Author's Note: And we're back. Sorry for the delay but we apparently have to sit next to each other to write this story. Good thing we live in the same state. We still don't own Twilight, much to our dismay. Stephenie Meyer does. Lucky bitch.
As a reminder...Bella and Edward met again on a Wednesday. This chapter happens on Sunday/Monday. They've been back together for FOUR days. Keep that in mind.
Thank yous go to our husbands who, while not understanding the obsession, support our need to spend time with Edward.
On with the story.
6. Brick by Brick
EPOV
I answered the phone while walking through Bella's living room out onto her back porch.
"Hey, Rose."
"Edward, you're late for dinner. Are you on the way?"
I hesitated for just a second and then went with the truth.
"Actually, I'm not gonna make it tonight."
"Why not? You're always here on Sunday nights. Is everything okay? What's going on? Where are you?"
"Everything is fine. I'm at Bella's."
I braced myself for the inevitable explosion, holding the phone away from my ear as my sister's voice screeched out of the speakers.
"You what? Have you lost your fucking mind? You blow me off for that skanking whore? What the fuck is wrong with you? Hasn't she hurt you enough?"
I love my sister. Let's cut right to the chase and hand me my balls on a platter.
Though it wasn't any less than I had expected. My sister had been on the warpath ever since she'd seen Bella at the ballpark that first night.
"Rose..." I tried to get a word in edgewise, but she wasn't done yet.
"Don't fucking placate me, Edward. I didn't spend the last fourteen years propping you up, only to watch you fall apart again. Once a whore, always a whore. Mark my words, you'll regret this."
"Enough!" I bellowed into the phone. "You don't know what you're talking about. All you have are your assumptions, and you wouldn't believe how wrong they are."
"Oh, really?" she bit back sarcastically. "So, what? Bella didn't sleep with the entire college campus? Only half of it?"
I started to get pissed off. Rose was being unfair. She didn't know the whole story and her attacks on Bella's character were totally uncalled for.
"Shut up, Rose. You couldn't be farther from the truth. And that is all you need to know. Bella and I have decided to give this another go. End of story. Butt the fuck out, okay?"
"Butt out? How dare you? Don't you remember what happened the last time? Can I expect to scrape you off the floor in a few weeks? Maybe a couple of months? Drunk off you ass and depressed as shit?"
I took a deep breath, silently telling myself that she was acting only out of concern for me.
"Look – settle down, alright? I'm gonna finish dinner here, and then I'll come over and we can have this discussion. I don't want to do this over the phone. Okay?"
She huffed. "Whatever, Edward. You want me to butt out? Have it your way. Don't bother coming by. Let me know when she leaves you and I will be there to pick up the pieces. Again."
"Rosalie, listen, dammit. I'll be over in a little while and we can discuss this – calmly and like the adults we're supposed to be. Okay?"
"Fine," she spat.
The call disconnected. I took another deep breath to calm myself; I didn't want to walk back into the house as aggravated as I currently felt. Although, as much as Rose's attitude annoyed me, I understood the reasons for her volatile reaction to my news. She had been the one to pick me up off the ground when my dreams had shattered and had been my anchor ever since.
However, I was thirty-three years old and capable of making my own decisions. And starting over with Bella was a dream come true and I'd move heaven and earth to hold on to her this time around.
All Rose would accomplish with her accusations and anger was to make me feel even more protective of Bella, and the new chance we had been given. It worried me that Rose being mean and hateful to Bella would only serve to make her run again, considering that what Bella had overheard all those years ago had been sort of a catalyst for her eventual decision.
Yes, it was best to keep that particular aspect of my sister's aversion to myself.
With a heavy sigh, I put the phone back in my pocket and made my way back in the house, rejoining Bella and James in the kitchen. Bella quirked an eyebrow as I sat down.
"I'll tell you later," I mouthed with a small smile, then dug in and engaged James in mindless conversations about football and school. I could feel Bella's eyes on me the whole time, and I'd glance at her every few minutes. She picked at her food, clearly worried and tense about the phone call. I tried to convey with my eyes that she shouldn't worry, giving her a crooked smile.
When James was finished eating, he asked to be excused.
"I gotta go to the bathroom," he said, fidgeting in his chair. Bella gave her permission and he quickly ran off.
"Come back when you're done," she hollered after him. "Don't forget to flush. And wash your hands."
"'kay, Mom."
She turned her eyes to me expectantly. "Well?"
I took her hand in mine, softly rubbing my thumb over her knuckles. Bella was worrying her lip. I leaned in to kiss her, to reassure her, knowing full well that there was no way in hell I would tell her exactly what assumptions Rose had made for the last fourteen years. Especially now that I knew the truth, there was no point in making Bella feel any worse than she already did.
"Well...Rose is not happy with me right now," I started to explain, "but that's primarily because she doesn't know the truth. So, after our dinner, I'll head over there and sit down with her to talk this out. Don't worry, Bella, okay? This changes nothing."
She nodded hesitantly. "Okay. You think that'll work? She obviously blames me for what I put you through. Not that she'd be wrong about that."
"Sweetheart, stop. It'll be fine. You and me, alright?"
There was doubt and guilt on her face and she looked defeated, glancing at her hands in her lap.
"I'm just worried that she'll convince you that I'm just not worth the effort. I hurt you so badly. It's still a miracle to me that you'd forgive me. I don't know that she will."
"Bella, listen to me. Whether or not Rose moves past what happened, it will not stop me from pursuing this with you. Nothing is going to stop me from giving this," I waved my hand between us, "my all. I love you, and that's that."
Finally, she raised her head and looked at me, with a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"I love you, too," she whispered. "I want this. I want you."
"Good," I said with determination. "Then it's settled."
As if on cue, James returned just as I wrapped my arms around her and she quickly broke away, her happy mask firmly back in place, almost as if our conversation just a few moments ago hadn't affected her at all. It stung a little, but I understood the need to take things slow in front of him, to give him time to get to know me and to get used to the idea of his mother and I being together.
"So – clean-up time, I guess?" I said as Bella began to remove the dishes from the table. "I'll help."
Bella looked at me questioningly. "Don't you have that...thing to go to? You don't have to do this – James will help me, right, sweetie?"
"Mom," James whined. "Do I have to?"
"Come on, buddy," I intervened, unwilling to leave quite yet. "Between the three of us, it'll take no time at all. Your mom cooked such a delicious meal. Don't you think she deserves to have us help her clean up?"
He cocked his head to the side, staring up at me. "Yeah, I guess. Okay, coach...I mean, Mr. Edward. I'll help."
Bella looked at him as if he had grown another head.
"You sure you're my kid? Did the gremlins get to you? No further whining?" she teased him.
"Mom," James replied, a tone of admonishment in his voice, as a blush crept up his face. "I've helped you before."
Bella laughed.
"Yeah, when I bribed you."
James' face flushed bright red, and I was overwhelmed how much he looked like Bella at that moment. It was hilarious that he would have inherited her propensity to blush whenever she was embarrassed.
And it sure looked like the kid was mortified that she was calling him out in front of me. I guessed he didn't want his coach to think that he didn't help his mom, though that wasn't anything atypical for his age. I wistfully remembered my own reaction to my mother asking me to help with stuff around the house.
I always had better things to do than to help Mom, something I sometimes wished I could take back. If I had known I would lose her so soon, I would have gladly spent more time helping her whenever I could have.
"Mom!" James whisper-yelled, starting to move plates to the sink.
Still laughing, Bella began washing the dishes, setting them onto the drying rack where James and I would pick them up to dry. Mindful that he was still just a kid, I handled the heavier items like the pots and let him dry off the silverware. He seemed oblivious to the flirting between his mother and I. And whenever he was looking away, I surreptitiously copped a feel of her ass.
And what a nice ass it is.
"Stop it," she hissed under her breath after I had grabbed her a few times and flicked dishwater at me. The smile in her eyes told me she enjoyed it despite her protest, so I kept on feeling her up whenever I got the chance. Every time James turned away, my hands would unerringly land on her butt, teasing her as much as I thought I could get away with. She finally snapped a kitchen towel through the air when I wasn't looking, causing me to nearly drop the plates I was about to put into the overhead cabinet.
"Bella!" I yelped when the towel made contact on my bare leg. "Fu...dge! What was that for?"
She looked at me innocently. From the table, James laughed.
"You got him good, Mom."
"Your mom is a sneaky one, isn't she?" I turned my head to wink at him conspiratorially. "You think that's the thanks we deserve for helping her?"
He cocked his head to the side again, thinking. "Yeah, I guess that's not nice. You should say sorry, Mom."
"What? I'm just shaking it out so I can hang it up." Bella grinned widely.
I rolled my eyes and smirked at her. "Yeah, right. I'm onto you."
"You wish," she quipped.
You got that right, baby. Actually, I wish I'd be on top of you.
Preferably with your legs wrapped around my waist.
I just waggled my brows suggestively, feeling like I was where I was supposed to be. This was right, and I would do whatever I could to make my sister understand and give us her blessing.
And if she refused, well – I'd deal with that if it happened.
Still, there was a little voice nagging at me, that this, all of this, should have been mine all along if only Bella had given us the benefit of the doubt back then. The miscommunication, the lack off communication was what had ultimately brought us to our knees.
I gritted my teeth and shoved the voice into the back of my mind. If onlys and should haves would not change anything – all we could do is start over and move forward.
And I was hellbent on doing just that.
When the kitchen was sparkling again, Bella took James upstairs to start his bath. I told him good-night and that I would see him at practice the next night. With a happy smile and shout good-bye, he ran upstairs.
I took the opportunity to mess with Bella's phone, changing her message alert tone for texts from me to something I hoped would make her smile and realize that I was serious about us.
The second she came back down, I pulled Bella into my arms, bending her backwards and kissing her hungrily.
My turn.
Fuck, I'm getting hard already.
"You little vixen," I moaned against her lips and grinding my half-mast into her leg. "I already need you again."
She flexed her hips against mine, kissing me back furiously and then panting when I moved my mouth to her neck, kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear.
"Edward," she whimpered, running her hands over my back, digging her nails into my skin.
"Fuck, Bella – I don't wanna leave. I wanna be a few months down the road so James would know about us and we could all be together all the time."
Visions of the two of them living with me danced around my mind, and I was a little surprised at how badly I wanted that to happen. The more time I spend with the kid, the more I could see myself being a father to him.
What about one of your own?
Yes, please.
Getting ahead of yourself again?
Yup. Sue me.
The thought popped into my head and I wasn't even scared. I'd never thought about having kids, knowing that it wasn't an option for me, not after I lost her.
Now it was.
I assumed Bella was on birth control since I sure as hell hadn't wrapped my dick when we'd had sex. That was probably something I should ask her about.
And maybe at some point down the road, I would ask her to stop taking it.
Bella tightened her hold on me. "I want that, too. I just need time to break things to him. Give me time, Edward."
My head knew she was speaking reasonably but my heart was annoyed at all the time we'd already wasted. Still, reason persisted and I was able to swallow down the bile that had risen in my throat at her words.
"Yeah, you're right. That doesn't make it any easier, though."
"I know," she whispered. "I want you here, I do, but I have to think of my kid. We gotta give him time to get used to the idea."
"Alright," I conceded, struggling to get past the pain. "After fourteen years, what's a little more time?"
Bella's face fell at the bitterness in my voice, her body stiffening in my arms, and I scrambled to make it right again.
"I'm sorry – I shouldn't have said that. I'm...I'm frustrated, to tell the truth. I want it all with you, and I can hardly wait to get there."
My apology didn't quite erase the guilt in her eyes, and I could have kicked my own ass for my callous words.
"Really, I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she said, "this is all my fault anyway. I deserve whatever you throw at me."
"Sshh, baby...don't say that. It's not true. We both were young and stupid back then. I'm just as much to blame."
She didn't look like she believed me, and I swore to myself that I would do whatever I could to get her to that point.
With another searing kiss and a promise to contact her after my talk with my sister, I finally left.
On the way to Rose's house, I debated whether I should tell her what I had found out from Bella, or whether I should keep that between us. On one hand, having the knowledge that Bella had not 'slept her way around campus' as Rose had put it so succinctly, would perhaps convince my sister to give this relationship another chance. On the other hand, it felt like a betrayal of Bella's trust, especially since I knew how hard it had been for her to tell me these things.
And a huge part of me also knew that whatever I might tell my sister, I had a snowball's chance in hell that it would make any damn difference. Rose was stubborn to a fault, and once she had made up her mind about something, there was almost no chance of it ever changing.
And thus my purpose of having this conversation with her would be simply to get her to back off and not interfere. Only time would show my sister that Bella was going to stick around and not break my heart again. If she ever felt that Rose needed to know what had happened in those fourteen years, it would be up to Bella to impart that knowledge on my sister.
Fat lot of good it would do.
Either way, Rose needed to trust my judgment. I knew what I was doing.
Well, actually, I was flying by the seat of my pants, but I hadn't felt this alive in fourteen long years and that had to count for something.
I loved this woman, I believed that she loved me, and immature and naïve as it may have been, I trusted that our love would be enough.
With that thought, I drove the last few miles to Rose's house and parked my car in the driveway. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
Emmett let me in, smirking meaningfully. "Dude...shit's about to hit the fan. Rose is in a pissy mood. Y'all may wanna take this outside somewhere. I got a kid sleeping in here."
"Whatever," I retorted. "You know I love her dearly but she needs to mind her own damn business."
"Edward," Emmett said with a sigh, "cut her some slack, will ya? You know she means well, and to be honest, I'm having a hard time believing you'd forgive and forget like that. But hey, your life, your heart, your sanity. Just don't take it out on my wife, okay?"
"I'll do my best," I replied, heavy on the sarcasm, exasperated that I even had to have this conversation. All I wanted was to finally be happy. Was that too much to ask?
"Where is she?"
"Upstairs, putting Jasper in bed. Come on in. Want a beer?"
Liquid courage? Yes, please.
"Yeah, thanks." I followed him into the kitchen where he grabbed two bottles from the fridge.
Turning to me, he snickered. "I recommend the garage. It's farthest from Jasper's room. You should be okay to yell in there if need be. And you know she will. I hope you brought ear plugs."
"I think we might just stay in here, if you don't mind," I retorted. "If we're in here, I should hope she'll remember not to yell. I think this may be safer for me."
Emmett laughed. "Yeah, I see your point. Either way, your funeral. Just don't kill each other, alright? I still wanna get laid tonight."
So would I.
Chances of that happening are slim to none.
I rolled my eyes and snorted. "I'm sure it won't get that bad."
"Well, at least it's you she's mad at this time. Usually it's me."
"Glad to be of service."
He snickered. "Yeah, thanks so much."
Footsteps could be heard on the stairs. I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a little nervous to face my sister's wrath. I grimaced, taking a swig of beer. Emmett looked at my expression and raised one eyebrow, his eyes gleaming with suppressed mirth. He clapped my shoulder.
"You ready? I hear her coming down. Good luck to you. Nice knowing ya."
He clinked his bottle to mine and started to saunter out of the kitchen, kissing his wife as she came in, whispering something into her ear that made her glare up at him. He held up his hands defensively and with a last pity-filled look at me, walked away.
Rose's angry eyes turned on me. I leaned casually against the kitchen counter, nursing my beer and returning her stare calmly though I was a pile of nerves on the inside. I wasn't worried about myself – hell, I had known this woman for thirty-three years and there was nothing she could throw at me that I couldn't counter – no, I was primarily worried about Rose confronting Bella and how that would affect her and our relationship.
Rose was my sister and my best friend. We knew each other inside and out and no matter the outcome of this discussion, we'd still be okay. I knew she was worried. It was now up to me to convince her to simply trust me that I knew what I was doing.
I took another swig of my beer then sighed.
"Okay," I said, half to myself, as I turned the bottle in my hands. "Let's get this over with."
She walked over to the table and sat down. "Grab me a beer, will ya?"
I pulled another bottle from the fridge, popping the top, and handed it to her.
"So," I said, returning to my spot leaning against the counter, "let me have it."
Rosalie took a long draft from the bottle before focusing a hard stare on me.
"I just don't understand you, Edward," she started, and as she spoke, though she kept her voice low, her anger came through loud and clear.
"How can you just go back to her? She left you. She simply disappeared. No letters, no calls, no contact whatsoever. She was gone from your life for fourteen years. And all these years, I've watched you stumble through your life, trying my best to keep you from drowning in the pain she caused you. Fourteen fucking years, Edward. Out of the blue, she shows back up and four days later, it's all hunky-dory again? Unicorns and rainbows shooting out of her ass? How can you forget what she did to you? How can you forgive her all the fucking pain and misery she's caused? What am I supposed to do with this shit? Yippee, Bella's back, let's have a fucking party?"
"No, it's not all hunky-dory but I love her, Rose. I've always loved her and I always will. You know that. There's never been anyone else for me."
"Well, isn't that nice," she spat sarcastically. "You love her. And that's supposed to explain it? You never even tried to move past her. So many beautiful women have thrown themselves at you over the years, but you never even tried to build something new."
"That is not true," I replied defensively. "I did try. It didn't work."
"Yeah, right," Rose scoffed. "I can still remember you running from Sam. You didn't even give her a chance."
"Good grief, Rose. Sam? Seriously? She's like a sister to me. That was never gonna happen, and you knew that."
"I don't believe that. You'd be perfect together."
"She's your best friend," I tried to explain again. "I never saw her as anything more. And that wasn't what I was referring to when I said that I tried."
Painful memories of the Tanya fiasco shoved themselves forcefully into my mind. I shuddered as I remembered the hurt on the poor girl's face when I had confessed my shame. That alone had been enough to prevent any further attempts.
"What are you talking about?"
I sighed, not really wanting to share this with my sister but seeing no other way to get my point across. "Let's just say it was a complete disaster. I met this girl shortly after college and we dated for a little while. When we...had sex for the first time, I blurted out Bella's name...at an inappropriate time. And that's all you need to know."
She stared at me, incredulous at first but then I could see comprehension dawning in her eyes. It was soon replaced by curiosity.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Are you fucking serious? It wasn't my most shining moment. Do you really think I'd want to share that with my sister? Come on, Rose, gimme some credit here. I didn't even tell Emmett."
"Well, I suppose that explains the string of one-night stands."
I didn't respond to that – there was no need.
"Just explain it to me, Edward. You're my brother and I love you, but I can't for the life of me understand why you would put yourself in a situation that will only get you hurt again. Why would you take up with that slut again? She's got a kid – where is her husband? Did she leave him, too?"
Anger flared and my voice became deadly.
"You need to shut the fuck up right fucking now, Rose. You have no idea what you're talking about. Bella's husband is dead. He was killed in a car accident."
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but that's really beside the point. She married someone. She had a baby. She obviously moved on – so why the hell couldn't you?"
I felt an overwhelming urge to just lay out all my cards and tell her everything Bella had shared with me, but I also knew that I couldn't break her confidences in that way. What she had told me was for my ears only, a story that had gone a long way to explain Bella's heart to me, and my sister simply didn't need to know the nitty-gritty details.
"Bella's story is much more complicated than you think. Things aren't always what they seem, Rose, and maybe one day Bella will tell you the truth. In the meantime, you need to stop judging her by your assumptions – because it's pissing me off. I know what happened during our time apart, and I'm really the only one who needs to know."
Before she could reply, I continued.
"Look – I am so grateful that you're my sister, because I know I couldn't have gotten through this time without you. You've carried my sorry ass for so long, you pulled me out of my drunken stupor and you basically saved my life. But you're not my mother and I'm old enough to make my own decisions, Rose – I've done so for quite some time. You need to let go, and trust me that I know what I'm doing."
She stared at me long and hard.
"It's not you I don't trust, it's her. You've had your head up her ass for so long, and I just don't feel like you're thinking straight. I don't understand the hold she has on you."
Suddenly, there were tears in her eyes. "And I'm afraid that you're only setting yourself up for more heartbreak. I don't know that I can save you again, if that happens. And I can't lose my brother."
I dropped my bottle on the counter and closed the distance between us, pulling her into a hug. Rose leaned her head against my chest and sniffled.
"Rose, I love you. Please, give me the benefit of the doubt. Can you do that?"
"I want to, but I don't know that I can. I don't know that I could handle seeing you this broken again when Bella leaves."
"Yeah, but that's where you're wrong. I know she won't leave again."
Rose scoffed into my shirt. "Yeah, right. She's got an awesome track record with that."
"Look – you're gonna have to trust me. I'm not asking you to forgive, I'm not expecting you to like her. Hell, for all I care, you don't ever have to talk to her. All I am asking is that you give me a chance. And give her a chance to prove herself to you. Because I know she will. She is not leaving again. I trust her."
"Well, I don't, and I probably never will."
I shook my head, exasperated. "Fine. Just back off, okay? She makes me happy. Please, don't make me choose between you and her."
Rose pushed back from me, furiously staring me down.
"You would choose her over me? Over your own sister? After everything I've done for you?"
I nodded firmly. "Yes. I want to be happy, Rose. I deserve to be happy, and I know I can only be happy with her. This is what I want. And I would like you to be happy for me."
"Don't hold your breath," she spat before storming from the room. I nursed the rest of my beer, waiting for her to calm down enough to come back. I knew my sister. I'd give her the time she'd need.
It took all of ten minutes before she returned, a resigned look on her face. She sat back down at the table and picked up her beer. I waited patiently for her to say whatever she had to say.
"Alright, Edward," she finally said. "I think you're making a huge mistake, but it's your choice. The best I can do is to keep my mouth shut. Don't expect me to talk to her. As far as I'm concerned, she doesn't exist. And I really hope you know what you're doing."
"I do," I promised. "It'll all work out, you'll see."
"Your word in God's ear." Her words marked the end of our conversation on the subject.
We finished the rest of our bottles in silence. I knew that this concession had cost her a lot and I was fully aware that this was as good as it was going to get – at least for a while. Only time would tell if Rose and Bella would ever get back to the friendship they used to have.
I wasn't hopeful. The best I could probably expect was forced civility on my sister's part, and quiet acceptance on Bella's.
It would have to suffice.
BPOV
After dinner, Edward helped me clean up the kitchen and even convinced my son to help. Usually James moaned and groaned about cleaning up after dinner, but tonight was a different story. He jumped at the chance to spend more time with Edward and that made me smile.
It was a very positive sign to see my son take to Edward so easily. He didn't question why his coach was having dinner with us, just like he hadn't questioned where I'd been that afternoon.
Eventually Edward left, and James prattled on about his afternoon with Seth as he bathed. After I tucked him into bed, he looked over at me, a huge smile on your face.
"It was really fun today, Mom," he gushed, his eyes shining brightly.
I smiled, pleased that he had enjoyed himself. It made me hopeful for the future. The rapid way James had taken to Edward was rather extraordinary, and I wondered if it could really be this easy for him to include Edward in our little family.
"Really?"
"Having Coach to practice with was great!" he beamed.
I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. It was very important to me that James like Edward. Of course, he was my son's coach so I suspected James would be excited to see him, but it seemed to go beyond just a boy and his football coach. Listening to them play video games while I cooked dinner had warmed my heart.
"I'm glad you had a good time," I replied, leaning over and kissing his forehead.
"Is he gonna come back soon?" he asked excitedly.
"Would you like him to?" His question again alleviated some of my concerns about James and Edward getting along, considering how happy the prospect appeared to make him.
"Yes, definitely. I like him a lot." He nodded earnestly. "When is he coming back?"
I hesitated, unsure of what answer would be best.
"Well, I'm not sure," I stalled for a minute. "You'll see him at practice tomorrow. Why don't you ask him then?"
"Okay, yeah. Will you be there?"
"Yes, I'll be there, sweetie, but Uncle Seth might pick you up to take you. I'm not sure yet how long I'll have to work."
"Okay."
"Alright, and now it's time for sleep."
"Night, mom," James mumbled as he rolled over.
"Night, baby."
As I prepared for bed, I wondered about Edward and his meeting with Rose, worried about how much influence she still had over him. I glanced down at the clock on my nightstand, wondering if he would call me when he got home.
I read for a while but eventually dozed off only to be woken up when my phone started playing 'All In' by 'Lifehouse'. The words 'I'm all in' repeated over and over. Confused and half asleep, I accidentally knocked the phone on the floor and nearly fell out of bed reaching for it.
There was a text from Edward.
Talked with Rose. Everything's taken care of. Love you. Call you tomorrow
I turned on the lamp on my nightstand to type out a reply, amused that he had added a special message alert tone. The song he had picked spoke volumes to me, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.
Thanks for letting me know. Glad you're okay. Miss you. Love you. Nice choice on the ringtone. See you tomorrow? :)
Tiredly I set the phone to vibrate when there wasn't an immediate response. I figured he was tired as well, and after what had to have been a difficult conversation with his sister, I didn't really expect him to text back until the next day. I fell asleep quickly, much more easily than the night before.
As if he had known what I was thinking, there was a message waiting for me when I woke up Monday morning.
Count on it, babe. xo
I looked at the time, hoping he was already awake.
I am. ;) See you later at practice. Miss you.
Setting the phone back down, I proceeded to get dressed and begin the morning.
James was cranky and didn't want to get up. I told him in no uncertain terms that after practice and dinner, he was heading straight to bed. I would not deal with his tired attitude again tomorrow morning. He seemed to settle down a little once he ate breakfast which reminded me of Edward back in high school. He could be irritable in the morning before he ate, as well.
After dropping James off at school, I found myself stuck in horrible morning traffic though even that could not wipe the happy smile off my face.
When I got into work, my smile was soon replaced with an annoying headache. It seemed every patient was late for their appointment which caused me to skip lunch. The line-up of patients would take me far into the afternoon, so I called Seth to make arrangements for James and practice.
I was tired and hungry by the time I finally left the office, over forty-five minutes later than usual. I had not heard anything from Edward during the day, which in my current crankiness irritated me slightly. I knew he was busy but I had expected him to text me at some point.
The only person to call had been Seth. He just wanted me to know that he had picked up James from the after school program and that they would both meet me at practice. I had hoped to see Edward beforehand, but as it turned out, they were already in the midst of things when I arrived. I looked around and once I found Seth, I sat down next to him. He smiled at me, not saying a word, before refocusing on the kids playing on the field.
"What?" I asked quietly.
"Nothing," he smirked. "You okay?"
"Yep. I'm fine."
"Good, good. Just wanted to make sure this guy is treating you right."
I rolled my eyes. "There's nothing to worry about."
"Just making sure, ya know. Dude shows up out of nowhere and you get all starry-eyed. I've never seen you like this, not even with Jacob."
I blushed, not really knowing how to answer that insinuation. I didn't want to hurt his feelings by confirming his unvoiced question, even though the answer was a resounding no. I had never loved my late husband the way I loved Edward.
Seth was looking at me intently. "So, what's the story, Bella?"
I returned his stare evenly. "This really isn't a conversation for the ball field but I don't want things to get awkward between us. There's a lot of history there, and I didn't feel comfortable telling you about that part of my past. Though, didn't Edward already tell you? You two looked awfully cozy yesterday."
I couldn't help the sarcastic tone in my voice when I said that last bit and Seth gaped at me, incredulous.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Bella, the man was pissed to hear that you referred to the two of you as 'old friends'. He told me you guys dated in high school so obviously, you were more than just friends. I'm just trying to get some clarification here. I assumed he dumped you but he made it sound like he'd been all broken up over you for quite a while."
"He said that?"
"Well, not in so many words, but yeah, he pretty much insinuated that. Is it true?"
I looked at the ground, shame and guilt creeping up inside, and nodded. "Yeah."
"What happened?"
I shook my head. "It's a really long story that makes me look really bad, and I would rather not dissect it with you. Suffice it to say that Edward and I are trying to start over. I never really got over him, and it seems he didn't either."
"What about James?"
I glared at him, angry that he seemed to be questioning my commitment to my child. "What about my son?"
"Easy, Bella. I'm just a little worried about how this is gonna affect him, that's all."
"He is my first priority," I hissed, trying to keep my voice low. "Do not think for one minute that I would ever put a man before my child."
Seth held up his hands in defense. "Jeez, chillax, girl. What's gotten into you? I'm on your side, remember? My concern is for the both of you."
I took a deep breath and looked at him pleadingly. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. Look, can we talk about this later? This really isn't the place."
He stared at me for a moment, searching my face, then nodded. "Yeah. Okay. You're right. You and James are family. I just want to make sure you guys are okay."
I squeezed his knee reassuringly and smiled at him. "We will be."
He shrugged. "Okay. That's all I need to know."
I didn't reply, and we both returned to watching the kids. James was laughing about something Jasper said as they got ready to go through another drill. It warmed my heart to see my son make friends, especially with Edward's nephew, considering that if things went the way I hoped, the two boys would be cousins of sorts at some point in the future.
I was incredibly curious about what Edward had said to his sister the night before. Surreptitiously, I looked around to see if she was at the fields and suddenly caught sight of her. Before I could turn and look in the opposite direction, Rose caught my eye and gave me a vicious glare.
That said it all.
"Whoa, what was that death stare all about?" Seth asked quietly.
"Long story," I mumbled under my breath.
"Who is that?"
"Edward's sister."
He was silent for a moment, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. The pieces must have fallen into place because Seth turned to me with a smirk.
"Guess when you said this long story made you look bad, you weren't kidding."
"Just drop it, okay?"
"Sure, sure. Just tell me if I need to be worried about your health."
"I'm sure it won't come to that," I muttered. "At least, I hope so."
Seth nodded, remaining quiet until Rose shot me another ghastly look just as practice ended.
"She sure has it in for you."
"I'm aware."
"All that over a high school romance gone bad? Seems excessive."
"You don't know the half of it."
Just then James ran over, effectively ending that conversation.
"Hey, Mom. Can I stay for a little longer? Coach Emmett asked me to help put the stuff away and Jasper wants to play for a bit."
I ruffled his hair. "Yeah, sure. Have fun."
With a happy squeal, he ran off again. It wasn't much later that Edward strode over, putting an arm around my shoulder and pulling me close. I wrapped one arm around his waist as we stood next to each other. He kissed the top of my head before speaking quietly.
"I noticed my sister. She actually wasn't too bad," he chuckled into my hair.
"That's because the looks weren't aimed at you."
"True, but believe me – I got the worst of it last night. She is tame today."
"If you say so," I replied, rolling my eyes.
"Hey, Seth," he said, "good seeing you, man. You doing okay?"
"Yep, can't complain. What's the deal with your sister?"
Edward gaped at him for a second but caught himself quickly. "Uh...long story."
"That's what she said," Seth smirked, pointing at me. "Am I ever gonna hear this long story?"
"Maybe some other time," I interjected, looking around to see where Rose had gone. I found her standing by the fence, talking to some of the other moms but shooting glares at me whenever she could.
Edward bent down to whisper into my ear as he squeezed my shoulders. "Don't let it bother you, sweetheart. She'll come around."
"Will she?" I replied, doubting his optimism. "Doesn't look that way."
Edward shot a glare at Rose just as she was leveling me with one of hers. As soon as he caught her eyes, she looked away and then turned her back on us.
Unwilling to let her antagonism mar my time with Edward, I gazed up at him, forcing a smile onto my face.
"You gonna join us for dinner?"
"Sure,"he said with a grin. "You cooking?"
"That's the plan. Nothing fancy, though. James still has to do homework, too."
"That's fine."
I turned to my brother-in-law.
"Seth, you coming, too?"
He nodded and winked. "You know I'm always up for a free dinner. Does it include a story?"
I groaned as Edward chuckled next to me.
"Persistent little fucker, aren't you?"
Seth laughed out loud. "Looks like I'm not the only one."
Edward laughed. "Good point."
I simply shook my head at their antics, happy that they were getting along. Seth had been a big part of my life for a long time and his reaction had worried me just as much as James' had.
As usual, it seemed I had been worried over nothing.
Endnote: That's all for now. Thank you for reading. Please leave a review.