Many people lose their tempers merely from seeing you keep yours.
Frank Moore Colby

AMOC: Chapter 18: Breakable

BPOV:

Sitting at a table in the corner of the bar I revealed everything to Alice while she wiggled in her seat. I was relieved she waited until I finished what I needed to say before she spoke her thoughts however her face revealed everything.

"Wow. I mean...damn girlfriend. I can't believe afterwards he would act so, so...cold." Alice frowned.

"I know. It was so wonderful until the very end. I mean I felt so connected to him. It was so natural and so easy to have sex with him but the crushing reality at the end wasn't to my liking." I sighed heavily.

"I think that if you two get past his thick headed wall and timidness you could become an amazing couple."

"Excuse me?" I cried out.

"Come on Bella, you two have issues. If you get past those I think you could both see how compatible you are. I know this marriage started off as a business agreement but why can't it end with a happily ever after? Uh." She said while nudging my shoulder playfully.

"I don't think that will happen. In fact, I'm not so sure if I want to be happy with Jake." I admitted.

"Are you kidding me?" Her eyes grew wide with shock.

"I like him. He's hot. He's good with Charlotte. He's smart and hardworking but even with all of that do I really want to be tied down to him for the rest of my life?"

"Oh pleaseeee Bella! You just listed all the reasons he is so damn perfect for you and yet you don't want him because of it? That makes no sense. I know that Edward made you feel like shit and I know he put things in your head. He wanted you to feel inadequate so that he could justify his failings. He was, no he is an abuser and he likes to keep his victims believing that they are the reason for his sickness but you're not, Bella. You are a good person with a big heart. You are worthy of love."

Alice covered my hands with hers as she poured out her heart to me. I wanted to believe her. I really did but deep down I still heard Edward screaming at me how it was all my fault he couldn't love me back.

What if Jake felt that way later on down the road? Could I bear hearing another man tell me how pathetic and useless I was? No. Once in a lifetime was enough for this girl. It was better just to be Jake's friend and pretend wife. I refuse to let my heart believe in fairy tales endings. There was no such thing.

Look at my parents. Their marriage crumbled right out of the gate. My mother felt like her life with my father was drowning her. She couldn't get away from him or Forks fast enough. She told me on more than one occasion, usually followed by a cocktail, that love wasn't enough for some people. Maybe I was more like her than I imagined.

"We should go." Alice said with a strained voice.

Shaking my pitiful thoughts out of my head I scanned the room to see what had alarmed her. Edward. Of course he would show up just as I was feeling pathetic about myself and my marriage.

"Hi Alice."

Edward walked straight up to our table and ignored my presence while he spoke with Alice.

"Hi." Alice pressed her lips together,trying to keep herself in check.

We both knew that Jasper still saw Edward as a friend and she didn't want to cause a rift in their uncanny friendship.

"Congratulations. Jasper told me he finally popped the question. I hope you two are happy together." Edward smiled his usual charming smile.

When he glanced at me I saw the sarcasm in his eyes and it was as if he was challenging me to say something to him.

"I'm sure we will be." Alice stood up and gave me a look to follow her.

"I hope so. Some people don't know how to appreciate a good thing when they have it."

We both knew the comment was meant for me. I continued to walk past him but was stopped when his hand grabbed my wrist.

"Let me go." I warned him.

"I already did that and look at the trouble I got in return." Edward snickered.

"I need to go." I gulped hard.

"What you need to do is divorce that stupid ass excuse for a husband and give me my daughter. I will allow you some visitation rights if you agree to my demands." His eyes shined dangerously.

I felt the bile in the pit of my stomach threatening to escape. It was very clear what he was trying to communicate to me. There was no way I would ever allow him back in my bed, ever.

"No." I said softly but firmly.

"No. Uh. I really didn't think you were this daft Bella. Come on, we both know you married him to make me jealous. You want me back. I don't want to marry you but I'm willing to let you be one of my lovers." He offered with a sneer.

"Edward, let her go. We need to leave." Alice stepped up between us.

"Don't tell me what to do." Edward snapped.

I felt the coldness of his dead heart as he stared into my eyes.

"Let me go." I repeated.

"Come on guys. This isn't the place." Alice's voice stammered.

Edward tighten his grip causing pain to shoot up my arm.

"Ouch." I gasped.

"Edward you are hurting her." Alice reached out putting her hand on his upper arm.

It didn't ease his grip but just infuriated him further. Pulling me toward him so that I was so close I could feel his breathe on my face, he glared at me.

"I'm getting tired of this game you are playing." He warned me.

"I'm not playing a game. I'm with Jake now." I winced as his grip tighten even more.

"Jake won't always be around to protect you." He threaten before dropping my wrist.

Edward waved at a group of people before storming out. Holding my bruised wrist to my chest I felt the warm prickling tears stinging at the back of my eye lids. I couldn't cry. Not here. Everyone here who witnessed this scene would tell someone they knew and eventually it would get back to Jake or his family that I was crying. I didn't want Jake to go after Edward. We couldn't afford this when we were so close to our court date.

"I'm sorry Bella. I tried to stop him." Alice sobbed.

Opening my eyes I gave her a soft smile.

"It's okay Alice. Like I said before no such thing as happy endings."

With that said I walked forward with my head held high but deep within the crevices of my heart I trembled with fear.

XXX

Although my earlier interaction with Edward made my nerves twisted in a bundle I forced myself to pull it together and cook dinner for Jake and his father. When I came home and saw Jake's rare sparkles of joy in his dark orbs I didn't dare tell him about my run in with Edward. He announced he was going to help his dad with the company advertising and hoped it was okay that he invited him over for dinner with us. I definitely knew now wasn't the time to share my Edward horror story with him.

Maybe after dinner I would reveal all. I didn't want to ruin his good mood, especially not with his father arriving shortly. Pulling my thoughts in a more positive direction, I went into my freshly painted kitchen and put a quick casserole in the oven. Checking the cupboards and fridge I was pleased to see that I had enough ingredients to throw together a banana pudding for dessert before running upstairs to change clothes.

I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't seem to shake Edward's scent off of me. I could still smell his minty breath on my face and feel his frigid hands on me. Shivering inwardly and outwardly I ran the brush through my hair a couple of times before I felt satisfied with it.

Leaving my room I went in search of Charlotte. Since I arrived home she had been out of sight. This house was seriously too big. Making my way downstairs I searched throughout the first floor until I finally located her in the backyard. She was picking flowers and putting them on her table where she had set her teacup set.

"Hey honey."

"Hi mommy." Charlotte skipped over to me wearing a big smile.

"Who's coming to the tea party?"

"I invited all my friends. See Mr. Rabbit sits here, Theo the Teddy Bear here, and you Mommy." Charlotte clapped her hands happily.

"Ahh...thanks honey."

"Where is my place?" Jake asked causing me to jump a foot off the ground.

"You get the special seat."

Charlotte pulled out the chair she placed the most flowers on. I chuckled softly as Jake studied her tea party.

"Thank you." He sat down.

He wore such a serious expression on his face that he had me believing he was happy to be there.

"Sit mommy and I will serve the tea."

I did as I was told and couldn't help but be amused at how well Jake was playing his role as her party guest. Once again he was proving to be a wonderful guy and if he didn't stop acting so damn perfect I wouldn't be able to stop myself from believing in fairy tale endings.

XXX

JPOV:

Dinner was going well and it was nice to see my father looking relaxed while we talked about his business plans for the future of the company. Bella remained mostly quiet throughout dinner. I noted she looked like she was staring off in space a few times but was quick to join us whenever one of us spoke to her. Something was off and I wondered if I had somehow managed to screw up things again with her.

"Can I go play now?" Charlotte asked while scooting her chair back to make a quick escape.

"Sure." Bella replied.

I watched as Bella began to pick up the dirty dishes and proceed to the kitchen. She didn't seem mad but something was definitely on her mind. I hoped after my father left she might reveal her problem to me. I knew she missed her father on a daily basis even though she never verbally said it out loud. I wondered if my father's visit with us tonight stirred up memories of her own father and the special dinners they shared.

"Let me help." I grabbed the glasses as she picked up the china filled with leftovers.

"Dad, go make us a drink in the game room. I will be there in just a moment."

Following Bella out of the dining room and into the kitchen I found myself growing hard as I watch her slender curves shift back and forth as she walked in front of me. She definitely had all the curves I needed in a woman. There wasn't too much or too little for my pleasure.

"I've got this. Go join your dad for a game."

Bella was trying to politely push me out of her area.

"Dinner was perfect. Thank you for cooking."

"Your welcome." Her cheeks grew color as she darted her eyes toward the floor.

"I mean it, you have a talent in the kitchen that I envy."

Before I knew what I was doing, I walked up and hooked my finger in the loops of her jeans and pulled her up against me. Bella's head slowly lifted so that I was staring down into her soft caramel brown eyes.

"What are you doing?" Bella mumbled and shivered at the same time.

"I'm thanking the chef." I replied before my lips brushed against hers.

"Do you always thank the chef this way?" Bella asked with a sheepish grin on her face.

"Only when they are as beautiful as you." I answered before covering her sweet delicious mouth with mine.

The second kiss wasn't as gentle as the first one. No, I felt an almost animalistic need explode inside of me as I released her hips and placed my hands on the sides of her face. Kissing her was better than any dessert she could whip up. Her smell, her touch, and God her taste was the most divine thing I'd ever known. She was intoxicating and a challenge, two things that drove me mad with desire.

I didn't care that my father was down the hallway waiting on my presence, all I could think about was her and how badly I needed to feel myself buried within her silken hot walls. Our honeymoon proved one important thing to me, we definitely had chemistry and I wanted to drown myself in the pleasure of her body again and again.

A far off sound of a child screaming and crying jolted me from my fantasy and slammed me back into reality.

"What was that?" Bella pulled away from me and ran to the kitchen back door.

I followed her and discovered what we both heard. Charlotte laid beneath the broken swing set holding her arm while crying loudly.

"Oh my God Jake!" Bella cried out as she fell to her knees and pulled Charlotte into her arms.

I removed the broken debri making it easier for us to get a better look at Charlotte and her injuries. A small line on her forehead appeared to be bleeding and I noticed she was holding onto her arm while she cried miserably.

"Lets get her inside so we can take a better look at her." I suggested.

Bella stood up with Charlotte in her arms as we quickly made our way into the house where there would be better lighting.

"It hurts. It really hurts." Charlotte kept mumbling into her mother's chest.

Racing around the house I retrieve a clean washcloth and some medicine I knew that Bella kept under the bathroom sink in case of emergencies such as this.

"Shh...baby...it's okay. Let me clean you up and then we can figure out if we need to take you to the doctor or not." Bella said in a much calmer tone than we first found her.

Charlotte nodded her head while crocodile size tears fell from her eyes.

"What's going on?" Dad asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"The swing set out back fell apart and landed on top of Charlotte." I explained.

"The cut on her forehead isn't deep enough for stitches but the way she is holding her arm worries me." Bella whispered softly.

"Let me see your arm honey." Dad asked politely.

Charlotte tried to extend her arm but pulled back and let out a long scream and a fresh batch of tears.

"Might need to take her to the ER and have that checked out." Dad suggested to us.

"Come on Bella lets go ahead and take her. I don't want her to suffer until tomorrow when the doctor's office opens up." I pleaded with her.

"oh. Okay." Bella sighed and then kissed Charlottes tear stained cheek.

"Go ahead I can wait on you here until you get back." Dad nudged us out of the room.

"Are you sure? I'm not sure when we'll get back." I warned him.

"I'm going to go enjoy that gigantic television of yours and help myself to some more of Bella's dessert. I have nothing else planned for the night. Go on, I will feel better once I know she is okay."

Bella and I smiled at him before rushing out the front door and jumping into my truck. Charlotte's weeping made me feel like shit. I knew I should've gotten rid of that thing before I moved them into the house. I was going to order her a new swing set once we got the house settled. This was my fault. If I had thought about her needs before my own we wouldn't be driving to the hospital right now.

Bella rocked Charlotte back and forth in her arms silently until we reached the hospital.

The nurse behind the desk looked bothered by all the patients lining up the ER. When Bella stepped out from behind me I noticed her eyes widen with recognition. Something warned me that this unexpected visit would soon be whispered into the ears of the all mighty Dr. Cullens.

XXX

BBPOV:

Tonight's dinner with Bella and Jacob proved to be interesting. Bella's talents in the kitchen was of no surprise to me. She often shared her gourmet skills with my much appeased appetite. Watching Jacob as he interacted with Charlotte and the concerned glances at Bella proved to me that my son still had a heart.

Jake offering to help me with the company's advertising was a good start in us rebuilding our damaged relationship. The doctors warned me that my health was growing worse and that all the treatments we tried didn't seem to make a big impact on my aging body. I didn't want to leave this world knowing that I left my children confused and disappointed in me.

After their mother's death I struggled with life and how to show my love for them. It was a painful experience and it sadly made me bitter over the years. I tried to control what they did with their lives because I loved them so damn much and didn't want to watch them get hurt, especially if I could prevent it. They didn't like how I showed my love for them. No, they saw me as a controlling bastard who used his money to persuade them to do my bidding.

I hoped that this marriage would open Jake's eyes to see what it was like for me to love his mother. I also hoped it would bring his sisters back into the fold. Becca was constantly angry at the world and Rachel was planning to sell my life's work so that she could live a simpler life. This wasn't the legacy I wanted to leave behind me.

My phone rang, bringing me out of my thoughts. It was Rachel calling me. Strange, she rarely called me at this time of night unless there was a family crisis to deal with.

"Hello."

"Hey Dad. I'm sorry to bother you but I just got off the phone with Bryce. Becca hasn't been home in almost twenty four hours." She announced, followed by a furious sigh.

"Did she tell Bryce where she was going?"

"Not exactly. He said she mentioned going to the store and would be back before bedtime. When he woke up this morning he thought she was asleep in her room. He waited until noon to dare disturb her. When he realized she wasn't there he went to the garage and saw that her car was also gone. " Rachel explained.

"Mmm...that's strange."

"I know. I've called everyone that I could think of that she is remotely friendly with and no one has seen or heard from her. Should I call the police?"

"Man, I hate to do that just to later learn she is passed out on some friends couch. If her ex husband learns of this and it turns out to be a false alarm he could use this in court later on."

Taking a long guzzle of the beer I helped myself too I looked around the room while my brain processed all the information Rachel provided. If we were wrong and Becca was in need of help, the longer we waited to inform the authorities the bigger the chance of harm coming to her.

"Can Paul pick up Bryce?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, have Paul pick up Bryce and take him to your house for now then call the police. We don't want them to know she abandoned Bryce if she isn't in immediate danger. She has enough stacked against her as it is, adding child abandonment to the list will just assure her ex husband custody of Bryce at the next court session."

"Okay. Where are you?" Rachel asked.

"I'm at Jake's. He and Bella had to take Charlotte to the hospital. That old swing set out back collapsed on her and it looks like she might have broken her arm." I explained.

"Oh no. Poor baby. Call me when you hear from them."

"I will. You call me back too after the police stop by."

"Okay Dad."

Hanging up the phone I took another drink before I returned to my phone to make a few calls of my own. Hopefully we would find Becca safe and sound and with a damn good explanation why she left her son overnight a lone.

XXX