Author Note: Thank you for the great response to the first chapter! It seems that Bella may be the only one who thinks there's a Mrs. Cullen.
Thanks again to moosals for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.
Chapter 2 – Tempted
The day after meeting Edward — I want to swoon just thinking about him — is Thursday, so after work, I meet my girls at the diner.
"They're here," I announce.
"They?" Alice asks.
I nod. "A couple with an eight-month-old baby. Actually I haven't met the wife yet. I don't think she was home when I stopped by yesterday to bring them an apple pie."
"You brought them a pie?" Alice giggles, snorting in her uncontrolled laughter. "That's so Mom."
"Who do you think I learned it from?" I retort. "Anyway, it made a good excuse to go check them out without appearing too nosy."
"So tell us about the husband," Angela prompts, taking a sip of her Diet Coke.
"Oh my God, he's gorgeous!" I gush. "Like, seriously, the best looking man to ever set foot in Forks."
"He's taken, Bella," Angela chides in her teacher's voice.
"I'm aware of that! I can still look though, can't I?" I defend myself. I don't see the harm in drooling over Edward, as long as I'm not as obvious about it as I probably was last night.
"So where are they from?" Alice asks.
"Get this: Chicago."
"And they moved to Forks?" she asks the million dollar question.
"I know, right? Edward didn't give me an explanation."
"Edward? That's his name? Sounds more like a grandpa than the hottest guy in Forks," Alice comments.
"You wouldn't scoff if you'd seen him."
"So next week we're meeting at your house, right?" Angela smirks.
Over the following week, I never once see anyone next door. As I walk out to my car in the driveway, I do hear noises a few times though — like the sound of scraping or the whirr of power tools. I guess they're not wasting any time removing the hideous wallpaper that covers pretty much every wall of the house except the kitchen and bathrooms.
Thursday, September 1 is the first day of school, my third year of teaching. I spend much of the day getting to know my new students so that I can hopefully remember their names after our three-day weekend.
When the final bell rings, we all meet in the teachers' lounge to unwind. I try to pin down Angela for the scoop on a couple of my incoming students who seem like they'll be quite a handful. Our discussion is interrupted by Jessica Stanley, a third grade teacher, who plops down at the table between us.
"I hear someone bought the old Cope house next to you."
"That's right," I nod. "A young couple with a baby. I've only met the husband so far. His name is Edward Cullen. They're from Chicago."
"What the heck are they doing in Forks?" she asks, her button nose wrinkling.
"I have no idea." I shake my head. "Edward wasn't real talkative when I met him."
"Do they just have the baby?"
"Yes — well, as far as I know. I saw the movers unloading the crib, and Edward had the baby with him when I stopped by. I suppose there could be an older child who was out maybe with his wife."
"Mmmm…" Angela hums. "I've heard of a couple new students — above kindergarten, I mean — but I don't think any of them had the last name of Cullen."
"I suppose they could have another preschool age child that I didn't see, but Edward didn't really seem old enough to have a child any older than elementary school."
"You forgot to tell Jessica the best part," Angela grins.
"Oh?" Jess raises her eyebrow, always eager for gossip.
"The man is drop dead gorgeous. Like, if you happen to run into him around town or something, you'll absolutely know it's him."
"So… tall, dark and handsome?" she asks eagerly.
"Well, tall and handsome, anyway. His skin is actually quite pale. He has reddish-brown hair and green eyes."
"Oh yum," she practically drools. "I love men with blue or green eyes."
"What is it with you two drooling over a married man?" Angela giggles.
"Suck it, Cheney." I stick my tongue out at her. "Hey, if we're really eating at my house tonight, what do you want to do for dinner? Don't expect me to cook for you two." I'm always exhausted after the first day of school; I was too on edge to sleep well last night.
"We could get takeout from somewhere? I could pick it up on my way to your house."
"How does Pacific Pizza sound? I'll text Alice and see what she wants."
The girls are due to arrive at 6pm, and when I hear a car pulling up shortly before that, I rush to open the front door to welcome them. Instead, I see Edward's SUV pulling into his driveway. He shuts off the engine, and I watch as he climbs out, opening the back door. A minute later, he emerges with Masen in his arms, then opens the rear hatchback.
I frown as I watch Edward juggling several bags, then call out to him. "Edward?" He stops what he's doing, looking up at me. "Do you need any help? I can take Masen inside for you."
He seems to let out a breath, then nods. "That'd be great, thanks."
I quickly step off my porch then walk over to Edward. Goddamn, he looks good in jeans and a black v-neck t-shirt. He passes his son over to me and I smile down at the baby. Edward hands me his set of keys and I step onto his porch. As I'm opening the front door, I hear a car pull up, turning to see Alice's bright yellow Beetle park in my driveway.
Carrying Masen into the house, I wonder about where to put him — this would be easier if he wasn't crawling. I step into the living room, which looks like a bit of a war zone with the walls stripped, and see a playpen set up in the middle of the floor. I set Masen down in there, then rush back outside to see if Edward needs any more help.
When I reach him, he's just closing the back of the SUV, and I see that Alice has already introduced herself.
"I left Masen in his playpen," I tell him. "Can you handle everything?" Both of his hands seem to be full of plastic bags from the Thriftway.
"I've got it, thanks," he smiles, turning toward his house. When Angela's car stops behind Alice's, he turns around, looking at me questioningly. "Having a party?"
"No," I chuckle. "I always get together with these two crazy women on Thursdays. Usually we go to the diner in town, but… first day of school and all," I tell a little white lie. I can't very well tell him that they came hoping to get a look at him. "This is Angela Cheney," I nod toward her as she gets out of her car carrying a large pizza box with a bag perched on top. "She teaches kindergarten at Forks Elementary."
"Nice to meet you both, but I need to get inside," he says, lifting his arms to show us the bags. I watch Edward walk up the steps onto his porch, noticing for the first time that the back view is nearly as good as the front.
"So… mission accomplished — you've met Edward," I say to my friends as soon as the front door has closed behind him.
"Good lord, you weren't joking," Alice says, fanning herself. "If he's got any single brothers, send 'em my way!"
I roll my eyes. "Come on in before our dinner gets cold."
As we step into my kitchen, Angela sets everything down on the table, pulling a large salad and an order of garlic bread from the bag while I grab us plates from the cabinet.
"Where do you think Mrs. Cullen is?" Angela asks as I open a bottle of wine for the three of us. Might as well take things up a notch since we're not at the diner.
"I have no idea. She clearly wasn't home. I don't think I've ever seen another car at the house, but they might actually be using the garage for its intended purpose," I chuckle.
"Hmmm… maybe she's not here yet?" Alice proposes. "I mean, maybe she was stuck in Chicago finishing out her job or something?"
"Could be," I shrug. "But I don't know too many moms who'd send such a small baby off with its father."
"Yeah, that part doesn't work with your theory," Angela comments, reaching for a piece of garlic bread.
"I suppose she could still be at work. I mean, it's only a little after six," I point out as I grab a piece of cheesy pizza from the box.
"Still, a week and no sign of her?" Alice questions.
"Well, I haven't seen Edward since the night I knocked on his door either," I remind her. "I've heard someone working on the house to try to bring it into the current century, but I haven't seen anyone at all."
"So, next time, if you just see Edward, why don't you invite his wife to join us for dinner sometime?" Angela suggests. "If she's not here yet or works long hours, you'll at least get an answer for us."
"Of course, because it's all about getting the gossip for you!" I tease her, rolling my eyes.
Saturday is a gorgeous warm day, so I decide to spend time outside. Given what I've learned in my first two days of class, I want to make a few tweaks to my lesson plans, so I bring my notebooks outside with a glass of lemonade and get comfortable on my porch swing.
After maybe 15 minutes or so, I hear a noise next door and stand up to see where it's coming from. And what a sight I see! A shirtless Edward is using some sort of tool to cut back the overgrown shrubs on the side of the house. Goddamn, he's ripped. I watch him for a minute or two before I feel like too much of a creeper and move back to my swing.
In another hour or so, he's finished with the side of the house and working on the landscaping in front. Getting up for another glass of lemonade, I see Masen outside in his playpen, under the shade of a large evergreen tree, while his dad works. I guess Mom isn't home again.
On a whim, I pour a second glass for Edward, who must be working up quite a thirst, and carry it over to him. "Edward?" I call.
I'm rewarded with a view of his amazing chest as he turns around, brushing his sweaty hair off his face with his forearm.
"Yes?"
I blink myself back to reality, holding out the glass. "I was just getting myself a glass of lemonade and I wondered if you'd like some?"
"Thank you," he smiles the first genuine smile I've seen, brushing my fingers as he takes the glass from me with his left hand. His silver wedding band gleams in the sun. I watch his Adam's apple move as he swallows half the glass in one gulp.
"This is really nice of you, Bella."
"Oh, it's no problem!" I assure him. "I made a huge pitcher earlier."
Suddenly Masen starts to cry and we both look over at him. "That's his 'I need to be changed' cry," Edward says.
I glance at the sight of him, dirty and sweaty and sexy. "Would you like me to take Masen inside and change him for you? I really don't mind."
"I — it would be a big help, thanks. The changing table is set up in his bedroom. Oh, and the keys… my right front pocket."
My eyes widen. Reach in Edward's jeans pocket? Hell yes! Well, it turns out that his keychain is hanging out of the pocket, so I can just grab that without having to hold myself back from feeling him up.
It's only as I carry Masen up onto the porch that I start to wonder about Edward locking up the house while he's working. I mean, this is Forks, nothing is going to happen in broad daylight while he's right outside! But I suppose he came from a much larger city, so it may just be habit.
Inside, I make my way through the construction zone to the stairway. I already know which room is the master bedroom, though I'm not sure which of the other two would be the nursery. One bedroom seems to be set up as a guest room, with a bedframe and large uncovered mattress in the middle of the room. On my second try, I find the nursery, laying Masen down on the changing table.
Once I've got him redressed and back in my arms, I can't help snooping at the master bedroom. The flowered wallpaper is gone, but I can tell it's still got a long way to go. But as I look around the room, I realize that I don't see any trace of a woman living here. There's no perfume on the dresser, no jewelry box, no feminine clothes strewn about… nothing.
"That's odd," I mutter to myself, carrying Masen down the stairs. I lock up the front door, then set Masen back in his shaded playpen and hand Edward his keys.
"Your glass is on the steps," he says, pointing to it. "Thanks again, for the lemonade and for helping with Masen."
"I don't mind, really," I smile. I pick up the glass and turn toward my house, then pause, turning back to Edward. I can't believe I'm going to take Angela's suggestion. "Say, would your wife like to join my friends and me for our Thursday dinner next week? We'd love to meet her."
Edward lets out a breath, running his hand through his hair, and my brow furrows at his reaction. "I don't have a wife," he says quietly.
"Oh," I murmur, too speechless to say anything else. That statement explains a lot, but still… I saw his wedding band only a few minutes ago, so clearly he had a wife. Whatever happened must be pretty recent. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."
"Anyone would."
I nod, giving him a small smile. From his demeanor, it's obviously a painful subject. He picks up the tool again, so I assume our conversation is over.
"If-if you ever need anything," I remind him, before turning and heading back to my swing, my head reeling a bit.
Edward is single. Edward is available, though clearly it's too soon for him to be dating again. If he's still wearing his ring, he's not over his wife. I wonder if the divorce was her idea? And she let him keep their young son? What a piece of work she must be. Maybe she ran off with another man, though I don't know who in their right mind would leave Edward. Wait until I tell my girls.
A/N: So that's one question answered: There is no Mrs. Cullen.
What do you think happened to Edward's wife? Moosals was reminding me earlier this week that her opinion had wavered back and forth as she read these early chapters.
Next update on Monday.
Thanks to pifficsofthemonth. blogspot. c-o-m for featuring this story!
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