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.

Lyrics in this Chapter belong to:

Sometimes – Skillet

When this world fades – As I lay dying

Reflection – As I lay dying

A greater foundation – As I lay dying

November Rain – Guns 'n Roses

I'd like to thank the two beta's who rewrote en corrected my errors in this chapter: angelnlove52 and Browneyedgirl825!Thank you guys for taking the time to rewrite this for me. I appreciate it and could not have done this without you.

OoOoOo

Sometimes don't deny
That everything is wrong
Sometimes rather die
Than to admit it's my fault
Sometimes when you cry
I just don't care at all

(Sometimes – Skillet)

Chapter Ten – Decisions

EPOV

I sighed in relief when I turned the key to the door of my massive mansion in LA. I used to love this house, it was my escape from the world, but all I wanted to do right now was go back to Seattle and be with my son. Leaving him was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life – apart from letting Bella go.

I opened the door to the gapping hallway and dropped my suitcases in the middle.

I threw Alice's car keys and my house keys on the table against the wall, and went straight to the bar. I borrowed Alice's car after spending the entire afternoon with her. Alice picked me up at the airport because I never gave Tanya my flight details…let's just say, I tried to prolong my homecoming.

My heart was in absolute pain after I left my son. The tears that pooled in his eyes, when I said goodbye to him, killed me.

I grabbed a non-alcoholic beer and took a seat on one of the stools. I closed my eyes as I remembered how my son cried after I told him I had to leave…the doubt always so clear in his emerald eyes, increased by double. It broke my heart to know he doubted me. I promised him I would be back, but his eyes had only displayed doubt.

"Dad, can we do something this weekend?" Tristan asked.

It still amazed me how easily the word 'dad' rolled off his lips. I was in awe every time he said it, and I found my heart craved to hear it more and more. It was as if I couldn't get enough of him calling me dad.

Plus, it must have meant something to Tristan as well, because he wouldn't say one sentence without using the word 'dad', as if it was of utmost importance to him as well.

"Urm…Tristan, buddy, I have to tell you something," I said.

Tristan met my serious eyes and a frown formed on his forehead.

"What's up, Dad?" he asked. He plopped down on the couch beside me and raked his fingers through his unruly hair.

"Tris, I have to leave for a while," I started to explain. His eyes widened and immediately filled with fear. "I'm not leaving forever, I promise, but I have to go back to LA to sort some stuff out," I added quickly.

Tristan shook his head. My heart cracked open and started to gush out gallons of blood as I saw two single teardrops escape his closed eyes. My hand shot forward and I quickly wiped the tears with my thumb. "Tris, please don't be sad," I begged, swallowing around the lump that formed in my throat.

"I can't lose you," he croaked out, "Not again." His voice trembled as more tears escaped his eyes.

"You won't lose me, Tristan," I said with determination. "I'm coming back."

"How can I believe you?" he cried.

I scooped him up and held him against my chest. I held him so tight I thought I was going to suffocate him, but I had no strength to let him go. My arms were locked around my son, and I wished I never had to leave him. I wished everything could be simple for once…I wished I could just drop everything in LA!

"I know it's hard for you to trust me, and I swear I will do everything in my power to gain your trust," I whispered against his wet cheek. "I promise you that I wouldn't leave if it wasn't necessary. I really need to sort things out with the band, Tristan, but I promise you, this will be the last time I'll ever have to go away ever again," I said with force.

For a second, rage toward Bella once again filled my heart, but I quickly gained control and calmed down. I hated to see my son in so much pain and with so much doubt - doubt I never deserved because I was deprived of being a part of his life. I promised myself I would just work harder to build a relationship with my son, filled with trust. It was something I desperately needed from Tristan…trust.

"Will you call me?" he asked.

I nodded my head. "Every day, I promise."

"When will you be back?" he asked.

I sighed. "I can't answer that."

"Why not?" he cried again.

"I don't know how long it'll take to sort everything out." I sighed, "And I don't want to make a promise on a specific date if I'm not sure about when I said painfully.

My heart constricted inside my chest, blocking my ventilation, causing extreme pain with every breath I took.

"Dad, I don't want you to go," he sobbed.

My arms circled around him again, his arms tightened around my neck, and we held onto one another as if our very lives depended on it.

"I don't want to go either," I said hoarsely.

"I love you, dad," he whispered.

My heart stopped beating for a second when he uttered those words for the very first time.

My heart swelled.

Those words had the same effect as when Bella uttered those exact words when we were sixteen. Sure, she said it lots of times before, but when we were sixteen, it was an entire different feeling. It wasn't just teenager love anymore…our feelings became so much stronger and more serious. When Bella whispered those words into my ear all those years ago, I genuinely felt it. Our hearts combined that night in a way I couldn't even begin to describe…that was when we made love for the very first time. Our bodies became one just like our hearts, and the 'I love you's' weren't just words anymore.

"Oh, Tristan, I love you more than words can say," I said. My voice was hoarse from all the emotions.

I swallowed the beer, wishing it was something stronger. I was bushed, but very hesitant to go up to bed. I knew Tanya was there waiting for me, and honestly, I had no idea what to do, or how to handle this fucking situation. That was why I'd been hanging out at Alice's house after my plane landed. I had also ignored Tanya's calls because I had no idea what to say to her, or how to act around her.

I sighed as I made my way to the stairs, climbing every step one by one, and paused at the top. I saw the light shine from under my bedroom door. Tanya always slept with the bedside lamp on when I wasn't at home. I didn't know why, seeing as she is so fucking adamant about pussies in this world. She wasn't as brave and strong as she pretended to be.

My feet dragged me down the long hallway to my bedroom. My shoulders felt heavy, as if I was carrying the world's problems on them. When my hand reached out and turned the doorknob, I sighed in relief when I saw Tanya's fetus positioned body fast asleep, but the sigh turned into a low hiss when I saw that she was asleep on my side of the bed. I groaned inwardly. I wouldn't be able to sleep on her side; I was pretty adamant about my side of the bed.

After I took a long, hot shower, I made my way to the bed – fully dressed in flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt. Usually, I would sleep naked, but just the mere thought of sleeping naked next to Tanya caused goosebumps all over my body – not the good kind of goosebumps.

I sighed softly – not to wake Tanya up – as I sneaked into my bed, on Tanya's side. As soon as my head touched her pillows, I knew I was not going to sleep at all. Her pillows felt all wrong. Plus, lying next to her felt wrong…as if I was cheating on Bella! The thought was ridiculous, but the guilt that built up in my heart since I climbed into my bed a few second ago increased, and constricted my heartbeats so every beat was torturous.

I groaned as I threw the sheets off of my body and swung my feet out of bed. I wanted to kick myself for climbing into the same bed as her in the first place. What the hell was I thinking?

I tiptoed to my sofa in front of the window and literally sighed as my body relaxed on it. The last thing I remember thinking about was Tanya and our relationship….

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of my shower running. For a long while, I stared up at the white ceiling of my bedroom. I had the most vivid dream of Bella and the last morning we spent together on her twenty-first birthday – the day our lives changed forever.

Everything in the dream was so real that I could taste her lips as I kissed her passionately…the sweet taste of her blazing skin as my lips trailed down her gorgeous, writhing body. And fuck, it was sexy as hell.

My dick screamed for me to shut the fuck up, or to stop thinking about that dream at least, because he needed some serious attention.

I drew in a deep breath and exhaled. I ran one hand through my hair and scratched my stomach with the other.

I was a fucking idiot for letting Bella go…how the fuck could I have done that to her; to the woman I loved more than life itself. I needed Bella like I needed fucking air to breathe; no wonder I suffocated through these last ten years. The constricting pain in my lungs started the moment I left that hotel room, knowing Bella was going to leave me. I knew by the look in her eyes she wasn't going to wait for me…still; I left, hoping she would wait.

I drew in another breath, running my hand through my hair again. I could see the bathroom from the sofa. The door had been left ajar, and through the narrow slit, I could see Tanya's body emerging from the shower, reaching for the towel….

My eyes widened, and I flipped over to my other side, pretending to still be asleep. My emotions were all over the place; the fucking lustful dream about Bella, the trip down memory-lane, the heartache and the determination to have that long-awaited conversation with Tanya…all of this with a twitching dick!

I heard Tanya step out of the bathroom, the swirling steam from the hot shower surrounded me. I tried to listen to her footsteps, but they were silenced with the plush carpet covering my floor. I tried to regulate my breathing, but fuck, it was so hard when I felt the slight shift on the cushion I was sleeping on. My body went rigid when I felt her bare body pressed up against my back. I was chastising myself for taking off my shirt during the night.

"Edward…" she purred into my ear. Cold shivers ran down my spine as her lips caressed my earlobe. I wanted to throw her off me, but instead I kept my eyes closed tightly…and swallowed hard. I focused hard not to move.

"Edward, are you awake?"

I kept my eyes shut; pretending to sleep was so fucking hard while lying on a sofa – meant for one person – with a woman pressed up against my back. I had to try and balance myself so that I wouldn't fall off of the damn thing, and I had to pretend that I was fast asleep…all this with my heart beating in my throat as her hands trailed up and down my side, scratching softly with her long nails.

Tanya shook me firmly, and I knew my pretending was over. It was also obvious that she was pretty adamant about waking me for sex.

"What is it, Tanya?" I asked without turning over. My voice was still thick and rough from sleep, but there was an irritated edge to my voice as well.

"You never called to give me your flight details," she accused.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"It's okay. You're here now," she whispered.

Tanya ran her fingers through the hair at the back of my neck and pressed her body closer to mine. Fuck! I squeezed my lids tighter.

I laid the night before me

Unraveled the tangles of my heart

All I felt was stale hollow air

These streams of uncertainty

They are collapsing upon my mind

(Reflection – As I lay dying)

I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't stand one more day with Tanya. Everything was so fucked! A week ago, I was planning on marrying this woman. I hadn't cared that I was living a lie with Tanya because life hadn't mattered to me anymore. A week ago, I would have buried myself in this woman, taking her just the way I wanted to, without giving it a second thought. But now, the only thing I felt, were my balls trying to crawl back into my abdomen, and my dick hiding under the covers like a scared fucking kid. Thank goodness my dick decided to calm the fuck down.

The mere thought of turning around and touching this woman…I shook my head…touching her would have felt like an infidelity of some kind; like I'd be cheating on Bella for fuck's sake. Who was I kidding? From the very first moment I had ran into Bella, a few nights ago, my relationship with Tanya had no chance. Tanya was always just a distraction from my painful world. It had always been Bella…it would always be Bella.

"Edward…" she purred softly.

I could hear the lust and raw desire in her voice. Bile rose to my throat because all I kept thinking about was Bella.

Her fingernails trailed lower from my neck, across my shoulders, ghosting down my back and trailed softly to my stomach where her fingers played with the soft, curly hair on my lower abdomen. My heart stopped beating when her fingers slipped underneath my pants. Her touch left me cold…and my balls tried even harder to crawl deeper into my abdomen.

I clenched my jaw, and cleared my throat. "I had a really long flight, Tanya. I'm bushed."

Her hand froze and pulled out of my pants. She exhaled loudly and withdrew her body from touching mine. For a long while, she simply laid there next to me, our bodies merely touching as the space on the sofa was minimal. I felt her shift and get up. I sighed in relief.

I heard drawers pull open loudly and closet doors being slammed shut.

"What the hell is going on with you?" she asked in an obviously irritated tone.

I exhaled through narrowed lips. I turned around slowly and laid on my back.

"We should talk." I breathed out.

She swung around and looked at me with narrowed eyes. She was obviously still pissed about the rejection, but I couldn't have cared less. Bile rose to my throat at the mere thought of touching her.

I wanted one woman and one woman only – Isabella Swan – and if I couldn't have Bella, then I didn't want any other woman. I would never settle for second best ever again.

And even if things could never work out between Bella and me, I still had my son to focus on. I needed to concentrate on Tristan first. He was my number one priority…forever. Getting Bella back would be a big fucking added bonus.

"About..." she prompted.

I came up and swung my feet to the ground. I was, once again, grateful for the flannel pajama pants I wore. I exhaled again and raked my fingers through my bed hair. I stood up and stretched long and hard, my arms paused in the air. When Tanya approached me, wrapping her arms around my waist, and leaned in to kiss me, I slowly moved my head back and dropped my arms. Her eyes widened in surprise od my total rejection.

"Edward, what's going on? You never called me, you slept on the fucking sofa, and you don't even kiss me hello…." She threw her hands into the air.

"The last time we spoke, you threw me out of our hotel room," I hissed in anger.

I was a dick throwing that in her face because I knew it hadn't bothered me when she threw me out. But, the argument that was about to emerge was welcomed in more ways than one. It was a starting point for what laid ahead….

"Can you honestly blame me for doing that?" she asked incredulously. She shook her head, "You've lied to me for years, Edward, years!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not having that conversation with you, again!" I hissed back. "We had this exact conversation the other night, and I explained myself to you. I refuse to do so again."

"Okay," she sighed. "Obviously, this bothers you, so I'm sorry I threw you out of the hotel room," she apologized. "I was in shock when I learned you had a very serious relationship before me, and then to learn you had a son…." She shook her head again.

I chuckled.

"I'm glad you find it so amusing," she fumed.

I held my one hand up while the other rubbed the back of my neck. "I found out I had a son that night, so excuse me if you thought you were the only one in shock."

"Did you meet him?" she asked softly, changing the subject for a second.

I nodded.

"And…" she prompted.

"He's amazing. Bella did an amazing job raising him," I said.

My heart felt so much lighter already. Meeting my son had been the best thing that could have happened in my life. I had so much hatred and bitterness inside my stone heart, but Tristan had the power to almost break through every brick I'd built around my heart. I was able to see a little light shining from my heart, breaking through the pitch-black darkness.

"You forgave her," Tanya uttered out in shock.

I looked at Tanya in irritation.

"No, I won't say that I've forgiven her," I said. "I'm trying to, though, for my son's sake," I added quickly.

"What is the real problem here, Edward?" she asked with her one hand resting on her hip.

"I don't have a problem."

"Yes, you do. This whole 'you kicked me out of my hotel room' argument is absolute bullshit," she almost yelled. "What is your real problem?"

"I just…" I swallowed.

"What? The famous Edward Cullen has no words? Just man the fuck up and say it," she yelled.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore," I yelled out in anger.

"Do what? You should be more specific," she uttered in more fury. Her words were full of fury but her eyes told a different story, they were full of fear, and I knew that she knew what I was about to say.

"Us," I whispered. I kept my eyes on her and when her eyes shot full of tears, I looked away. I hate that I was hurting her but there was no other way.

"We're getting married in three months…." She shook her head, refusing to acknowledge what I just said.

"Tan, I can't marry you," I said softly.

"Why? We've been together for seven years, Edward, seven fucking years, and now that you've ran into your fucking ex again, you suddenly can't marry me?" she snorted. Tears ran down her cheeks.

"I…."

"Can you honestly look at me and tell me that you don't love me?" she asked. I quickly looked away because she was expecting me to say 'no'. Was Tanya so blind that she honestly could not see that I never loved her?

"Look at me, Edward, and be honest," she demanded.

I cleared my throat as I looked back at her again. We stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like a really long time, but were actually only a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, Tan." I shook my head.

"Say the fucking words, Edward," she yelled hysterically.

"I never loved you," I said truthfully.

She shook her head viciously while she clasped her hands over her mouth, sobbing loudly now. "I don't believe you," she said behind her hands.

"Don't make this harder on yourself." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Why did you ask me to marry you? Why did you stay with me for seven years?"

"After Bella left me so completely broken, I promised myself that no woman would ever hurt me like that again. The only way that was possible, was if I dated someone I couldn't love," I explained.

Tanya walked toward me very slowly. I clenched my jaw.

"So, you used me?" She narrowed her eyes.

"No, I never used you. If that was the case, I would have walked away from you long ago because there's nothing to use, Tanya. You're not a usable person," I hissed. "I actually enjoyed your company and – at the time – I thought we had a lot in common. It is clear as fucking daylight that I am delusional about that," - I rubbed the back of my neck - "because we have less than fucking zero in common."

Everything happened so fast that I wouldn't be able to recall specifically what had happened, but Tanya's hand connected with my cheek as she slapped me so hard that the sound echoed through the room. My head swung to the side from the force she used, and it burned like fucking hell. I opened and closed my jaw as my hand rubbed my burning cheek.

"You fucking bastard," she cried. "I've wasted seven years of my life on you, and you tell me this now. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Tanya, calm down-"

"Don't tell me what to do," she yelled. She was close to losing it.

"Tanya-"

"I can't believe you're doing this to me, Edward," she shook her head. "Bella came back and you kick me to the curb-"

"Bella's not back," I quickly corrected her. "I ran into her, remember? It wasn't as if I was looking for her or anything." I turned my back toward her and rubbed my neck again. "And you're making the wrong assumptions about Bella and me…we're not back together or anything," I defended.

"You've changed since you ran into her. Why are you breaking up with me after you saw her again?" she asked.

"Because I now realize that you can't settle for anything but the best. I can't marry someone I don't love – it will not be fair to either you or me, Tanya."

"You still love Bella?" she asked.

"I've never stopped loving her," I confessed out loud. "I don't know if we'll ever be able to work through our hurt and anger, but I owe it to my son to at least try."

"I can't believe you're doing this to me," she shook her head again.

I slowly turned around to face her again; face a broken Tanya…a side of Tanya I'd never seen before. Tanya never showed these kinds of emotions because she believed only pussies broke down.

"It never was my intention to hurt you, Tan," I said. "I can't even give you a millimeter of my heart, and that's not fair to you. It will destroy the both of us in the end."

"You're still a bastard," she said, "And please save your fucking explanations and apologies."

"I don't know what to say to you," I said honestly.

"Fuck you, Edward," she said, her voice dripping with venom. She stormed toward the cupboard and grabbed a suitcase.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"I'm packing my shit and getting out of this fucking house," she said out of breath while viciously throwing clothes into the small suitcase, "Away from you," she added.

"You don't have to do that, Tanya," I said. She stopped packing, looking hopeful for a minute. "I'll stay in a hotel so you can pack and leave on your own time," I added. She narrowed her eyes.

"Screw you and your fucking house," she yelled.

She was pissed and I knew there was no way she was going to listen to anything I had to say.

I sighed.

That was hard. I never meant to hurt Tanya and if it wasn't for running into Bella again, I probably would have married Tanya – even though I would have been unhappy every single day.

"Do what you want," I said as I headed for my bathroom. I wasn't planning on begging her; I made the suggestion and if she wanted to be hard-ass about it, then so be it. I was willing to leave my house for her.

"I'll send Irina to come get my other stuff," she said. Her voice trembled now, all signs of anger vanished as the heartache pushed forward.

I closed the bathroom door behind me without answering Tanya. She knew how I felt about Irina, but I also realized I had no choice in the matter. I just wanted to get my life in order.

As I turned the water on in the shower, I mentally checked the first thing off of my list – Tanya Denali. The second thing – probably the most difficult thing on my list – awaited me, and I genuinely had no idea how I was going to handle it.

Sometimes we have to watch our whole lives fall apart,

Before we can rebuild them again - a greater foundation.

(A greater Foundation – As I lay dying)

I sat across from a shocked Alice, Jasper, and Leah. I just announced I was leaving the band. The atmosphere in the room was thick as seconds turned into minutes of silence from them. I waited patiently for them to come to terms with what I just announced.

I had given this a lot of thought and asked myself every question I could think of. Was I doing the right thing by leaving my band, my sister, my best friend? Was I really willing to give up my dreams? Was I prepared to live without my music?

The answer was so simple because I only hax to think about Bella and Tristan.

I had made a huge fucking mistake ten years ago, but I promised myself that I wouldn't make that same mistake again. Even if Bella could never find it in her heart to forgive me and give me another chance, I had to do this for my son. He needed me, and I couldn't be a good father travelling around the world to make good fucking music. I couldn't even think of touring for even a week without my son.

So, I came to this conclusion; fuck my music, fuck my dreams and fuck my band. Tristan and Bella are my fucking life. If anything, I've learned in the past ten years, life without Bella had no meaning. My dreams, without Bella, had no meaning. My music meant nothing without Bella. And now, Tristan was a part of each of these sentences. My life was empty without Bella and Tristan…and if Bella would let me, I'd like to make Abbey a part of my life as well.

"You can't do this," Leah hissed. "You are bound to this band, Edward. What about the tour?"

"Nothing about the tour is finalized, is it? We only speculated about it…."

"You are under contract-"

"Leah, I know what my contract says," I said in irritation.

"Well, we object," she sneered.

"I don't-"

"Excuse me, Leah," Alice interrupted me. She held her hand toward me and pointed toward Leah with the other, "When we discussed our contracts all those years ago, we specifically made it so that if one of us decided to leave the band, they would have the freedom to do so, provided the other band-members agreed to it," she hissed toward Leah. "We didn't want to be bound to a band if we wanted out. We knew at some point that this day would come, if not Edward, then Jasper, or me."

"Without Edward, this band means nothing," Leah bellowed.

"Who said that there will still be a band?" Alice asked smugly. My head shot up in shock toward my sister and then at Jasper. He had a broad smile on his face, nodding slowly.

"What do you mean?" Leah asked in shock.

"Well, Jasper and I knew from the moment Edward met his son, that it was over. We discussed it and decided that if Edward wanted out, we won't stop him, and we will quit as well." Alice chuckled, "Call this the break-up," she giggled.

I shook my head with a chuckle.

"Ali, Jazz, you don't have to give up your dreams just because of me," I said earnestly but couldn't contain the smile that spread broadly on my face.

"We're not giving up on our dreams, Ed," Jasper answered quickly. "We're just changing them a bit."

A frown formed on my forehead.

"Edward, I'm six weeks pregnant," Alice blurted. My eyes widened in surprise. She nodded her head with a smile.

I jumped up and made my way to my sister. I grabbed her and twirled her around and around while hugging her tightly. Her melodic laughter filled the room and changed the awkward atmosphere into one of happiness…pure and blissful joy.

"I'm so happy for you," I whispered into her ear. "Congratulations. I know how long you've been trying."

I let her out of my arms as Jasper joined his wife's side. I shot my hand out to Jasper and pulled him in for a manly hug when he took my hand, patting his back. "Congrats, bro."

"Thank you," he smiled. "I'm thinking of teaching music or something like that," he explained.

"That's a brilliant idea…maybe I'll do the same," I said as the wheels in my head started turning.

"I hate to be the party pooper," Leah said, "but we still have matters to discuss."

"Oh, Leah, just get over it," Alice said. "Eclipse is over."

"What do you want me to tell the press?" she asked.

"We'll announce it to our own fans, just organize a press conference," Jasper said.

"Are you guys sure about this? The world loves you-"

"We're sure. We've had our time in this business, it's time to move on from all of this," I said.

On my part, I've never been surer about anything in my life. If I was given a chance to go back to the day Bella asked me to choose her, I would choose her without a doubt. And it wasn't just because of Tristan. No, it was because I had to live ten years without her. I had to live ten years without touching, kissing, holding and making love to her. Ten years without looking into those gorgeous brown pools, her bubbly laughter, her voice, her whispered 'I love you's'….

In those ten years, I'd been through absolute hell. I'd come to regret the choices I made. And even though I wouldn't be able to get those years back, I was sure as hell going to try my damn hardest to make Bella mine again. I would try and win her heart until my very last breath.

"Thank goodness the album is being released in two days." Leah sighed. "You know that Amped-Music is not going to be happy about this, don't you?" Leah asked.

"Tough shit," Alice giggled again.

After my meeting with the band, I had a desperate need to call my son and share the news with him, however, I wanted to surprise him. Besides, I had no clue how long I still had to stay in LA. I didn't want to get his hopes up and I still had to be here for a while.

It was the highlight of my day when I called him. Just to hear his voice over the phone made my day so much better, but it also made me miss him even more. I was eager to get this fucking band-thing over and done with.

As I dialed Charlie's number, I wondered how long Bella would be out of town. I could still hear her voice in my mind when she answered the phone last night. I almost fainted because she never answered the phone when I called Tristan. I was also surprised to learn she was out of town and my son was at Charlie's. Fucking Charlie! I was still pissed at him...

After a few rings, I sighed in relief when I heard my son's greeting and not Charlie's. My heart ached being apart from him.

"Dad, guess what?" he said excitedly after our greeting.

"No, tell me." I smiled. I could imagine how his eyes were lit up with excitement right now.

"We had to prepare a speech at school today."

"Oh, about?" I asked.

"Urm, music…anyway, I made a speech about you," he babbled on. I was surprised to hear this.

"Really? And what did you say about me?" I asked curiously.

"My speech was about your band, mostly," he chattered excitedly. "You are such an inspiration to so many people, especially a few kids in my class, and they're so jealous that you're my dad, by the way, but there's a few that don't believe me," he babbled without taking a breath.

I chuckled.

"I guess you can always show me off when I come back to Seattle," I suggested.

I heard a deep gasp. "Really? Oh man, that will be so freaking cool, Dad," he laughed. "They'll definitely believe me then, and I'll have the last laugh," he said. "Wait, you said you're coming back? When?" he asked.

I sighed. The crack in my heart deepened when I still heard the doubt in his voice.

"Tris, I promised you I would come back-"

"I know, but Mom said that I must remember that you're in a band, and that the band requires a lot of touring and stuff," he said sadly.

"Well, yeah, your mom's right." I sighed. "But, I made a promise to you and I'm keeping my promise, Tristan," I explained.

I was a little pissed at Bella for saying those things to Tristan. Was she trying to ruin the little trust I had with Tristan?

"I believe you, Dad," he said. "So, when are you coming back because I miss you so much," he sighed.

"I still have a few things to work out, but it won't take too long, I promise," I cooed. "How is Abbey doing?" I asked.

"She's fine, she's drawing pictures for you and Mom," he said.

"I can't wait to see them," I chuckled.

We discussed a few things we would do when I returned to Seattle. We said our goodbyes after almost an hour on the phone.

I desperately needed Bella's forgiveness and trust. I needed her to see that I would do anything for her and Tristan…I just hoped that deep down, under all of her bitterness and anger, she still loved me. I had to make her see that we belong together….

And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way

(November Rain – Guns 'n Roses)

OoOoOoO