CHAPTER FIVE

For the first time, Bella spent the night with Edward. He insisted that she take the bed while he slept on the couch, but Bella shook her head, as if the thought were ridiculous. She felt like a zombie for the remainder of the day, but still she pushed on. Edward took care of her, feeding her at appropriate mealtimes, keeping her entertained by watching movies or engaging in small talk, simple things to keep her mind busy. He even texted Charlie from her phone and told him that she was spending the night with a friend and not to worry. Being the chief of police, he obviously was worried, so he called her. She perked up long enough to seem in a chipper mood, then let herself deflate as the call ended.

"What would you want?" Bella asked late at night. They laid in Edward's king bed together, fingers interlocked, both their eyes casted at the ceiling. "If you got someone pregnant, would you want them to tell you?"

Edward thought about it for a moment. Would he want to know if he had gotten someone pregnant? His upbringing told him yes, so he could take care of the child, but his current self wasn't sure. It was all situational. If he had a fling with a girl and she got pregnant, only to have an abortion, he wouldn't want to know. He wouldn't know how to react. If he had gotten married and divorced, and his ex-wife got pregnant by him, he would want to know. So, considering the circumstance, Edward turned his head and said to Bella, "Yes, I think I would."

Bella turned her head as well, her brown eyes meeting his tawny ones. "I have to tell him." She sighed. He replied by giving her hand a squeeze. "I think I want to keep it. Does that change anything with us?"

Edward furrowed his brow yet another time. "Bella, don't make your decisions about me. If you want to keep the baby, then I want you to. I'll be by your side through everything unless you don't want me there. Is this something you want me around for?"

Bella's hand reached up so she could press her thumb against his brow. "Of course I want you around, but you need to know what you're getting yourself in to, Edward. It's going to be hard, especially when you're a student." She didn't know the extent of Edward's intentions, so she didn't want to expect anything until he told her. "Especially when it isn't yours."

"But you're mine, right?" Edward followed up, reaching his hand to softly grab her wrist. She pushed the feeling of Jacob grabbing her arm down her throat and nodded in response to him.

"I am." She whispered to him with certainty. She was undeniably his. She had gone from being Jacob's high school sweetheart, turned desperate wife, to Edward's prize. He noticed every single thing about her and found it beautiful, he made her feel desired in more than a sexual way, he made her feel at peace.

"And your baby is a part of you." Edward went on, putting her hand softly on the bed so he could hold her face. "So, if you're okay with it, then I'd like to think that the baby is somehow mine."

Bella felt a small smile tug at her lips. She had never felt a love like this, even before her and Jacob were married. Her body tucked into Edward's, allowing her to make herself comfortable against his chest and finally sleep.

The next morning, Bella woke with a start. It was 6:45, probably around the time Jacob was going home from Sam's house. Edward was not in the bed with her, but she could hear him up and about, so she climbed out of the bed and walked out of the room. She hadn't changed out of the sweatpants she wore over, but he did let her wear one of his t-shirts to sleep in instead of the hoodie she was wearing.

"Good morning," Edward gleamed at her from the kitchen as she walked through the hall. "How are you feeling?" He asked her, followed by a kiss to her forehead when she approached him.

"I'm okay." Bella said groggily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Bella, you can stay whenever you'd like." Edward said in a tone stern enough so that Bella would know that he meant it. She gave him a little smile, before looking down at her phone.

"I don't want to talk to him." She said, tucking her phone back into her pocket. "I think I'm just gonna text him."

"You're gonna text Jacob and tell him that you're pregnant?" Edward asked in a tone that Bella couldn't decipher. When she shot him a shrug, he shrugged in return. "Alright, do what you have to do."

They ate breakfast together, then Bella made her way back to Charlie's. She had work at 11, so she got dressed and headed right back out to her truck. Before she drove to work, she sent the dreaded text.

Of course Edward was waiting for her, laptop and notebooks in hand. He had started studying while Bella was at work a few months after they became friends, making sure that it didn't bother her. She of course said no, but reminded him not to sit in her section so she could still take tables. That was something Edward always admired about Bella; she knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to tell people.

By the end of Bella's six-hour shift, she had made a total of $68. That was an average day for her, she never made more than $100 unless she had a birthday party or prom or something, but she worked often enough for that to pay the bills. She hadn't picked up her phone since she left for work, and that didn't change throughout her shift. Edward watched her clock out, packing his backpack as she did so, then he walked her to her truck, where they both saw a figure looming.

As the unestablished couple approached the truck, the figure approached them. Bella heard his voice before she saw his face.

"Seriously, Bella?" Jacob said aggressively.

Bella felt Edward's hand on her arm, stopping her from walking. He puffed his chest out slightly, but said nothing to interfere.

Edward definitely didn't go unnoticed, but Jacob chose not to address him now. His problem was with his ex-wife and not with the man she was with. "You're pregnant and you tell me over text?" His voice was fueled with anger.

Bella took a small step back, earning Edward's attention. "I really didn't want to see you. Or speak to you." She said in her defense.

"I think I have a right to know." Jacob retorted.

"You do, and I told you." Bella snapped back, gaining some confidence. She was scared of Jacob, sure, but she knew that nothing would happen with Edward beside her. This was the perfect time to get her anger out.

"Fuck you, Bella." He said again, bringing her back to that house, reminding her of the way she felt that afternoon. She remembered the way he grabbed her and tossed her onto the bed like it was nothing, and how she told him to stop. She remembered the pain she felt when he pushed into her, and the sweat that glistened on his body.

Bella knew better than to get lost in her thoughts. "No, fuck you, Jacob!" She said, loud enough for him and anyone surrounding them to hear. "You think I want to spend my 21st birthday pregnant? You think I want to have a baby with a man I can't even stand to look at?"

Jacob took a moment to think about what he was going to say, looked right into her eyes, then growled, "I'm not paying any fucking child support. Fuck you and that baby."

"Good!" Bella said, relieved. "Don't want to spend all your beer money!"

Jacob took off towards his bike, leaving Bella and Edward silent in the parking lot.