Here we go with the next chapter, thank you all for the story love so far. See you at the end.


Parallel Parenting Chapter 2

Edward POV

All I can do to stop myself from yelling at this woman is to walk away. I know that I am walking too fast as Cordie is running to keep up with me.

"Daddy," she says sounding upset. I know I need to reassure her things are okay, but I need more time to calm down.

"Princess, wait until we are in the car; please," I say picking her up so she doesn't have to run.

What the hell can I say to her? She sort of knows she's adopted, we have spoken about it. I'm just not sure if she fully understands what being adopted means. How am I supposed to tell her that her biological mother left her, but that she had possibly kept her twin sister?

I rub my face, and just as we reach my car, I let out a breath. I open Cordie's door and put her in her seat. I look around, half expecting the woman and Cordie's look-a-like to jump out at me. As soon as Cordie is belted into her booster seat, I get in and lock the car before starting it. I barely let the car get fully functional before I am pulling out of the parking spot.

"Daddy, why did that other girl look like me? It was like looking in a mirror, but she was wearing different clothes?"

I shake my head. "I'm not sure, Princess," I say barely above a whisper.

"Do think she's my mirror twin? Aunt Alice said that everyone has someone that looks just like them. She called it a dobble-gang, I think."

"It's called a doppelganger, and maybe that is what it is," I answer still talking softly.

"Do you think we'll see her again?"

I am caught off guard by the excitement in her voice, and I pull over before turning and looking at her with a small frown.

"It would be cool to know someone who looks like me. We could pretend to be twins," Cordie carries on. "She could be my bestest friend forever."

I stay silent unsure of what to say to her, so I just smile.

We arrive at Cordie's favorite restaurant, but I am still too on edge to eat there. "Cordie, how about we get our order to go and eat at home?"

"Can we watch a movie?"

I nod at her and give a smile. "We sure can, and you can pick the movie," I say agreeing happily. I just need to get us home. Since we are eating sushi, it doesn't take long for our order to be completed, and we are soon on our way.

~PP~

I wake after a restless night of sleep. I glance at my side to see Cordie is still fast asleep. I needed her close to me last night, so I let her sleep with me, while we watched a movie in my room. I let out a breath moving her hair out of her face.

"She can't get you back, you're mine," I mutter, feeling a mix of anger and fear.

I get up and head to my bathroom. I take a hot shower and shave. I get dressed and look in the mirror to comb my unruly hair. I know that I need to shake this feeling out of my system. It could very well be a complete coincidence that the child looked like Cordie. Maybe she was a doppelganger and she is no relation to my sweet daughter at all.

"Morning, Daddy," I look to my bathroom door.

When my eyes land on her in the mirror, I know that I am wrong that the other girl is my daughter's twin. I am so sure of it, I'd wager money on it, and I never bet on a losing battle. When Cordie frowns at me, I know that I need to get over it and start dealing with it. First thing I need to do is to answer her.

"Good morning, Princess," I reply with a smile. "I was thinking we should go to the mall and see a movie. Then we can get some lunch, do some shopping, and then go have supper with Gran and Papa. What do you think?" I ask hoping she'll agree. I need to see my folks and get their input. I need to get the family lawyer in on this, too. I'm not sure what her game is, but she can't have my daughter, at least I hope she can't.

"I love going to Granny's!" Cordie says with a huge smile. "Can I play the piano?"

I smile nodding at her. "Of course you can play the piano."

She moves to me and hugs me as I pick her up. We rub our noses together giving our special Eskimo kiss to each other.

"Okay, Princess, let's get breakfast, and then you can get ready for the day."

~PP~

"The left lane is for fast traffic, you nitwit! Get out of my way," I yell as a slow-ass idiot stays in front of me driving at least five miles under the speed limit.

"Daddy," Cordie sighs, and I glance at her in the rearview mirror.

"What, Princess?"

"I don't think he can hear you," she says arching her brow.

I chuckle. "Yes, you are right, I don't think he can either, but saying it makes me feel better!" I state as I honk my horn, and wave my hand hoping he's looking in his mirror, and will see he's slowing me down. At long last he moves over and I pass him, finally able to drive the speed limit. I get very angry at idiot drivers. The traffic is bad enough in Chicago as it is, and when you add dumbasses into the mix, it makes it worse.

We walk into the movie theater at the mall, and I let Cordie pick the movie we are going to see. After going through our choices, she picks the Disney remake of Pete's Dragon.

We share a large tub of popcorn while we wait for the movie to start. We take our seats, and as the theater fills, Cordie moves to sit on my knee just as someone takes the seat next to her. She has always disliked anyone she doesn't know sitting close to her, but I don't mind her being on my knee.

When the film ends, Cordie helps me with cleaning up our mess. No matter where we are, she always likes to make sure she doesn't leave anything lying around. I guess if she has to have a quirk, it is not a bad one to have. To me, her cleanliness means she understands that other people don't have to clean up after her.

~PP~

After lunch, Cordie and I hit a few of the shops buying a school bag and supplies. On Monday, I need to head to her school to pick up the school shirts that I ordered. However, most of her clothing is normal street clothes since they are not required to wear uniforms every day.

We arrive at my parent's home, and I park my car in my usual spot.

"Granny, Papa," Cordie yells as she runs into the house. By time I have caught up with her, she is in my dad's arms, smiling happily.

"Hi, Edward," he says with a smile. "I have just set up the table for some card games, want to play?"

Cordie nods at him, and my dad walks off with her. I smile shaking my head as I follow behind them. Cordie starts to deal the cards just as my mom comes in to join us. She sets down our drinks and then picks up her cards.

"Poker?" She asks with a chuckle.

"Of course, it is the best card game there is." My father replies with a nod.

"Bet is ten cents," Cordie says as she puts one of her chips in the pot.

My dad puts in his chip, followed by my mom, and then me.

"Dealer takes two," she says and I glance at her.

"I'll take three," my dad says.

"One for me," my mom tells her, and Cordie looks to me.

"Two," I say.

As Cordie looks over her cards, I keep my eyes on her seeing she has a smirk on her face which means her cards are good.

I shake my head over my daughter's lack of a poker face, but she is still young.

We keep going around and the pot has gotten up to five dollars. My mom and I have both dropped out leaving Cordie and my dad.

"Fifty cents and I call," Cordie says with a stiff lip.

"If you're sure?" my dad says.

She nods at him, and he places his fifty cents in chips in the center. "I have three lions, and two cheetahs," Cordie says as my father's face falls. He shows his hand, and he only had three pigs and two chickens.

"Cordie wins!" My mom chuckles making my dad snort.

"Why do lions beat pigs?" he asks again making Cordie stop collecting her chips.

"Because, Grandpa, they are the kings of the jungle." Cordie stops and grins widely. "We saw a bunch of lions at Six Flags, but there was a huge one and he was in charge, you could tell." She stops and bites her tongue. Her eyes flicker to me and then back to my mom. "There was also a girl there who looked exactly like me."

My mom frowns and looks at me and then back to Cordie. "Did she really?" she asks my daughter.

"Yes, it was like looking in a mirror. Daddy even thought she was me and yelled at her mommy for trying to take me."

"Just a misunderstanding," I say softly. My eyes move from Cordie to my mom and dad. "We'll talk later," I say hoping they pick up that I don't want to talk about this around Cordie.

As my eyes go back to Cordie, she looks down. Before I can ask what's wrong, my sister's voice calls to us from the door. She walks in smiling happily. "Yay, my sweet munchkin is here," she says as she hugs Cordie close to her.

"Can I play?" Colton asks as he takes a seat.

"Yes, I need to help Mom with dinner," I say standing. I give my dad a look to say 'I need him to follow.'

"And I need to go and call the hospital, but I will be back soon to win my money back."

We all walk out and head to his office. As soon as the door closes, I start to talk.

"This girl was identical to Cordie; the only difference I could see was that their eye colors were the same but on reversed sides." I sigh as I start to pace. "Why abandon one child and keep the other? Why the hell was she allowed to keep either of her babies? She risked both their lives. I mean, how do you dump one and they say sure you can keep the other? How does that make sense? She's not getting Cordie from me!"

"She can't; legally, Cordie is yours," my father says and I just look at him.

"I don't like this. I feel as if I am not prepared, and there is a shit storm brewing. I am always prepared for everything, and right now I am out of my element."

"I agree with your father, but understand how you feel," Mom says. "I think we should get our family lawyer to check things out. We need to find out why she kept one child and not the other." She stops talking and frowns. "Surely, if she and her other child were around here, we would've bumped into them, don't you think?"

"No, there have been a lot of stories where twins that were separated, have only lived half an hour apart and never found each other until after they've become adults." My father says and I can tell he's raking his thoughts on this matter.

"Are you sure she was the child's mother and not someone who also adopted a child?"

I nod at her. "Yes, I'm sure. First, the girl called her mom, and I doubt she adopted her, because she looks as if she was barely in her early twenties. She looks way too young to be the mother of a six-year-old, much less able to be able to legally adopt in Illinois. I know you have to be twenty-one to adopt, and there is no way she's more than twenty-five and that's pushing it."

"Let's not rule anything out, but I agree with your mom; we need to find out what's going on. You should have been informed if Cordie had a sibling much less a twin, and her birth record should show that information."

I nod and look at the office door. "I'm really worried she'll hate me if I keep her mom away from her..." I turn my head and look at them, feeling guilty. I keep talking, needing and hoping they understand how this is making me feel. "She was born addicted to drugs and was so sick she almost died at first … I just can't allow that woman to be around Cordie!"

"Thousands of people find themselves addicted to drugs, Son, it doesn't make them bad people. It only means they made a bad choice," my father argues.

"But," I shake my head, "She gave her up like she meant nothing. Cordie wasn't even a day old when she signed away her rights, and to keep the other child, but not Cordie, what does that say about her?"

"We don't know the answer, but maybe you should get all the answers before making a choice as to what to do. Son, this will be your choice as you are Cordie's father. Make no mistake—no one, not even the birth mother has a say in that. The State terminated the parental rights of the birth mother, and you have legally adopted her. As for Cordie, she loves you, she knows you love her, and she'll understand whatever choice you make."

I close my eyes praying that he is right, If worse comes to worst, and I have to block her biological mother from her life, I hope she will forgive me.

I take a breath as I sit next to Cordie at the dinner table. "I have made Cordie an appointment with my best hairstylist; she's going to give her a little trim on Monday." Alice blurts out making me look at her.

"I thought you said it would be a crime to cut her beautiful hair?"

"Just a trim, it needs that to stay healthy looking. Besides, trimming hair promotes growth, and it is time for her and me both to have a little, all girls pampering session. I need to make sure she's all ready for school on Tuesday. Oh, I should tell you that Colton joined the school, too. We decided after the trouble you had with Cordie at the Montessori school, we would just put Colton into regular schooling. Besides, he will have Cordie there with him."

I shake my head and look at Colton. As he is a year older than Cordie, he'll be in second grade, but I do feel happier knowing that she will know someone at school.

"I thought you argued with Edward that the Montessori school was best. What made you change schools?" My mom asks looking at Jasper and Alice.

"Well, Colton wasn't too happy at his other school, and Edward had trouble with Cordie there. Then when I found out that Emmett is the headmaster of the North Shore Country Day School, I had to pick that one, too."

"Emmett?" I ask frowning. The only Emmett I know is Emmett McCarty. We went to high school together, but he hated school and was always getting Jasper, himself, and me into trouble.

"Yeah, the same Emmett McCarty we went to school with," Jasper says with a smile almost as if he could pick up my inner thoughts. "I'm surprised you didn't speak to him when you registered Cordie?"

"No, the headmaster was out, dealing with some family iss—"

Alice cuts me off laughing a little. "I can't believe he's a headmaster, but word has it that he's absolutely phenomenal with the kids. Oh, and he's married to a woman who's about ten years younger than he is."

I hum, slightly shaking my head.

"Daddy, is my headmaster your friend?" Cordie asks.

"He was," I tell her with a smile still feeling weirded out by this fact.

"He's great, Cordie; he's sort of fun. He always is making the kids laugh. He doesn't let people be mean to others either. I saw your classroom; it is next to the one I will be in, and I met your teacher, her name is Miss Swan. Mr. Emmie says she is one of the best teachers in the school." Colton tells Cordie before he goes back to eating his dinner.

I can't help but chuckle. "Mr. Emmie?" I ask, just not sure who I am asking.

"Yeah, that's what all the kids call him," Jasper says smiling at me. "I thought while Alice is taking Cordie for her girls' pampering day, and Colton is with his scout troop, we could pick up their supplies and catch up on old times."

"That sounds good," I say with a smile, loving the fact my sister included Cordie in her day and Cordie seems to enjoy it, too.

I feel myself relax as dinner goes on. By the time I am heading home, I am back to my old self.

~PP~

"You be good for Aunty Alice," I say, knowing she will be good, she always is.

"I'm always good." I chuckle a little, because it's like she reads my mind at times.

"I know," I stand up looking at Alice. "You be good, too," I tell her.

Alice narrows her eyes at me. "Just go," she says pointing at her shop door.

I laugh as I walk out the door. "Have you been upsetting my wife?" Jasper asks as he opens my car door.

"Yep," I tell him as I get in.

"Do you think about having more children?" Jasper asks and I frown looking at him.

I am unsure of his jump in conversation but figure there is a reason for it, so I silently wait for him to go on.

"I am an only child, but you and Alice have a bond; I want that for Colton," Jasper says.

I nod at him as I start my car. "Yeah as much as Alice and I fought while we were growing up, she did make my childhood happier."

I stop talking and turn my head to look at him. "Don't breathe a word of that to her."

Jasper nods smiling.

"So, are you and Alice thinking of having another?"

Jasper bites his lip hiding a smile.

"She's not?" I say, knowing he is telling me she is already pregnant.

"She is," he confirms.

"I am pleased for you," I tell him, and sigh a little. "I doubt that I will have another, or will adopt another. I mean, I'm not even seeing anyone."

"Maggie likes you," he says and I groan.

"I don't like her like that," I tell him sharply not wanting to get into the whole talk about Maggie.

"You don't like her, or Cordie doesn't like her?" he asks.

"It's a moot point. I would never date any woman my daughter didn't like."

"I doubt she'll like anyone who'll come in and take some of her daddy's time away from her," he says.

I shrug. "Maybe so, but I am happy for now," I tell him, making him hum. "I am," I tell him again.

He holds his hands up. "I don't doubt you."

I raise my brow at him and give him a side look.

"Edward, I just think you need something for you, too. You're a great father, but you need adult company, too."

"What's this?" I ask, waving my hand between us.

"I mean with a woman!" he says in a duh tone.

I don't reply to him.

"Edward, I am just saying that it's been a few years since you really took time for you, or did something for yourself."

"It doesn't matter, because Cordie is important to me; the most important thing ever. I wanted to take her on—she's my daughter—and I am more than happy to have just her in my daily life forever, if that is how it turns out. I am certainly happier with her than I've ever been with any of the past women I have dated."

Jasper stays quiet for the rest of our time. We pull up at the school to find Emmett running around the track.

"Eddie!" he yells making me frown right away.

"It's still Edward," I say when he gets closer and he shrugs. "So, you really have a daughter? I thought this one was making it up until I saw her file."

"Why would it be hard to believe that I have a child?" I ask.

Emmett again shrugs. "Not sure. I just know that you never married. To me, you would be the last guy I'd suspect of having a child out of wedlock. Anyway, how are you two doing? Heard that Jazzy-boy here, married your little sister Alice."

"Yeah, and we heard you married a teenaged girl," Jasper counters.

"Hey now, my Rosie is only ten years younger than me, and she's amazing. We're thinking of starting our own family soon."

I raise my eyebrow at him. The Emmett I remember never wanted any kids, just in case they were like him.

Emmett smiles. "My niece is just like me, and she's a hoot. After seeing her, I know I can deal with anything that comes my way."

"How old is she?"

"Six, but she's so smart already, and I mean it man, she is just amazing. She'll be attending school here this year, too. She's in the other first grade classroom, but I am sure her and your daughter Cordie will be great friends. Kassie is quite outgoing, and just a barrel of fun."

I nod at him and bite my bottom lip a little "What's Cordie's teacher like?"

"Miss Swan is a wonderful asset to North Shore, and we were lucky to get her. She just graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Primary School Education, and this is her first post—"

"What?" I say cutting him off. "She's new to teaching?" I carry on feeling alarmed at this. "Not that I have anything against new teachers, I'm just not sure if I would have picked one as my daughter's teacher."

"Calm down; Miss Swan is great, Edward, she's just about to turn twenty-five, so she is not some young kid. She had to take some time out during her studies for a family issue. I will say this—the things she has had to endure and overcome would've broken most people, but she did it with a smile. I have every faith in her, and you should, too."

I let out a sigh, but nod, knowing that it would be unfair not to give this woman a chance.

Emmett, Jasper and I catch up on old times, and it's almost dinner time when I pick up Cordie. That night I go to bed feeling nervous about her upcoming first day of school.

Bella POV

I double check that Kassie is fast asleep before I pull out her adoption records. She knows she's adopted—more so because she has now been adopted twice—but even at that, I feel she's too young to get into the nitty gritty stuff.

I have already ruled out this guy being her biological father. Mainly because I had seen his picture before and realized I knew who he was. He is Edward – freaking – Cullen. His family owns a very large company of which he is the CEO. Then there is the fact that he also owns—not rents, but outright owns a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade. He was one of the youngest guys to take over a seat and raise a profit margin of a substantial record.

He has money, so it worries me and makes me question why he would date someone clearly addicted to drugs as Kassie's mother was. Then there's the fact he has Cordie; if he did father the girls, I am sure he would have fought for both children, not just one. So in my mind he being the biological father is ruled out.

That means he must have adopted Cordie, and that gives me new questions. I need to know things like why weren't we told about there being twins? I know my parents weren't told, and if they weren't, then it is likely he wasn't either. Even with that in mind, I am looking through all her adoption papers again, just in case there is something I missed, or my parents missed.

First thing I look at is her birth certificate. I look to where it should be noted if there were any siblings but it's blank.

"It should be notated that she was part of a multiple birth," I tell myself moving on.

"Okay," I say reading through the documents. "Baby girl: unnamed. Date of birth: the fourteenth of February, Twenty-ten. Birth weight: four pounds-eight ounces. Length: Nineteen inches long. It's so hard to believe she was so small," I have to hold back my tears as I read her medical records.

"Okay, here we go," I say as I find the adoption report page. "Baby girl, four months, fourteen pounds, eye color: right blue, left green." I frown and reread the last part again.

"That's wrong; Kassie's eyes are green on the right and blue on the left." I close my eyes as the girl Cordie comes to my mind. "This could be a serious problem. Not only did they not disclose that the girls were twins, but according to this, they got the paperwork and the girl mixed up. "How can they be so stupid? No wonder people always complain about state agencies. This is ridiculous! I certainly hope this paperwork mess doesn't cause us any issues. This could nullify or at least complicate the adoptions!" I snap my mouth closed when I realize I am yelling.

I wait for a few minutes looking toward Kassie's door. When it stays closed and there are no sounds coming from her room, I continue to read through everything.

It's almost two o'clock when I am finished reading, not knowing much more than I did before. I take my glass of water and head for bed.

~PP~

I get up a little after six, not having very much sleep. I sleepily walk into my kitchen to get coffee. I sit at the table, logging into my lap top.

I put Edward Cullen in the search bar, seeing what else I can find out about him.

"Why are there so many images of this guy? Jesus, does he think he's God's gift to mankind?" I roll my eyes. I mean, really who thought we needed all these pictures of him running his hands through his hair, or licking his lips?

I huff as I pull up his Wiki page. I know where to get some information; I just hope some if not most, will be the truth and not fabricated.

The only information I find is that he is thirty-six. Despite being photographed a lot, he seems to prefer his privacy. There were no photos of him with his daughter, or with any women for that matter. In fact, if he wasn't attending charity or business meetings, he wouldn't be photographed at all. If I hadn't seen his picture on the market sheets, I wouldn't have had any idea who he was. The only reason I do is because every Saturday morning my father and I would pretend to play the market together. We would pick out what we would invest in, and we would buy a certain amount, and see if we made any money the next week. It was our time together thing, and since we both liked numbers, it was enjoyable. We never put real money in; it was just pretend, but it was a good way to teach me about money and taking chances.

"Okay … that got me nowhere," I sigh closing my laptop.

"Take me out to the ballgame," I groan and roll my eyes as I hear Kassie's singing voice coming my way. "Take me out to the ballgame," she sings again as she dances into the kitchen, and I see that she has her baseball gear on.

"Baseball, huh?" I ask raising my brow at her.

"Yep," she smiles back, "Rosie said she'd meet us."

"Yeah, we can't possibly upset Rose."

Kassie shakes her head. "Nope, she'll make us go to a beauty shop again if we do!"

I close my eyes. "She makes us do that anyway. I am sure that will be on her agenda, since I am starting a new job and you are starting school next week."

Kassie nods in agreement. "So, let's get dirty so she'll be too embarrassed to take us."

I snort but smile. "I like your way of thinking. Breakfast first," I tell her putting down her ball and grabbing the Lucky Charms to pour into the bowls.

Kassie pours us each a cup of juice, and I pour our milk in the bowls of cereal. We sit down and eat together, enjoying our favorite breakfast.

"I say we invest in the meat market this week," Kassie says looking at the paper.

"No!" I reply with a pout. This is something I have tried to do with her, to carry on the legacy my father had with me.

"Why not?" she asks.

"I don't eat meat," I remind her.

"You sometimes eat chicken?" she counters.

"Yes; that's only now and then when I feel like I need extra protein, but I never eat red meat."

"Just because you don't eat it, doesn't mean we can't invest in it," she huffs. "Look … this says that Mr. Vol … lot … ory, or however you say his name's stock is looking good."

I look at the article and smile. "That is Mr. Volturi," I reply dryly, "and it's still cows."

"Yeah; him and his beef stock are looking good," Kassie states.

I shake my head at her. "Fine … then I'll invest on my own," Kassie says. "I think I want ten shares," she says handing over the fake money we use to play.

"Fine." I huff taking it from her, and noting her choice in the notebook, along with sale price now.

"I can't believe you're trying to make money from those poor animals," I try guilt tripping her.

Kassie just shrugs. "I eat them, too!"

I just look at her, hiding my smile as she reminds me of my dad. That was definitely something he would've said about beef.

"Put the bowls in the dishwasher, and brush your teeth, while I get dressed."

I put on my own baseball top, along with my tight jeans. "Let's hit the road," I say as I walk toward the front door.

"Why do you say that?"

"What? Hit the road?" I ask as I lock up.

"Yes, Mom. I mean, we've never hit the road. Besides, you constantly tell me not to play in the road, so why would it be okay to hit the road?"

I giggle shaking my head. "Saying that is just a term and it doesn't really mean that you physically hit the road, it just means we go to get going. Another way to say it is to say, get a move on."

"Then why not say, let's get moving or get a move on?"

"It just one of life's unsolved mysteries," I say shaking my head at her.

"When I become president, I will make people speak properly and only say what they mean." She tells me as she gets into the car.

"Oh, well, madam president, what else would you do?"

"Make every Sunday a fun day," she tells me. "No one would be allowed to work, and everyone would have a fun-filled day."

"Well, you've got my vote," I smile starting the car.

I drive along the road, singing along to the songs that play from my iPod.

"The other cars go so fast," Kassie says looking at the left lane.

"They are, but I like to drive a little slower than what they do."

"Yeah, enjoy the drive, right, Mom?" she asks with a smile as she turns her head a little and looks out the window enjoying the scenery.

Kassie and I head to the batting cages, and I pay for us to have one for an hour.

"Okay squirt, you're up first," I say. I stand where I can control the pitching machine and wait for her to get ready.

"Okay, folks, this young player is Kassie Swan. She can hit the ball far and hard, so watch out." Kassie's talking similar to the way the announcers do at baseball games. "She looks behind her and then out to the field. I push the button and the machine sends the ball her way," Kassie stops talking long enough to swing at the ball. "Oh, it's a swing and a miss."

"Yes, I think the batter forgot that she's left handed and needs to be on the other side," I smirk.

She looks my way and then jumps over to the other side.

Kassie kicks the ground and I hold back my chuckle. I push the button, and the next ball is sent flying to her, and this time she manages to hit it.

"It's a home run. A home run," she yells jumping up and down. I raise my brow looking to the ball that's about three feet in front of her.

"Yeah, home run," I say and she turns to me.

Kassie just looks at me. "It was," she says handing me the bat.

"Next up is the older Swan," Kassie says moving to sit by the button.

"Watch it," I say as I take up my spot, but also jump into Kassie's pretend game. I look around as if I am looking where to hit the ball.

I nod that I'm ready and she pushes the button. The ball comes flying my way and I swing hitting it. The ball goes about five-feet further than Kassie's went. "Wow, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Swans' are on a roll today, that is another home run!" I say and she shakes her head.

"Mom, you have to run the bases."

"You didn't run the bases," I retort.

"So?" I watch her as her eyes flicker to the ball, so I take off running knowing she's about to run after the ball.

By the end of our hour, I am covered in dirt as is Kassie; we are just getting cleaned up when Rose arrives.

"Did you two just take a mud bath?" I look at her and she laughs at me. "I'll deal with Kassie, while you clean yourself up."

I move out the way and she takes over changing Kassie. I wipe my face and hands with wipes and then slip on a sundress. Once the dress is over my head, I shimmy out of my jeans and pull my t-shirt out of the top of my dress.

"Where's Emmie?" Kassie asks as she puts on her own dress.

"He's still setting up things at the school for tomorrow."

Kassie rolls her eyes. "I thought he was fun."

Rose just chuckles. "He is, and he's going to meet us in a little while."

Kassie claps her hands looking happy. "So where do you want to go for lunch?"

"Portillo's!" Kassie yells.

"Sounds good to me," I agree quickly as Rose rolls her eyes.

"Come on; we best get going," she says as I pick up both Kassie's and my bags.

"Mike was asking about you again," Rose sing-songs.

"Yuck, he's slimy," Kassie answers for me.

"He's not that bad," Rose tells her, but Kassie stares her down. "Okay, so he's no prince charming, but he is nice."

"Nice? You want my mom with nice?" Kassie huffs. "Nice is not good enough for my mom. She needs something more than nice. She needs someone that makes her knees go weak, like in the movies."

"Have you seen your mom go weak-kneed over anyone?" Rose asks.

"Nope, not yet. But that's just because she doesn't fall in love because some slimy guy is 'nice' to her," Kassie nods.

"She's using air quotes, Bella," Rose says giving me a displeased look.

Before I can even comment on it, she's back to talking to Kassie.

"Nice can be good," Rose says.

Kassie stops and looks at Rose. "My mom is not kissing hundreds of frogs to get a prince who might be nice. Besides, if she wants to find a man, she will find one. Nice Mike is slimy, so just forget about him."

Rose turns looking at me. "The queen has spoken," I say and Rose rolls her eyes and walks a little in front of us. Kassie gives me a quick high five. I love that this kid gets me out of the many dates Rose tries to set me up on. It's rather funny when she does this, because Rose sometimes comes out sounding younger than Kassie.

"Oh, Rose, did Emmie tell you that I can't join the soccer team because I am a girl?"

"What?" Both Rose and I yell.

I hold up my hand to stop Rose from freaking out. "No, Kassie, he said you have to be older."

"Older? I mean, she's already like twenty-freaking-four, just like you are, when she talks!" Rose mutters and then lets out a sigh. "It's a good thing I love the kid."

"Everyone loves me; I should have been born a god."

"She doesn't have confidence issues at all, does she?" Rose asks and I shake my head.

"Nope," I laugh.

~PP~

I am helping Rose with dinner while Kassie plays a game on the Xbox.

"Hey, honey," Emmett says giving Rose a full-on kiss. He then kisses my cheek, and smiles. "Did you have a good day?"

I nod looking at him, and my eyes flash to the door and back again. "I think Kassie has a twin," I blurt out needing someone else in on this with me.

"What?" He asks.

"We saw a girl at Six Flags, who looks exactly like her, in every way. Their eyes were the same, but on opposite sides." Both Emmett and Rose just look at me. "I looked at her birth records and there's nothing that says she was a twin. So I looked at the adoption paperwork and I found a discrepancy. In the paperwork I have, it lists her eye color as reversed. I think they may have switched up Kassie's paperwork with her twin's. Which means her twin's paperwork is likely messed up, too." I let out a long breath. "I am going to call Tia and find out what she knows. I'm hoping that if she doesn't know anything she may have contacts at DCFS who will be able to enlighten us as to what is going on. Hopefully, we will be able to find something out."

Rose walks to me and gives me a hug. "Does Kassie know?"

"Well, the other girl's father thought I was kidnapping his kid. He scared the living shit out of both of us. When his daughter walked up —" I stop and shake my head. "I haven't said anything yet. I want to know more first. And I also need to have a talk with the other girl's dad. I mean, if it is proven that they are in fact siblings, we need to allow them to be in each other's lives. It would be wrong to not allow them to at least get to know each other."

"How are you going to find this guy?" Emmett asks.

"I know where to find him. I think he thinks I am the girl's biological mother, so I'm going to wait until tomorrow and send him an email."

"How did you get his email address?" Emmett asks.

"I don't have his personal email, but I do know where he works and assume it is easy to obtain since it's a public position."

Emmett and Rose just look at me, and I know they are asking me for more. "This guy seems to be a rather private person, so let me talk to him before I tell you who he is; I owe him that much."

"You can ask to meet him at the school, that way you'd be somewhere safe and I'll help support you in this, if need be," Emmett says.

"Thanks, Emmett."

He smiles and winks at me, "No problem, Bells. Now, what is this I hear about Mike liking you?"

I groan looking at Rose who just smirks.

~P.P~

I wake up late on Monday morning, with Kassie already awake.

"Are we getting my school supplies today?"

I nod at her and she jumps up and down.

"Breakfast first," I tell her. She jumps off my bed and runs into the kitchen.

We head straight to the mall, even with us being here for just over two weeks, this is our first time going to the mall.

"I am going to get new clothes, so how about we get you some, too, just for school?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow, this girl goes through a lot of clothes, and not because she outgrows them, but because she is rough and tumble all the way. Between sports and playing in dirt, I'm constantly replacing clothing items in her closet.

"What kind of school bag do you want?" I ask as I glance at them.

"Can I have this one?" she asks holding up a blue fluffy one. I move to it and look it over seeing that it looks like a big fluffy ball.

"Sure, but you won't be able to throw this on the ground."

"I know," she says as she picks up a new bag. "You should get this one," she tells me.

I look at the bright pink bag shaking my head. "No way!"

She laughs and picks up another one. "What about this toothless one?"

"That is just wrong," I tell her with a nod and grab a bag I like. "Now, this one is cool," I say throwing it into our cart.

"Now, we both need pencils, and color pencils," I tell her as we move to where they are.

I buy her some folders, and pads of paper. I also pick up some more colored pencils for my class, just in case anyone forgets theirs.

"Have we forgotten anything?" I ask looking into the cart.

"Nope," Kassie tells me.

"I know we need a treat for the kids in my class."

Kassie just looks at me.

"I just thought I would get something small like a pencil and eraser for each of the children in my class."

"Bribing them to like you?" Kassie asks with a smirk.

"No, just giving them something because it is their first day in First Grade."

"Yeah, right," she laughs.

"Anyway, I also thought we could get a cake for us, to celebrate our first days."

"Can I pick it?" she asks.

I nod at her, and she fist pumps her left arm as she jumps up and down.

I throw in some cute superhero pencils for both boys and girls and buy each child a big pink eraser. We walk to the bakery, and Kassie picks out an Ironman cake, and we head to the check out.

"I think all that's left now is for us to have our hair washed, trimmed and dried." I tell her as we walk down the mall.

"Can we go in there?" Kassie asks and I nod at her as we walk in.

"Hi," the lady behind the counter says.

"Hello, could you fit us both in for a wash and trim?" I ask and the woman nods at us.

Kassie and I both get our hair done at the same time, and I see that they also do nails.

"Want to see if we can get our nails done, too?"

"Yeah," Kassie says and we look at the woman doing my hair.

"She nods at me and waves over a couple of other women. Immediately, they start to do our nails.

"This is great fun, Mom," Kassie tells me, with a huge smile on her face.

"It is; maybe we should do it every other month?"

Kassie nods, when the women are done, both Kassie's and my hair looks great, and our nails are sparkling. I pay the woman, adding a tip.

"I think I should take a photo of your nails like this," I say knowing that within the next few days she will be back to having them all bitten up and dirty.

"You bite your nails, too," she reminds me.

"Yeah. I should take a photo of mine, too," I chuckle.

"Okay, I am too tired to cook," I say as I throw myself on the sofa and Kassie does the same. "I say we just order pizza?"

"Yeah!"

I order pizza; half with chicken, mushrooms, peppers, and cheese and the other half with onions, mushrooms, peppers, but no chicken.

We both tuck in, and when we are done, I bathe Kassie and put her to bed with a story.

I then get myself showered and I start to feel nervous about my first day tomorrow. I just hope all goes well, for both of us.


A/N: So, everyone has a bit of nerves about the first day of school ... what do you think will happen at school?