Bella's POV

Josh came back and found a nice little house for him and Lizzy. He makes really good money as a personal trainer for rich people. He also has really long hours so Lizzy is almost always with me or Embry or the on-call babysitter Josh hired.

He's supposed to be here to pick her up any minute now and she is bouncing around like a wild child. Cookies again. Josh is all like don't give her so much sugar Bella and I'm all like you don't pay me so I will do what I want. Then he's all like fine then I'm just going to leave her with the slutty babysitter I hired, he actually calls her Mia. Then next time I'm off he brings her to me with her approved snacks. She doesn't eat them.

I'm half way ready for my date because I have to run out the door as soon as he picks her up when he calls to tell me he's going to be a couple more hours because he had a last minute client come in.

I tell him he's a shitty father and I'm going to dump her off at one of those safe haven places, there happens to be a nice church on the way to where I'm meeting Jake.

He begs me to drop her off with the slutty babysitter and promises me he will make it up to me. I tell him I want sex. He tells me he'll give me a $50. Reluctantly I agree because I have to get to this date. It's more of a meet his nice sister and dad dinner date than a fun date so being late is not going to look good. He says we can wait awhile before I meet the mean sister. They are only 16 years old, I don't like teenagers except for me and Embry. And sometimes I don't even like us.

He tells me he'll call the slutty babysitter and she should be at his house by the time I can get there. He pays her really well so she'll drop anything and come when he needs her. I need to ask her if she gets paid for sex too but not tonight. I have places to be tonight.

I get to Josh's house and knock on the door, then bang on the door then open the door and scream her name. Mia… not slutty babysitter… like I said I have places to be tonight, no time for a fight.

She comes rushing out of the one bedroom on the bottom floor all out of breathe and gross looking.

"What are you doing in there sl…Mia?" I ask her. She's a couple of years older than me I think and so I think in her mind I don't matter.

"I didn't know you were coming." She tells me trying to catch her breath.

"Then why are you here?"

"OK well I know Josh almost never comes home till late on Thursday so I needed some privacy to study and so I used to key. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." She lies except Josh really doesn't come home till late on Thursday because he and Embry meet for dinner.

"You're that out of breath from studying?" I start walking towards the room and she's telling me I'm not even supposed to be here which is dumb because I spend a lot of time here with Lizzy and she knows this. I open the door and the little slut's toy jumps up and starts getting dressed.

"OK Bella I'm sorry but I really need this job. Michael will leave and I can keep Lizzy since I assume you have somewhere better to be." The way she says better just really pisses me off.

"You can leave now and I wouldn't expect Josh to be calling you anymore and I can assure you he will be changing the locks."

"Oh come on! You seem like the type that likes to have fun!" She whines.

"Oh I do. I just have the sense to pick men that can afford a hotel room or their own house."

"You're sleeping with Josh?" She asks and I detect the jealously in her voice but Lizzy is listening and I'm not sure how much she understands.

"Yeah… no. But I do care about Lizzy a lot so leave now." I order her and so her and her toy leave. I call Josh telling him what happened and he apologizes but refuses to come home. So I call Jake and he says to just bring Lizzy because it's just dinner at his dad's house. I text Josh to tell him what I am doing and that he owes me whatever he pays the slutty babysitter plus the $50 plus I need him to cover for me Saturday night… more details to follow. I have a date with not-Jake and I need a cover so I don't have to deal with the boys that like to call themselves my brothers.

It's not because I mind being with Lizzy, it's more because Josh is a jerk.

I get to Jake's dad's house and I take Lizzy out of her car seat and she jumps out of my arms and runs to the front door and knocks on it. Someone needs to teach this kid about strangers. I scoop her up just as the nice sister I assume opens the door.

"Hi, you must be Bella. I didn't know you had a kid." She greets me.

"I don't have a kid, I picked this one up off the side of the road. Well so I guess I do have a kid now."

Jake comes up behind her and grabs my hand pulling me in while explaining to Rachel that I got stuck babysitting for a friend.

Lizzy is clinging to me so we walk into the living room where he introduces me to his dad, Billy and the mean sister Rebecca who apparently had her plans cancelled.

"Uggh, she has a kid Jake? Only sluts have kids right out of high school." She tells me as soon as I say hi to her.

"She's not mine." I tell her as sweetly as I can.

"Oh sorry." She mumbles. Dinner goes OK but I'm not like dying to do it again or anything. So much drama with 2 teenage girls. With Sam and Embry we fight but then we get over it. It's none of this well 6 months ago you used the last of my lipstick stuff. That would be weird.

After dinner Jake asks me if I want to go out somewhere for a while but I tell him I really need to get Lizzy home. I assume Josh isn't there, he probably still met Embry for dinner but I can still take her home and put her to bed and then wait for him. So I can yell at him and get my money.

"I'm sorry Jake, if she ruined things." I tell him.

"No, no she didn't ruin anything. I love that you love her so much. One day you're going to be a great mother."

"Don't go planning our future yet."

He laughs and kisses me and tells Lizzy goodbye. Once we start driving I realize I'm starving because dinner was kind of gross.

"Are you hungry Lizzy?" I ask her and she shakes her head yes.

I consider calling Embry to find out where they are and making him buy us dinner but then I think no… because I want to be able to yell at Josh and I'm not the start a scene in public place usually. Instead we stop at a sub place and I take her out of her seat. We walk in and Kay is sitting there with Alison. It's too late to turn around.

Though they both live within 10 minutes of our house Sam and Embry hardly ever speak to them and I'm pretty sure neither one of them know Josh is back in town. I don't really want to be the one to tell them either.

"Hey Bella, who's kid is that?" Kay asks me and I tell her a friend. "She looks so much like Embry."

Damn.

"Yeah that friend, she's Embry's." I tell her hoping she's drunk and can be confused easily.

"I think we would know if Embry had a daughter Bella and since when do you call him your friend? I know you don't know if he's your brother but you always call both of them your brothers." Alison questions.

Damn. I might as well tell them.

"Josh Uley himself told me he isn't my father and that most likely your brother is Kay. Funny how that was never mentioned to me or Charlie before when we both wanted to know. This is his daughter, her name is Lizzy. Now if you don't mind I need to get some dinner and take her home so she can eat and go to bed."

"He's here? Like visiting? Is he staying with the three of you?" Kay asks almost excitedly while Alison rolls her eyes. I don't know how they are friends considering Josh cheated on Alison with Kay and Alison is at least a decent person if still a crappy mom.

"Sure, let's go with that." I tell her and then walk towards the counter.

Alison follows.

"Why are you taking care of his little girl Bella?" She asks concerned.

"Because I like her." I tell her and then order our food.

"He's going to hurt you Bella and the boys too."

"I'm damn near impossible to hurt at this point and Sam keeps his distance. You know how Embry is but if Josh walks out on him then it will be the three of us like it always has been. We were fine before and we'll be fine again."

"So you are sleeping with him then?"

"Oh my goodness Alison no. I like Lizzy, that's it. She's sweet and fun and I know what it's like to grow up without a mother."

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Did you know about my mom and Kay's brother?" I ask her and she frowns then says she knew it was a possibility. "Then that's when you should of worried about me being hurt. You should have told Charlie. If he is my father then maybe I could have gotten to known him and had a chance at a real family and not had to continue living with a man who hates me. Leave me alone, I have to get her home." I grab our food and leave even though she's trying to get me to stop.

Once we're at Josh's I give Lizzy her food but suddenly I'm not hungry. She eats and I put her to bed then watch reruns of How I Met Your Mother. Apparently I fall asleep because I wake up with a blanket on and the TV off. Great, Sam is going to flip out I think when I check the time and it's 2 in the morning. I text him to let him know I'm fine, I fell asleep and I'm about to make sure Josh is home and then come home. He texts back it's fine, Josh told Embry and that I should stay till the morning. It's too late to drive home he says. I roll my eyes to myself but don't argue because I am really tired. I tell him I will see him tomorrow then. He tells me that his mom called. I tell him sorry and he says not to worry about it. It was bound to happen and he's glad he didn't have to be the one to tell her. After we say good night I go back to sleep. I wake up to the smell of bacon and the sound of Lizzy singing to Princess Sofia.

I get up and fold the blanket up and walk into the other room to tell her bye. She runs to me and demands I pick her up.

"I gotta go Lizzy. I'll see you later." I tell her kissing her head and putting her down making her cry. Josh comes out of the kitchen and tells me I should stay for breakfast.

"I don't want to eat breakfast with you. You should have woken me up when you got home so I could yell at you and then went home." I tell him angrily.

"Bella I'm sorry but this is a new job, I can't afford to refuse clients right now." He tells me.

"Then you should have found a better babysitter than one who was going to use your key to screw her boyfriend in your bedroom."

"I'm sorry!"

"Whatever. I have to go." I tell him but he grabs my hand and forces me to turn around and look at him.

"I'm sorry Bella. I appreciate everything you do for Lizzy but you don't have to do it. I know you're just a kid with a life so I can hire a full time nanny if you want me to."

I'm so mad at him but at the same time I don't want to lose the time I spend with Lizzy and I have just all these emotional swirling around so I do what I'm good at. I kiss him.

He kisses me back for a minute and then he pulls away.

"I shouldn't have done that. It's just what I know how to do." I tell him and I leave before he can say anything else.