Edward grinned as Jasper told him all the information he had found on Bella's "other" family and he felt bad for feeling so much joy. Bella's mother had shaped who she was, turned her into the self-conscious, self-loathing person she was today. It pained him to know she felt so low about herself.
"What is it you're planning, Ed?" Jasper asked, his southern drawl still so strong after all these years. "What are we going to do about the Dwyer's?"
"Why is my ex-wife up for discussion?" Charlie's voice broke through the two of them and they froze. They had been so deep in discussion that neither of them had noticed him enter the room.
"I..uh…we..Bella." Edward searched for the right lie to tell, but couldn't come up with anything. It was at this point that he realized that no, he couldn't tell Charlie about Bella's past, because it wasn't his story to tell. If Bella wanted her father to know, she'd tell him.
"We just wanted to call her up and tell her the good news." Jasper answered for him, throwing his arm over Edward's shoulders, pulling him tight to his side, a big grin on his face. "Edward here thought it was time he met the old woman anyway."
Charlie's eyes darted between the two of the boys, crinkling up as his smile spread. "Old is right. Be sure to tell her that when the two of you speak."
Jasper could feel the relief coming off of Edward beside him, so he squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, telling him that their lie had been bought. "Relax," he whispered almost inaudibly, releasing his friend.
"I figured I could just call her and invite her down," the words sounded like an obvious lie to Edward's ears. "It's been a while since Bella's seen her mother, right?" His hands were in tight fists, his voice tense.
Charlie's brow furrowed in confusion, his eyes again darting between the two boys. As the police chief he was trained to sense liars, trained to detect tension. He pointed a finger at Edward, then to Jasper. "What do I need to know?" his tone was accusing, a no nonsense, don't give me shit, tone.
"Edward's nervous, sir." Jasper's voice broke through. "He needs to make a good first impression on her, right?" He slapped Edward's back in a brotherly way, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "We know you like him already, that's a given." He chuckled "but what if Momma Renee hates his guts?"
Charlie softened for a moment, laughing quietly. But the laugh didn't seen to hold any humor. "I'd be nervous too son." He sighed heavily "You know I'd never talk badly about a lady, don't you boys?" He wrung his hands together. "That woman is a real bitch. You don't need anything from her, Bella doesn't need anything from her. And we all really don't want her here."
Charlie let out a sigh of relief, Jasper smiled, that obvious fake grin he has, and Edward started to fight yet another internal battle. Charlie had to know something, but how much exactly did he already know?