A/N I suck. I know, I know…

Enjoy?

Chapter 28

Edward Pov

~ August 17th, 2012 ~

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As I looked down at the woman helplessly lying in the pristine hospital bed, all I could think about was that I was so confused.

I should have been angry. And I was. I was angry with her for betraying my father's trust and cheating on him with one of his best friends. I had always looked up to Bob and thought that he was such a great guy, but now, thanks to her, I wasn't so sure anymore. I was mad at her for stooping so low as to break the vows she took on her wedding day, but mostly I was angry that she'd kept it a secret for so long, all the while lying to all of us that everything between Dad and her was alright.

I had every reason to be furious with her, and yet, as I took her in, so weak and absolutely miserable, I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. I should've asked for a more extensive explanation, but something inside of me told me that I had to give her the benefit of the doubt. What if she was telling the truth? What if in one of those critical moments when she felt shattered, alone and lost in life, she let herself fall into temptation without even considering or realizing the consequences her actions would have on the entire family? What if she was so consumed with hate because of my father's emotional neglect towards her that she just didn't care anymore and jumped into the arms of the first man that crossed her path?

I just didn't know what to think anymore. I knew she was bad tempered and had a vindictive nature, but I refused to believe she had done it with the sole purpose of hurting my father. That might have been the initial motive, but no matter what Dad said, I had a hard time accepting the fact that she hadn't felt remorse afterwards. Their marriage certainly wasn't what it used to be, but I strongly believed they still cared for each other. The woman I called mother was flawed to an extreme but not cruel. I just could not believe that.

As I stood there, at the foot of her bed, contemplating what had transpired since Isabella and I had arrived at the hospital, I allowed myself to zone out for a moment.

The cheating part I could get over. At least I thought so. It had happened years prior and there wasn't anything anyone could do about it now. Dad and Bob had made amends and were still business partners. Bob was married to his second wife and expecting their third child, so it was clear to me he had gotten over the fleeting affair with my mother pretty quickly. My parents' marriage was ruined for good and a divorce was imminent. There wasn't anything we could do about that either. Over the years, they had both done a good job of hiding their differences from us, so I had to admit that the notion of my parents divorcing was pretty shocking but expected after my father's confession.

What I found difficult to accept was the fact that everyone seemed to think that Mom had mental issues. Her suicide attempt wasn't to be taken lightly, but it wasn't reason enough to lock her away and treat her like a crazy person either. In my opinion, her recent behavior changes had to do with depression rather than some severe personality disorder. Locking her away was only going to make it worse, and instead of recovering, there was a big possibility her condition was going to take an undesirable turn.

However, I was practically fighting windmills on this, and for that reason, I knew I had to step back and let Dad and Emmett do as they saw fit. I could have called Jasper and ask for his support, but I wasn't deluding myself into thinking that he was going to side with me on this. Even Rosalie seemed to have accepted the fact that my mother was going to a mental institution, or else she would have been here, fighting her husband and father-in-law right to the last minute.

For a second, the suspicious thought that Emmett hadn't told Rosalie the truth crossed my mind, but I dismissed it just as quickly. When it came to his wife, my brother was anything but a liar. He loved and respected her too much to keep such important things from her. Which made me wonder… why the heck had Rosalie agreed to this?

I didn't have much time to ponder that thought, because suddenly Isabella took a step to the side, starting for the door. I looked at her in surprise, not expecting the sudden movement.

"Maybe I should leave," she said, throwing my mother an apprehensive glance.

For the first time since we'd burst through the door, demanding an explanation, it dawned on me that bringing Isabella might not have been such a great idea, after all. Accusing one's mother of adultery was pretty delicate family business, and I should have thought twice before making such a hasty decision. Maybe I had unconsciously felt the need to humiliate my mother by bringing my girlfriend, who was almost a stranger to her, into the room when it happened. Isabella had realized the inappropriateness of it all before me and was preparing her exit.

"I'll come with you," I said quietly, turning my head to look my mother in the eye. "I think I'm done here."

"Edward, no," Mom sniffed, holding her hand out to me. "Please listen to me."

I sighed, shaking my head. "I already have, Mother, and I think we should continue this conversation another time. It was wrong of me to ask for an explanation when you're clearly not well. I'm going to take Isabella home; she needs her rest."

"You're leaving the hospital?" she gasped, her eyes widening. "But I thought you wanted to be here when they let me go."

"Yeah, about that…" I stared, unsure of what I was about to say.

"Edward, a word please?" Emmett cut me off, pinning me down with his intense stare. "Now."

"Sure," I mumbled, my feet instinctively carrying me to my mother's bed. I gave her a light kiss on the forehead, and she grabbed my arm to prevent me from leaving. Calmly, I removed her hand before walking back to Isabella's side.

"Bye, Mom," I said over my shoulder. "I'll see you soon."

"Edward…" she whispered, her voice cracking under the pressure of her emotions.

Isabella stared at her, her expression almost fearful.

"Let's go," I said, placing my hand on the small of her back and guiding her towards the door.

Once in the hallway, Emmett nodded for us to follow after him as he led us to a more secluded area.

He frowned at me and crossed his arms over his chest. "I hope you're not falling for what she just said. I pray you're still not that gullible, Edward."

"I don't know what to think anymore. I just… don't know," I replied honestly, running my palm up and down Isabella's side.

He sighed, annoyed. "I love her more than any of you do, but I swear to God that if you don't snap back to your senses, I'm going to beat the shit out of you."

"What the fuck do you want from me, Emmett?" I snapped, fed up with his know-it-all attitude. "Your entire life, you've hidden behind her skirt like the overgrown mama's boy you are. Now you've suddenly turned against her and you want me to do the same. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"First of all, I'm not turning against her, and you know it, so don't you dare accuse me of betraying her. I'm just starting to see things more clearly. She's mentally unstable, Edward and needs professional help. Can you understand that? Can you get that notion through your thick skull?" he said, accentuating his last sentence by jabbing his forefinger to his temple. He looked like he was quickly losing his patience, and so was I.

"You fucking hypocrite," I replied, my voice rising with each uttered word. I took a step towards him, and Isabella reacted promptly, grabbing my elbow to keep me in place. "If a week ago I had suggested locking her away in a mental institution, you'd have killed me with your bare hands. But wait, you had a revelation, and now, you feel entitled to lecture meabout our mother's well being. I'll say it again; you're a fucking hypocrite."

His jaw set; his eyes darkened.

"Where were you the past couple of months, Edward?" he accused in a low tone of voice. "Huh? Where were you? Where were you those nights when she got so drunk, I had to carry her to her room because she couldn't walk? Where were you when she almost burned down the house trying to get rid of our old photo albums? Where were you when in a fit of rage she almost hit Jessica? Hmm? Tell me. Where the fuck were you? Because you certainly weren't with our mother who needed you!"

My eyes widened in shock and he huffed, shaking his head.

"You don't know shit about her condition so shut your fucking mouth and listen to me. She's sick and she's going to that private center whether you give your consent or not. End of discussion."

"She tried to hit Jessica?" Isabella spoke, gripping my arm tightly, apparently just as shocked as I was.

Emmett glanced at her and let out a heavy breath. "Yes, a few weeks ago. I think that was the wake up call for me. I'll never allow anyone, regardless of their status in my life, to hit my child."

"But why would Mom do such a thing?" I asked, dumbfounded. "She never hit any of us, no matter what we did, so why would she react that way with Jessica?"

"They were arguing about something, Jessica shot back a bratty reply; she tends to do that a lot lately, and Mom snapped. I heard the whole thing from the kitchen and got there just in time to stop it."

"How did Jess take it?" Isabella asked softly, leaning into me. "She must have been scared."

"I think it was mostly shock at first, but then she got mad and demanded we go home. She has refused to set foot in that house ever since. But I did manage, barely, to get her to come with us a couple of days ago for Mom's birthday."

"I can't believe it," I said, draping my arm around Isabella's shoulders protectively.

I didn't even want to imagine what I would do if anyone ever tried to hit my son. Suddenly, my bad mood had vanished, replaced by indignation.

Emmett sighed, leaning against the wall. "Well, believe it because it's true."

"I get why you're so mad with the way she handled the situation. Trust me, I do. I'd have probably reacted the same way, or worse, if she ever tried hitting my child. I know she's dealing with some serious issues. But I still don't think locking her away in that clinic is such a good idea."

He shook his head in disapproval. Dare I say he looked positively exasperated?

"It's only temporary, Edward. Just until the doctors diagnose her. After that, it remains to be seen what will happen to her. She could be staying at the clinic for a while for treatment or she could return home under the strict supervision of a professional. But right now, she's unstable, and even you can't deny that."

By the way he was stubbornly sticking to his idea of what was best for our mother, I realized there was no way in hell I was ever going to make him change his mind. For once, I was going to let him have it his way. I was sick and tired of fighting against each other all the time. I wanted and needed some semblance of alliance amongst my family.

"Fine," I relented, although I was clearly not completely fine with it. "Do whatever you want. It's obvious that my opinion on the matter is being overlooked, so I don't know why I even bothered expressing it."

He opened his mouth, looking like he was on the verge of shooting back a biting reply, but thought better about it. He looked at Isabella and his eyes landed on her stomach where they lingered for a moment before meeting mine.

"You should go home. Isabella looks tired and so do you. I'll deal with mother."

~~ 0 ~~

Minutes later, Isabella and I were sitting in the car, staring out the windshield absentmindedly. She was the first one to break the silence.

"I'm sorry."

I looked at her, my brow furrowing. "What are you sorry for?"

She shrugged. "For everything that's happening, I guess. I wish neither of us had to deal with this stress regarding your mother's condition."

"Mmmm," I hummed in agreement. "That's life; never too easy or too complacent."

"Yet…" she trailed off for a moment, glancing out her window, "…the difficulties have an upside. If you choose to deal with them, you can transform them into genuine fulfillment. It all depends on each of us, really. Life doesn't have to be easy to be great."

Despite my foul mood, I smiled and reached over to take her hand in mine. "That's a good philosophy to live by. I like your optimism, my Bella."

I kissed the back of her hand before directing my attention to the radio, trying to find a song I liked. She remained quiet, so I stole a quick glance at her, only to see that she was looking at me with an amused expression on her face.

"What?"

She smiled. "You called me Bella."

"Yeah, and?"

"You rarely do. I like it."

I shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly."I guess I like Isabella more."

She chuckled. "Anyway… you say you like my optimism. Well, maybe someday my optimism will rub off on you."

Even thought she was smiling, the heavy bags under her eyes indicated just how exhausted she was. I sighed, hating the fact that I was the one to blame for her lack of sleep.

"Maybe when you've lived some more, you'll find that sometimes keeping an optimistic attitude is easier said than done," I said, leaning over and capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.

Our fight from the previous night had taken its toll on both of us, and all I wanted was to take her home and spend the rest of the day by making it up to her. I wanted to make love to her, to get completely lost in her and forget all about my problems even for just a little while.

Or… we could just snuggle in our bed and get some much needed rest.

Yeah… sleep sounded heavenly right now.

She frowned, pushing against my chest lightly and breaking the kiss. "You know I hate it when you point out our age difference."

"And you know that I don't do it in order to upset you," I murmured, caressing her cheek. "I just think that you are still very young and have a lot to learn. Life can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."

"And I think you forget that I lost both my parents when I was eighteen. Trust me, I know how much of a pain in the ass life can be."

I sighed again, leaning back against my seat. She did have a point. "Speaking of your parents… when do you want to go to Forks?"

"Whenever you can get the time off from work. I was thinking that we could leave on a Friday afternoon and come back on a Monday evening. Or we could leave on a Saturday morning and come back on a Monday. Whatever works for you."

"How about we set a date?" I suggested. "Let's say… two weeks from now?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Oh, Edward, that would be great," she said, getting excited. Leaning towards me, she wrapped her arms around my neck tightly. She gave me a loud kiss before stroking my hair lovingly. "Thank you."

"You have nothing to thank me for," I replied with a smile. Her touch felt soothing, and I held her to me, wishing I never had to let go. "You know I would do anything for you."

"I know, but what about your mother?"

"I promised that I would go with you and I intend to keep my promise. Besides, we're only going to be away for a few days. I'm sure she'll be fine. She has Emmett and Dad and everyone else."

She nodded, continuing to stroke my hair. "Can I just say that I think your father made the right decision?" she said, watching me apprehensively. "And about her cheating on him…"

I looked away, my brows knitting together. "Please, let's not go there. It'll only make me mad, and I don't want to take it out on you. I just managed to calm down some."

"Okay." She pecked my cheek once before letting go of my neck and pulling back from me. "I just want you to know that if you ever feel the need to vent out, I'm always here to listen. Communication is the key to a healthy relationship. I don't want you repressing your emotions, especially the negative ones. They'll only eat at you from the inside, making you bitter and utterly unhappy. It's better to talk out your anger and frustration than keep it to yourself. And please note that I said talk, not yell. You tend to do the latter quite a lot when you get angry about something."

Her comment stung, reminding me of the way I had treated her the night before.

"I can be quite insufferable, can't I?" I said quietly, giving her an abashed look. "I'm amazed you still put up with me."

She rolled her eyes at me. "I told you before and I'll tell you again; I don't mind your temper that much. I knew you had it when I accepted you into my life. You're not perfect and neither am I. What I do mind is the fact that you keep shutting me out. You say you want me to be your wife, but I'm going to be honest here and tell you that I don't think you're ready for another marriage quite yet.

"You need to learn how to let me in, but most importantly, you need to learn how to trust me. I may be young, but that doesn't mean I'm weak or naïve. You always gave me the impression you want to protect me by keeping me at a certain distance, but trust me when I tell you that I can handle both you and your family just fine. You're not supposed to deal with all the problems by yourself. If we're in this relationship for the long haul, I need to know that you can see me as your friend and equal instead of just the woman you're sleeping with and mother of your child."

I turned around in my seat, angling my body towards her. "So that's why you keep refusing my marriage proposal? You think I don't trust you?"

"You trust me, but not completely." She smiled, cocking her head to the side. "And I never refused your marriage proposal. I never said no. I just said that we needed to wait."

I was quiet for a little while, simply pondering her words.

Maybe she was right, after all. Maybe I wasn't ready for another commitment just yet. But sooner or later I was going to be, and when that moment came, I was going to make her mine forever. Although I didn't show it as often as I should, I highly appreciated Isabella because I knew just how precious a woman like her really was and how fortunate I was to have her in my life.

She was beautiful, smart, ambitious, funny, kind, affectionate, hard-working; the list could go on forever. But most importantly, she was going to make an amazing mother to our son, and to me, that was what mattered most. She was the kind of woman I could have a family and spend the rest of my life with. She was the kind of woman I could love till my very last breath. She was the kind of woman I had been searching for all along, and I had no intention of ever letting her go.

"You're quite mature for your age, you know that?" I said eventually.

"If I remember correctly, last night you accused me of being immature and bratty," she said teasingly. "Which way is it?"

"You know I didn't mean what I said last night. You're a wonderful woman, and I'm lucky to have you in my life."

"I'm glad you think so," she said with a satisfied smile as she leaned back into her seat and put on her seatbelt, indicating that she was ready to go. "Remember that next time you have a BF."

"BF?" I asked, turning the key in the ignition and causing the engine to come to life with a soft purr.

She laughed at my perplexed expression. "Yeah, remember White Chicks? The movie?"

I shrugged. "I don't think I've seen it."

This time, her eye roll came out as playful, rather than annoyed. "Of course you haven't. Anyway, BF is short for bitch fit."

I let out a soft chuckle. "And here I thought bitch fits only happen to women having really bad days."

"No, guys PMS, too. It's been scientifically proven."

"Oh, really?"

"I'm serious. It's called IMS, or Irritable Male Syndrome."

It was my turn to laugh at her reply. "Thanks for letting me know I now have IMS to blame my mood swings on. 'Hey honey, I'm feeling quite cranky today; I think it's the IMS.' 'Baby, I don't feel like having sex with you right now. Blame it on the IMS.'"

"You're a jerk." She slapped my thigh playfully.

"I know," I said, smiling widely. "But you love me anyway."

"That I do."

The tension in the car seemed to have simply evaporated in the span of mere minutes since we had gotten in. I was calmer, and Isabella looked happy to be going home. She sighed contently, placing her hands on her prominent baby bump as she went back to gazing out her window.

I was about to put the car in reverse when it suddenly dawned on me that I had left my phone on the bed stand in my mother's hospital room.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath, immediately killing the engine.

"What?" Isabella's head snapped in my direction, distress lightly coloring her tone of voice. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot my phone upstairs," I said, giving her my best apologetic look.

She groaned. "No."

"Yeah." I opened the door, placing my left foot on the parking lot's cemented floor. "I'll be back really quick, okay?"

"But-" she started protesting, stopping abruptly when she realized I was already out of the car. Her expression read something akin to fear, and I just stood there, hunched over staring at her, trying to understand what she was suddenly so afraid of.

"Are you okay?" I asked curiously.

She gave me a tight smile that I didn't buy. "I'm fine. Just…please hurry."

"I will. I'll be back before you know it," I promised hurriedly, straightening up and shutting the door.

She seemed preoccupied about something, but I didn't have much time to dwell on it as I started jogging towards the elevator, gesturing to an elderly couple to hold the doors.

As I passed the waiting room, heading towards the hallway that led to my mother's room, I ran into Dad. He was walking towards me, his hands shoved deep into his pants' front pockets and his eyes trained to the floor. He looked lost in thought, and I slowed down my hurried steps as I approached him. I was about twenty feet away when he finally glanced up and his icy blue irises met mine. He looked startled to see me there, but recovered quickly.

As I closed the distance between us, I took a moment to reflect on his appearance. His hair, once honey blond, now had a platinum touch to it, streaks of gray coloring his sideburns and the short hairs at his temples. The wrinkles stretching from the corners of his eyes, all the way to his narrow forehead seemed to have dug even deeper into his pale skin while his two-day scruff cast a somber shadow over his entire physiognomy. To sum it all up, he looked like he had aged ten years overnight.

"Oh, good, you're still here," he spoke, taking my phone out of his pocket and handing it to me. "You left this behind. Emmett told me to give it to you."

"Where is he?" I asked quietly, glancing past his shoulder, almost expecting to see my brother standing there.

Dad sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's with your mother. She didn't want me there, so I had to leave the room, but he's still in there, trying to calm her down. She's furious at me for telling you about Bob."

I nodded, passing my phone from one hand to the other nervously. "Did she find out about her transfer to the clinic?"

"I think so. Emmett's been with her since you left. I planned on giving her the news myself, but she started screaming at me to get the hell out the moment I stepped into the room. I didn't know what else to do, so I left. I was just heading back to the cafeteria."

A moment of uncomfortable silence followed. He looked like he wanted to say more but didn't dare. Eventually, I shoved the phone into my own pocket and took a step backwards, preparing my exit.

"I need to go; Isabella's waiting for me. Let me know when she gets settled in."

"I will," he promised, stroking his jaw with his knuckles. "Oh and… Edward?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I'm…" he trailed off for a few seconds, biting into his lower lip gently. "I'm sorry."

I didn't know exactly what he was apologizing for, but I didn't press for more either. I'd had enough family drama for one day. Instead, I acknowledged his apology with a short nod before turning on my heels and heading towards the elevator.

As I stepped out on the parking garage's second floor, I turned to my right, heading for where I knew I had left the car. I barely had time to take a few steps before my gaze met the scene happening mere feet away.

Isabella had her window rolled down and was talking to James who was leaning with his hands on top of the hood. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which meant he was either coming to or leaving work.

After everything, this was going to be the drop that overflowed the cup. I could feel the anger rolling off of me in waves, but I didn't care. This time I was going to take it out solely on him.

"You have to be fucking kidding me," I yelled, balling my fists.

At the sound of my voice, he straightened up and turned around to face me, his expression neutral. "Well, hello to you, too."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I demanded, getting closer and closer with each hurried step.

One of his eyebrows arched, his lips turning up into the cocky smirk I hated so much. "I work here, cuz. You seem to be in a bitchy mood today. Well, if I think better about it, you're always in a bitchy mood."

I stopped inches away from him. I was so close, I could smell his breath, and yet, he didn't look intimidated by me in the least, continuing to keep his nonchalant body posture.

"I'm not your cousin and get the fuck away from my fiancée," I gritted menacingly.

I had no idea why I said it. Although we had discussed marriage, Isabella wasn't officially my fiancée. I guess I just wanted to make it clear that she was off limits. I couldn't stand the sight of him so close to her. It made my whole body quake with rage.

As if sensing my inner agitation, he looked down at Isabella then up at me, his smirk still in place. "Fiancée? I don't see an engagement ring."

"James, I think you should leave," Isabella spoke, her voice firm. "You said what you had to say. Now please go."

He ignored her, staring me in the eye defiantly. "I heard about Esme. What a pity. News travels so fast in hospitals."

"Leave," I said, desperately clinging to the any semblance of self-control I had left in me. "Now."

He went on, leaning in even closer.

"I also heard you've been neglecting Tanya's grave lately. Elsa complains you hardly ever call anymore. Does she know you're going to be a father?" He asked, his mouth turning up into a malicious grin. "Oh, wait, she does. I told her. Oops. Guess it must have just slipped out."

That was it. I was going to kill him and enjoy it.

"You fucking bastard," I growled, fisting his t-shirt and pushing him against the car roughly.

"Edward, no!" Isabella yelled desperately. I could hear her pulling on the door handle repeatedly, but she couldn't get out because we were blocking her door.

James shoved me back just as roughly, and a jolt of intense pain shot through my lower back. The adrenaline in my system was high enough for me to ignore it.

His expression morphed into one of pure hatred as he hissed at me menacingly. "I'm going to ruin you the same way you ruined Tanya. You have my word. Now that you've found happiness again, I'm going to take it away from you. Slowly. Painfully."

To my ears, it sounded like he was threatening to harm Isabella. I would have rather died or gone to jail for killing him than let him lay one finger on her and my child within.

I was about to launch myself at him again when I was pulled back firmly. Furious and a bit confused, I looked behind me, only to see that Isabella had suddenly materialized behind me and was holding me by the back of my shirt.

"Edward, please!" she implored, her eyes watering. "I don't want you to get into a fight with him. Please. I'm begging you."

She sounded and looked incredibly distressed and that was enough to make me snap out of it. Taking a step back, I forced myself to calm down.

"You stay away from Isabella," I said to James, pointing my forefinger at him in warning.

One of his eyebrows ached, his smirk returning. "Who said anything about Isabella?"

He was mocking me and I despised it.

"I swear to God, I'll fucking kill you," I gritted, clenching my fists so tight it hurt. "I'm telling you one last time. Leave her out of this."

He shook his head, letting out a hoarse laugh. Looking down at himself, he smoothed his hands over his t-shirt before taking a few steps towards me.

"Think about it," he whispered, close to my ear. "Think real hard. You're a smart man. You'll figure it out eventually."

With those final words, he left, and I just stood there, dumbfounded, wondering what he had meant by that.

~~ 0 ~~

The first thing I did when I got home was to strip down to my boxer briefs and get into bed. Although it was pretty early in the afternoon, I was in desperate need of some sleep after last night's insomnia. Not to mention that my back was still hurting.

Isabella closed the curtains in the bedroom before pulling off her dress and joining me. She lay with her head on my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her, closing my eyes and letting myself drift off.

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear her voice, but I was too far gone to make sense of what she was saying.

I woke up sometime later to the sound of my phone ringing furiously. The room was still dark, but the curtains were now opened, and I realized it must have been late at night. I sat up in bed and looked around for Isabella. She was nowhere to be found.

Picking up the phone, I saw it was Dad calling.

"Yeah?" I answered, getting up from the bed and stumbling my way towards the door. I opened it and made my way towards the living room.

"You said to call when I had news," he replied, sounding tired.

The living room was quiet, although the light was on. Rubbing a hand over my eyes, I continued walking towards the kitchen.

"How did she take it?"

He let out a long breath. "She took the news pretty badly and the doctors had to sedate her. She's sleeping now. In fact, she's been sleeping for the past three hours or so. Rest will do her good. She hasn't had any in quite some time."

I reached the kitchen and found Isabella perched up on a stool at the kitchen island, eating ice cream from a half gallon tub. She smiled softly when she saw me and patted the stool next to her.

"I'll come by to see her tomorrow," I said, smoothing my hand over her long hair as I sat down.

"Good, good," he stifled a yawn. "She needs all the support she can get."

After a small pause I said, "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you?"

I genuinely wanted to know. I had been angry at him and I still was, but that didn't mean I wasn't concerned for his well being.

He chuckled, but there was no humor in the dry sound echoing in my ear. "I've been better."

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure. Have a good night, son."

"You too."

I hung up and put down the phone, staring at Isabella.

"What?" she asked, freezing with the spoon halfway to her mouth. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did something happen with Esme?"

"No, no, she's okay," I assured her.

"Then what is it?" she insisted, placing the spoon back in the ice cream tub and turning towards me.

"I keep thinking about what James said. It's been running on a continuous loop in my mind."

She huffed, running her palms up and down my bare thighs in a comforting manner. "I really don't think he meant anything he said. Those were words spoken out of anger."

If only she knew the real reason he was so mad at me.

"I have a confession to make," I said eventually, knowing she had a right to know the whole truth.

She frowned and her hands stopped moving on me. "I don't like the sound of that, Edward."

"When Tanya was dying… he asked me for my permission to see her. And… and I said no. I didn't let him say goodbye to her."

Isabella's eyes widened. "Why would you do that? I mean, I know you didn't like him, but he was her cousin. He had the right to-"

"I know, I know," I cut her off, standing up abruptly and tugging on my hair. "I know I was wrong. To be honest I don't even know why I did it. I was just so angry at the world that she was dying. I barely even allowed my own family to visit. I guess I just wanted to keep her all to myself while I still had her."

"Oh, Edward," she whispered, reaching for my hand. "I'm sorry. And yes, you were very wrong to do so, but he's not going to do anything to me."

"How do you know?"

"I just know. He's not a bad person, Edward. At least, I don't think he is."

I chuckled darkly. "That's what Tanya used to say. But I know better. He's revengeful and he won't stop till he gets back at me."

She sighed, pulling on my hand until I was standing between her parted thighs. "You're being paranoid. Just… stop thinking about it."

"I wish I could," I lamented, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "His words are going to haunt me for a long time."

"I'm just surprised he didn't tell me himself, you know?"

"Yeah, me too. I have no idea what his game plan is, but I don't like it. I am afraid of what he is considering as retribution."

She looked up at me and smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise."

Cupping her cheeks, I kissed her for a long time.

Everything was definitely not going to be okay. It was as if I could feel it in my bones. Something horrible was about to happen and I wasn't going to be able to stop it.

A/N New readers… for teasers you can join TPB group on FB. Link is on my profile.

As always, thanks for reading and patiently waiting for updates : )