Over the weekend, I didn't do much of anything. There was no left over work to get done, I was over fighting with Lauren with divorce details, and I wasn't going to give in to call her just yet. Instead, I decided to pick up the phone and call Emmett.
He had texted out on Thursday about Rosalie's pregnancy and while I had immediately texted him back, I knew I needed to call him about the divorce.
I sat down and stared at my phone for a moment longer than necessary before I heard it ringing. Answering only after three rings, I was surprised he didn't let it go to voicemail. Of course, after the ways we left things in Forks, I was surprised he even texted me at all.
"Hey, Em," I started.
"So, you do speak," he replied back without even the hint of sarcasm.
I paused for a second, thinking about my reply, before answering, "Yes, I speak. First, congratulations, I got your text."
"I know, you replied to it, remember?" he reminded me, but I already knew that I did.
"Yeah, I remember. That is only one part of why I'm calling, I talked to mom and dad already but figured I'd call you personally and tell you I'm getting a divorce," I rushed out. It didn't sting so much to say that way.
"Dad mentioned it. Is this over B..." I cut him off, "No and yes. But more no than yes."
"That doesn't make any sense," he accused, and he was right, of course.
"Please just don't say her name," I begged, but he didn't reply. "Part of it had to do with her, but most of it doesn't. I just realized that I was wrong, about a lot of things, and the only way to fix that is to move on."
"Okay, I won't say her name, but why are you calling me about this now? You told mom and dad weeks ago," he asked.
"Because you know the truth. The ugly truth, I guess it's harder to face you when you know how weak I really am," I admitted honestly as I sat back into my couch just an inch further.
"You're not weak," Emmett corrected. "Stubborn, prideful, and idiotic, maybe, but you're not weak."
"Thank you," I accepted even though I didn't agree with him.
"When are you coming home?" he asked.
"I don't know. Lauren finally agreed to a deal so the divorce should be final iun about a month, I'm in therapy twice a week to figure this mess out, and work is hectic. A few months maybe? I should be able to take some time off," I rattled off.
"I think you should come home sooner," Emmett stated, and while he didn't say anything else, his tone changed and I didn't miss it.
"What aren't you telling me?" I asked flat out.
"Just come home, Edward." He said again without going into more detail, but it wasn't like I could just drop everything to do that, could I?
We got off the phone only a few minutes later, though I promised to call more and Emmett promised not to ignore those calls, his message to come home continued to eat at me even as I pulled into Dr. Garrett's parking lot.
Shannon was finally back at her desk, after being out sick for the weak, and I even came baring a 'Get Well Soon' card with a gift card to Starbucks in it. I wasn't sure why I felt compelled to get her something, but I did. And she seemed as surprised as thankful when I handed it to her.
"I prefer familarity," I excused my actions.
"Well, thank you just the same. You can go straight back," she told me before tucking the card away under her desk.
Dr. Garrett was already seated when I walked in.
"You're making me look bad," she joked as I sat down. I choked my head to the side. "Giving my secretary gifts for being sick, that's a new one. Do you do that often?"
"What? Give gifts? Not usually, but I wasn't lying. I prefer familarity and I was in Starbucks already, so I didn't go out of my way," I answered as he nodded and jotted something down.
"Tell me about your weekend," Dr. Garrett asked and I rattled off the conversation I had with Emmett. "So, when are you planning your vacation?"
"I don't know, it's not a great time right now," I replied. "I told him I'd try to get there in a few months."
"He seemed pretty insistent for you to wait, don't you think?" she asked, but her tone was accusatory like I expected.
"He did," I answered.
"And, has he ever asked this of you before?" she questioned, but I shook my head no. "So, it's sufficient to say, this is out of the norm for your brother?"
"You think I should go home?" I asked, but she shrugged.
"I didn't say that, I simply said you need to consider why he's asking. Do you think he's hiding something?" she questioned.
"He seemed to be when I was on the phone with him. I could tell there was more, but he wasn't giving it up," I replied, already half-resolved to check on plane fares when I got home.
"And is that out of character for your brother?" she then pushed, and I nodded again.
"I think I'm going home sooner," I said, letting it hang.
"Okay," she replied.
"But I'll miss my sessions," I stated. "I don't want that to happen, can you do therapy over a phone?"
"I have before, yes, but we can discuss that once you know how long you'll be gone," she pushed off as I nodded. "Tell me why you and your brother's relationship is so strained though. You've never answered that before. You said you were nervous to call."
"He knew the truth about me and Lauren," I answered. "The last time we were home, Lauren made an error and then I made a bigger one. He and his wife went out and spotted Lauren, she didn't think she'd be caught by anyone local because she had traveled far away.
"He waited to confront me about it all, but when he did I was talking to someone on the phone. He waited until I hung up, already putting two-in-two together and he went off at me. I tried to justify it, told him it wasn't his business, and he told me he didn't even know me."
I paused and looked down, not really wanting to relive what happened next, though doing so regardless.
"Emmett, wait," I called out as he stalked away from me. "Emmett!"
Only when he turned around, he wasn't alone. Rosalie had come from upstairs and glared to me.
"Don't bother, Edward, he won't talk to you right now," she brushed me off, but I just turnedand glared at her. "Don't you dare look at me like that Edward Anthony Cullen, you seem to forget that I've known you sincebefore you were a teenager."
"That doesn't make you special Rosalie," I snapped.
"Your right, that doesn't make me special, but I am special, would you like to know why?" While she asked the question, I knew she wasn't waiting for me to answer. "I'm special because I value myself enough not to live a lie. I don't talk to the people around me as if my life is perfect, just to be hiding this deep dark secret. Edward, what you and Lauren do, what you are, is digusting. And if you think for even a millisecond that I believe that this is the life you want, then you don't think I know you half as well as I isn't you Edward!"
"Rosalie, because I like you, I'm not going to yell at you," I stated as evenly as possible.
"Go ahead, Edward. I can take a little yelling, maybe then we'd actually see the real you! The real Edward would not be okay with his wife sleeping with other men! The real Edward wouldn't dream of touching someone who wasn't his wife! The real Edward wanted kids, a happy house, and a close family. The real Edward wanted everything you don't have. So, go ahead and yell at me Edward, it won't matter," Rosalie yelled at me some more, but all I could do was shake my head and walk away.
When I got to door, I realized Emmett had never left.
"I don't want you or Lauren anywhere near our children again, am I understood?" Emmett seethed.
"That is one way to leave things, and this was your first conversation since then?" Dr. Garrett interrupted.
"A few texts, but yeah, first phone call." Thinking about that story made me question Emmett's message on the phone even more. When I left Forks, I didn't even known if I'd see my neice and nephews again, but now he desperately wanted me to come home?
"I think you're going home," Dr. Garrett pushed.
"No, I know I'm going home," I replied. "I'll see what vacation I can manage at work, he's hiding something and I need to figure out what it is."
"When you know just call Shannon, she'll set up the phone sessions," Dr. Garrett replied. "Will I see you this Thursday?"
"Yes, it'll take me at least a few days to get vacation through at work. I'll probably leave this weekend," I rattled off thinking about how fast I could get out of town.
"Okay, then I'll keep you down. On Thursday, we'll go over what we missed today, including your reaction when you found out Lauren hadn't actually gone through with your deal," Dr. Garrett explained to me, and I nodded, but honestly, in that moment, I wasn't even sure I cared anymore.
Emmett was hiding something and that was all I could focus on.