Chapter 22: Mending a Relationship

EPOV

We ended up in the living room playing with a baby piano and drum set. My son seemed to be just as musically inclined as I was. I had gotten him his own drum and piano set in fear he would break mine, but he seemed to love the noise the drum made.

"Anthony is a rock star!" I joked as he banged on the little red drum laughing at the noise.

"Da-Da!" He stated hitting the drum harder.

"You're going to break it." I warned hitting it softly for him to see.

"Da!" He said moving my hand as I laughed. It was incredible to see how much he knew already.

I leaned back watching him play. My thoughts went to Bella as I wondered how she was doing. Was Renee happy to see her? Had she hurt again? Or was she trying to mend their relationship? I really wanted to know. I knew Bella wanted to have the mother/daughter relationship she deserved.

I became lost in my thoughts quickly loosing sight of Anthony who had crawled away. "Anthony!" I called looking around.

"Da-Da!" He called as I spotted him near my piano.

"What are you doing all the way over here?" I asked picking him up as he began to cry.

"You know you can't play near the piano." I said to him as he continued to cry in my arms. "You must be hungry." I added realizing it was past his lunch time.

I carried him into the kitchen moving the high chair closer to the table. "Food is coming." I assured him as I set him in the highchair his cries not stopping.

Anthony was a good baby, but he demanded a lot of attention. Plus he hated sitting in the highchair. I opened the fridge taking out the milk before finding the bananas and cereal. "I'm coming." I said as I sliced a few pieces of bananas and then cutting them in half before placing them on a napkin.

"Look Anthony, bananas!" I said placing the napkin on the tray in front of him. I picked up a little pieces holding it out to him. "They're yummy."

He looked at the piece curiously before accepting the piece. His face was red from crying, but he seemed to be calming down with the food.

I made sure the highchair was in viewing area before I began to mix everything else. I took the food processor mixing in a little milk cereal and the rest of the banana. I made sure I hadn't liquefied it since we were trying to teach Anthony that food was eaten on a plate and with a spoon.

I served the mixture in a Winnie the Pooh plate grabbing his Tigger spoon. He was partial to that spoon, and did not like the Eeyore one at all. I heard Anthony begin to mumble and laugh realizing he was mashing the banana pieces in his hands smearing it all over his close and hair.

"Anthony!" I said getting a wet napkin and bringing the food to the table. I had forgotten to put a bib on him. "You're a mess!" I complained wiping his sticky hands. He definitely needed a bath after lunchtime.

I picked up the small plate taking a little on the spoon. Anthony greedily took my offer smiling as he ate. I placed the small plate on the tray away from his mess as I continued to feed him.

"Do you want more?" I asked as he began to push the spoon with his tongue.

"Da-Da!" He repeated as I smiled.

"I'm Da-Da." I encouraged him trying to get him to eat another spoonful.

He moved his head his hands crashing down on the plate. "Anthony, No!" I said taking his hands out of the plate. He began to laugh his hands going straight to his already sticky hair.

"Look at you!" I said, he never behaved that way around Bella. She always seemed to feed him in a way he never got dirty.

"Da-Ma!" He said laughing.

"No, not good." I said in a stern voice as he stopped laughing as he looked up at me.

"Time for a bath." I said picking him up figuring I would clean up the kitchen after I put him down for a nap.

BPOV

After a few seconds of stalling I knocked on the door forcing a smile when Phil opened the door. "Bella!" He greeted giving me a hug.

"Hi, Phil!" I said weakly scanning the room for Renee.

Renee was seated on a small couch near the window her eyes looking at me expectantly. I smiled at her softly as she copied my actions. Neither one of us really knew what to say or how to say it.

"We should give them privacy." Phil suggested as Emmett looked at me.

"I can stay if you want me to." Emmett offered as I shook my head. I needed to do this alone.

"Go on, Emmett. It's alright." I whispered my eyes still on Renee. She looked pale and weak in her dark pink robe. I could tell she had been through a lot.

"I'll be right outside." He answered before he followed Phil out the door leaving Renee and I alone.

"Renee, mom." I said softly.

"Bella," She stated looking at me with loving eyes. The way she used to look at me when I was child. "My beautiful, Bella."

I had to hold back the tears as she spoke. I knew I should be mad at her and ask her why, but I couldn't. I missed my mom. I missed the years before everything went crazy, I missed the time when I thought my family was a family. I wanted it all back.

"I'm so sorry." She said motioning for me to sit down next to her.

I sat down next to her looking deep into her eyes. Her brown eyes, so much like mine, were full of sorrow and regret. I knew she was really sorry to have caused me so much pain. She was the mother I had once known, the one I loved.

"I've been such a bad mother and grandmother. I can't believe you came. I had lost all hope that you would." She talked as she reached for my hand kissing it.

I felt the tears begin to fall. I couldn't help myself. It felt so wonderful to see how much progress she had made. To see her striving to get better.

"Why wouldn't I come?" I finally said as I noticed that she too was crying.

"Because I don't deserve it." She answered. "I haven't been there for you. I let my problems take over, and I ignored you and Emmett. I hurt you both, and I'm afraid I've broken all possibility of us ever having a relationship again."

"I'm not going to lie." I started wanting to be honest with her. "You've hurt me very badly and very deeply. But I know that wasn't you, my mom is not like that. My mom is loving and caring."

"Am I too late?" She asked touching my hair.

"Ofcourse not, mom." I replied. "You're my mom, and I want us to get back what we once had. But you have to accept the fact that I'm married and have a son, and I'm happy."

"That's all I could ask for, Bella. And I'm happy that you're happy." She stated smiling through her tears. "I want to work on it."

"We can do that." I whispered as I hugged her.

"I've never stopped loving you." She said softly. "I just wasn't thinking straight."

"I want you to get better." I said. "I want you to finish your treatment, and I want us to put the past behind us."

"I want to get better, and if you will allow me. I would like to be a grandmother to Anthony." She said as I bit my lip. That wasn't just my decision. Edward had just as much say in that as I did.

"Get better, mom." I answered not knowing what else to say. "I'll talk to Edward, and maybe one day you will."

"I guess, I deserve that." She added. "If it makes a difference, I really thought I was doing you a favor."

"I know, mom." I replied. I had spoken with the therapist over the phone, and he had informed me of her train of thought. In her mind she was doing it to help me.

"Hello, Renee." An older man in a white lab coat said coming inside.

"Hi, Dr. Neil." She answered as the doctor looked at me. "This is my daughter, Bella."

"Bella, it's a pleasure to meet you." He said. "I'm your mom's psychiatrist, we have spoken to over the phone."

"Hi, doctor. It's nice to meet you." I greeted getting up.

"I'm happy you've come to visit. I trust everything is going well." He said as I nodded.

"Thank you for helping her." I replied as he smiled at me.

"You've given me my daughter back." Renee said getting up and giving me a hug.

"I'm glad to be a service." He stated with a warm smile.

"I should get going. I left Anthony with Edward." I continued giving my mom a hug.

"Do you have any pictures of him?" She asked as I nodded opening my purse and flipping through my wallet.

"He's gorgeous, Bella." She commented.

"You can have one." I offered taking out the most recent one. It showed Anthony on top of Edward's piano.

"Thank you, Bells," She replied taking the small wallet sized picture.

"I love you, mom." I finished giving her another hug.

"Will you be back?" She questioned as I nodded. "Bring Edward when you do, he deserved an apology as well."

"I will." I assured her.

"I love you." She called as I smiled at her leaving the room.

My mom was on the right road to recovery. I, however, wasn't too sure what it meant for us. But things could only get better, not worse.

A/N: The building of a relationship with Renee is going to take time. That is part of the plot for the fifth part of this story. Which I will start to write once I finish one of my two stories.

Next Chapter: Bella and Edward talk

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