Thanks as always to Browns and Ms. Ambrosia. I can't thank you enough.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

BPOV

Dead silence.

No one moved, and no one said a word as we watched Tanya walk out of the store. I wasn't even sure if anyone was even breathing.

I was afraid to look at anyone, afraid to see what expressions I'd find on their faces.

Pity? Anger? Disappointment? Devastation?

I was sure I'd see them all.

I didn't have to look up to know Jake was probably vibrating with the need to ask a million and one questions about what just happened. I hadn't had a chance to tell him about Tanya and her pregnancy, trying to – rightfully – keep the focus of the day on Alice.

And poor Alice. She didn't deserve to have the attention taken away from her on one of the biggest days of her life.

For that alone, I could rip Tanya apart. The fact that she touched my boyfriend just gave me extra incentive.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Seeing Tanya's hand on Edward's arm stoked my anger enough that I had to hold myself back from punching her out. How dare she? Who did she think she was, touching him like he was hers?

The mother of his child, that's who. Best not forget that, Bella. The truth is a fickle bitch.

I might not have liked it, but Tanya was doing something much more intimate than touching Edward's arm – and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

Steeling myself, I raised my eyes to find Jake staring at me with a pissed off, yet worried, look on his face. He was watching me closely, and I knew I was about five seconds away from being dragged out of the store to face an inquisition.

Quickly breaking eye contact with him, I searched the rest of the faces in front of me. Esme looked dumbfounded and Carlisle looked disappointed. Alice was on the verge of tears. I couldn't see Edward's face because his back was to me, but it was easy to see the tension in his shoulders.

I shut my eyes, wanting to do nothing more than run away, and do so for more than just a couple of hours. I didn't want to watch the fallout of Tanya's revelation. I knew his parents would have questions that Edward couldn't answer. I knew Alice had wanted nothing more than a successful opening to her store that did not include her brother's baby mama drama. And I knew Jake now had one more reason to dislike the man I loved.

When was life going to stop being so damn dramatic and hard?

I was exhausted. Just out and out tired. I didn't want to deal with anything anymore. I was tired of trying to be strong and pretending everything was okay. Everything wasn't okay and hadn't been okay for the last seven months. I thought being with Edward was helping to turn that around, but then…this.

I felt worse than ever.

I wanted to run. Every nerve in my body was screaming at me to get out of Dodge as quickly as possible. Where I was going to go I had no idea, but the urge to leave was great.

I knew I couldn't.

Running helped nothing. It might have been my way of dealing with things, but at twenty-seven, I knew very well it didn't work. The scenery might change, but the problems remained the same. My mother taught me that.

She had left Forks for Phoenix, too young to be a wife and mother. She took me with her because it was the "right thing to do" and I could only be thankful that she never resented me for it. I never had a doubt that she loved me, and in the end, that's all that mattered.

She loved my father, but she had been overwhelmed with being a wife and mom at a young age, married to a man that didn't have the first clue on how to be a husband or a father. Instead of telling my father she was unhappy, that she wished he was home more and went fishing less, she packed me up and moved us south.

The pattern continued like that until she met Phil. If she had a job that she didn't like, she'd immediately start looking for a new school, a new grade to teach. If there was an issue with a man she was dating, she just ignored his phone calls until he gave up.

I had learned avoidance at my mother's knee. She was my best friend and a wonderful mom, but she taught me a crappy way to deal with life.

I had made promises to Edward that I would stand by him no matter what, and that included when he broke the news of Tanya's pregnancy to his parents. It appeared that moment was at hand.

Slowly, I reached forward and intertwined my fingers with his. My touch seemed to give him the strength to speak.

"Mom –"

"Not another word, Edward." Esme turned and faced Alice. "Sweetheart, why don't you and I go check the dressing rooms for items? Things are calm enough that your brother and father can help the girls handle the customers you have."

Alice looked a little scared of her mother, but she nodded. "O…kay."

And with that, Esme turned on her heel and walked away.

"Fuck," Edward murmured softly.

"Edward, language." Carlisle's tone was sharp. "This is not the time, nor the place."

We all knew he was talking about more than just Edward's choice of words.

"I'm sorry." Edward ran his free hand through his hair.

"Bella, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Jake's voice was low, and I could tell, very, very controlled.

Edward – consciously or unconsciously, I wasn't sure – tugged me closer to his side.

Leah reached up and rubbed Jake's shoulder. "Jake, I'm not sure…"

"Now, Bella."

I raised my eyebrows at him. Jake had a tendency to be heavy-handed with me from time to time, especially when he was playing the role of protective brother. It didn't matter that he was a year younger than me; he had no problem pulling the "big brother" card on me when he felt it was warranted. His sheer physical size and the maturity he gained from taking care of his father's needs at a young age had left him with the notion that he could boss me around.

Apparently, he decided he would be go from his normal best friend mode into overprotective big brother mode.

And yet someone else in my life with excellent timing.

I heard Edward emit a low growl and he stepped toward Jacob just a bit. "Don't talk to her like that."

Leah had her hand clamped on Jake's shoulder now, trying to tug him backward. I wasn't afraid that Edward or Jake would come to blows, but the fact that they were both overreacting to the situation was starting to tick me off.

"I don't think you have a lot of room to talk to me about anything to do with Bella right now, man." Jake didn't fight against Leah's hold, but he was leaning toward Edward, his jaw tight.

"Since she's my girlfriend, I think I have every right to tell you that you will not be disrespectful when you speak to her, man."

I rolled my eyes and tugged on Edward's hand. "Edward –"

"You've known her what, for four seconds? I've known her my whole life, so why don't you back off and let me talk to her – alone."

"I don't think so. It's not going to happen." Edward pulled me in closer, making it very clear he had no intention of being any further away from me than he was at that moment.

Annoyed and frustrated with their childish display, I pulled my hand from Edward's. He just stared at me, stunned. Jake looked smug, as if he had gotten his way. It was more than satisfying to see the smugness turn to surprise when I murmured quietly, "Fuck off, Jake."

I took a quick glance at Carlisle, waiting for him to reprimand me for cursing, but he just shook his head, looking slightly amused.

"I'm going for a walk. No one should follow me." I looked pointedly at both Jake and Edward, hopefully making it clear that they were to leave me alone for a bit. I wasn't in the mood to deal with either one of them after their display of juvenile behavior, and since Esme had made it clear that Edward wouldn't be breaking the news to her anytime soon, I was free to leave.

I met Emmett and Rosalie coming in while I was trying to leave. Emmett started to say something, but Rosalie took one look at me and quickly handed the drinks she was carrying to Emmett. Emmett juggled everything in his arms with a, "What the hell, Rose?" and gave her a confused look.

"Do you want some company?" she asked me quietly.

I hesitated before nodding. She quickly leaned up to kiss Emmett on the cheek. "We'll be back soon."

We left the store, with Rose offering her silent support as I worked off my anger. Between Tanya's arrival and the boys acting like idiots, I was furious. I strode along the sidewalk, sidestepping people. We were extremely close to Westlake Center and with the weekend, the streets were packed.

I turned my head to face Rose, but never slowed by pace. "Is there somewhere quieter we can go? I need to get away from all these people."

She nodded. "There's a park near the water; it's about fifteen minutes away. Feel like walking that far?"

I had enough mad to burn off that it sounded perfect. "Yes."

"This way." She motioned for me to cross the street.

The silence kept up until we got to the park. The area that was closest to the aquarium was busy, since it was a fairly warm – and sunny – day in Seattle. The sun was an anomaly on most days, but with it being the end of February, there were a ton of people out taking advantage of the day. Rose kept moving further on, and we as we neared a statue of someone that looked like an explorer, she motioned to a bench.

"Is here okay?"

Instead of answering her verbally, I just sat down, resting my elbows on my knees and let out a long sigh. Most of my anger had died down and I was left with a heavy feeling, like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.

Neither Rose nor I spoke for quite awhile. Finally, in an effort to get rid of this weight holding me down, I started talking.

"They're such…children!" I vented, clamping my hands into fists. "Arguing over me like I'm some toy and they need to make decisions for me."

"I take it you're talking about Edward and Jacob?" Rose asked softly.

My fists hit my thighs once before resting there. "Yes. Jake's upset about something and Edward isn't exactly in a rational frame of mind lately either. So to get over it, they start acting like they're five years old or something."

"What the hell did Emmett and I miss?" Rose looked completely baffled.

"Tanya's claiming she's pregnant with Edward's child." I blew out a breath and flopped back on the bench. I turned my head to see Rosalie's mouth open in a small 'o' and one eyebrow cocked.

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction at first, too." I swung my eyes away from her, looking toward the water. It was rippling with small waves as the wind blew lightly around us. It was calm and serene – a total contradiction to my mood.

"That's…fucked up…" I nodded my head at Rose's statement.

"Yeah, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. He only found out on Thursday and told Alice yesterday. She asked him to keep things quiet, at least for this weekend. Instead, when you and Em were out getting us all coffee, Tanya comes waltzing into the shop."

"Oh, hell no!" Rose said furiously.

"Oh, she did. Edward went to confront her, I followed, and as he asked her to leave, Esme and Carlisle walk over." Rose's mouth dropped open again and if I wasn't feeling angry all over again it would've made me laugh. "So, Esme sees Tanya's stomach, congratulates her and…let's just say Tanya can't act her way out of a paper bag. One look at Esme and Carlisle's faces was enough to know that they knew very well whose child it was."

Rose shook her head. "That's…wow. I don't even know what to say."

I looked back toward the water. "Yeah, me either. Then Edward and Jake decide they need to have a pissing contest or something and ended up ticking me off. You caught me as I was leaving them to fight it out without me."

Silence fell once more as I left Rosalie to shuffle through the mess I just told her.

"If she wasn't knocked up, I would fucking knock her out."

I laughed at the sheer matter-of-fact tone of Rose's voice. "I think I'd let you. Or tell you to get in line behind me."

"Yeah, you should definitely have first crack at that bitch."

"I take it you aren't a big fan of hers." I stuck my hands in my coat pocket, trying to warm them a bit. It was cooler here on the water.

"Not from the moment I met her whoring ass." I sputtered out a laugh and Rosalie looked at me, expressionless. "What? Bitch was rude and condescending, acting all high and mighty because she was a surgeon. She took one look at me and either decided I was a bimbo that wasn't worth her time, or that she was actually dealing with someone with brains and she didn't want the competition. She barely said two words to me that night, and rarely spoke to me when we saw each other after that. When she did, she was insulting."

"What the hell was he doing with her?" I asked, not really expecting an answer, since I knew it anyway. Edward had told me about his relationship with Tanya, but it didn't mean I still had an easy time wrapping my head around how he could be with someone like her.

Rose shrugged, shaking her head. "I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea. Emmett couldn't figure it out either, so he just gave up after a while. Nothing he said seemed to get through to Edward, and Em was tired fighting with him about it. I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when they finally broke up."

"And yet…she's still around." I looked back over toward the water.

"I'm sorry, Bella." There was sympathy in Rose's voice, but not pity.

"Yeah, me too." I sighed and stood up. "I guess we should head back, huh?"

Rose nodded and got to her feet. "I can have Em smack Jacob and Edward around if you want me to."

I smiled at the thought. "I'll let you know."

The shop was quiet when we returned, but there were four or five customers milling around, looking through the racks and shelves of clothes. Carlisle was behind the counter once more, talking with one of the salesgirls. Emmett and Jake were standing in the corner out of the way, engaged in what seemed to be a friendly conversation. Alice, Leah, Esme and Edward were nowhere to be seen.

Emmett's head lifted when he heard the tinkling from the bell on the door ring out. His eyes were amused, but I caught a hint of seriousness there as well.

"Sometimes he just slips into cop mode," said Rosalie from beside me. I nodded, recognizing all too well look on his face. Charlie had worn the same one for years.

We walked in that direction, although I wasn't really ready to talk to Jake yet. He must have known it – of course he did, he's your best friend – because he stayed right where he was and kept his mouth shut when we reached their sides.

Rose kissed Emmett hello and after she pulled away he looked around her to me. "You alright, Belly?

I rolled my eyes at the nickname. "I'm fine, thanks."

Jake started to stay something. "Bells –"

I glared at him. "Not now, Jacob."

He raised an eyebrow at me, but must've realized that by using his full name, I meant business. "We're going to talk about this, Bells."

"Ugh! Don't you listen? I said, not now!"

"I just want to make sure you're okay. Kill me for being concerned, jeez."

I rolled my eyes again. "You're a pain in my ass. I'm fine."

Emmett and Rosalie had drifted away, leaving Jake and me alone in the corner. The customers had dwindled to two and neither were anywhere near us. Alice, Leah, Esme and Edward were still missing.

"I'm worried about you, Bells, and if that means being a pain in the ass, then that's what I'm going to be. What the hell is going on?" His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked more troubled than angry.

"This is not the time and place, Jake." I looked around the store again. I did not want to taint Alice's store with my unpleasant situation.

"We'll leave." Jake dropped his arms and took a step toward the door.

"I already did that once today, and I'm not about to do it again. This is Alice's big day, Jake, and it's already been crapped on. I'm not going to do anything else to make this harder for her. She's nervous, she's excited and she expects her family and best friends here for support. I will explain everything to you, but not today."

"Tomorrow you and I are going out to breakfast – alone. You'll tell me everything then."

"You. Are. Impossible." I gritted out between clenched teeth.

"No, I just want to make sure you're okay before Lee and I go back to La Push."

"And what are you going to do if I'm not?" I was trying to get him to see the ridiculousness of his attitude, but apparently it was falling on deaf ears.

"I'll bring you home to Forks and get you the hell away from Dr. Dick."

I glared at him. "Nice, Jake. You're such an ass."

His face grew serious. "No, Bella, I love you. You're my best friend and you're like a sister to me. If someone is hurting you or has hurt you, I will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't happen again and that they pay for it. If it means getting you out of a situation where you're in over your head, I'm going to do it by any means necessary."

"You're overreacting. I'm fine. Edward and I are fine. I will explain it to you, I promise. But I will not let you walk all over me and make decisions for me. I'm an adult – and older than you, by the way. I'm fine. If I ever need someone or something, you'll be the first person I call, but until then, please back off."

He just stared at me for a few silent seconds before nodding. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"You should be. You've been acting like an overgrown ass and it's getting old." I snapped, but tried to lighten my words by giving him a small upturn of my lips.

"I won't apologize for wanting to protect you," he answered me back, still serious.

"Jake, if you haven't noticed, there's been a whole heck of a lot the last few months you haven't been able to protect me from. I'm a big girl. I've survived and I'll keep surviving."

I leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before I turned to go find Alice or Edward. As I walked away, I swore I heard him mutter, "But for how long?"

I ignored him, not sure if I knew the answer myself.

I found Alice, Esme and Leah back by the dressing rooms, under the pretence of straightening things out and putting merchandise away. In reality, they were discussing how well things had been going at the shop that day. As I walked toward them, there was no mention of Tanya or the awkwardness of earlier. They didn't even pause or look uncomfortable as I approached, making it clear to me that if anything had been discussed, it was now over.

"How are things back here?" I smiled at the trio and genuine grins were returned to me from all three of them.

"We were just saying how well things seem to be going. I mean, it hasn't been packed in here or anything, but it's been pretty steady. I have a good feeling that everything is going to be just fine." Alice gave me a meaningful look, making it clear she was talking about more than just the shop.

"I've learned never to bet against you, Ali. And I agree, this place is going to do great!" It was easy to be enthusiastic and happy for her. She was practically glowing with success.

"Things seem well in hand here, Alice. Would you mind if I stole Jake for a little while and we walked around a bit? It's been awhile since we've been to Seattle…" Leah trailed off, looking a bit apprehensive. She wasn't incredibly close to Alice, although there was much less animosity between the two of them than there was – or had been – between us. She and Jake had come to Seattle specifically to help out at the shop, and it was clear from her demeanor that she was uncomfortable asking for a few hours "off." In my conversations over the last few weeks with Jake though, I knew they had been both working crazy hours and hadn't had a lot of time to spend with one another. I was sure she just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to do so by being away from their home and obligations for a little while.

"Oh, of course! I can't thank you enough for your help today, Leah. It's been invaluable, really."

Leah gave Alice a small smile. "Thanks, Alice. It's been great to see how it all came together. I don't think we'll go far, so if you need us, please call and we'll come right back."

Alice shook her head. "I think we'll be okay and we're closing in a few hours anyway. You guys go and have a good time tonight. We'll see you tomorrow?"

Leah nodded. "Absolutely. And seriously, if you need us, just call." In a move that took me by surprise, Leah leaned over and hugged Alice, then Esme, before turning and embracing me quickly. "See you all tomorrow!"

We watched her as she walked away and the minute she was out of sight, I turned to Alice, stunned.

"Did that really just happen?" I asked her, trying to wrap my head around the hug I just got.

"Yup," Alice answered. "And it's about time. You two have been coldly civil to each other for way too long. It had to thaw out at some point. Being in the same vicinity with the two of you was exhausting with all the tension."

"Now I just have another reason to be tense…" I mumbled, but apparently not quiet enough.

"He went for a walk." Esme gave me a small smile. "I think he was overwhelmed by everything that happened."

I can understand that. "Did you talk to him?"

Esme shook her head. "This really isn't the time or the place. I told him we'd meet talk later tonight, maybe after dinner or something. He seemed okay with that."

I sighed. "Sounds good." I looked around at the clothes and accessories lying around. "So where do you want me to get started?"

Edward returned about a hour later, looking morose, but he tried to put on a happy face for everyone. Anyone that knew him well though, knew he had a lot on his mind.

Alice closed the shop at six p.m., and we all headed out to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner. Despite Edward's depressive undertones, the meal was lively and fun. We toasted to Alice's success and to many years of thriving business for her. Emmett kept finding silly things to toast to, like the waiter's tie or Carlisle new Mercedes, which was good at keeping us all in a joyful mood.

By the time Carlisle paid the bill the mood turned a bit somber. We agreed as a family to return to Emmett and Edward's apartment to continue the evening.

We had just made it out the front doors of the restaurant when Edward's phone rang.

"Hello? Yes, Dr. Bradley. I did…yes, I understand. I'll be there…. I'll see you in just a few hours then. Yes, okay. Goodbye."

Edward hit the END button on his phone and slid it into his jacket pocket. He sighed before he turned to look at his family and me.

"That was Dr. Bradley; I have to go in at midnight. I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. I need to go home and try to get a couple hours of sleep."

Esme gave Edward a hug. "It's okay, darling. We'll talk soon. Maybe you and Bella can come to Forks this weekend?"

Edward looked at me and I gave a tiny nod and shrug. Turning back to Esme, he nodded. "I'll have to take a look at my schedule and see what it's like. I'll do my best."

Esme kissed Edward's cheek before turning him over to Carlisle for a hug. The rest of us said our goodbyes, knowing we'd see each other the next day at the shop. Esme and Carlisle headed back to their hotel, while Emmett and Rosalie left for Emmett and Edward's apartment. Alice drove home with Edward and me.

Our drive home was silent, with Alice almost asleep by the time we got there. We didn't turn on any lights as we made our way into the apartment and up the hallway to our rooms. Alice murmured a sleepy "good night" as she went into her bedroom, and Edward and I continued up the hall.

We got ready for bed without any words. I finished first, crawling in between the sheets as I watched Edward slip on a pair of pajama pants. He set the alarm on his phone before putting it down on the bedside table, plugging it into the charger.

He sighed before he sat down on the bed, his back to me.

Sitting up, I scooted over until I was behind him and could wrap my arms around his waist. I kissed his shoulder blade before I asked, "Everything okay?"

His hands reached down to take mine before bringing them to his lips and kissing them softly. "Yeah." Our hands dropped a bit until they were resting against his chest. I laid my cheek against his back, waiting for him to talk.

"I just wish I didn't have to go to work, that's all." His hands tightened on mine and his head dropped so he could kiss them once more. "Matthews apparently has a family emergency and she needs someone to cover for him. I wasn't supposed to go in until Monday…it looks like I'll be working most of the week now."

"Are you going to be going okay going back to work with…Tanya again?"

Edward shifted, turning to face me. He reached up and cupped my cheek in his hand. "Are you okay with that?"

I shrugged. "I'm not thrilled about it, but the damage has already been done, hasn't it?"

Edward's eyes slid shut. "I'm so sorry for how much this is hurting you, Bella. If I could go back and change it, I would."

I laid my hand over his on my cheek. "I know. But you can't, so…we'll deal. I do need you to do something else for me though."

His eyes opened and he stared into mine. "Anything."

"Stop jumping in front of me trying to protect me from things."

He looked at me confused and shook his head. "I don't understand."

"This afternoon, in the shop with Jake. He was being an ass, and you decided to become one too. I can handle Jake, Edward. I don't need you to step in and tell him what I will – or won't – do."

His eyes narrowed. "The bastard was being disrespectful to you, ordering you around. If you think I'm going to stand there and allow the woman I love to be talked to like that, you're sadly mistaken."

I sighed. "I understand that, and I appreciate it, really. But I can stand up for myself, especially when it comes to Jake. You don't have to stand in front of me."

"If you think I'm going to do anything less than stand in front of you and stand up for you, you've got another thing coming. I love you, Bella and no one is going to talk to you like that. Not even Jacob."

"Edward, you told him I wasn't going to talk to him."

"Only after he acted like he couldn't be trusted to talk to you in a calm and rational manner. He was volatile, baby, and I wasn't going to put you in a situation where –"

"Did you think Jake was going to hurt me?" I was flabbergasted. Jacob had come off like a jerk, but I didn't find him threatening in the least.

"He was getting angry and I didn't want you around him like that."

"Edward…seriously?" I couldn't wrap my head around what he was saying. "Jake would never…"

"He disrespected you." Edward's tone was very matter of fact.

"He's been my best friend for over ten years. It's just how he gets sometimes; he plays the overprotective card, I get pissed, we yell, and then we're over it. I've been known not to be so nice to him from time to time too."

"He shouldn't talk to you like that."

"And you shouldn't decide what I'm going to do for me. If I had wanted to talk to Jake then, you shouldn't have tried to stop me. It wasn't your place."

Now it was his turn to be flabbergasted. "Not my place? You're my girlfriend. I'm going to protect you from –"

"Jake? You're going to protect me from the same person who would jump in front of a bus for me?" Rubbing my hands over my face, I blew out a slow breath. "I'm not sure that we're going to see eye to eye on this tonight…" Taking one look at his face, I amended my statement. "…Or ever. All I'm asking is that before you step in and start making decisions for me or about me, you check with me first. If I need you to step in, I'll let you know. Otherwise, you need to let me handle it."

He didn't answer me for a few seconds. Finally, he relented. "Okay. I don't like it, but okay. On the other side of that, I need you to understand that if I see someone acting aggressively toward you, I'm going to step in – best friend or not. You might be able to handle him, baby, but he's not going to treat you like that in front of me."

Now it was my turn to remain silent. I understood what he was saying, but it was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that he thought Jake – Jake! – would hurt me or even disrespect me. It had never seemed that way to me before; it was just how we were with one another. Looking at it from Edward's point of view though, I understood – kind of – where he was coming from.

"Fair enough." I gave him a small smile. "We good?"

"Always, even when we're disagreeing." He pulled me into his arms before lowering me to the mattress. His lips ghosted over mine for a bit before he came down harder, molding his mouth to mine. Some time later, he rolled over, turned off the bedside light and we fell asleep, wrapped up in each other's arms.

A few hours later, I felt him give me gentle kiss goodbye, and whisper that he'd call me when he could. My heart hurt at the thought of being away from him, but it always did anytime we had to part and it was becoming easier to deal with as time went on. I wondered if it would ever go away completely.

I slept restlessly for the rest of the night. Around 8:30 a.m., I finally gave up and decided to face the day.

I rose, limping first to the window to check the weather – dreary and cloudy – then to the bathroom. My hip was bothering me this morning and I wondered if it was the weather or the way I slept that had irritated it. Despite the annoying pain, I showered and dressed within a half an hour. The apartment was quiet as I exited my bedroom and I knew Alice must have already left for the shop. I debated walking or driving, but between my hip and the rain I now saw falling, I knew I should suck it up and take the car.

I then recalled my conversation with Jake from the day before and my promise to have breakfast with him this morning. Picking up my cell from the counter, I called him.

Forty minutes later, we were seated at a table at Glo's Diner. A waitress who looked like someone right out of 1960 came and took our order, sloshing coffee into the mugs already on the table. Jake ordered the two-egg breakfast with meat and a short stack of pancakes while I settled for something Glo called the Eggs Californian.

"What's Leah up to this morning?" I asked as I stirred creamer into my coffee.

"She's taking advantage of the weekend and sleeping in. I spoke to Alice last night and she mentioned there was no need for us to come in this morning, so I told Lee I was meeting you for breakfast and she told me she was sleeping in."

He had such a goofy smile on his face I couldn't help my own. He was truly in love with her and happier then I ever remember seeing him.

"Good for her. Dad says you guys have been working hard lately. Everything okay?"

Jake nodded as he sipped his coffee. "Yeah, just…you know. With the economy, the garage took a hit and we're holding our own, but we've both been doing all we can to try and get ahead rather than just make do. She's harping about doing some improvements around the house, adding extra rooms, that kind of thing." Jake shrugged and gave me a small smile.

"She's pregnant, Bella."

My eyes filled up with tears. I scrambled to my feet and rushed over to Jake's side of the table, ignoring my aching hip. I threw my arms around his neck and he caught me with a small "oomph."

"Oh, Jake. Jake, I'm so happy for you! For both of you!" I leaned back to look at him grinning from ear to ear. My tears had spilled over and I felt so silly, but I was thrilled for both of them. Jacob had talked about having kids from the moment that he and Leah had started dating, and I'd had a feeling they weren't going to wait too long after the wedding.

Jake hugged me tight before letting me go back over to my side of the table. "She's due in the beginning of October. Sue is thrilled, Seth is excited about being an uncle and Rachel and Rebecca are over the moon about becoming aunts."

I couldn't stop my tears as they fell. I was definitely nothing but happy for my best friend and my crying was only because I was overwhelmed with joy for him and his family.

"I'm going to spoil him or her rotten, you know that right? I'm going to buy out Toys R Us with all the things I'm going to get for him…or her…them. You know what I mean." I laughed and wiped at my eyes.

Jake still had the silly little grin on his face and we chatted for a few minutes about the plans Leah had for the nursery and the deadline Jake was facing to start – and complete – the new additional rooms to their small house.

Our food arrived and silence fell over our table as we dug in. The silence continued for a few minutes before Jake cleared his throat.

"Um, I know you might still be pissed about yesterday…"

Setting down my fork, I looked up at him. "No, I'm over it. We're good."

Jake nodded and took another bite of his eggs. I pursed my lips, waiting for him to say something else.

"So, that woman yesterday…." He trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the blanks.

I blew out a deep breath, shifting in my chair, trying to get comfortable. "That was Tanya, Edward's ex-girlfriend."

Now Jake set his fork down. "And that stomach she's sporting…"

"She says its Edward's." I shrugged. "He isn't so sure."

"And what do you think?"

Shrugging again, I leaned back against my seat. "I don't know what to believe. He says he was always careful and that there's just no way, but I can tell there's a seed of doubt in the back of his mind. And I…it's hard for me to believe that someone would go through the trouble of naming someone a father when it can be proven fairly quickly that he is or isn't. Seems like a lot of trouble for something like might just blow up in your face."

"Or someone who's just that desperate."

"Yeah…" Looking away, I set my gaze on the people standing outside the window, waiting for a table. Everyone looked at ease and carefree, and I wondered if they really were, or if it was all an act?

Jake reached over and took my hand that was lying on the table. "How are you with this news?"

I turned my head back to face him, and for the first time in three days, let myself be completely honest with someone else.

"I'm hurt…jealous…nervous…angry – you name it, I've been feeling it."

I pulled my hand out of Jake's and leaned forward to rest my elbows on the table and drop my face into my hands. Jake rubbed my arm, trying to comfort me. Lifting my head, I gave him a small smile. "I love him though, Jake. I love him more than I ever thought possible. And despite how I feel…it changes nothing."

Sighing, Jake leaned back to his side of the table. "I didn't think it would, Bells. It's easy to see just how head over heels you are for him – and he is for you."

"I know you don't like him."

He shook his head. "No, I still don't know him, so I can't make that call. What I do know is that he's my best friend's boyfriend and my other best friend's brother and I should get to know him better. I don't like the fact that his past is hurting you, but shit happens, so who am I to judge? I just want to make sure you're okay and that if you're not, what I can do to help you."

I took a deep breath. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I wasn't okay and that it wasn't just the situation with Tanya that was the problem. But as usual, I held back. There was nothing Jake could do to make anything better – he couldn't turn back the clock and bring my mom and Phil back, he couldn't keep Tanya from conceiving. I was at a point in my life where I was struggling – still – with the fact that my life felt like it was out of my control and nothing around me was the same. At the same time, if things hadn't changed, I wouldn't have Edward.

How do I reconcile the fact that my mother's death led me to the love of my life?

The truth was, I really couldn't. Not right now. Maybe someday, but it wasn't today.

Giving Jake the best smile I could, I answered him. "I'm okay, Jake."

His look was doubtful, but he didn't rebut me. "Okay, Bells. But you know –"

I took his hand. "I know."

We left the diner and Jake dropped me off at the store before returning to the hotel so he could pick up Leah and check out. They would stop and say good-bye before heading back to the reservation.

Alice was behind the counter as I walked into the shop. She smiled brightly at me as I approached her.

"Morning, Sunshine! How did you sleep?" she asked.

"Meh." I ran a hand through my hair, looking around the store.

It was slightly busier than it was yesterday; I imagined the rain was driving people inside, which was only a good thing for business. Among the customers though, I didn't recognize any of the Cullens or Alice's employees.

"Where is everyone?" I asked her, walking behind the counter to take a seat on the stool she had back there. I had hoped the shower and a little time would help loosen up my hip, but it was still as painful as it was when I woke up that morning. I tried to hide my wince as I sat down, but Alice caught it.

So did Esme.

"Bella, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Esme came striding over from the dressing area and joined Alice and me behind the counter. She knelt down in front of me, taking my hands in hers and rested them on my lap. "You look like you're in pain, darling. What happened?"

I shook my head and smiled at her. "Nothing; my hip is just bothering me this morning, that's all. I'll be fine."

"Maybe we should get Carlisle to look at it, make sure it's okay." She looked concerned and I felt horrible for making her worry about me.

"I'm fine, Esme, really. I promise." I grasped her hands tightly before loosening my grip.

She looked at me doubtfully before standing up. "We'll see. If you aren't better before we leave, I'm having Carlisle check you out. I know if left up to you, you'll be stubborn and not go to the doctor."

Alice rolled her eyes behind her mother's back and I had to stifle my grin. "We'll see," I told her noncommittally.

Esme stood and turned to Alice. "She's to stay behind this counter today, understood? She won't be running around or running any errands. She stays put. Now speaking of errands, where is Emmett?"

"He hasn't come back yet, but he was picking up Rose, who might be running late herself, so…who knows? It's not like we really need them; everything is running just fine."

I raised my eyebrows at Alice's cocky attitude. Things were going great, that wasn't something I could contest, but there seemed to be an underlying meaning to her words, as if she really didn't want everyone around.

"Dad's still in the back with the girls helping them unpack those boxes to make room for the delivery you have coming tomorrow." Esme reached out and straightened a bowl of rings on the counter. "They've been an amazing help, Alice. You were lucky to find them."

Alice smiled and it seemed genuine. "I know. Kristen and Christina are great, aren't they?"

Before Esme could answer, the door of the shop opened and Emmett and Rosalie walked in, followed by Leah and Jacob. All were wet and windblown, holding cups from Starbucks in their hands.

"We come bearing caffeine, family!" Emmett bellowed out, causing everyone in the store to turn and look at him. Rose placed the coffee cup in her left hand down on one of the tables, then lifted the same hand to knock Emmett in the back of the head.

"Idiot," she mumbled, although everyone heard her. The group made their way toward us, Leah and Jake laughing, Rose looking annoyed and Emmett looking properly chastised.

We exchanged hellos as they handed over the coffee and Jake explained how he and Leah had run into Rose and Emmett outside. We made small talk until a customer came over to ask for Alice's help. She went off to help and everyone, with the exception of me and Esme, moved away from the cash register to continue their conversation.

"Are you sure you're okay, sweetheart?" Esme asked me once again, turning her concerned eyes on me.

I had to laugh. "Esme, I'm fine, I promise. You're worse than Edward!"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I'll take that as a compliment then." She gave me an appraising look before leaning up against the counter and looking down at me.

"How are you handling everything?"

I looked down at my hands, unsure as how to answer her. Everything that was going on with Tanya was Edward's story to tell and I really didn't want to get into it without him there to answer his mother's questions.

"Esme, I…. it's complicated."

"Complicated my ass." My mouth dropped opened and my eyes widened at Esme's proclamation.

"Esme!" I exclaimed, too stunned to say anything more.

"Bella, I've been on this planet for fifty-some-odd-years and I am not stupid. I was an excellent wife who raised three children while running a design business. I come from a long line of intelligent, mid-western women. It was plain as day what that woman was up to yesterday and she's lucky she left when she did or I would have escorted her out myself."

I opened my mouth to say something, but all that came out was a small squeak. Esme ignored me and only took a quick glance around to make sure no one was around that could overhear. When she saw no one was, she continued.

"Now, I will hear from my son exactly why…she was in here yesterday, sporting a baby bump and giving him fake apologetic looks, acting like she hadn't known exactly what she was doing when she walked in here. Until then, I will just say this – I will support you – and him – in whatever is going on. I love you both and what the two of you have is very special. I hope you won't allow her to change that, no matter what kind of crap she's trying to pull."

With that, she leaned down, kissed me on the cheek and walked away as I looked on in amazement. I had never, in all the years that I've known her, ever seen her lose her cool.

That woman has amazing control.

I could only hope she could keep it when Edward finally got around to confirming what she already knew.

As the day went on, my family and friends left for home. Jake and Leah were the first to go. I cried as Jake hugged me; I wasn't sure when we'd have a chance to get together again and honestly, it would have been nice to know that he was closer than four hours away as the drama surrounding me continued. He was someone I could count on to be completely on my side and not be worried about spilt loyalties. I loved the Cullens like they were my own family, but it wasn't the same. Jake was like my younger/older brother and having him nearby for support would be invaluable. I wished I could do the same for him now that Leah was expecting.

We eventually broke apart and Leah moved in to hug me. It felt awkward, yet nice. I wasn't sure when our relationship changed, but something was different and the animosity that used to surround us was definitely gone.

Esme and Carlisle left soon after since their trip back was nearly as long as Jake and Leah's. Esme had spoken to Edward when he called on his break to check in and requested his presence at home that weekend. Edward waffled for a bit according to Esme, but once he realized his mother wasn't messing around, he agreed to make sure he wasn't working. I was expected to come with him, Esme told me in no uncertain terms, as it had been too long since I'd seen Charlie.

The woman was impossible to say no to.

More hugs, kisses and goodbyes followed them out the door, leaving me, Alice, Rose and Emmett to man the shop.

Em had been pushing his luck all weekend with his antics and lack of natural grace, but the final straw for Alice came when she found him in the dressing area in front of the three-way mirror. He had a lacy blue bra on over his massive shoulders, and dozens of scarves draped over his neck and was singing along to Britney's "Oops, I Did it Again."

Once Alice stopped laughing, she ordered Rose to take him home. He wasn't allowed back until there were at least one thousand hits for the YouTube video she was going to post of his performance.

Thank God for video phones.

He walked out, sans bra and scarves, not looking the least bit embarrassed. The man might be one of Seattle's finest boys in blue, but he had no shame whatsoever.

Sometimes there are no words for him.

Alice, Kristen and Christina and I closed the shop at five o'clock. The rain was still pouring down and Alice drove home in my car since Esme and Carlisle picked her up that morning. We spent the rest of the night curled up on the couch, munching on homemade nachos and beer. The alcohol helped with the pain in my hip, but it didn't do much to help me sleep. I was missing Edward and I was worried about our trip home that weekend.

I knew that Edward was not looking forward to explaining all to his parents, but I think we both had pushed out of our minds the other parent in our equation.

Charlie.

A/N:

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