[Disclaimer] All things Twilight belong to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Hello my lovely readers out there. I can't thank you enough for supporting my little story here. It really means a lot to me.

*Yes, I know this story is like a soap opera and no; I won't apologize for that. If you don't like it that way - feel free to leave. To the rest of you; I hope you'll enjoy.*

This chapter is dedicated to sarah83185 & Kristyna's kitten. Thanks so much for your kind reviews. They really made my day.

**Chapter 39**

"Bella, you really need to stop blushing in front of every customer. God, how old are you, twelve?"

His voice sounded way more amused than critical and his violet eyes sparkled sheepishly, as he continued putting several magazines back into a bookshelf.

"Yeah, I know, Benjamin. It's just that…"

"It's just that you don't know a thing about cocks, don't you? Leah told me you're a lesbian."

I kneeled down and pretended to check a few books in a box next to me, while I desperately hoped that the blush on my face would be gone before I would have to raise my head again.

"I'm not a lesbian."

"But didn't you tell Leah that you have a girlfriend?"

I stood up from the ground and wiped my hands on the sleeve of my shirt.

"Yes, I have. That doesn't make me a lesbian though. I love Ali…but I guess if she were a man I'd love her too. "

"Hmm, I see. God, you'd get along so good with Seth, another person who can't make a decision between slimy pussies…" He put one finger in his mouth and made puking noises.

"…and cocks, although I'd love to guide him to the right side and he knows that,"

"You have a crush on our boss? Has no one ever told you not to shit where you eat?"

He chuckled slightly and sat down on the small couch in the corner of the shop. I poured myself a cup of coffee and added two spoons of sugar that melted instantly in the steaming, hot liquid.

"Seth was my friend long before he was my boss. I think that he secretly thinks of me as a younger brother which is kind of stupid if you ask me."

I sipped on the coffee and almost burned my tongue on it.

"Guess it's difficult to stay friends if one of you wants more than friendship." I stated while I thought of Jasmine again and tried to suppress the unpleasant feeling of anger in my stomach. Somehow I couldn't get over her boldness. What a stupid, embittered…

"Bella?"

"Hmm,"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, hmm, of course, I was just thinking about the limits of friendship in general."

"Kay."

I sat down next to him and noticed that his eye color exactly matched the color of his shirt. Was he wearing contacts?

"So, how long have you known Seth and Leah?" I asked him in an attempt to make small talk. Any conversation that wouldn't contain the c-word would be fine with me…

"About seven years now. My dad leads a grief support group, that's how he met their mother. If you ask me, Sue was hoping to snag a new husband there. And at first things went pretty fine. My dad took Seth with us to do all the guy-stuff, you know like playing Baseball and such. Everything Seth never could do with his real father because he was too sick."

"Hmm, I see. That's where the whole brother thing comes from."

He nodded his head.

"When my dad told her that he would marry my stepmom she was pissed. But Leah and Seth are still my friends. Well, of course I wouldn't' mind to be more than Seth's friend."

Oh the fragile limits of friendship. How easy could they be broken?

"Do you get along well with your stepmother?"

He cleared his throat before he spoke up again.

"Ela is really nice. She's actually too young for my father, or too young to be the mother of a nineteen year old, however you put it. But the thing that matters is that Ela makes my dad happy. That's all that counts for me."

My cell vibrated in my pocket and I flipped it open to read the new text.

We miss you, A & L

I quickly typed a reply before I stuffed it back into my handbag.

"A & L?" Benjamin asked me curiously.

I inhaled sharply between my teeth before I spoke up again.

"It's rude to read other people's texts." I stated, standing up from the couch again.

He grabbed my wrist to keep me where I was.

"Hey, don't be like that, Bella. I wasn't asking you for details about your sex life or anything."

"Fine, Ali is my girlfriend and Lilly is my daughter."

"You have a child together? That's so awesome."

"It's not like that." Although, I wished it would be like that, I added silently in my head.

"I was…I mean I still am married to Edward. He's Lilly's dad."

I pulled a wrinkled picture of him and Lilly out of my purse and handed it to him

"Your ex looks hot." Benjamin stated, licking his lips that twisted into a crooked smile.

"And you left him for a girl? God, damn it…you are a lesbian."

I rolled my eyes at that.

"I know that he's good looking but he's an arrogant asshole."

Benjamin chuckled slightly as he gave me the picture back.

"Evil people are especially good in bed usually."

"You're not exactly Edward's type, I think."

"Too bad, I bet he has a nice butt."

I rolled my eyes at that.

"Trust me; it is better that way. There is only one person that Edward cares about and that's Edward."

"Hmm. Maybe he's just pissed because you left him for a girl?"

Or because I left him for his sister, I thought while I automatically nodded my head.

"So, you're working here now and your girlfriend stays at home to watch your daughter?"

"Yes, Ali works at home mostly and when the summer is over Lilly will be in school most of the day anyway."

"What does she do? Selling sex products over the internet?"

"You have a dirty mind."

"I work here for almost a year now. Guess that corrupted me somehow."

"She doesn't sell sex toys." But she has quite a nice collection under the bed. My cheeks felt suddenly warmer than before and I forced my lips from turning into stupid grin.

"Ali is a fashion designer."

"Really? That's pretty cool I think. I kind of like people with style. But there are too many arrogant people in that business. My mom was a seamstress so I know how thinks work there…"

"Ali isn't arrogant. She's the kindest, nicest person I ever met."

He sighed so deeply that it sounded ridiculously theatrical.

"Oh sweet love that makes people blind…"

"I'm not saying it because she's my girlfriend. Ali is really nice."

"I'll guess I find out when I meet her. That brings me to my next question, Bella. What are the two of you doing tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow? Ahm, I don't know. Nothing I guess."

"How old are you two, sixty? How can you stay at home on a Friday night?"

"Please enlighten me. What should we be doing?"

"You could go out with me, Seth and Leah. Leah is friends with Maria the owner of a club here in Seattle."

"Yeah, I know that club. Ali and I have been there before. Well, I don't know if it's good idea to show up there."

"Kay. Which of you fucked with the Ramirez chick?"

I cleared my throat before I spoke up again.

"None of us, I don't even really know Maria. Well, to make a long story short. Maria dated Ali's ex-girlfriend and I'm not that keen on accidentally running into Jasmine while we're there."

"I see. You don't have to worry about that too much. Maria is pretty bitchy with her ex-girlfriends. She doesn't believe in this whole fuck and stay good friends-thing."

XXXX

It was hard being around people that were so incredibly beyond happy like Emmett and Rosalie, to not get affected by it.

"So, Lilly, do you want your little cousins to be girls or boys?" he asked her cheerfully while he poured her a glass of apple juice.

"Girls of course…boys are stupid. And anyone knows that." She stated convincingly.

Emmett chuckled slightly as he sat on the couch again.

"See, that's your influence, Ali. The child isn't even old enough to date and already thinks that boys are gross."

Ali rolled her eyes at that and I cupped her face between my hands to plant a soft kiss on her full lips.

"Can't you at least try to keep your hands off of each other when other people are around?" Rose mumbled while she continued stuffing marshmallows with mustard on them into her mouth.

"Why should we?" I asked her, knowing that she wasn't really annoyed by it.

She wiped her lips on the back of her hand.

"Yeah, you're right I guess. If it makes you happy, just go with it."

"Uncle Emmett?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Does Auntie Rosie get babies because you kissed her?"

He cleared his throat nervously before he spoke up again.

"Yeah, Lilly, kind of…"

A smile flashed over her tiny face and I tried to ignore the fact that she was feeding the dog with cookie crumbles again.

"See Fido, I told you it works that way."

Great, my daughter has where-do-the-babies-come-from talks with a dog. Wasn't she too young to think about stuff like that?

"Mommy, when will Auntie Ali get a baby from you? She and you kiss each other all the time, so she must get one very soon."

"Lilly…" I croaked out, desperately trying to think of a good way to explain things to her without explaining too much. God, I wasn't ready to have that sort of conversation with her now.

"Sweetie, where should the baby sleep at night? We don't really have a room for one."

"It could sleep in my room of course! And when it would wake up at night and cry I could give it one of my stuffed animals."

"Lilly, honey, your aunt and I can't make a baby together. That's not possible. Two girls can't make a baby. You need a man for that."

For a split second a frown appeared on Ali's face as if I had said something that hurt her kind off. I put one arm around her delicate waist and pulled her closer to me. She rested her head against my shoulder and the spikey curls of her hair tickled the skin on my neck in a pleasant way.

"You're okay?" I whispered into her ear while I stroked up and down her bare forearms with my fingertips.

She nodded her head and sighed deeply before she turned to her blonde sister again.

"Have you spread the happy news to our parents yet? I bet mom is thrilled that you're pregnant."

Rosalie grabbed another pair of marshmallows and dipped them into the glass of mustard on the table.

"She cried when I told her. Jeez, I can't remember the last time she didn't cry when she was on the phone."

"Your mother needs to accept the fact that all of you are having an own life by now."

"Em, she knows that. But you know how my father is like…"

"Your father is the most stubborn person on earth. He's even worse than you and Ali." Emmett stated grabbing the rest of the marshmallow's from the table. Rose grabbed her hand around his wrist to stop him.

"Please leave them here, Em. I'm still so hungry."

He leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Kay, babe."

"And just for the record, Emmett McCarthy; I am not really stubborn. I just know what I want."

"Yeah, however, babe…but your father is stubborn and he needs to take the pink glasses off when it comes to your shithead of a brother."

I wondered if that would ever happen and I thought about how Ali would handle the consequences of it. No matter how strong she was, or how strong she pretended to be, it hurt her deeply that her parents blamed her for all the things that happened. Somehow I would have to find a way to make them see that. Unfortunately it wouldn't be as easy as taking off a pair of colored glasses…