AN: Here's the next chapter. All I will say is that there will be some shouting going on.
Special thanks to Claire for what she has nicknamed HCIHY's Edward:
Fucked-When-My-Daughter-Learns-I-Had-A-Baby-With-Her-Former-Nanny-Ward, its long, but he's starting to grow on me. And its really without all the pesky Dashes but ffnet is being a pain.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephenie Meyer is the be all and end all of Twilight and her characters. I'm just borrowing them for my story. No copyright infringement intended.
How Can I Help You?
Chapter 14
Confrontations and Other Surprises
OoOoO
BPOV
Edward left so he could cleanup. I was not sure that waiting with Riley was the best option. There was so much for us to discuss and we weren't going to be able to do it in one afternoon. The girls would be home before too much longer. I had to admit that I was worried about their reception. Katie would be happy, but Irina, she could be volatile. I don't know what I did to make her hate me so much, but she would flip out from my presence alone.
There were still so many people to tell about Riley. Edward had taken the news much better than I ever could have hoped for. I was not naïve enough to think that Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie would take it as well. Although I was pretty sure that Rosalie figured it out earlier in her office, and had probably already informed Emmett. That wouldn't give us much time.
I'm not sure what reaction I had been expecting from Edward, but his easy acceptance of Riley was not it. I was expecting at least some anger directed towards me. I also hadn't expected my body to be as aware of Edward the same way it always had been. He looked just as good at 37 as he had at 29. There were slight changes, the beginnings of crow's feet around his eyes, the odd white hair on his head, but he was still Edward.
Riley was fussy so I sat him on the floor to let him roam. "You are already missing your Daddy aren't you?" He pulled himself up and started walking back and forth along the sofa. He was so proud of himself. "He's just a doll, Bella. So sweet." Mrs. Cope said from the doorway. "I just wanted to check to see that you have everything you need before I head out to pick up Kate and Rini."
"We're good here." I gathered up Riley's things and put them in the diaper bag, just incase I needed to make a quick exit.
"You are going to meet your sisters, sweet boy. I hope they are nice to you."
"What do you want to tell them, Bella?" I looked over my shoulder to see Edward leaning against the wall.
"I don't really know. You didn't react the way I expected. I have no idea how Kate and Irina will take the news that they have a baby brother."
He walked over and joined me on the sofa. Riley squealed and pulled himself over to Edward.
"Oh I was shocked and angry, but I realized immediately that I could either be angry and waste more time away from you and him, or be thankful that you are home and have brought my son to me. Believe me when I say I want to know everything that happened, but I can't find it in me to be too angry, at least not enough to push you away again. I told you I had wanted it all with you and I meant it. I want us to talk everything out, figure out what went wrong and fix it. We can take everything as slow as you want, but I want you in my life. If that's not where you are, I will understand, but I will be a part of his life. I already feel a strong connection to him."
"Edward you can't possibly think that the girls will just blindly accept him. I don't want any of them to be hurt, least of all my baby." He took my hand in his. "I'm not going to let anyone get hurt." He tilted his head towards the front of the house. "I hear Shelly's car. They're back from school. You take Riley, just until the girls are in the room." Edward passed Riley back to me, which set off unhappy cries. Ry wanted his shiny new toy, his daddy.
"Dad are you here? Whose car is that in the driveway?" Kate called out as she entered the house. "We're back here, Katie. Come see who it is for yourself." Kate rushed in, kissing Edward's cheek before turning towards me. She stopped and stared before throwing herself at me. Edward grabbed Riley out of the way. "Bella, Bella, Bella! You're here. Gah! I've missed you so much." She hugged me tight before going for Riley. "Aren't you just too handsome for words?" I looked at Edward. He was smiling at his eldest fawning over his youngest.
"Dad!" The door slammed, "Whose car is that with the Cali plates? You got a girlfriend up from Los Angeles or what?"
I swallowed; my mouth felt like a desert all of a sudden. The next several minutes and possibly hours were going to be tense.
"Hey Daddy." She kissed Edward and gave him a hug. I did not miss the fact that he held onto her as she turned first to Kate and Riley, then to me.
"What are YOU doing here? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
"Irina!" "Irina Diane!" Both Edward and Mrs. Cope admonished at the same time. Irina whirled on her father, "You just can't help yourself, can you? Don't you care that she ruined our lives? She left you Dad, twice! Haven't you gotten the message yet?" She was so worked up her whole body was shaking. Kate grabbed my arm and hand, like she was trying to keep me in place.
Riley was not reacting well to Irina's tone. He started crying, his little face all scrunched up and his lower lip pouted out. Edward was trying to calm him, but it wasn't working. I stood up, Kate having to release my arm, "Let me have him, Edward. I'll take him into the kitchen for a minute to see if he'll settle down."
Kate leaned in to ask me, "You aren't leaving, right?" I shook my head at her, "Not yet. I just need to calm Ry down."
"LEAVE! Take that baby and go back where you came from. I'm sure Jake is waiting for you."
Edward looked like he was going to stroke out from her behavior. "Hey, take a deep breath, Edward. Calm down before you say something you'd regret."
I walked with Riley into the kitchen, I could still hear everything, but at least Riley was out of the line of sight and I could distract him.
This was not going to be pretty.
EPOV
I looked at Irina as Bella walked into the kitchen, and for the first time in her 14 ½ years on this planet, I had no idea who she was. This is not the same sweet little girl that refused to go to sleep unless I had read two stories and sang or played two songs for her. She was so angry and I didn't understand where it had all come from.
Kate stood up from where she had been sitting beside Bella on the sofa. "Dad, do not listen to Irina. She's been trying for years to keep you and Bella apart. She even went to Aunt Chelsea for help." I felt like I was standing on the very edge of a cliff. Nothing in my life was making sense.
"Rin? Is what Kate just said true?" She wouldn't even look at me. "She's not good for us Dad, she's just going to go back to Jake. You know she will. She left us without a word and then she left you without a phone call, email or anything. She had her husband call you to tell you the truth that she wasn't coming back; only a cold hearted bitch would do that."
The things she was saying turned my blood cold. I didn't recognize this girl.
"Katie? Will you ask Bella if you can take the baby upstairs?" Bella walked into the den as I said this to Kate. I was glad to see that Riley was alright. "Here Katie, he's got everything he could need in the diaper bag." Bella gave passed Riley to Kate and I told her to take him up to my studio. It was probably going to get very loud down here.
Once Kate had taken Riley upstairs I looked at my youngest daughter and said, "Irina Diane Cullen, what have you done?" Bella sat down beside me, and took one of my hands, squeezing it in support. The scowl that formed on Irina's face when she looked at our joined hands was what broke my tenuous hold on my temper.
"Did you or did you not lie to Bella about Mrs. Cope? Did you take a message and fail to deliver it? Did you give me a false message from Bella? Do YOU have any idea of what you have done to our family?" My voice grew louder and louder with each question. Bella leaned into me telling me to calm down. I don't know how she was staying so calm.
"Why her, Dad? She's just going to mess us up." Bella looked at her, took a breath and started asking her why she was acting this way.
"Irina, what have I done to you to make you hate me? You weren't like this when I lived here. Even when you were first upset about the possibility of there being a relationship between your father and I, you were never this hateful. We need to talk this out because whether you like me or not, whether your father and I have a romantic relationship or not, I will be in your lives and so will Riley. You will control yourself around him, you will not yell or fight and you will never strike him."
Bella smiling and happy was beautiful, but Bella in all her Mama Bear glory was simply stunning. Irina, never one to just back down, got into Bella's face so I stood to make sure no fists flew.
"You aren't my mother and you are certainly not my father. You are nothing to me so don't you dare think that you can tell me what I will or won't do. You ruin everything you touch, take your baby and go back to Jake. You don't belong here. I wish you had never met my family, my mother would still be alive if you hadn't."
Bella looked as if she had been slapped. I felt like the floor was spinning. "Rini, what do you mean? What does Bella have to do with Tanya's death? She's the reason we are all still here, baby. Bella helped keep us together." I tried to take my daughter into my arms, but she pulled away.
"You disgust me, Edward. You slept with a married woman and then she goes back to her husband, has his baby and is now coming back to you to get you to raise him and you take her back with open arms. If you needed to get laid so badly, why not call Aunt Chelsea, she's wanted to go out with you for ages. She's at least family, she loves me and Kate, and she's like Mom and nothing like your slut here."
The flat of my palm was connecting with her cheek before I even realized it. Irina's eyes filled with tears. "You're going to choose your whore over your own daughter? I HATE YOU!" She ran out of the room and up the stairs. I immediately felt remorse for striking her, but the filth she was spewing… it was too much. Bella sat there trying to hold herself together.
"She really hates me, Edward. I never believed it was this bad. I can't disrupt your life like this. I think I should get Riley and go."
Panic set in at the thought that she was going to disappear again, this time taking Riley with her.
"NO! Please Bella, please don't leave. You and Riley are part of our lives now. You can't just introduce me to my son and then take him and leave like today was nothing. I want us to work this all out. Kate is going to be happy about Riley and I have to believe that Irina will be as well. She may act out at first, but we've got to talk all of this through. Just don't give up on us yet."
Bella was pacing the floor of the den. "Things are just so intense now. Shouldn't we wait to tell them? I really don't want her to completely lose it." I grabbed her hand stopping her motion and pulled her to me. "I have to believe that my little girl is still in there. I think she will take it better than you expect. I want to get all of the secrets out in the open, first with the girls, then with the rest of my family." What I wanted was to shout the news, yet Bella was right to be concerned with how Irina would react. I wouldn't allow her to hurt Bella or Riley, but I am hopeful that the news will help break down this wall Irina has around her.
I pulled Bella behind me as we made our way up to my music studio. Kate was sitting at the piano with a laughing Riley on her lap, banging away on the keys. Kate smiled as she teased. "I think he has a great musical ear. He's been banging on this for a while now."
I motioned for Bella to join Kate and Riley. "I'm going to speak to Irina for a little while, and then bring her up here because there are some things we all need to go over."
I kissed Katie's cheek, ruffled Riley's hair and stared at Bella for a little too long. "We'll be back here soon." I quickly jogged down to the second floor and knocked on Irina's door.
"Rini, we need to talk." She opened the door and nodded her head at me before climbing up onto her bed and leaning against her headboard. She motioned for me to sit.
"There is so much to say, but first I wanted to remind you of something. Rin, no matter what, I am your father and I will always love you." She looked at me and I could see the red mark on her cheek. "I'm sorry for hitting you, Irina. I never want to hurt you, but you pushed too far. You were raised to show your elders respect.
Now I want to address a few things you said earlier. Why do you think Bella is in anyway responsible for your mother's death? What, is it because she babysat for us that weekend? We would have been on that trip anyway, only you and your sister would have been in the car as well."
She was shaking her head. "That's not it. I know all about Bella's plans for you and Mom. She wanted Mom out of the way so she could make her move on you. She's the one that convinced you to turn off the life support machines. Mom was getting better, she could have come home to us eventually, but you let your dick make decisions for you."
I wanted to shake some sense into her. "Watch your mouth. Rini, Bella had nothing to do with me taking Tanya off of life support. Baby, before Bella even got to the hospital, the doctors told me that your mother was gone. The machines kept her blood pumping so that we had time to say our goodbyes and kept her organs viable for donation. She saved so many other people the day she died, that's what she wanted. Bella was just there to support and to help us. Do you remember what I was like those first few weeks? I don't, but Grandma and Grandpa were ready to remove you and your sister from my care until Bella volunteered to help us by taking on your care." My daughter had such an uncertain look upon her face.
"That is not what I heard, Dad." At least I was back to Dad. "Are you sure you are not just protecting her?" I took Irina's face in my hands and made her look me in the eye. "I know it for a fact. Bella loved your mom. Do you really think I would ever be involved with someone that would hurt any of you? Please tell me where you heard all of this 'information'." She broke contact with me, pulling away. "Aunt Chelsea told me a few years ago. Kate and I were visiting Grandma and Grandpa while you were working in LA. We had gone shopping with Grandma Esme and she ran into us. Grandma was polite as always and when Aunt Chelsea asked if we could stay at her house, Grandma said it would be alright for one night. I don't remember how Bella came up, but she couldn't believe that you let us, well let Kate still have contact with her. That's when she told us about Mom's accident and how Bella was trying to get you away from Mom's 'control'."
I was finally going to kill the bitch. After everything she did, every stunt she pulled before I told Tanya what had been going on, this is the lowest she could ever stoop. She fed lies to my children about a woman that only ever loved them, that had loved their mother and would have helped them to hold onto her memory better than they have. I was going to make a house call to one Chelsea Denali and she'd regret ever meeting me.
"Irina, will you wait here for a minute. I really need you to hear something from Bella about your Aunt Chelsea." I ran back up the stairs. In my studio, Bella was listening as Kate played a lullaby. Riley was sleeping on a blanket, lying on the floor next to the sofa.
"Bella I want you to hear something from Irina, and I need you to tell her about Chelsea."
"Dad is this about the BS that Aunt Chelsea tried to feed us about you and Bella turning Mom's life support off so that you could be together? Rini should never have listened to that crap." Bella looked at me and I just nodded. "Katie, we'll be up in a bit. Do you mind watching Riley for a little longer?" She just shooed us away and kept playing softly.
As we walked down, I filled Bella in on everything that Irina had just told me.
"So you think this is the reason that she hates me so much?"
"Maybe not the entire reason, but it's a large part of it." I walked into Irina's room, but Bella hesitated at her door.
"Irina, do you mind if I come in to speak with you for a minute?" Bella was giving her some control of the situation. I sighed with relief when my baby girl asked her to come in.
"Rin, what you were told by Chelsea was completely false. There is a reason that your mom and I stopped inviting her to join the family after that last Thanksgiving we were all together."
Bella looked to Irina, saying, "Chelsea is the last person you should ever listen to, Irina. Your mom told her not to contact your family ever again after that Thanksgiving. You don't have to believe me or even your dad, but would you believe your Aunt Alice? She'll be happy to tell you all about it, and even add a few other stories. Chelsea had been hitting on your father since college. She didn't care he was married to her cousin, or that he was happy with his family. Alice and I walked in on her threatening your father with a made up story about an affair he was carrying on with me. She did this because your dad was finally going to tell your mother what her cousin had been doing all along."
Irina looked over at Bella. "Ok so say I believe you about Aunt Chelsea. What about the fact that you just dropped us. You were there every day and then you were gone. Dad was sad, Kate cried and cried and I felt like I had lost Momma all over again."
Irina started to cry. God had I really started all of this that day in the woods, the day I made the biggest mistake of my life? I'll never be able to make it up to her, to any of them.
Bella was about to answer when I squeezed her hand to get her attention and shook my head no. I needed to tell her this.
"Baby girl… that wasn't Bella's decision, I did that. I pushed her away by telling her horrible lies so she would hate me and leave. I wanted to do what was right for all of us, and I wanted Bella to leave for school like she was supposed to. I wanted her to leave and forget me, to forget about all of us. I wanted her to find someone to make her happy."
"But Dad, we made her happy. You were your old self around Bella."
Could she really not remember? Bella looked as confused as I was in the way Irina was questioning me about why Bella left.
"Do you not remember why I ended things with Bella? You were so distraught over walking in on …"
"Yeah, yeah, no need to remind me of that. I won't ever forget that, but Dad I was over that after a few days. Kate missed Bella and you were so sad."
"I needed to concentrate on you girls. It wasn't the time for me to be selfish."
Bella looked at us with her soulful brown eyes. "I didn't want to leave you and Kate without saying anything, Irina, but your dad thought it was best at that time. I did contact you and Kate to apologize for leaving the way I did, granted it was a month later, but I couldn't handle it before then. You and your sister mean so much to me. I want us to get along. Maybe one day we can get back to the type of relationship we once had. Right now all I ask is that you respect my presence here, and that you please control your temper, especially around Riley."
"What's the deal with him, anyway? I can't believe Jake just let you leave with his son. He was always so possessive of you, I can't believe he willing let you go."
BPOV
Hmmm…. I wonder…
Is it possible Irina will tell us what she knows? What she did? She had to have spent some time speaking with Jake to have gotten that impression from him. Edward was looking at Irina with a relieved look on his face. I hated to burst his bubble of assumption, but all was not right with the world just yet.
"Rin, how much time did you actually spend talking with Jacob? How did you even get in touch with him?" Edward jumped into questioning her, about her involvement with Jake, before I could. She fidgeted looking between both Edward and I.
"He called here, when Mrs. Swan was in the hospital, looking for Bella. I guess she wasn't answering her cell phone and neither was Chief Swan. I told him she had not been to our house, but that you had gone over to Seattle to visit Bella's mom. Jake told me that he and Bella had had a fight and she was 'punishing' him by wanting a divorce. He said it would never happen because he was sure she was pregnant and it was just the hormones talking." She looked to me, "We talked a little about your life in California and I told him that if he needed help with you to call."
Oh yeah, I would be making a call to Jacob before too much longer, he'd be lucky if I don't fly back down to Sacramento with my Dad's shotgun. I looked from Irina to Edward. There was no way to explain how wrong what Jake had said was, without telling her about Riley. Edward obviously realized this, because he looked at me and nodded for me to go on with the story.
"I don't know exactly why Jake was calling here, but I promise you that I was not under the influence of pregnancy hormones. I was not punishing him for a fight, either. We had just separated and were talking about starting divorce proceedings when I got the call about my mom. We made each other miserable and our marriage just didn't work out. I didn't find out I was pregnant until almost 4 weeks after I returned to Sacramento. At that time I was just over 6 weeks into my pregnancy. Jake lied to you when he called here, he made up a story about a pregnancy not knowing that it was real at the time. Irina, that day that I called here looking for your father, the day I told you I needed to speak to him urgently, I wasn't calling to check on him, or check to see if what you told me about his new love was real. I was calling to tell him I was pregnant. I wanted my baby's father to be in his life, regardless of whether or not we continued our relationship." I saw the moment she comprehended what I had just told her, but continued speaking, not letting her say anything just yet. "When I didn't hear back from your dad, when my emails went unanswered, I thought maybe you were telling the truth and Edward had found someone new and pushed me from his life again." Edward flinched when I said that. "When I couldn't hide the fact that I was suffering from morning sickness from Jake any longer, I confessed that I was pregnant, he reacted with such joy, making plans for us and the baby. It was exactly the way I had hoped your father would have reacted. I just went along with Jake; I was scared to go through it alone. I never should have stayed. I wish I had just come home to confront Edward. Riley deserved to have his father with him every minute, and to know his sisters."
"The baby is Dad's? OH. MY. GOD!" I flinched as she screeched that out. Edward looked at me then at Irina.
"Rin? Look at me…" She had tears flowing down her face.
"You have a whole new family now Daddy, you won't need us anymore." For a minute she looked exactly how she did when she was a scared six year old, afraid her Daddy had replaced her Mommy.
"Irina, no! You and Kate are my life. Remember what I told you earlier, I'm your father and I will always love you. I wish I had known about Riley before now and I wish I could have been there for Bella, but we can't change that, all we can do is move forward. We are a family. We may be completely dysfunctional at times, but a family nonetheless. Is it possible for you to be civil towards Bella?"
I watched as Edward sat, speaking with Irina. I still had so many questions about everything. How was it possible that both Edward and I made numerous calls and sent emails, but neither of us was able to get through to the other? What other lies had Irina been fed not only by Jake, but Chelsea as well? Is it even going to be possible for Irina and I to reforge the relationship we once had?
I really wanted to check on Riley. I felt the need to just be near him. "Edward, I'm going up to make sure Kate and Riley are alright. We need to tell Kate now that Irina knows. I really hope we can eventually get back the relationship we once had, Irina." I moved toward the door, ready to see my baby.
"Bella? May I go up with you to see Riley?" Irina asked, looking unsure of whether she should ask. Edward stood and walked over to me, whispering in my ear, "I don't think she's going to hurt him." Then he spoke louder, "Let's all go up to the studio. We should tell Kate the news, then all we have to worry about is telling Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, Em and Rose."
Oh, God, it wasn't going to get any easier.
We walked upstairs, Irina leading the way. She walked into the studio and I saw Kate rush over to Riley. "Back off Rin, he's still sleeping. Let him alone."
Edward and I walked into the room, his hand on my back guiding me. "Kate will you have a seat, please? There is something that Bella and I need to tell you." We all settled into the small sitting area around Riley.
"Kate, there's something you need to know about Riley and Bella." Edward began.
"He's yours isn't he Daddy?"
My jaw dropped, Edward moved his mouth, looking like a fish, opening and closing it with no words.
"I…how…you…you know?"
Kate just laughed and ran from the room returning quickly carrying a scrapbook.
"I have been helping Grandma organize all of the family pictures into scrapbooks. This one is full of pictures of Dad when he was little." She opened the scrapbook up to a page and pointed out several pictures. The last being a picture of Edward as a baby, he looked to be about a year old in the picture. The resemblance to Riley was unmistakable, from the eyes to the unmanageable cowlicks. The only difference was the hair color. I really wanted to know how Kate felt about it.
"What are you thinking, Katie? I know it's a lot to process." I looked at Irina; she was just looking at Riley, watching him sleep. I caught the movement as she brushed a hand over his hair. I had a flicker of hope that she was going to accept this, accept him. Kate sat herself in my lap, squeezing my neck.
"You belong here with us Bella. You always have. He's such a good baby. We can turn the old playroom into a nursery for Riley and I will gladly babysit anytime you and Dad want to go out alone. I'll show Rini how to change diapers…"
"Whoa, whoa, Kate slow down. Having a room here for Riley will be great, but we aren't going to be living here. Riley and I are moving into the cottage that is next door to Rosalie and Emmett's house. We will be close by and you are more than welcome to visit anytime."
She looked like I kicked her puppy.
"Dad? Why isn't Bella going to live here? You have a baby for crying out loud. Marry her!"
Edward shook his head, chuckling at her. "Katie honey, you don't know how glad I am that you're so happy about this, but Bella just moved back and is getting settled. We still have so much to talk through. We're taking things one step at a time. And sweetheart, I can't marry Bella, yet, she's still married."
I looked at him, "Yes, I'm still married to Jake, but my divorce should be finalized within 30 days. The papers have already been filed. Kate I know you are excited, but you need to realize it wasn't just you and Irina that learned about Riley today. Your dad only learned about him today as well. We need to take things really slowly. That's something he and I have never been good at, so it's going to be a learning process. The last thing I want is for any of us to be hurt by rushing things."
Edward took his daughters' hands. "Girls, you know how fast gossip spreads here in Forks, so please try to ignore anything you may hear about me, Bella, your mom, anything. If someone says something to either of you, or is mean towards you, let me know. This won't be an easy time for any of us."
Irina pulled away from Edward. "I'm going to try, Dad. I won't let anyone say anything bad about my family… that includes my baby brother. Bella, I'm sorry for what I've done and the way I've acted. It wasn't that I wanted Dad to be alone, but at first I was worried about forgetting Mom, then hurt because you left that way and after what Chelsea said, I just turned it all onto you. I've got a lot of anger built up in me, so I want to apologize now for the next time I lash out at you. I am going to try to break that habit."
I knew it was going to take time with Irina. Edward told us he was going to set up a family therapy session with Maggie or Liam for everyone to get any concerns out and he wanted all of us to be there. We had the time now to make sure every issue would be addressed.
The four of us sat surrounding my sleeping son, the newest Cullen, talking about what to expect in the coming days and weeks. I would be moving into the cottage in the next few days, and starting my job at the Weekly.
"I start at the paper next Monday. I've got to find a sitter for when I need to be at the office."
"What about Shelly? She's great. Couldn't she take care of Riley?" Irina suggested this, taking me by surprise. I looked over at Edward asking, "Do you think she would mind?"
"I'll talk to her, but I bet she's going to be ecstatic about it. She loves babies."
"You'll have to baby proof the house. Riley is mobile so he's going to be into everything."
Later as he walked me out, carrying a now wide awake and happy Riley, I noticed his expression was sad.
"What's wrong, Edward?" He looked at me saying, "I've missed so much. He's already starting to walk. I don't want to miss any more of his firsts." I watched as he deftly fastened Riley into his car seat. You wouldn't think to look at him that he hadn't done that task in over 12 years. "You won't miss anything else. I'm here for good. I'll be moving into the cottage next to Em and Rose and you can see Riley whenever you want to. I want you and Ry to be close."
I was hoping he could see the sincerity in my face.
"Bella…" I looked up into his eyes. "Riley is not the only one I wanted to spend time with. I don't want to miss anymore time with you. I've missed you." He pulled me into his arms, just holding me close. "Me too, Edward, I've missed you too. We have to take this slow, ok. I'm hoping that Irina will be alright with all of this, eventually, but it's going to take time. I've got to speak to Jake." Edward tensed, squeezing me tighter. "I don't know if he will tell me everything or if he'll even tell me the truth, but I have got to find out. You still have my cell number, right?"
He nodded. "Good, call me in the morning when you get up, let's meet for breakfast, talk some more."
"Sure, I'm up around 7, is that too early to call?" I shook my head at him. "Riley is usually up around that time. Call me and we'll make plans."
Edward kissed my cheek helping me into the car, and then said goodnight. I looked back to see him watching as I drove away.
Dad was waiting for us when I walked through the door. "Have you been looking at apartments this whole time?" He took Riley from me as I set the diaper bag down.
"No, I found a place pretty quickly. Rose and Emmett McCarty have a cottage they renovated that's next to their house. It's perfect for me and Riley. We spent the rest of the day over at the Cullen house. Edward came into Rose's office to bring her lunch as I was finishing the paperwork and we've been talking ever since."
Charlie POV
I swear she's going to cause me to have a heart attack one of these days. She's really just going to leave me with that news? Bella was already in the kitchen preparing dinner and not volunteering information.
"So what happened, Bells?"
She sighed, but looked like she was relaxed, that had to be a good sign right?
"We talked, Dad. There have been a lot of major miscommunications and outside forces working against us, which we are still trying to sort out, but we talked. He knew as soon as he saw Riley. He didn't go ballistic and threaten to take him away from me, we got some things straightened out and told his daughters. That was interesting."
Okay it sounds good so far, but… "Wait, what about his girlfriend? Does she know?"
"That's part of the 'outside forces' issue that we are trying to figure out, Dad. There never was a girlfriend."
I'm beginning to think Forks needs to find a film crew. This town is turning into a daytime soap. Hey don't look at me like that, Renee watched them religiously.
"No girlfriend? So why did he stop calling?"
Bella set a plate on the table for me. She took the baby and put him in his highchair before saying, "He didn't stop. He tried to reach me like I had tried to reach him. We never received the other's calls or emails. We don't know why, but it's one of the things we are going to try to figure out tomorrow."
"You're seeing him again tomorrow? Bella…don't you think you should give it some time?"
What was she thinking? If people see her with Edward Cullen so soon after arriving back in town, the gossip mill will get cranking and rumors will start to fly.
"Dad, Edward is going to come by in the morning and we are taking Riley out for breakfast. We have things that we still need to work out and Edward wants to spend time with his son. Don't worry about the gossips, Dad. We've already discussed it and decided to face everything head on."
I was really afraid of the next question I was about to ask her. She could either have a bad reaction or I could hear something I wasn't ready for.
"Are you two back together?" I was so going to have to bring him down to the station for that conversation with my shotgun.
"We aren't together, but the feelings are still there. We are taking time for this to develop. There is so much we have to consider, it's not just Bella and Edward now and we have to think of Katie, Irina, and Riley. I also need to call Jake and make him tell me what he knew, when he knew it as well as what he did."
What? When? Who?
"JAKE? What does he have to do with this?"
She looked at me and I swear the last time I saw that look was on my mother's face the morning after my high school prom, when she asked me where I had been all night.
"That, Dad, is just what I intend to find out."
OoOoO
So, the girls know. Bella and Edward confronted Irina, and there was a blowout.
Do you think Bella is being too forgiving towards Irina? Jake and Chelsea had better watch their backs.
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