had been all night. The worst part about the whole thing was I knew the second I saw him I would feel better. I would get lost in his mossy green eyes and know I was doing the right thing by helping him, even if it meant breaking myself in the process.

I watched him walk down the hall toward the door, cocky smirk on his lips. He was in a pair of simple, black swim trunks and his hair was dripping in his face. He looked like he was walking off of a photoshoot while I was covered in dried sweat in a black sports bra and leggings looking a mess.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Edward asked immediately, a boyish smile on his face.

I nodded, taking his hand and hating myself for immediately feeling better because of it. Once we were outside I shimmied out of my leggings, leaving myself in a pair of plain cotton panties and a sports bra.

Edward had already slid into the water, staring up at me as he stood easily in the middle of the L shaped pool. I sat on the edge of the pool, letting my legs soak in the water, and stared out at the city view.

"I have no clue what I'm doing," I admitted softly. I was already severely underqualified to be doing the job I was, and now Esme expected me to somehow work miracles and fix Edward's entire life. It would be overwhelming enough if all I felt for him was the sense of duty a typical publicist felt for a client, but I was far past that point.

My eyes dropped from the skyline down to where Edward swam up to me. His hands were smooth and warm on my calves in the water. He stood between my legs, rubbing comforting patterns into my skin and staring up at me.

"What do you mean?"
"I mean… you have no idea how underqualified I am to be working for you," I said with a humorless smile down at him.

Edward shook his head and pulled me into the water gently. I latched onto him, suddenly exhausted, and let him pull me to the middle of the pool.

"I've been in this business long enough to know when someone is faking their way through things, and that's not you," he reasoned, hands pressed against my back.

I let out an involuntary snort which made Edward lean down and playfully nip at my shoulder.

"Thank you, Bella," Edward said softly.

I frowned. "For what?"

"For caring. For kicking me in the ass when I needed someone to. For… a lot of things."

All of my anger evaporated and I tightened my hold around his shoulders as we floated. My back ended up against the pool wall and I let myself sink into every toe-curling kiss Edward gave me.

This new development put a shorter timeline on how long we could keep this up, but I already knew my time with him was limited. I would take the smiles and wandering hands while I could. And I would do my damdest to make sure Irina's happiness was as short-lived as mine.

-B-

From the minute I got back Friday night up until my phone ringing Sunday morning, I worked. I read over every piece of legal jargon Alice had given me and done enough research that I could probably pass an intro to divorce law course if such a thing existed. I showered and ate here and there, got maybe an hour or two of sleep when I passed out over my computer, but most of the weekend was spent trying to piece together everything I could.

And still, by Sunday morning, the whole situation was no less a mess.

"Hello?" I grumbled into the phone, searching for my laptop charger that seemed to have disappeared.

"You sound like shit," Edward chuckled over the line.

"Thank you," I grunted, taking the distraction of his phone call as an opportunity to take a small break and collapse on my bed for a minute.

"I've been instructed to invite you over for an afternoon bar-b-que."

"Instructed?"

"My mother tells me I need to thank you for all of your hard work. Personally, I have my own ideas on how to properly thank you, but – "

"You have the mind of a hormonal sixteen-year-old, did you know?" I groaned.

"Must be because I live with two of them."

"So, your whole family will be there?" I questioned.

"Yes."

"I shouldn't."

"You don't have to be scared of them."

"I'm not scared," I replied defensively. "I just don't think it's typical practice for your mistress to be spending so much quality family time."

"You're not my mistress, Bella," Edward whispered harshly.

I sighed, wondering what the correct term for me would be if it wasn't mistress, and pressed my head into the pillow. My brain was fried and I probably wouldn't get much use out of it for the rest of the day anyway.

"What time?" I asked quietly.

"One," he answered, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

I was ready by noon, pulling on a striped white and grey wrap sundress and tying the knot tightly around my waist. I had managed to conceal the dark circles under my eyes and throw my hair in a braid before walking out past a lazy Emmett and Rosalie on the couch.

I stopped by the grocery and bought the ingredients for some smore's, not having time to bring anything more sustainable to the lunch. That's what people did, right? Bring food to gatherings?

I second guessed myself the whole way there, but carried the bag of chocolate and marshmallows and crackers up the walkway anyway. I watched Edward walk toward the glass door, very similarly to how I did a few nights ago, only this time he was much more clothed.

"You came," he greeted me with a surprised smile.

"I said I would," I mumbled, walking through the door.

"You tend to get skittish around other people," he mumbled, looking down at me with serious eyes.

"I'm not big on crowds," I shrugged, not having the energy or time to get into all of my issues.

Edward quietly stared at me, and I didn't like it at all.

"I brought stuff for smore's," I blurted.

"You'll be Masen and Lucy's favorite person today, then," he said with a smile, taking the bag.

I followed him through the house, toward the sound of booming conversation and ended up in the living room surrounded by his family. The topic at hand seemed to be Edward's birthday next week.

"I told you I'm not doing anything for it," he grumbled, falling into a chair.

"Oh, you have to celebrate your birthday," I uttered, my exhaustion helping me ignore my gut feeling of keeping my opinion to myself.

Alice patted the couch beside her and I sat down quickly, crossing my legs and fiddling with the fabric of my dress.

"See, Edward? Even Bella agrees," Alice added triumphantly. "He can be all grumpy and alone on his actual birthday, but seems to think he can ignore the party that's already planned for him on Saturday."

"I didn't realize you were so big on birthdays," Edward said, eyes far too intensely focused on me.

"I never used to be. Then my roommate converted me to be very pro-birthday celebrations."

I never cared about my birthday until Rosalie woke me up on my nineteenth wearing a party hat and covering my bed in confetti. Birthdays are the one day a year where you can let go, Bella. The only person you have to worry about is you and what you want.

Rosalie's tradition was choosing a seemingly odd theme for a birthday and figuring out every possible way to incorporate it. My birthday theme last year had been cheesy 80s movies and we ended up doing everything from watching them to wearing the most outdated outfits to a skating rink.

"And if your birthday is in the middle of the week, you get two. It's a win-win," I shrugged.

"Can you come on Saturday?" Alice asked. "It's at our parent's house. You can bring your roommate, Rosalie, right? And her boyfriend."

There was no way I could say no, and if I was being honest with myself, I didn't really want to. I did kind of love celebrating birthdays if I cared about the person. Usually, that was just Rosalie. But, the average publicist should care about their client, so I didn't think it raised any red flags.

"Sure," I nodded, turning my attention over to Edward. "Are you actually going to show up?"

He playfully rolled his eyes, directed mostly at his sister I think. "I'll be there."

I smiled over at Edward as his mother and sister launched into a conversation about catering. I knew his birthday had been coming up and his present was already sitting on my desk at home. I had also made the impulsive order of a set of lingerie I still wasn't sure if I was brave enough to even try on.

"Uh, Dad?" Lucy's voice came from around the corner. All eyes turned to her as she came in, eyes on her phone. "You're trending."

My heart stopped and my head snapped around to her. "What?"

"It's all over the place. It's, um, hashtag… FireCullen."

I fished my phone out of my bag at my feet, fingers shaking as I pulled open every social media app I had. I clicked on the top article, my heart picking up speed as I read.

Comedian Riley Biers went on a rant at his latest stop on his comedy tour in Boston Saturday night. Biers veered off topic and ended up slamming Tonight Show host Edward Cullen, a week after his successful stint hosting Saturday Night Live. He held nothing back, simultaneously calling Cullen overrated and yet unsuccessful at the same time.

The most interesting tidbit of news he revealed was that he was first in line to take over when NBC outed Cullen in four months when his contract is up. Something neither Cullen nor NBC have made public just yet.

Cullen has been the host of The Tonight Show for seven years. While ratings and viewer response to the show has been dwindling as of late, his appearance on Saturday Night Live seems to have given the show a new following, at least for the time being.

Representatives for both NBC and Cullen had not responded for a request for comment at the time of publishing.

"Fuck," I snapped out, eyes darting up to the television plastered on the wall in front of us. Someone must have turned it on, an entertainment news channel was currently discussing the whole ordeal.

"Who the fuck is Riley Biers?" Edward grunted.

My eyes snapped to him and guilt flooded my bloodstream. Two nights ago, he was thanking me for everything I had done for him, and now we were royally fucked. This conversation would have been unbearable in any situation, but the eyes of his entire family, children included, made it nauseating.

"He's the networks top choice to replace you in four months," I mumbled.

There were a few gasps from his family before conversation broke out amongst them. I hunched over myself, burying my hands in my hair and wanting to pull as hard as I could.

This was the kind of thing I should have known about hours ago, but I was distracted by a million other things thanks to Alice and Esme. My mind was a mess, a migraine brewing in the back of my head.

A phone rang and I heard Edward mutter a curse. "Leon."

Head of the network. Right on time.

"Don't answer it," I snapped, a plan forming in my head. Everyone's eyes were on me, and usually that would make me cower away from doing just about anything, but I stared at the screen and listened to the reporter read a dozen different tweets claiming anyone but Edward hosting the show would be better and let it fuel my anger.

"He's out," I told him, pointing at the television. "The network isn't going to put that prick on television five nights a week if he can't keep his fucking mouth shut."

Edward nodded. "They'll just go down their list."

"Their list was shit. They were banking on Biers. He has a good following, goes on frustratingly successful tours, and hasn't had a big scandal. Yet. But, he's got to be out. Late night television isn't about personal vendettas, it's about everyone else's vendettas. This just shows Biers is more about his own drama. And now the ball is in your court."

I squeezed the bridge of my nose, trying to map out a plan in my head.

"This is the network's fuck up – letting him go out there and spill everything before they even told you. Four months isn't long enough for them to find someone else. If you play this right, you can probably have your contract renewed in the next twenty-four hours."

"It's got to take more than this guy going on a rant for them to forget replacing me completely," Edward said with a shake of his head.

"NBC is one of those networks that has built their brand on being a family. You could make things hell for them if you wanted to. You still have four months on the air."

"I don't want to blackmail them into keeping my job," he snapped.

And immediately I felt like shit. Because he'd been essentially blackmailed for the last seven-ish years.

"It's not…" the same, I wanted to say. "It's not blackmail because you would never actually do it. And we know that, but they don't."

"No offense, Edward, but your show has actually gotten a lot better lately," Jasper interjected. "And they'll see that. And hope it continues."

The rest of his family added similar comments, Masen and Lucy excluded. They both looked devastated, but I didn't have time to focus on it.

My phone started ringing and I blanched, seeing Leon Woods on the screen.

"It's your choice," I told Edward quickly. "How do you want to play it?"

Mossy eyes stared me down for a moment, unsureness gradually turning into determination. "I want my show."

I nodded. "Okay."

I didn't have time to be nervous before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Ms. Swan. Leon Woods. I was trying to get ahold of Edward, talk to him about this little mix up."

I smiled wryly to myself. "He likes to enjoy his weekends with his family, especially after spending nearly every weeknight for seven years working for you."

Woods cleared his throat over the line. "Is he available tomorrow for an early morning meeting… to discuss his contract renewal?"

"Yes, he is."

"Alright. And we can count on you not to make any… waves until then?"

I nodded to myself. "As long as we can count on you to do the same."

I heard a deep sigh over the call. "Of course. Six sharp. I'll see you then, Ms. Swan."

The line went dead and I had seven sets of bright eyes on me.

"We have a meeting at six tomorrow morning to discuss your contract renewal."

His family was quick to cheer, but I shook my head. "That doesn't mean anything. Not yet."

"Not yet," Carlisle said with a bright smile. He and his wife knew the business, but seemed to be blinded by their love for their son in the situation.

I let my phone clatter to the coffee table in front of me, again reminded how unprepared I was for any of this. I should be sitting at a tiny desk downtown, writing mundane press releases for senior publicists. Not negotiating a multi-million-dollar contract or talking with the head of NBC.

I must have spaced out for a minute, because a delicate hand on my shoulder made me jump. Looking up, Esme was standing over me, a large glass of red wine in her hand. I took it gratefully, but her eyes said it was for much more than today.

"You're taking good care of him. Thank you," she said softly before returning to her husband.

A/N: The big reveal. I would say at least half of the reviews I've gotten so far are about how stupid it is for Edward to still be married, so I hope this answers all those questions.

Sidenote: You can vote for reputation for Favorite Empire Records and Hopeless Kingdom for Favorite Undiscovered Gem at the twific fandom awards! Voting ends in a couple days if you wanna get a few more in!

I'll try my best for a Tuesday/Friday update next week, but I can't guarantee it. You'll for sure get one Friday, though!