Chapter One—Rooftop Confessions

Gazing at my tiny baby girl lying on Edward's chest in the glider rocker across the room, both of them fast asleep, I stood in the doorway, simply watching them. It was the first quiet moment I could remember in the eight weeks since her arrival and I took advantage of the moment to reflect on the last year or so that had passed.

Never in my life would I have imagined my world so drastically turned up on its end, and all before the age of eighteen.

The night I sat in that bathroom, holding the long white stick between both of my fists, I was petrified to let go and turn it over. My parents would kill me. They were under the impression that their little girl was still a virgin and the only male contact she had was with their geeky next door neighbor—the Cullens' boy. No worries there. I could already hear my mother crying about how she wanted something different for me than what she had, even though she claimed to have no regrets. I could see my dad's stern face, trying to come across angry while I watched his heart breaking through his eyes.

And then, there was Jasper. He would be graduating in June and going off to college, and things hadn't even been mediocre between us in months. Lots of fighting and confusion of where we would stand with each other once he left. I was a junior with another year left of high school; honestly, we saw the breakup coming long before that afternoon. And after that, the last thing he would want was to be tied down to Forks by me with a kid. Especially with the accusations that came along with said breakup.

My only consoling thought was that I did still have that "geeky boy next door", my best friend of more than ten years, Edward. I felt horrible over him getting caught in the middle of the fight between me and Jasper, and all over stupid rumors being spread about the two of us by Edward's newly ex-girlfriend, Heidi. Completely baseless, but Edward ended up with a split lip anyway and I got dumped in the school parking lot.

I intended on going over to Edward's house right after school, but when I saw Dr. Cullen's car in the driveway way earlier than it should have been, I decided to wait. I only hoped that they weren't being too hard on him for the "F" on his Biology report that day or the "fight."

However, that left me with a lot of time on my hands to think that night as well. My period was ten days late, when my body usually ran like clockwork. The last time Jasper and I had been together was a few weeks before, and it was a heat of the moment kind of thing, realizing too late that we hadn't used protection. I told him I'd gotten my period the week before so he would stop freaking out on me every single day until I did, praying that mother nature would eventually back me up.

But as I turned the stick over, my hands began to shake and tears sprung to my eyes. There were two dark blue lines in that window…I was pregnant.

After washing my face in an attempt to clear the tear tracks from my cheeks, I went to my bedroom and looked outside toward the Cullens' house. Edward was sitting on the roof beside his window, which in itself, wasn't abnormal, even for a chilly, March evening. What was abnormal was the fact that he wasn't wearing a coat and was drinking what looked like a beer. I grabbed the oversized flannel jacket I'd borrowed from my dad and went outside, resting a ladder against the side of his house and climbing up until I stood only a few feet from him.

"I've heard that shit's really bad for you," I said softly in a light voice, trying to tone down the seriousness in his demeanor.

"Who fucking cares," he mumbled into the mouth of his beer, tipping it back and taking a long swig, his face wincing slightly at the taste.

I moved across the roof to sit beside him, wrapping my arm around him comfortingly. I had only heard Edward swear once before in all the time I'd known him, and that was after breaking his toe in gym in my Freshman year. I knew how upset he had to be to say something like that. "I'm really sorry about Jas earlier."

"That wasn't even the tip of the iceberg of my day, Bella," he replied with sarcasm in his tone, shaking his head and looking over to me. "I'm moving."

My heart stilled in that instant, positive that I had heard him wrong. There was just no way…and then I remembered Dr. Cullen's car in the driveway earlier in the afternoon. Was he transferring? No. He was the best neurosurgeon in the state and he loved working at that hospital. I had to have heard Edward wrong. "You're what?"

"Yeah. The golden couple, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, are getting a divorce. And my mother is moving us to California to live with her sugar daddy. Good old Uncle Marcus," he said bitterly with his eyes lowered, holding the beer bottle with both hands and his elbows resting on his knees.

I couldn't believe it. Edward was leaving. Just when I didn't think the day could get any worse for either of us, it dealt us that final blow. I wrapped my arms tightly around my own legs, trying to ward off the tears that were beginning to form again. I couldn't believe that on top of everything else, I was losing my best friend, too. Just when I needed him the most.

"What is it?" Edward's voice came across to me in concern, and I felt his eyes on me, watching me.

"Nothing," I replied and looked over at him. It wasn't his problem; he didn't get me into the situation I was in. "I just don't know what I'm gonna do without you."

"You'll be fine. You're a strong girl and I'll still call and all…"

"I'm pregnant," I interrupted him and watched his eyes return to me quickly in surprise. I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment with what he must have thought of me after hearing those two simple words. But I needed my best friend at that moment. "Jas broke up with me, and I'm pregnant. And I'm scared to death. And now, I'm going to be alone, too."

Edward's arms came around me securely and pulled me against him, holding and comforting me as only he could. He knew that stoking my hair the way he was would both calm me and allow me to cry it out. That he didn't need to say a single word right then, just to be there for me. It was what made him my best friend in the world, and exactly what terrified me the most of losing.

"I know it's completely selfish of me right now, with everything that's going on with you. But I can't lose you, too." I continued to cry, hugging him tightly and feeling his embrace secure around me as well.

"I'll find a way, Bella. I won't leave you," he replied with his lips pressed to my hair and rubbing my arm through the flannel. "Come on."

I looked up to him as he stood, holding his hand out for mine. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting you inside and out of this cold," he said with a sigh, reaching down to take my arm as I sat frozen in place and lifting me up to stand.

He guided me to his bedroom window and began climbing in, never letting go of my hand. "What about your parents?"

Edward gave me a sarcastic look with a raised eyebrow. "My dad went back to the hospital, probably just to get away from my mother, and I really couldn't care less about what she thinks. She's got her own mess to sort out and she brought it on herself. She'd be a goddamned hypocrite if she said anything at this point. You're more important than anything right now, Bella. And let's face it, your parents think I'm the farthest possible thing from a threat to corrupting their sweet little girl. I doubt Chief Swan will call out the SWAT team."

For the first time in what felt like days, I genuinely laughed, even as tears continued to flow down my cheeks. He helped me into his room and I shivered as the warmth from the space heater just inside the window struck me. In all the years I'd known Edward, we'd never been alone together inside each other's bedrooms, and not at all in several years, since I acquired boobs and he started showing the first traces of facial hair.

Yet, I didn't feel uncomfortable being in there, even when he closed the window and made his way over to his bed, sitting down and patting the space beside him. I quickly crossed the room and climbed up next to him, returning to his embrace as he leaned back against the headboard.

"God, you are freezing, Bella," he said when I hugged against his side, pulling his comforter over both of us and kissing my forehead. My fingers gripped the front of his shirt, my tears flowing again and soaking through the fabric. I didn't think I had any more left after all the crying I'd done in my bathroom that night, but apparently, I was wrong. He continued to gently stroke my hair until my sobs quieted and my head rested on his chest with my eyes closed. "Does Jasper know?"

I pinched my lips tightly together and shook my head, curling my body closer to him. "I just found out and I have no idea how I'm going to tell him. He thinks I've had my period this month, so he probably wouldn't believe me, anyway. And my parents didn't even know I was dating him, so just imagine their surprise when I tell them I'm pregnant. Then try and keep my father from hunting Jasper down when he leaves for Texas after graduation. And now with you leaving, too … I'm scared shitless, Edward."

"You don't need to be. I told you, I'll figure something out," Edward replied and I felt his lips press against my hair again, his hold tightening protectively around me. "I won't leave you alone, Bella. I promise."

I fell asleep in his arms, waking around three when he gently shook me and walked me home, waiting until I was safely inside my window before jogging back to his own house. Once I crawled into my own bed, I lay awake for hours with a million thoughts running through my mind. I couldn't believe the mess I had gotten myself into, one giant cliché.

Small town girl knocked up at seventeen by a bad boy ex-boyfriend, who would soon be halfway across the country without a care in the world. Crying on the shoulder of her best friend, while wishing she could close her eyes and wake up again, discovering that it was all just a horrible nightmare.

I sounded like a really bad after school special, where the girl ended up a single mom, working as a diner waitress.

When my alarm went off at six, I slammed my hand on the snooze button and covered my head with the blankets. School was the last place I wanted to be, but after several minutes of battling with my incessant thoughts, I realized that home was even less appealing. I couldn't look my parents in the eye yet—not until I figured out how I was going to break the news to them.

So I rushed through my morning routine and got out the door a half hour later, barely uttering a quick goodbye to them as they were coming down the stairs. I sat in the nearly empty parking lot at school with my forehead resting on the steering wheel of my truck for almost an hour, trying to calm myself. My attention was suddenly drawn to the loud creaking of my passenger door opening and a body falling hard into the seat. I looked over to find a soaking wet Edward sitting beside me and only then did I notice the pounding of the rain on the metal above my head.

"I've got an idea, and you'll probably hate it. But just hear me out because it just might be the best option all around," he said, speaking so quickly that I almost didn't understand him. "I've been up all night thinking about this."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, shaking my head with a creased brow, unnerved by the anxiety in his demeanor.

Of all the things he could've suggested, what left his lips next was the last thing I had ever expected, something that could change everything for the both of us.

Edward took a deep breath and finally brought his gaze from the roof of my cab and over to me. "I'll say the baby is mine."

A/N: Catch ya Tuesday. *hugs*