Edward~

Emmett nailed another step in place and looked at me funny, "You want to do what?" I repeated my idea again for him, "I want to start a construction company." I said. Lilly was playing outside with her bear. I could see her from where I was standing. She wanted a tour of the house and I fully intended to give her one as soon as I pitched my idea to Em.

"Edward, you don't know anything about construction. That's why I am remodeling your house." he pointed out the obvious. A shit eating grin spread over my face, "I don't want to do it alone. I want you to be my partner." I sat down beside him, "You wanted to own your own business, didn't you?" I rested my folded arms on my knees. "Well yeah but Edward it takes a lot of money to do something like that. I don't have that kind of money." I nodded in agreement. "I do though and I have a feeling when all this will stuff is taken care of I'll have even more. Plus as long as the book is in print I'll keep getting checks from that. We could do this Em. We could give the town of forks a home repair business that will offer them fair prices with quality materials. After what I did to this town it's the least I could do." it was time I gave something back to the town of Forks. I owed them this much.

"It's an honorable idea Edward but I don't have the buy in money. I will never have that kind of money." Emmett said. I smiled, "Em ever since I came back here you have been consistently supportive. You've been an excellent friend to me and I owe you this. I want to do this." I slapped him on the back. His brow furrowed,

"you want me to work for you?" he said. I laughed,

"No. I want you to be my partner. I'll handle the money, you'll handle the labor."

"I don't know. It's a lot of money." Em said.

"Money is nothing to worry about. Just think about it, okay?" I asked. He nodded. I smiled and stood up to go outside and get Lilly. I wanted her to see the house.

Bella~

Rose drove us to Port Angeles for dinner and a movie after what felt like hours of Alice doing my make up. I never understood why I was expected to sit through the hours of primping for dinner and a movie. Alice insisted it was all part of the girls night experience. I wasn't in the mood to argue with her or anyone else. It was stupid to let Edward kiss me because now I couldn't get the feeling of his lips off mine. I swore his sweet scent was still all around me no matter how many showers I took. My emotions were battling inside me. I had kissed Edward and felt more in those moments than I had felt in seven years. It was like being woken up from a coma and then slapped in the face a moment later. I could still hear Jakes words in my head. I felt alone, lost, confused and I didn't know if telling my friends everything would make it better or worse. We were seated at a small Italian restaurant waiting for the bottle of wine we ordered. Rose was silent. She had so much on her mind. I felt terrible that her dream had ended and I could be to blame. She had told me it wasn't my fault. She said it wasn't anyone's fault but seeing her so sad made me feel like it was my fault. It was my ex-boyfriend that did this to her. Alice was bubbly and full of energy as usual. She eyed both of us as the waiter poured red wine in our glasses and took our orders. Mushroom ravioli for me, steak Alfredo for Rose and Alice was having spaghetti and meatballs. I drank my wine, not sipped it, drank it. Probably a little to fast because my stomach was empty and my head was starting to feel numb. Something I discovered along time ago was that numb was always better than pain. I remembered pain and I could say without a doubt that numb was better. Alice blew out a breath and sat back in her chair,

"Some girls night this is turning into. I am out with mopey one and mopey two." she mumbled. Rose moaned unhappily,

"I'm sorry. I am just kicking myself for wasting so much time on that place. It's so stupid but I really did love it and now it feels like my dream is over." I sympathized with her. I knew what it was like to lose a dream.

"You are still young! We all are! There is still time to do whatever you want in life. This isn't the end. It's a new beginning." Alice said to her. I wanted to roll my eyes but didn't. Alice couldn't help being an optimist. Alice offered Rose her hand and she took it, giving it a little squeeze. "

I know exactly what you mean, Rose. I can't believe this is my life." a lump rose in my throat. I poured another glass of wine and drank it down quickly.

"You have a nice life." Alice said her brow furrowed in confusion.

"I love my daughter. I wouldn't trade her for anything but the rest of it...I don't know." I said softly. Rose reached for my hand, I let her take it.

"Tell us what's wrong. Please." Rose squeezed my fingers gently. I blew out a breath and began, "a month ago life was simple. Lilly, you guys, Dad, the coffee house and now it's like everything is the same but radically different. It's so confusing." I kept my eyes on the table cloth,

"For seven years I've fantasied about Edward coming back to town. For seven years I've envisioned how it would be. In my perfect version he comes back and is overcome with feelings for me and he wants me. Not Lilly, not our friends, just me. It's selfish and it's stupid but that's what I wanted." I closed my eyes for a moment and fought the urge to cry.

"Honey he does want you." Alice reminded me softly. I laughed harshly and looked up at the ceiling, "No. he wants Lilly. He thinks he has to take us both to get her and if he were any other man in my life he'd be right but I really wanted him to just see me. Just me. I cant decide what's worse. Him being here and faking his feelings for me to see my kid or him being in New York not thinking about me at all. I honestly think I'd rather have him be gone. Him being here is killing me." I sniffed and wiped my tears away,

"Rose I am so sorry I am going on like this. You've had a seriously shitty twenty four hours and I am whining about Edward." Rose smiled and squeezed my hand again,

"I think your issues are way bigger than the bar." Alice's back stiffened,

"Is that what Jake told you last night? He told you Edward only wanted Lilly?" I sniffed again and poured myself some more wine,

"He was just telling me how it looked from the outside and he's right. Edward didn't see me at his Dad's funeral. I was less than a foot from him. I could of reached out and touched him and he didn't even see me. Before he came here he wouldn't of known me if I was walking down the street and now he is staying here forever and he loves my kid and my kid loves him. Which effectively means I am going to have to deal with him until she turns eighteen. Eventually he will fall in love with someone else and I'll have to watch that too." my breath came hard and fast in my chest. I slammed my hand down on the table,

"Why am I the only one suffering between the two of us? Why does he get my kid? And why does he get to fall in love with someone else when the only one I've ever loved is him? He ruined my life and now he gets to have a life here, in my town with my friends and my kid and my frickin house!" I balled my hand up into a fist and hit the table,

"It's not fair! This isn't fair. It's all so unfair." Alice rolled her eyes,

"Bella he isn't going to fall in love with anyone else. He loves you."

"Yeah he loves me so much." I said sarcastically.

"He does Bella. You can see it when he looks at you. It was the same look he would get whenever you walked down the hallway in school. Like lust and love and utter adoration all rolled into a single look." Alice said quietly. I wiped my eyes and put my napkin back in my lap,

"Whatever. I don't even think I believe in true love anymore. Soul mates. True love. It's all bull shit. That's why my Dad has been alone for over twenty years. He knows it's crap too. I am just going to live with Dad forever and when Lilly is grown up we will be two grown loveless losers living in Forks until we die." the mental image came into my mind of Dad and I sitting in front of the flat screen watching baseball until one of us died. It was almost as depressing as my revaluation that Edward will fall in love with someone else. The waiter brought our meals and we were all silent as we ate. I didn't really eat. I cut my food up and pushed it around my plate while I drank the contents of our second bottle of wine for the evening. Rose finished first and pushed her plate out of the way. She folded her arms across the table and looked at me earnestly,

"What happened to bring all this on? Was it just Jake or was there more to this than we know?" I downed the rest of my glass of wine, trying to ignore Rose's question. Alice pushed her plate away and leaned in towards me,

"I think there's more....." they waited patiently for me to confess to them what I had done.

"He kissed me last night." I said softly. Rose sucked in a shocked breath. Alice giggled happily.

"So?" Rose inquired.

"So what?" I said clearly irritated.

"How was the kiss?" Alice said with a beaming smile. I thought it over for a moment. I could almost feel him on my skin again.

"None of the sex I've had in the last two years was as hot as that kiss. I thought my body was going to explode." I looked up at the ceiling and noticed it was spinning. It was in this moment I realized I was very drunk and was very glad I hadn't touched my dinner.

"Why didn't you guys....you know..." Rose said. I put my hand over my eyes leaning my head back against my chair,

"I was on the dining room table with my legs around his waist. If my father and daughter hadn't been sleeping upstairs I probably would of lost my mind and done him right there." I laid my arm across my eyes and willed the room to slow down. Alice laughed,

"You almost had sex with Edward in the chiefs dining room? Nice!" I shook my head,

"It's not going to happen again. I'll make sure of it. I can't take this feeling." I knew kissing Edward again would be bad. For me and for him and everyone involved. I couldn't let it happen again.

"I think you should sleep with him and get it out of your system." Rose said and smiled. Rose and Emmett found sex to be a cure all to most things. It was right up there with aspirin and antibiotics.

"Sex does not fix everything." I reminded her.

"Most things." Rose shrugged.

"Rose she can't just sleep with him. Her feelings are involved." Alice reminded her gently.

"Thank you Al." I said.

"Now if she wanted to make out with him a little like horny high schoolers that's a totally different story." Alice said. Both she and Rose broke out into a fit of laughter. I moaned,

"Will you two please just take me home? I think I've had enough female bonding for one night."

"Sure Sweetie. I'll keep Lilly for you tonight too." Alice said happily. I remembered who she was with and looked at Alice seriously, "Not a word to Edward. Pick my kid up. Be polite and that's it. No meddling." I warned her. She put her hands up in surrender.

It didn't take us long to get back to my house with Rose driving. Alice was parked at Rose's house so the plan was for them to walk me to the door and then head back there. They asked me several times to come back there and crack open a bottle of wine with them but I had had enough and knew it was time for bed. When we pulled up in front of my house I noticed an unfamiliar car in the drive way. My brow furrowed and it gave Alice the opportunity to say what I was thinking. "I thought the chief was going out tonight." I stared at the parked car trying to decide who it belonged too. "oh my god, Bella. What if the chief has a girl in there?" Rose giggled. The thought of it made my stomach flip. My Dad didn't date. He was a dateless, loveless loser like me and if he was dating he might actually like her and want to do something stupid like move in with her or get married. I bit my lower lip trying to decide what to do. I laughed, "No. the chief doesn't date. We are lone wolves. I am going in the house. Night guys." I got out of Rose's car and stumbled up the steps. The front door was unlocked. The lights in the main living room were off but there was movement in the room. It sounded like clothing rustling over furniture fabric. I squeezed my eyes shut tight and flipped the light switch on by the front door. The rustling stopped. I opened one eye slowly. My Dad was in a full on make out embrace with Sue Clearwater.

"Oh dear god." I said. There was nothing else to say. I was to drunk and strung out on my emotions to deal with them in this moment. I very quickly turned and ran up the steps. I stumbled and fell with a thud twice before I made it to my room. I shut the door behind me.

"Ew. Ew ew ew ew!" I said out loud to the empty room. I sat down on my bed and put my head in my hands. I heard someone pull out of the driveway. A moment later my Dad came in my room.

"Are you okay?" he asked me. I forced myself to be a mature adult and look at him. His cheeks were flushed and pink from making out or the embarrassment of being caught, I wasn't sure which.

"I'm fine Dad." I mumbled. He ran rubbed the back of his neck and sighed,

"You've probably got questions. I'm um sure I would if it was my Dad. I'll be downstairs if you want to talk." he turned and walked away from my door. I blew out a breath and followed slowly behind him.

I sat numbly in the kitchen. My dad pulled a beer from the fridge for himself and one for me. He slid mine to me. I popped the top on it. He stood across from me leaning on the counter sipping his beer slowly.

"So um how long has this been going on?" I asked him. I took a big drink of vitamin R and sat the can down on the counter.

"Three months give or take. We ran into each other and it just sort of happened. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." he took another big drink of his beer keeping his eyes down.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I wondered out loud. I took a long pull off the beer and waited a long moment for his answer.

"I started to a few times but then Edward Sr died and Edward came back to town. I didn't want to make your life anymore complicated than it had to be. I know this is weird for you." Dad rubbed the back of his neck staring at the ceiling.

"it's weird but fine. I didn't know you were dating..." I racked my brain for signs over the last few months but everything seemed ordinary.

"I wasn't....I mean I haven't before..." he shrugged not knowing what else to say.

"Are you in love with her?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes." he said softly. Tears filled my eyes because of the next question I had to ask, "You want to marry her don't you?" I fought back the sob rising in my chest.

"Eventually, yes. Bell's you have to understand this wasn't easy for me. I am still very much in love with your mom and I think about her all the time. A lot of things have to happen before I can marry Sue." he came around the counter and sat down across from me. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand,

"Like what?" I said. He smiled wide which was unusual for Dad,

"Well I want her to get to know you and Lilly. I need to spend some time with Leah and Seth. She's got kids too that don't know anything about us. It hasn't been long since their Dad passed and well we don't want to be disrespectful to his memory." I nodded slowly,

"Well I'm happy for you if this is what you want." I couldn't tell him what I really felt. It was to selfish to say he was leaving me all alone and he was interfering with my plan of us being old dateless losers together. He stood up and opened his arms for me. I walked into them and let him hold me. I pulled away and went upstairs before I started crying again.

Edward~

Lilly and I had a great day together. She was so beautiful and smart. I showed her the house. She gave me decorating tips. I told her she could come over and help me paint when the time came. She happily agreed and told me what colors each room should be. Bella and I discussed decorating the house a million times and Lilly's ideas were very close to Bella's. I reached out and gently moved a lock of bronze brown hair off her face. She looked more like Bella when she was sleeping. Alice picked Lilly up. I was disappointed I didn't get to see Bella but Alice said she wasn't feeling well so they took her home. Alice tool Lilly back to her place for the night so Bella could rest. The urge to go and see if Bella was in her back yard was over whelming but I had another matter to attend to. I had to open the box. I paced back and fourth in front it. It was sitting in the middle of my bed at my Mom's house. I held the key tightly in my fist and tried to muster the courage to open it. I sat down on the bed and pulled the box into my lap. It was small but it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. My hand shook when I slid the key into lock and turned it. The sound of latch popping made me jump. I pushed the lid back and on top was a copy of his will. I pushed it to the side and underneath were yellowed news paper clippings. I held one under the light. It was my birth announcement. I put it to the side and picked up the next one. It was Lilly's. The third one I picked up was Alice's. I read it over twice to make sure it was the same Alice. My Alice. Why in the hell was he holding on to Alice's birth announcement? I picked up his will and skimmed over it not really knowing what I was reading. I folded it back up and placed it in the lid of the box. That's when I saw the envelopes, four of them. One for me, one for Lilly, One for Bella and one for Alice. I picked mine up and opened it.

"My dearest son, if you are reading this I am gone. I regret not being able to tell you these things in person but what I have to say your mother wouldn't allow you to hear. As I am sure you know by now, you have a daughter. Lilly is a joy and everything I could of asked for in a grand daughter. What you probably haven't heard yet....what your mother doesn't want you hear is that a long time ago, before we could of ever known how your life would of unfolded I had a laps in judgment. I fathered a child with another woman. What's worse is that I'm not sorry. I loved her. I loved your mother too. I couldn't chose between them so I choose honor and stayed with my wife. I was banned from seeing my child, my daughter, Alice." I dropped the letter on to the bed. My mouth gaped. Alice was my half sister.

A/n- thank you for all the reviews and favorites! I worked hard on this chapter. I have to say it's one of my favorite things I've ever written. I hope you enjoy it. Show your love with reviews!