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LadySharkey1 rocks my world by being the most amazing, kick-ass beta I could ever imagine.
Chapter 4
Meeting the bitch…ahem, his new girlfriend
"When is he moving back again?" Pensively, my mother stirred the huge amount of sugar resting at the bottom of her tea glass into her drink.
"Next week." I sighed, that same oppressive feeling—which had resided in my chest every time someone mentioned Edward and his impending move back—flared again. "He's been out here a lot, though, since his job at the hospital has already started."
"But that girl is still in Seattle," Mom groaned, her lips pursing into disgust as she mentioned 'the bitch that shall not me named' or 'Voldemary' as I'd taken to calling her in the privacy of my own mind. It was no surprise, but my mom and dad were firmly in Team Bella in all this.
"Yes," I nodded, not really feeling the urge to go into all that again, "but she'll be there for Alice's birthday later this afternoon."
In our wisdom, and with a sense of self-sacrificing I secretly prided myself in, Edward and I had decided to have the big introduction in a setting that would be as stress-free as possible for Charlie. With Alice's birthday party always being a wild chaos of family members and friends running around the house, it would take some of the weight of off of Charlie meeting Voldemary for the first time. It would seem less forced than if we set up some sort of appointment for it to happen.
Or so we hoped.
Since the day was upon us, though, I was starting to dread it more and more since not only would my daughter be meeting the, until then, faceless floozy for the first time, so would I.
And let's just say that I had no desire to come face to face with my replacement.
"I hope Dad brings Charlie home soon," I sighed, glancing at the clock. "I still have to put the finishing touches on the cake and God knows what Charlie will look like when they get back. I won't have that girl thinking I've raised my kid to be some kind of muddy half-savage." Even if it was partly true, though she was the most beautiful, well-behaved little savage in the land.
"You know those two forget about everything when they're off into their own little world." Mom chuckled, filling up my coffee. "I'm sure he'll have her home in time, though." Saturday mornings were 'Charlie-mornings'. While I was busy in the bakery, my dad would pick her up and the two of them would spend some time together, which usually meant he took her fishing or they would go off on one of their 'adventure trips' in the woods behind my parents' house.
They both loved it and the stories Charlie brought home when her granddad delivered her back in the afternoon always made me feel a little less guilty about spending half of my weekend in the bakery when I could have spent some time with her. And that day had been no different, no matter how the prospect of the dreaded meeting loomed over me.
Edward had taken her out to dinner at the local diner earlier that week to tell her about his new girlfriend. I'd been on pins and needles while they were away; my nails bitten to nothing more than painful stubs and my stomach protesting even though there was nothing in it as my eyes stayed glued to the clock while my mind tried to imagine what they would be doing at that time.
I didn't notice anything different about her when he dropped Charlie off again later that night, much to my relief. She seemed to be taking it in stride, though with someone who could be so inside her own head at times as Charlie was, it was hard to tell.
Hell, I daresay she was taking it a whole lot better than I was.
"How are you holding up, sweetheart?" Mom asked, pulling me out of my thoughts as she placed her hands on top of mine in a loving motherly gesture. "I know this has to be so hard for you."
"It is." I shrugged, taking a sip from my coffee. "But what can I do? I can't forbid him from falling in love again or bringing his new girlfriend around our daughter. I mean, I was the one who broke things off between us in the first place, and over the past couple of years I've never tried to win him back before. Sure, I had a plan all along but he didn't know that, did he?" I sighed, my throat closing as the overwhelming feeling of being powerless snuck back upon me. "So yeah…I kinda have myself to blame for the shitty mess I'm in now. The only thing I can do is make sure I end up being the only one hurt by all of this and disguise it all as best as I can."
"My poor baby." Mom had tears in her eyes as she pulled me to her chest, my own tears fell as I breathed in her scent. It felt good to be the one who was comforted for a change, instead of always having to stay strong.
"It's just not fair, Mom," I sniffed. "Why couldn't he have waited for me?"
"I know, Bella." She sighed, running her hand through my hair. "Life is hardly ever fair and men are idiots sometimes. It takes them forever to see what's right in front of them."
"But will he ever see?" Sitting up, I dried my eyes, mindful of the fact that any minute, my dad and daughter would be running in through the back door.
"Let's hope that he does," she offered as we went back to quietly sipping our coffees; she with a sketchbook in front of her, me with the morning paper.
My parents were like that, both of them. They were fiercely loyal and loving towards me and Charlie but they also carried the family trait of loving the quiet as a means to speak their minds. Even my mom, who was eccentric on a good day and completely barking mad on a bad one, had always been the one who spoke her mind—particularly when her opinion wasn't wanted or socially acceptable—as opposed to my dad who was more of a gruff, quiet force. They were complete polar opposites; my artist mother and my stable police chief dad, but for the better part of thirty years they'd made things work between them.
They were my example of how things could work out in a relationship no matter what the circumstances. After all, my mom had been only a year older then I was when she became pregnant with me.
Before long, my father and little girl burst into the kitchen, both of them reeking of fish but wearing proud smiles as if they were a conquering army on a battlefield.
"Look, Mom!" my daughter cried, holding up a decent sized fish. "I've caught a big one!"
"And I had to catch her or she would have fallen off the boat and gone swimming with the damn thing," Dad joked, as he helped her carry the fish over to the kitchen sink where mom immediately set to work cleaning it. She knew how much I hated to do the dirty work myself.
"Looks like the two of you had fun," I chuckled, scrunching my nose at the fishy smell as he sat next to me, both our eyes on Charlie as she sat on the counter, captivated as mom introduced her into the art of gutting a fish.
"It's always fun when she's around," he grinned, "even if she scares the fish away with all her talking." He turned serious again, his voice lower as he went on. "I tried to get her to open up a little about the girlfriend situation while we were up there."
I nodded, my throat closing with nerves. "And?"
"From what I see, the poor thing doesn't really know what to think right now." He sighed deeply. "It's just too foreign a situation for her to really make up her mind. She's excited to meet this new friend of her dad´s, though."
"That's what I was thinking as well." I nodded, my eyes traveling back to my mom and Charlie, who were wrapping up the fish for us to take home. More than anything I hoped everything would go well that afternoon. I knew Edward would never have went ahead with this if she had taken the news badly and with both Alice and Esme on hand to make everything run as smoothly as possible, we had this situation covered as best as we could.
"Come on, baby girl," I urged my daughter, grabbing her hand as I helped her down from the counter. "Let's get you home and in the bathtub. We can't have you smelling like fish for Alice's birthday party."
"Do I have to, Mommy?" Charlie's face scrounged up in protest as she gave me the puppy-dog stare of a girl who really disliked baths.
"You really do stink, sweetie," I explained to her. "If you don't clean up, nobody will want to play with you at the party."
That, of course, changed her mind. Alice's birthday parties had always been her favorite—apart from her own, of course—since the presence of Alice's many friends pretty much guaranteed that my little tomboy would be the center of much attention, even if at times that attention would have been a little too 'girly' for her taste. Mostly for both Alice and her friends, having Charlie around meant that they had the perfect excuse to play with kids' toys again and pretend it was all for the sake of keeping my baby girl entertained when secretly they were having as much fun as she was.
She was excited in the car as we drove over to the Cullens', though I detected an underlying tension that made me, in turn, even more wary about the upcoming party. "You know what's going to happen, right?" I asked, wanting to be sure she was prepared and knew that there was no pressure.
"Do you mean about Daddy bringing his new girlfriend today?" she asked, drumming her nails against the dashboard.
"That's what I meant," I nodded while stealthily watching her like a hawk. "How do you feel about that?"
"It's okay, I guess." She shrugged. "I mean, he says she makes him happy and that's important, right? I just hope she'll like me."
"Oh, I bet she will, honey," I smiled, reaching behind me towards the back to grab her hand. "What's not to like about you? You're awesome!" I took a breath. "Look, I don't want you to feel stressed out because of all of this. There is no pressure; none at all. If you want this to happen it's okay but if you don't, your daddy and I aren't going to be upset with you or anything. We just want you to be happy, alright?"
She nodded, some of the tension slipping away from her scrawny little form. "Okay."
"Good." I nodded, taking another deep, steadying breath as I tried to rally myself for the event to come without showing it. "Now, it looks like they're not here yet. Do you want me to come get you when he arrives or do you want them to come looking for you?"
"Come get me," she picked, hopping from the car almost the second after I'd switched off the engine, her excitement back again as she grabbed the present we'd picked out for Alice while I gently carefully picked up the cake from the other side. "Oh, and Mom?" she asked, pausing beside the car.
Struggling with the heavy cake I answered, "Yes, honey?"
"Will you get a boyfriend now, too?"
I almost dropped the cake from sheer shock. "Maybe," I managed to wheeze out. "But you know…you can't buy boyfriends in the store or anything. It has to happen on its own, I mean, you have to find someone you like enough for him to be your boyfriend. Who knows? Maybe it will happen."
"Good," she nodded, skipping next to me as we headed up to the front door, "because I want you to be as happy as Dad is and not be all alone when he's got a friend to keep him company now."
Don't hold your breath, baby girl. I could feel the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes again but I fought them away, not wanting her to see them. "I will never be alone, sweetheart. I have you, don't I?"
"Always," she assured me, grabbing my hand as we waited in front of the heavy green door leading into the Cullens' home.
The minute her grandmother opened the door, she was lost; running around the house with Alice and some of the other kids her age before disappearing into the backyard. I only managed to make her stay long enough to wish a happy birthday to her aunt, give her the gift, and let her know there would be hell to pay if she got herself all dirty.
Again.
"This has to be hard for you," Esme spoke, her voice soft and motherly as she came to stand beside me. "Please know that I have so much respect for you for doing this when I know it would be so easy for you to act differently."
"Thanks, Esme." Without turning, my hand found hers, my eyes fighting the tears as I watched my daughter running around the lawn. Please, God, let me get through this day.
For the hour or so that followed, I managed to distract myself by eating snacks and looking wistfully at the non-drivers as they indulged in wine and beer while I had to stick to juice because I had to drive back home again.
And then, suddenly, they were there; all smiles as he helped her from the car and wrapped his arm around her as they made their way up the front steps, her laughter tinkling out like little bells as he said something funny.
I hated her already.
I mean, I got that she'd taken home the main prize—Edward—but did she have to be so damn perfect at the same time?
It hardly seemed fair.
She was one of those girls who looked fucking astonishing without even trying; her flawless skin and tall, lean body looked like they belonged on the runway while her long, sleek light brown hair and golden brown eyes only perfected the whole picture.
As I said: not fair.
"I'll go get Charlie," I muttered to no one in particular before fleeing the scene as Esme and Carlisle greeted their son and his new girlfriend. It didn't escape my notice, though, how much more warm his dad was in his welcome to her than he'd ever been to me. Why wouldn't he be? She fits right into his perfect little picture. Am I even surprised?
By the time I'd managed to coax my daughter down from the tree house she was playing in, inspected her for leaves, dirt and other evidence of the great outdoors, and brought her back into the house, I was back in control; my face craftily schooled into the same look I reserved for difficult customers as I guided her into the kitchen, where her dad and Voldemary were already waiting for her.
Edward had a strange look on his face. Was he nervous, too? I was worried for my daughter, for me, and for what all this meant for us as a family. If I was being honest, I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to be there. And it was all my fault for lying to him.
"You must be Charlotte," Angela spoke, her smile warm and friendly as she reached out for Charlie's hand. "Your daddy has told me so much about you."
"He told me about you, too," Charlie answered, taking her hand while still holding onto mine with the other. "Do you really work at the animal shelter?"
She nodded. "Only in my free time, though. During the week I'm a Kindergarten teacher."
Just shoot me now. A kindergarten teacher who rescues cute, furry animals on the weekends?
What is this shit? How could I possibly hate her? I mean, she rescues animals for crying out loud!
"I like animals, too!" Charlie beamed, her hand relaxing in mine as she found common ground with the stranger. "A few weeks ago we went to the stables and I got to ride a horse. I really want to take lessons now but Mommy says I have to wait a couple of weeks to see if I really want to."
"That's probably a smart thing to do," Voldemary nodded, taking her attention off my kid only long enough to say the briefest of hellos to me. Bitch! "You know? If you like animals, and your mommy and daddy say it's okay, I could take you to the shelter one weekend and you can help me care for all the animals."
"Can I?" Her eyes grew huge as she leaned towards the intruder, all of her hesitance out of the window at the prospect of cute, furry animals. "That would be so awesome! Alice has a rabbit in a little cage in the backyard that has huge ears. Do you want to see it?"
And just like that, she dropped my hand and grabbed Angela's, all but pulling my replacement out of the kitchen as she prattled on about animals and how she wanted to grow up and be a biologist. The look on Edward's face as he followed after them—equal parts proud and relieved—only drove the stake further into my chest.
Grabbing hold of the counter, I tried to breathe past the pain and erase the thoughts that had slipped through the hold I had on my brain as I had felt my little girl let go.
Thoughts of feeling betrayed by own daughter, as if I'd been secretly hoping for a different outcome.
And feelings of jealousy over a man who no longer wanted me.
They were wrong. I mean, why should I feel jealous when I had been doing the right thing? Even if it felt wrong, it would have been even worse if I would have poisoned Charlie's mind against his new girlfriend or tried to keep her from meeting him. I had set out to do this; to make sure their introduction would run smoothly. Then why did it hurt so much to see her run off with the two of them and forget I even existed?
Because of just that.
For a moment, I felt what it would be like to have my daughter pick them over me; the happy little nuclear family instead of the single mom who would always struggle to balance parenthood against earning enough money to keep up with the bills.
No, Bella! Don't go there.
My grip on the counter intensified as I fought myself back from the ledge; battling the thoughts of letting go and happy little families in which my shape had suddenly taken a different form.
No, I wasn't going to give up. She would have to kill me before she could sink her claws into my daughter, and as for Edward…we'd see who took the glory from that particular battlefield.
Because I most certainly wasn't going down without putting up a fight to bring my family back together.
Thoughts?