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LadySharkey1 rocks my world by being the most amazing, kick-ass beta I could ever imagine.

Chapter 10

More things get roasted than just a turkey.

Two weeks later I was standing on my parents' doorstep with a huge pecan pie in one hand and an overexcited ten year old grabbing the other as we waited for someone to open the door.

"Do you think Daddy's already here?" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

I sighed, slightly repositioning the pie to avoid a doorstep-disaster. "He had to work, sweetie.

He'll be here later in the afternoon; just in time for dinner, remember?"

I must have been crazy for going along with my mom's plan to invite Edward for Thanksgiving dinner. But as I looked at my happy little fire bolt as she danced around on the balls of her feet with her impatience to see her father again, I knew it had been the right decision.

Although, I was sure would rather eat my way through a bucket full of live scorpions than sit down at that table across from him. Yes, I'm still bitter, and wish that I would have spilled coffee on him at the restaurant. My life is full of regrets!

Charlie nodded biting her lip. "Will Grandma Esme and Grandpa Cullen be here?"

I chuckled, remembering how, when she was little, she couldn't pronounce Carlisle's name and had simply settled on 'Grandpa Cullen'. Over the years the name had somehow stuck, though I wasn't sure whether or not Carlisle was too upset about it. Or even present enough to notice.

You'd think that being semi-retired meant that a person would spend some more time at home, especially when he'd had a job that had taken him away from his family so much over the years, right? Not Carlisle. He'd been quick to fill his down time with some big shot position on the board at the hospital in Port Angeles, which had him being away from home even more often than he'd been when he was working full time at Forks General.

Not that I minded in the slightest because he intimidated me, just like he always had. And it wasn't just because I knew he'd never really liked me; it was because deep down I knew he was right.

I had almost ruined his son's dreams.

"Mom?" Pulling on my hand, Charlie brought me back to the present, her eyes quietly demanding an answer.

"They're in Chicago, baby," I replied with no small amount of relief. "Didn't your dad tell you about how Grandma Esme's sister, Sophie, moved all the way out there to be with her new boyfriend?" I waited for her to nod before I continued. "Well, since your grandmother couldn't wait to meet him, and Grandpa Cullen wanted to visit some of his old friends from back in the day when he used to live in Chicago, they decided to take Aunt Alice and spend the holiday there."

"But…" Charlie stammered. "Won't that make Dad sad? I'd be so bummed if I had to spend Thanksgiving without you guys."

I sighed. "A little, maybe, but he had to work so he wouldn't have been able to spend much time with them anyway. And Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Renee invited him to come have dinner with us so he wouldn't be lonely and he gets to spend the day with you. What could be more awesome than that?"

"I guess so." Judging from the look on her face, she wasn't completely satisfied with my reply but as we listened to my mom's high-heeled footsteps come closer to the door, at least she was satisfied enough to let it drop.

The question about what the fuck had taken her so long to open the door died on my lips the second the door creaked open to reveal my mom.

Covered head to toe in flour and with an apple peel dangling from what once must have been a perfectly coifed up do.

"What the—" I managed to catch myself just before I'd have to add to Charlie's college fund. "Mom, you know I baked a pie, right?"

"I know that!" Mom huffed. "But I wanted to make something that could stand up next to your pies. It's not good for my ego to always be outdone by my daughter, you know?"

"You made the turkey and dressing," I argued, chuckling as I leaned in to kiss her. "And all the side dishes, too."

"And they're the same every year so no one's every going to remember them. Your cakes, however…" Mom arched a brow, looking at the perfectly constructed pecan pie resting underneath the clear, plastic dome. "Your father will be talking about how amazing it was for days."

"Come on," I suggested as my daughter skipped off into the living room to go pester her namesake. "I'll give you a hand with the pie so that when it's served, you can go take all the credit. Okay?"

"Fine." As unhappy as she seemed to be, she was, at least, mollified enough to go along with me, muttering under her breath how bad she was at being a housewife if she couldn't even bake a damned pie.

Trailing after her, I suddenly felt profoundly happy that I'd been spared the stress of hosting Thanksgiving dinner. The Cullens and Swans usually come together at Edward's parents' place for one big celebration since they had the bigger house and a dining room that could host all of us without having to stack people on top of each other.

"What else do you need help with?" I asked, knowing she was probably in over her head. After all, over the past ten years, all she'd had to do was make her famous mashed potatoes and my grandmother's delicious green bean casserole recipe that had been passed down to her.

"Maybe you could help me peel some potatoes?" she asked, pointing at the huge sack of potatoes, half buried underneath all kinds of cooking supplies on the counter. "I want everything to be perfect today since that boy is coming and I don't want him to go back to his parents and tell them he wasn't properly fed."

Rolling my eyes, I bunched up the sleeves of my cardigan as I got to work. To say mom had been pissed off when she found out what had happened with Angela and Charlie—and the whole clusterfuck of an argument the morning after—would be the understatement of the century. Always an advocate for Edward's side, when my dad could never forgive him for knocking up his little girl, she was so disappointed in him she couldn't even speak for five minutes. And when she finally started speaking, it was only to curse 'that boy' for thinking with his dick and losing sight of what was important.

Not that I disagreed with her.

"If you dislike him so much, then why did you invite him?" I asked morosely, hoping against my better judgment that somehow a miracle would prevent Thanksgiving from becoming horribly awkward. With my family and Edward all gathered around a table, there was little chance at that.

"No one should be alone on Thanksgiving." She sighed, wiping her hands on her apron. "Besides, I know you, Bella, so I know that if I hadn't invited him, you probably would have. No matter what happened, Charlotte deserves to spend the holidays with her mom and dad; even if that boy doesn't deserve the pleasure after what he said to you."

"He's still her dad." I sighed, dunking another peeled potato into the pot filled with water. "And besides, as much as I hate how things turned out, he did talk to the woman, and at the very least he did something to keep that bitch away from our daughter because Charlie was her happy when she came back last Sunday."

Mom patted my hand as she came to stand next to me. She'd been there, the Tuesday evening after that disastrous weekend and the even more disastrous conversation the day before, when I'd had to ship a very apprehensive Charlie back off to her dad's for a good old chat about what happened. Edward had insisted on it. Deep down inside I knew it had to happen, but the fact that I had to leave her behind with nothing more than her cell phone and the promise to come pick her up if something bad happened.

It killed me when she looked back at me with a touch of sadness while they walked to his car.

I'd completely lost it afterwards, crying onto her shoulder as I became lost in my fear for my little girl and the bitterness about the unfairness of my life.

Fortunately for me, though, it all went off without a hitch, and when I picked her up the next Sunday, after the first post-clusterfuck weekend she'd spent with her dad again, Charlie was smiling and yapping on all evening about the amazing time they'd spent together (and without Voldemary). From then on, regretfully, she had slowly eased herself back into the picture but at least she'd been wise enough to shut her trap. She prevented herself from ending up in a full on bitch-fight she was definitely going to lose. I mean, come on! How strong can a kindergarten teacher be? Especially compared to a woman who kneads insane amounts of dough all day and has as a pair of biceps that put bodybuilders to shame!

It had all been a terrible misunderstanding; Charlie would have me believe after her sit-down with her dad.

Well, excuse me, but I didn't believe a single word of that crap.

Because if they were so damn sure it wouldn't happen again, why had Edward taken my baby girl aside that day and promised her she wouldn't have to be alone with Voldemary if she didn't want to?

Their reassurances were as fake as everything about her seemed to be, but unfortunately I seemed to be the only one of us who saw through her crap.

For the moment.

It was still hard, leaving Charlie with her dad after everything that had happened. But with Charlie and Edward's relationship back to its old, happy nature, she looked forward to the days she would spent with him just like she used to. There was little else I could do but hope everything would turn out right and keep a eye on my phone all day in case she needed me.

"As long as Charlie's happy, huh?" Mom sighed, her hand rubbing up and down my back before she loosened her hold and stepped away. "Don't forget to remember yourself, sweetheart. I know that as her mom, you're only looking for Charlie's happiness but I'm your mom and I worry that you're putting yourself last."

"I'm fine." Letting out a deep breath I picked up the knife again, my hands needing the monotony of kitchen work to offset the turmoil in my brain. "It's just hard to adapt to this situation. I'm sure I'll be fine in a couple of weeks when I've moved on."

Part of me was unsure whether or not that would ever happen. My feelings for Edward ran so deep that not even I was able to see the end of them. I had to close the door on them, though, even if it was just for my own sanity. Because after what happened, I wasn't so sure if the love I felt him still outweighed the resentment.

Sensing I was at the end of my rope, my mother quickly changed the subject back to her attempt at cake baking. By the time I'd finished putting the final touches to the place settings on our small dining table, the clearing of a throat behind me made me almost jump up to the ceiling.

"What?" I gasped, clutching my heart as I turned around to see Edward leaning against the doorframe with a bemused smirk on his lips.

"Your dad let me in, though going by the way he scowled and immediately backed away again, I wonder if I'm really welcome after all," he remarked, pushing away from the doorway as he stepped into the room.

"You are," I ensured him, though I had a feeling this would only be the first of many awkward moments. "Mom wouldn't have invited you over if she didn't want you to come. Besides, our daughter was ecstatic when she found out you were joining us for dinner."

"And you?" he prodded, his eyes serious and dauntingly close as they bore into mine.

I shrugged. "We've always been friends, haven't we?" It wasn't a lie, but at this moment, it wasn't the truth either. Over the past couple of weeks, things had become strained between us; the presence of a third party driving a wedge into what had always been one of the closest relationships possible.

"Look…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Before we sit down to dinner I wanted to apologize for the way things went down the other day. I was exhausted after the shift from hell but that doesn't justify the way I treated you."

Nope, but sometimes life doesn't wait until after you've taken a nap, Edward.

"It doesn't," I agreed. "It really hurt to have you dismiss my worries like that and—"

Just then, a loud squeal from further into the house interrupted us. Edward's face lit up like a candle as Charlie's hurried footsteps drew closer. His face was still serious, though, as he turned his attention back upon me. "Can we talk? After dinner maybe?"

I nodded. "You can come over after we leave here." I finished just in time before Charlie came bounding into the dining room, almost bumping headfirst into her dad as she charged through the door before launching herself at him.

Seeing them together—all three of us, really, in the same room again, just like any normal family—a familiar sense of belonging settle in my chest. It was short-lived, though, the completeness banished by an acute sense of loss as I realize he no longer belonged to me.

There wasn't a family standing in that room.

Not anymore.

Dinner was as awkward as it had looked on paper, starting with my dad deliberately bumping Edward's shoulder like some kind of petulant five year old as he passed him on the way into the room. My mother waited until the first course was actually on the table before she started a cold war of words.

It was like being stuck in the middle of a battlefield, with only Charlie being blissfully unaware of the battle that was raging around her.

As much as their words wound me up, I had to give them mad props, though. They managed to completely cut him down to size while my baby girl was none the wiser. I mean, I knew they weren't exactly dumb or anything but who would have known they could wield the vocabulary of the snide remark, and even my dad, who usually had the subtlety of my sledgehammer.

Seriously, it was like watching some amateur tennis player getting slammed by Roger Federer in the stealthiest way possible.

Looking at the way Edward just sat there and took it without breaking a nerve, I felt slightly confused. I mean, how could he just sit there and happily let my parents do their worst when he'd all but blow a fuse when I'd merely tried to have a conversation with him.

A conversation that involved no hidden agendas at all, unlike the only I was listening to.

"Well, pumpkin," Dad breathed, patting his belly as tried to muffle my giggles as my baby girl mimicked his action, "what do you say to a little moonlight mystery trip to work off some of that pie?"

"Cool!" Charlie squealed. It was no secret that my dad was one of her favorite people in the whole wide world, and that wasn't just because they shared a name. It was because she, like me, had inherited the Swan love of the outdoors; finding infinitely more pleasure in sloshing around in some murky rock pool all while smearing all sorts of nature on her clothes than in staying indoors and playing with dolls and other pink, girly crap.

My baby girl defied all standards by which society usually held the 'little girl' and the epitome of her own unique interpretation was the moonlight mystery trip; a fifteen minute walk in the pitch black forest as it came alive with all sorts of creatures of the night.

I think eight out of ten mothers would have been scared to death, sending their kid out into the woods when they knew they might have been in danger of running into a bear or a mountain lion, but not me. Having lived here all my life, I knew those creatures rarely ventured so close and besides, my dad had his shotgun with him and everyone around here knew he was one of the best marksmen in the county.

"You coming along, Cullen?" Dad arched his brow in question as they waited in the doorway, his hand protectively on Charlie's back.

"Nah," Edward shrugged, looking around the quickly emptying dining room for a good excuse. "I think I'll pass."

I chuckled, thinking it might be a very wise decision for him to forgo walking into the woods at night with an armed, angry sort-of ex-father-in-law.

"Edward can help us clean up," I finally offered, carrying heavy stack of dirty plates and serving dishes in front of him to carry into the kitchen.

Dad grumbled under his breath as he shot into his coat, his hunting rifle slung over the arm that wasn't holding onto Charlie. I knew he'd never let her go.

"It's okay, they're gone now." I chuckled, taking the stack back from Edward, who apparently hadn't mastered the fine art of walking-with-dishes yet. "I'll take it from here before you destroy my mom's fine China. Besides, you'd only be in our way if you really helped."

"I would have made myself very useful," he pouted, competitive as always. "I'd have you know that I've been living on my own for years now and have never contracted food poisoning to this day!"

I snorted. "A fine accomplishment indeed!"

"But now that you've mention it," he backpedaled, "I do have a few calls to make so I'll let you get to it." And like that, he walked back to the seat he'd vacated just minutes ago, his attention already on his cell phone as I jostled the dishes back to the kitchen.

"Did Edward go with your dad?" Mom looked surprised to find me alone. "I wouldn't have thought the boy was so stupid!"

"He isn't," I chuckled, "he's in the dining room calling his family." Dropping the plates into the sink I turned towards her. "And what was with that whole not-so-passive aggressive stuff in there?"

"You know very well what I was doing, young lady," she lectured, pointing the sudsy washing brush in my direction. "I did what you should have done: I stood up for your rights."

"I can stand up for myself!" I scowled, grabbing the dish cloth. "In fact, I did. Remember the diner fiasco?"

"You were standing up for Charlie. Now let me see you do the same for yourself."

I sighed, hiding my face behind my hair as I bit my lip. "It's just so hard, Mom. I love him, but this side I keep seeing of him now that he's with Angela? I just don't know." Shaking my head, I continued. "Sometimes it's almost like it's not really him…like he's somehow changed so much over the years that the only thing I'm holding on to right here is a memory."

"Then make up your mind one way or another," she ordered sternly, all but slamming a washed pan down onto the counter. "Because there's one thing a mother doesn't ever want to see and that's her own kid being unhappy. We both want to see you smile again…and really mean it."

"I'm sorry, Mom." Fighting the tears I looked up at her. It hurt to know I was causing my parents pain. After all they were already doing for me, I didn't want to add another burden to their lives but at the same time, it was so hard to see myself move through this that I still had no idea of how to even start.

"Just try, baby girl," her voice soothed. "That's all we can ask for. Don't do it for us, do it for you; because you can't go on like this any longer."

After drying most of the stuff that didn't go into the dishwasher, I left mom to clean up the rest of the after-dinner mess while I went to clear my head. The talk I had with her had really thrown me and I needed some air to breathe as I thought about my options.

Really thought about them.

You know, as opposed to doing what I'd always done until then: keep calm, bury my doubts, and keep on silently pining for Edward.

Therefore I could only have been karma's sick way of giving me a little nudge in the back that made me catch the words coming out of the dining room as I walked past it on my way to the back deck.

"…you know I love you, Angela." The certainty in his voice shattered my heart into tiny little pieces. "Don't worry, babe. It's only been you, you know that. I wouldn't have asked you to move here with me if I didn't see my future with you."

Only her.

He saw a future with her – only her.

That meant that while I'd been dutifully working like hell to turn myself into someone worthy of him, he'd been moving on, and happily fucking other women, like Rose had said.

Which was bad enough in itself, but why did it have to be her?

Thoughts?