Mask'Charade chapter 26, The Plain Truth

BPOV

I glare at him with hands fisted on my hips, as he strolls past me and into my living room.

"Well, trick or treat, Bella?" He smiles broadly, and I close the door angrily.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I snap.

"I was in the neighborhood…" He says coolly, inspecting the place. "…thought I'd hand deliver your mail and have a look at the environment my unborn child is being subjected to."

I snatch the stack of envelopes out of his hand and toss them on the coffee table. "I would've appreciated a phone call first, James, and for the record, this environment is just perfect for me and my unborn child."

He holds up his palms in a defeatist gesture. "I didn't come here to argue. Seriously, I was coming from a business meeting close by, and figured I'd save you the trouble of stopping by the house to pick up your mail. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, James, and thank you for bringing my mail. I hadn't gotten around to having my address changed. I've just been so busy and exhausted."

"Being pregnant tends to do that, but maybe you ought to ease up on your workload, especially since you've taken on opening a restaurant. How's that going by the way?" He asks sarcastically.

I contemplate lying, but I know the kind of man he is, and he's probably been secretly monitoring my involvement and progress in the restaurant.

"The restaurant has been put on hold….for now."

He smiles, arrogantly then laughs.

"Why?"

"Be-because…" I pause awkwardly and think about my meeting with Edward, and I become upset. "…because I'm pregnant! Why else?"

"Well isn't that ironic." He crosses his arms and glares at me with slight humor.

"Oh, what is, James?" I sigh, with irritation.

"Nothing." He shrugs nonchalantly, but he's already planted a seed of doubt in my mind. He heads for the door, and I'm actually surprised that he's decided to leave on his own. I thought for sure that I'd have to order him out.

I follow him and wait for him to step outside.

"Oh, that reminds me, your boyfriend summoned me to a meeting. I wonder what he'll have to say. I'll be in touch. Happy Halloween, Bella."

He strolls out as coolly as he entered, and now I'm panicking.

"Wait…James…"

"What is it?"

"Why…why are you meeting with Edward?"

"He asked to see me, Bella. Believe me, I'm not thrilled about facing the man who's been sleeping with my wife, but we happen to be in business together. Can't be avoided."

He turns, and I grab him by the arm.

"How….after everything that's happened is that now going to work?"

"It's business, Bella. As much as I want to smash his nose through his skull, I want the wealth and notoriety an important name like his brings to Devex more."

His words send a chill through my body, as I apprehensively rub the back of my neck.

"But…you…it's going to be awkward…"

"Damn right it's going to be awkward, but he should've thought of that before he bedded you. I'm not about to pretend like it hasn't happened either."

"I can see you're still not accepting your responsibility in all of this." I respond acidly.

"Oh, please." He scoffs. "If you're referring to me setting up a few innocent meetings between the two of you, in the hope of landing this guy as a client, then yes, I'm responsible. What the two of you did went way beyond, polite conversation, and harmless flirtation."

"I can also see that you're still harboring a lot of resentment over this."

"You think?" His brows shoot up.

"Listen, I don't want to rehash this. I just want to ask a favor."

"What favor?" He rubs his forehead in frustration, exhaling heavily.

"I don't want you mentioning the pregnancy to Edward."

He frowns, and narrows his eyes at me.

"He doesn't know?"

I contemplate lying, but I feel that he'll just use anything I say as ammunition.

"Talking about the pregnancy will only make a difficult situation worse for all parties. Will you please respect my wishes?"

"No problem. He mentioned the meeting is about Devex anyway. I will refrain from discussing personal business as a favor to you."

"Thank you."

I wait to expel the breath I've been holding until he drives off.

Damn it!

A meeting between James and Edward is a disaster waiting to happen. James is still pissed off about the affair, and that will most likely lead to an explosive confrontation. At this stage, Edward doesn't remember anything, and he will voice that to James, and it will cause James to become suspicious. The last thing I want is for him to be digging into Edward's business and finding out about what's been going on. Not, only that, I'm sure he'll mention the pregnancy as a way of antagonizing Edward. God only knows what will happen then. Liz was right. Edward can't know about the baby, but how can I be sure that James won't go back on his word, and not talk about it?

"Ughhhhhhhh!" I voice my frustration loudly, and plop down on the sofa.

Why hasn't he called yet?

I felt sure I would've heard from Edward by now. He seemed genuinely invested in finding out more about our relationship. Maybe he's changed his mind. Maybe all of this is too much for him to process right now.

My heart breaks him, but yearns for Ned. This is such a mess. I'm aware that Ned and Edward are the same person, but Edward doesn't act like Ned. He has no memory of me, nor does he feel any of the things for me that Ned did. So, I have no clue what to do about any of this. All I know, is that I want the man I fell in love with back, but I realize that it may, sadly, never happen.

.

.

.

I'm lounging on the sofa. The twelve-hour horror marathon long forgotten, as I'm now distracted by thoughts of Edward, while patting Cookie.

There's a slight knock at front my door, and I frown as I glance at the clock. God, it's like Grand Central Station.

It better not be some Johnny come lately trick or treater.

I get up, and hurry to the door. A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth at the sight of his face. He looks almost self-conscious.

"Hi, I uh…I apologize for stopping by unannounced. I hope it's not too late?" His brows furrow, as if he really had to think about his statement.

"Um…no, it's not too late and don't worry about not calling first. I recall doing the same by just showing up at your office. Come in." I say with a lighthearted laugh.

"Oh, I did try calling you earlier, but it went to voicemail." He admits, reluctantly stepping inside. "I didn't leave a message."

His eyes do a sweep of my home, and I wonder if anything looks familiar to him. Cookie leaps down from the sofa, and instantly curls herself around his ankles. He reaches down to briefly scratch her head.

"She's extremely affectionate. She likes when visitors come over." I smile, watching them interact. This is definitely familiar.

"Oh, I guess it was presumptuous to think it was just me." He says jokingly, but after seeing his expression, I'm not so sure that it was.

"No. She really does like you in particular." I say quietly.

He looks at me and then stands upright. He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks around. "This is a nice place you have."

"Thanks. You're aunt has a real eye for beautiful property."

He simply nods, and takes a walk around the living room. I assume he's feeling nervous and wants to put a little distance between us.

"Were you, uh….able to find your way without any problems?"

"I was fine. I have a good sense of direction," he says, staring at a photograph of Nonna, my mom and me. I watch him carefully, studying his every movement. Every one of them is the same as Ned's. Nothing is different, but the way he talks has changed. He has the same voice, but his responses are calculated, and brusque.

He's scarily quiet. I hadn't envisioned him to be this way, when we'd arranged for this meeting. I wish there were something I could do to break the ice, but I'm clueless at the moment. I try taking a stab in the dark, anyway.

"Can I get you something to drink or maybe something to eat?"

"Um….do you have any seltzer, or regular water is fine?"

'Sure." I head to the kitchen, and grab a bottle of seltzer from the fridge and a glass. I return, and he's seated on the edge of the sofa. I place the bottle and glass on the table in front of him, and he smiles weakly. I consider sitting next to him, but think better of it and opt to sit in the chair across from him. I suddenly realize that it may not be the best decision. This position seems a little intimidating as our eyes continually lock. He shifts nervously, as his fingers toy with the loose wrapper on the bottle. He inhales deeply and focuses on my face.

"I want to ask you something."

"Okay." I say softly.

"Your husband….does he know about…" His voice trails, and he looks down at the floor.

"You mean does he know about us? Yes, he does."

"Great." He exhales heavily, and stands, walking across the room. He runs his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Does this mean….that you believe me about us?" I ask hopefully.

"I've been having flashes….they uh….involve you and me."

"Oh. What…what were they about; the flashes?"

"I want to know why? Why would you get involved with me, knowing you were married, and knowing your husband and I were business associates?"

He looks angry and like he's doing everything to hold onto his resolve.

"I-I don't know how to answer why or how you and I became involved, but we did. But, I swear, I wasn't aware that you and James were business associates, until after you showed up at the dinner party. All I knew was that he had a client with the last name Cullen, whom I'd never met. When we met before the party, you only told me your name was Ned."

He stares at me for moments, and then walks back to the sofa to sit.

"I want to know all of it; from the beginning. Tell me."

"We met at Masquerade. We were both wearing masks, and the attraction was instantaneous. The first time, it was clear you were interested in socializing, and you noticed from my wedding ring, that I was married. I sort of turned you down."

"What reason would a woman have to visit a place like that, when she's married?"

His tone is condescending.

"Um….it was a girls' night out; blowing off steam after work. I was pretty much duped into going." I recall, and laugh.

"You said the first time. How many times did we meet there?"

"Twice. The second time, was when I found out you were looking for a place to sell your wine. I'd already put a bid in for the same property for my restaurant. I was livid when you told me you'd actually bought it, but you then surprised me by offering a business partnership. I wanted that property so badly, that I agreed. From there, it was the beginning of something, unexpected and special. The minute it started, there was no turning back. It was too late for me to end things with you, and salvage a marriage. I fell in love with you."

His eyes are intense, a blaze of green fire; yet in a way gentle, like slow burning embers, dancing in front of my eyes, hypnotizing me with its flame.

"Do you still love him? Your husband, I'm speaking of."

"I will always care for him, but my heart belongs to you."

"Not to me, but who you think I am. I'm not him."

"I realize that." I say softly.

"Do you? Because the look in your eyes is telling me something else; it's longing, and hopeful, and that can only mean one thing…"

"It's not-"

"You're expecting for him to magically show up, but it's not going to happen. Whatever this thing is that's wrong with me, I won't let it destroy who I am." His tone is eerily calm, and I can tell by his fidgeting body language that he's frightened, even though he's trying his best to sound stern. "I need you to hear, and understand me thoroughly. I. Am. Not. My. Brother, and I never will be."

His words echo in my head long after he's gone. They're like a sledgehammer, smashing my heart repeatedly, and he's absolutely right. He's never going to be Ned.