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CHAPTER 10
Edward left around seven promising he'd return after Masen woke up. We both thought it best to ease Masen into mommy having sleepovers with daddy. We also decided we weren't going to mention Tanya's baby until we knew for sure it was Edward's.
It was closing in on eleven o'clock and I hadn't even received so much as a text message from Edward. Masen had been awake for almost three hours, and I was getting angrier by the minute.
Masen spent the better part of the morning yelling at me. I should have known better than to tell him daddy was coming over, because then Masen wanted him there, and he wanted him there right that second!
I thought about having Masen call him to find out where in the hell he was—I mean, he knew what time Masen woke up—but I didn't want to seem like some clingy girlfriend.
However, after hearing my son whine and cry all morning, I decided on being the bitchy baby mamma.
"Masen," I sighed at the broken record my child had become. "Honey, why don't you call and ask him when he's coming over?"
Masen ran like a bat out of hell to get to the phone. "Okay!"
I dialed Edward's number and handed the phone to Masen. He smiled a cheesy smile at me while he waited for him to answer. I was about to take the phone from him and hang up when Edward finally answered.
Yes, I was listening in.
"Yeah, Bells, I'm on my way," Edward grunted.
"Daddy? You come over?"
"Oh! Hey, buddy. Yup, I'll be there in a little while … is momma there, Mas?"
Um … duh?
Masen looked at me and nodded. "Uh huh."
"Can I talk to her for a minute?" Edward asked.
I bit my lip nervously as Masen nodded again. "Okay, daddy."
Masen handed me the phone and I reluctantly took it. "He-hello?"
"Was that Masen calling me?" he asked and I could hear his annoyance. "Or was it you calling to check up on me?"
"You said you'd be ba— here after Masen woke up," I explained. "That was two and half hours ago."
"Jesus, Bella." Edward sighed. "We can't do this shit … you have to trust me, or this is never going to work."
Yeah, easier said than done.
I didn't respond so Edward went on. "Oh, for the love of God, Bella! I fell asleep! I sat down to catch the news, and I fucking fell asleep. I just woke up twenty minutes ago!"
"Oh …"
"Yeah," he interrupted. "Oh. What the fuck did you think I'd be doing at eleven o'clock in the morning?"
"I didn't … I wasn't … I'm sorry, okay?! Are you coming over or not?"
"Fuck, Bella! Bitch much?"
I was about to lay into him when I looked to Masen. "Masen would like to see his father! Are you coming over or not…? And don't forget, Edward, exactly why I am the way I am!"
"I just got out of the shower," Edward hissed. "Tell Masen I'll be there shortly."
"Yup." I hung up on him, turning my attention to Masen, who was watching Olivia on the T.V. "Daddy will be here in a little while, Mas."
"Okay, mommy," he responded, never taking his eyes off the T.V.
I can't believe he called me a bitch! Asshole much?
I went to my bedroom and sat on the bed. I really didn't want to see Edward at the moment, but unfortunately that wasn't an option, Masen always came first. I decided to keep myself busy and stripped the sheets off the bed. I threw them in the washer, putting a clean set on the bed before going in and stripping Masen's bed, putting his sheets in the washer with mine.
I was making his bed when I heard Masen squeal, "Daddy!"
I didn't stop what I was doing; instead, I moved on to straightening up Masen's bedroom. I killed about thirty minutes in his room before I snuck back into mine. I was in there about fifteen minutes when I heard the phone ring. I went to answer it when Edward met me in the doorway.
He held the phone out to me. "It's Alice."
I looked at the phone then back to him before taking it.
He answered the phone?
"Hey, Alice, what's going on?" I answered, as Edward returned to the living room with Masen.
"You didn't call me yesterday. We were supposed to do lunch, remember?"
"Yeah, sorry Ali …" I cringed. "I didn't forget I just didn't get a chance. We can still go though …"
"Today?" Alice asked, clearly hopeful.
"Oh, um … yeah, that should be fine. Let me make sure Edward doesn't have any plans. I'll call you back?"
"Okay."
"Kay, bye."
I hung up, took a deep breath, and went to talk to Edward. I didn't really want to go to lunch with Alice, I knew she was only out for the gossip, but I didn't really want to stay there with Edward either.
I came to a stop just inside the living room. "Edward?"
He looked up from the Cars coloring book he was coloring with Masen. "Yeah?"
"Did you have any plans today?" I asked. "Alice wants me to get lunch with her."
"You can go." He shrugged. "Little man and I will find something to do. Isn't that right, buddy?"
Masen mumbled an "uh huh" and continued coloring. I couldn't help but laugh at him. He was sitting on the floor with Edward, coloring his little heart out and concentrating intently on staying in the lines—failing miserable I might add—with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He looked so damn cute, and apparently, he didn't care if mommy went or not.
I looked back at Edward. "Thanks."
He just nodded.
~OOO~
Alice and I had been sitting in silence for, I don't know how long, when she apparently couldn't take it anymore. "So...?"
"So…? What, Alice?"
"Really, Bells? You're gonna make me drag it out of you?"
I sighed. "I didn't go off on him. You were right, okay? I really don't have a right to be mad about what he does in his free time. We did however agree that he needed to be a bit more careful."
"Well, I'm glad you didn't go all jealous baby momma on him." Alice laughed. "So what did he say about the baby?"
"He's the one that told you. Why are you asking me?"
"He didn't say anything other than you sent him a text saying you were pregnant again …"
"Oh, well, he's fine, I guess? I mean, it's kinda new you know?"
Alice nodded, and then exclaimed, "Oh my God! We're going to be pregnant together!"
I couldn't help but laugh at her; did she just realize this fact? "Yeah, Alice, we are."
"Oh! This is going to be so fun … we'll go shopping together!"
She was clapping her hands together excitedly. She kind of reminded me of Masen. I almost pissed my pants trying to hold in my laughter when the waitress brought our meals over. She looked at Alice then to me with a look that said 'get this bitch a padded cell'.
Alice and I had decided on Denny's because we were both craving something greasy. Alice wanted a cheeseburger and I really wanted a greasy omelet.
We had been sitting in silence, enjoying our lunch, when I decided it was time to ask Alice about Edward's relationship with Tanya.
I turned nervously to her, taking in a deep breath. "Alice, can I, um …" I took a drink of my ice tea. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Bells. You can ask me anything. You know that."
I nodded, glancing out the window. "Tell me about Tanya, please?"
"Um … I, uh … Edward should …" Alice stuttered.
I turned my attention back to Alice. "I already know about Tanya. I want to know the stuff he probably wouldn't tell me." I sighed. "Give me your opinion, Alice. Please? It's just … I have to know. I have Masen and"—I laid my hand on my belly—"and this little one here to think about …"
"Tell me what he told you …"
I shook my head. "No. I want to hear your side of things. What you know."
Alice sighed. "Okay, fine, but I'm warning you, you might not like what I have to tell you..."
I nodded. "I know, but I have to hear it."
"Okay …" She hesitated for another moment, but then took in a deep breath. "It got really bad after you left Bells, for Edward and I both. I however got past it and went on with my life. Edward didn't.
"I mean, he went on with his life," she clarified. "But he wasn't Edward anymore. All he did was work, drink, screw random girls, and sleep. It was a given if he wasn't working he was drinking himself towards unconsciousness … Well, I guess one night he went out with James, and he and Tanya, well they—"
"Yeah, I know all this" I interrupted. "He told me about her getting all stalkerish and about sleeping with her sister. What I want to know is: what in the hell drove him to sleep with her again in Vegas? I mean, he knew what she was like, why get yourself involved with that again? I just don't get it."
Alice shook her head sadly and took a drink of her water. "Bells, he was a drunken broken mess, and James said he probably didn't even realize it was her at the time … She had died her hair brown—"
What?
I cut in. "She dyed her hair brown? Edward didn't tell me that part … Why didn't he tell me that?"
Alice shrugged. "I think he might be embarrassed about it. James said he was fucking wasted and kept talking about you …"
Me? "Me? It had been three years—"
"—So?" Alice said. "Edward never got over you, Bella. Even after three years, he was still just as much in love with you as he was the day you left him. I don't think he liked how it made him feel. I think it angered him that after all that time he still thought of you at least a dozen times a day…" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Jasper thinks that's why he is the way he is. He thinks it was his way of trying to kill the feelings … it didn't work."
I looked at my hands as Alice continued. "Anyways, James seems to think he may have thought in his drunken delusional state it was you. Jasper thinks it was more him wanting to believe it was you. James said he took Edward back to his hotel room, he thought he passed out, but he found out later that wasn't the case.
"I guess Tanya followed the two back to the hotel. She managed to con the guy at the front desk into giving her his room key and snuck into his room. Edward said when he woke up the next morning and found her in his bed; he jumped up and shook the blankets, sending her to the floor." Alice and I both laughed. "He told her to get the fuck out and threatened to get a restraining order."
"He told me he remembered using a condom?"
Alice nodded. "He only remembers vague parts of the night. I'm really kind of surprised he was able to get it up." We both laughed, again. "But yes, he told us that too."
"He said James thinks she did it on purpose."
"Yeah," Alice agreed. "She probably did."
I stared out the window, thinking about everything Alice had just told me, as well as everything Edward had told me. I almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
He brought it all on himself by drinking and carrying on the way he did, but did that mean that he should suffer for it?
"I don't know what to do, Alice..." I spoke absentmindedly, my eyes trained on the window. "I mean, if the baby is his, then we're stuck with Tanya for the rest of our lives … Am I really ready for this?"
"Wait!" Alice squealed. "Did something happen with you two?"
I slowly turned to look her. She was bouncing up and down in her seat. "Um…"
"Oh my God. I knew it! Are you back together? Mom is going to flip her lid—"
"Whoa, calm down there, Alice." I laughed. "I'm not sure what's going on, we haven't really discussed it …"
I told Alice about my conversation with Tanya and Jake's visit, as well as what happened after Jake left. When we left the restaurant that afternoon I couldn't wait to get home. I really wanted to talk to Edward.
** Author's Note **
Well you know the drill …
