I just wrote it. Louise, VC- Girl, and Cap made it shine! :-)

I can not thank you all enough for all your kind words. And for the pimpage I've seen going on. Big welcome to those who came over from recs from ADF and TLS . All the feels!

No Matter What

Chapter Six

*X*—Bella Swan—*X*

"That's … he sounds sweet."

Bella knew the words were meant to be conversational, maybe even encouraging, but she heard the doubt in Jessica's voice.

"Why'd you say it like that?"

"It's just …" Jessica's nose crinkled in thought as she tried to choose her words carefully. The last thing she wanted to do was upset or offend her new friend. However, she didn't see a way around it. "He sounds nice. The idea of him, at least. But the guy I met was kind of—not a douchebag, but …"

Bella frowned and thought back to a couple weeks before when Edward surprised her with dinner during one of her late shifts at work.

Douchebag?

She never thought she would hear someone use his name and that word in the same sentence.

"He was nice to you," Jessica continued. "He was all about you, which is great. He just didn't seem to care about anyone else around him. Maybe douche isn't the word. Maybe cold is more like it."

When she'd put it that way, Bella actually understood where Jessica was coming from. In the month since they'd started getting to know each other, Edward had revealed himself to be a pretty reserved guy.

He had the tendency to sit back, stare, and watch people as they passed by. He'd study them, but you could tell he wasn't judging. He seemed polite but didn't go out of his way to smile.

When he spoke to Bella or Briella, he had a soft aura about him. But if it was someone he didn't know, or perhaps didn't like, he kept talk of any kind to a minimum.

Maybe that's it—maybe he just didn't like Jessica.

"Well, anyway, good luck this weekend. I'm sure you'll have a great time."

"Yeah." Bella nodded. Her nerves resurfaced. "A great time. Sure."

Due to a random change, Laurent and Bella were scheduled off for the same weekend. When he asked if Bree could spend Saturday with him, she agreed without hesitation. Bella didn't want to give up her whole weekend with Bree—they had already added Laurent getting Bree one weekday as well; but a Saturday night she could do.

And she hoped to spend it with Edward.

Even though they'd talked on the phone endlessly and made outings to the park a frequent occurrence, they had yet to spend a full day or night alone together. Anxiety was starting to get the best of her, and Jessica's comments hadn't helped.

Just minutes before expressing how she felt about Edward not being a social butterfly, Jessica was oh-so-willing to point out that he and Bella might not have much in common. "It seems like all you do is hang out in 'kid friendly' environments," she had said. "What if you don't mesh well outside of that?"

She'd tried to backpedal when she realized how bitchy she sounded, but it still hung in the air and got Bella thinking.

Though it was impossible not to love the way Edward clearly adored her daughter, the thought of getting trapped in a situation where he only hung around because of her kid suddenly scared her, too. It was a selfish way to think, she realized—especially since she'd originally worried how being a single mother would get thrown back in her face when she tried to date—but she couldn't help it.

She remembered a movie she watched once, where a guy only married his girlfriend because he'd grown so attached to her son and didn't want them to move away.

Back then, she'd thought it was so stupid and selfish when the actress broke things off. Here was a decent man willing to love her child, yet all she could think about was that he didn't love her more.

Now, Bella couldn't be sure she wouldn't have done the same thing.

*X*—Edward Masen—*X*

It had been days since Edward saw the girls, so when the doorbell rang he leapt out of his chair, excited. "Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted … Bella. "Oh, hi." His smile was wide, as he craned to look behind her, and asked, "Is the princess hiding?"

That was what she was afraid of and for a fraction of a second, Bella's heart fell. Was Jessica right after all?

"Actually, it's … I'm alone. Is that okay?"

Edward's eyes lifted at her unsure tone. It wasn't one he'd heard from her before. Of course it was okay that she'd chosen to hang out with him alone. Better, in fact. As long as everything was alright. "Is Briella sick?" He wanted to make sure before he expressed how happy he was that it was, in fact, just going to be them. But then again, he admonished himself, if she were sick Bella would have just canceled altogether.

If possible, Bella's heart stammered, and fell even further. "She's fine. With her dad, actually. Um … is that okay? That it's just me? We can still go to the park or whatever, if that's really what you wanted to do." She winced at her offer, and her shoulders slumped. They'd had tense moments but never had to deal with that much awkwardness before. She didn't know how to handle it.

"Bella." Edward grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. "Trust me. I'm more than happy that you're here with me. That it's just us."

"Really?"

He rolled his eyes but said nothing else. Such a silly question. "Come in."

Edward's house was exactly how Bella would describe his personality. There was simplicity to it—black couches, wood furniture, nothing too extreme. But the elaborate and intricate paintings seemed too complex for the dwelling.

Simple yet complicated. Just like him.

"I like your place."

Edward snorted. "I've been told it doesn't mesh well together. Or something."

"I could see that."

"So you said Briella is with her dad?" He ushered them to the couch. "That's good. Does he get to see her often?"

"Not lately," Bella answered quickly. Then her shoulders squared with the need to defend Laurent. "But that's because of his new job. He's a good dad. He tries his hardest and is always there when she needs something."

"Hey." Edward raised both hands. "You don't have to defend her dad to me. Seems like he tries, right? More than I can say for my old man." Bella let out a small snort; an indication that she knew the feeling. Edward quickly picked up on it. "Judging by that little response, I take it that's more than you can say for your dad, too, huh?"

"Oh, well he's a long story. I don't want to bore you."

"You won't. Plus I have all day. If you want to talk, I'm here."

There was a different sense and vibe you got from spending time with someone face to face that you couldn't get over the phone, or with a child acting as a buffer.

As the day progressed into night they both realized spending the day together was exactly what they needed.

Edward got to see Bella in a more relaxed light. She was at ease as she lay back, unworried that Briella was two feet away getting herself into trouble. Edward didn't seem all that much different to her, or at least the differences weren't something she could place. He stayed closer than normal and never shied away from her.

But he was still Edward. Less guarded, more flirty, but still cautious.

When evening came Edward offered to take Bella to dinner, but she declined. She had enjoyed their time together too much and didn't want to disturb their little bubble.

She suggested, instead, that they stay in and cook together. To which Edward, the self-proclaimed homebody, readily agreed.

After they settled into their meal, they fell easily into what should have been difficult conversations regarding their pasts and, in Bella's case, her dad.

"We had a good relationship when I was growing up." She pushed some food around her plate. "It wasn't perfect, but what teenage daughter and father relationship is? Still, it was good up until I started dating Laurent. He was pissed. It obviously got worse when I found out I was pregnant."

Edward knew the feeling. No one liked his ex, either. Especially Rosie, and he'd wished for a second that he'd taken all her advice. Pushing the thoughts away, he wondered why Bella's dad had such a problem. "Why didn't he like him? Did he think he was a bad guy or something?"

"No. More like a black guy."

Edward scowled, and his fork clanked against his plate when he dropped it. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it means. As you see, Briella's mixed."

"And? What's that got to do with anything?"

"Exactly." Bella smiled. "She's beautiful. Amazing."

"So wait—you're telling me your dad's racist?" He wasn't sure why it surprised him so much. Racism wasn't something he was blind to. He'd just been lucky to have never heard or seen anyone experience it firsthand. He did have moments where people judged him by his own skin, but not because of the color. Because of the scars on them, and now the ink. He knew it wasn't the same.

"It was shocking." Bella continued, staring off into the distance. "I never expected blind acceptance from my father. I don't expect it from anyone. Briella will have to learn her respect from the world just like everyone else. But I have nightmares she'll be called some the things he said about her ..." she shook her head, taking in a deep breath. "There are just some battles no one should have to face. Not anymore."

Unable to find words of comfort for Bella, Edward stood up, pushed his seat back, and walked to the other side of the table.

"Come here." He pulled her up by her hand. She complied without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his waist, as he folded himself around her. He clung to her desperately, almost unaware of his strength, as he caged her in the tightest hug she'd ever experienced. He didn't want to let her go. He wanted to let her know it would be okay. And he hoped his hug said what he couldn't: whatever their battle, he'd be willing to stand with them.

As she relished the moment of affection, Bella couldn't help but let out a euphoric giggle when she felt the softness of his lips brush against her temple. As kind and loving as he was, Edward wasn't an overly affectionate guy. She loved every moment of it even though she was having a rough time breathing.

"Do you think things might be different now? I mean … since you haven't seen each other in a while?"

"I doubt it." Because it hadn't been all that long. In the way she described things to Edward, she made it seem like she hadn't seen or spoken to her father much since Briella was born. Charlie Swan didn't deserve her protection, but for some reason she didn't want to tell Edward about things that had happened recently. How, even in the face of being homeless, he still wanted nothing to do with his granddaughter. No amount of time would fix those things, no amount of excuses. "What about you and your dad …" she hedged, trying to broach what she'd learned was a sensitive subject for him. "When did you last see him?"

"Rosie's funeral."

That was another sensitive subject. Since she knew with certainty he wouldn't talk about his father, she chose what she thought might be the lesser of the two evils."Do you want to tell me about it? The accident, I mean."

"There's nothing to tell." Edward answered, his voice harsh. Bella didn't even flinch.

"It's not … you don't blame yourself or anything do you? It was an accident and …"

Edward dropped his arm, took a step back and grabbed the dishes from the table. As he walked into the kitchen, Bella followed. "I don't blame myself, no. I know I didn't kill my sister. But … it was my fault. It is my fault."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Bella repeated, unsure of what else to say. She didn't see a difference between blaming yourself for something and thinking it was your fault.

Torn, Edward regarded Bella with a blank expression. He wanted to open up to her about so many things. But he didn't want to feel judged, pitied. He didn't want to see that look on her face. "One day." He nodded, and hoped that was enough for her.

It was.

Bella knew he wasn't shutting her out. He was just asking for some time. For now, she was more than willing to give it to him.

She reached to lace their hands together—her silent gesture to let him know she understood and wasn't going to be pushy. Sighing in relief, Edward refocused the attention on their night together.

"So what did you want to do now? Should we get dessert?" He looked over at the clock, then back at her. He didn't have much in his house in the form of sweets, but it was early enough that they could still go and get something if she wanted. "You're hanging out for a little bit longer, right?"

"Yeah, I was planning on it if that's okay. But can I stay?" Bella had a soft yet hopeful look in her eyes. "Here. Can I stay with you tonight?"

So what did you think?

I've been pretty good at posting weekly teasers in my FB Group - Fics on the Lolo84 - normally on Wednesdays. So if you want an idea of what might happen before I update next weekend, that'll be the best place to check it out. :-)

Meanwhile, I got a REC!

** Grind by JonesnInDaHood Summary: Beaches and boardwalks, endless summers and sugar cones. Adulthood crept up on Bella Swan sometime ago. Can a local skater make her feel young again? **

So now, it's your turn. Lemme know what you guys are reading? : -)