Guys, I am so sorry if this chapter has any errors or isn't written the best. I've had a long day, but I wanted to get this chapter out for you all to read. I hope you like it and if you do, please do leave a review because they just make my day.


Chapter Eight: Not a Family

I pulled the dark nylons up my legs, jumping up and down to get them over my bottom and up my waist. Once they were on, I walked over to my closet, pulling out a knee-length black pencil skirt that was high-waisted. I tucked my silky burgundy bell-sleeved shirt into the waistband of the skirt, buttoning it up over my breasts. I decided on a pair of black leather ankle boots with a small heel since we'd be doing some walking today.

I stepped over to my mirror, tuning in half circles, taking in my outfit. I never dressed so nicely for school before. It made me nervous like people would think I was trying too hard. I was starting to rethink my decision, getting self-conscious the longer I looked at myself. But when I picked up my phone to look at the time, I sighed. I had no time to change. I had to get the kids off to school and make it to my school in time for drop-offs.

I quickly applied some mascara, a splash of blush, and dark red lipstick. And then I tossed my dark hair up into a high ponytail that fell to just below my shoulders. I leaned on my bathroom sink, bringing my face close to the mirror, checking my skin from each angle to make sure I didn't have any blemishes in need of concealer. When I was satisfied that I was blemish-free, I pushed off the sink and walked back into my room, grabbing a black jacket and throwing it on. I picked up my laptop bag and briefcase, turning off my light on the way out.

I skipped down the stairs, my mind warring with itself. I couldn't decide if I was excited or terrified for the day ahead of me. It was Friday, field trip day, which meant that I was going to be seeing Edward again. It would be the first time since I had given him the information for the children's psychiatrist. I tried to tell myself that my sudden interest in looking good and Edward's reappearance had nothing to do with each other, but I couldn't even seem to lie to myself.

I was also freaking out because I was finally going to find out if my sleepless nights were warranted. I was going to find out if he was actually upset with me, or if there was another reason for his absence and I was giving myself way too much credit. After Monday, Lena would call her dad about three times a day off of my phone, but I never spoke to him because he never asked to speak to me and I was too much of a coward.

I was completely in the dark.

I walked into the kitchen, stopping when I saw Maisy and Connor sitting on the floor in front of the island, their legs crisscrossed in front of them. They each had a chocolate cereal bar in their hands, munching away. When they noticed me, they smiled.

"You look so pretty, Momma," Connor breathed, his blue eyes wide and awestruck.

Maisy nodded quickly next to him, "Pretty!"

I grinned, doing a little curtsey that made them giggle, "Thank you, my babies. Are you ready to go?"

Connor jumped up and then held his hand out to his sister, helping her off the floor. He took her wrapper from her hand and walked their garbage over to the bin before coming to stand next to me. I grabbed Maisy's hand with my free one and led them out to the car after having them grab their bookbags. Connor jumped into his seat with ease as I placed Maisy down in hers.

By the time I made it to school, I was a nervous wreck. I checked my makeup in the rearview mirror, brushing some stray hairs out of my face. I blew out a harsh breath, trying to get rid of the knot in my stomach. If I could physically blow it out, that would be great.

I gathered my things and made my way inside, waving to the women in the office as I passed by on my way to my classroom. I wasn't at all surprised when I saw Timmy sitting outside of the door with his mom tapping her foot impatiently, her fingers on his shoulders.

"Jane," I greeted her with a smile, switching my laptop bag to my other hand.

She looked up at me and her eyes widened the tiniest bit, "Mrs. Newton, you look fabulous," she complimented me.

I felt the blush blazing away on my cheeks as I nodded at her. I was happy I was getting compliments on my appearance but the shock on her face was off-putting. Did I usually dress like a troll? I mean, damn. Even my son looked shocked, but he got to see me with bedhead and dried drool on my face every day.

I stepped up to the door, opened it, and gestured for Timmy to go inside. He ran past me, immediately going to his desk and pulling out his crayons before hanging up his backpack.

I looked back at Jane who was still standing there and eyed her curiously.

She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled an uncomfortable smile, "I'm sorry I couldn't get off work to help chaperone the field trip," she sighed, "I really did try."

"Oh, that's alright. We have a few parents coming today to help out. We'll be just fine," I assured her. Aside from Edward, Sasha's mother was coming, as well as Donny's father. Not to mention, Angela was going to accompany us as an extra set of hands and eyes.

She nodded and peeked into the classroom to look at her son one last time before giving me a two-finger wave and walking off, her golden hair bouncing with each step she took.

I went to my desk, dropped my things down on the chair, and then pulled my jacket off. I set it over the back of the chair and went to the cubbies to get Timmy something to color while we waited for everyone to show up.

After I handed him a house to color, I checked the time on my phone. We had only ten minutes before everyone should show up and then another twenty-five before we were to head out to the bus. I was on edge so I busied myself with setting up next week's curriculum. I wanted to get my class started on their science fair projects. I had already made a list of things they could do for them to look at for inspiration. I spent a whole night googling age-appropriate projects and it seemed the list was infinite.

A knock on the door pulled me away from the pile of papers in front of me. I smiled, ready to greet whoever was joining us. My breath caught in my throat when I took him in. His wild hair was even more wild and untamed than usual. He had on a pair of russet-colored Timberlands with black jeans tucked into them. His black tee was tight to his muscular chest and the red and black flannel he was wearing was rolled all the way up his forearms.

To say that he looked good would be a colossal understatement. Looking that good should be illegal, punishable by way of spanking –

Edward clearing his throat brought me back to reality. I shook my head and quickly stood up, my feet carrying me over to where he stood with his hands stuffed deep in his jeans pockets. He gave me a small, crooked smile when I stopped a little less than a foot from him.

"Edward," I choked out, sounding every bit as worked up as I felt, "It's so nice to see you again."

He nodded, his tongue pocking out to slide across his bottom lip as his eyes gazed kindly back into my own, "You too."

I broke eye contact, unable to keep it up for very long, and looked around for Lena. I was surprised to see her sitting next to Timmy, but I was even more surprised to see Timmy sharing his crayons and letting her color on his paper. He was known for being a little selfish.

I looked back at Edward, suddenly realizing how close we were and that I was blocking him from fully entering the classroom. I took a quick step back, "Please, come in," I told him, gesturing with my hand awkwardly.

Edward stepped further into the classroom, his eyes taking in all the posters on the walls and then looking at the board where I wrote field trip in big, block letters. And while he was looking around, I tried to get my brain to stop being fuzzy and inappropriate. Thoughts of that dream I had about him were coming back with a vengeance, reminding me just how depraved my mind was. At least when it came to Edward.

Edward walked over to my desk, his hand reaching out to turn my nameplate around, his eyes scanning over it. He put it back in its place and then turned to me.

"How have you been?"

Oh, jeez. To lie or not to lie, that is the question.

I scratched the back of my ear and shrugged, "Same old, same old. You?"

"Busy," he sighed long and hard, teetering back and forth on his heels, "I had to take an impromptu trip to New York. I really didn't want to, but my storage unit was broken into. I went to see the damage and salvage what I could," he shook his head, looking irritated.

I couldn't stop the sigh of relief that left my mouth, that knot in my stomach loosening and allowing me to breathe better. This whole time, he wasn't mad at me. He was in New York. Before I could do a mental happy dance, his words registered in my head, and I looked at him with concern.

"Nothing important was taken, right?"

"Everything was taken except photo albums and Lena's old baby clothes and her favorite toys, so I'm going to consider myself lucky."

As a mother, I knew that those were the most important things, so I was glad to hear that they weren't taken. But, jeez. Talk about being kicked while you're down. Edward had already suffered enough.

"I'm happy to hear you at least have those things to keep. I know how precious they are to a parent. But I'm sorry to hear that your things were taken."

Edward shrugged, "Material things can always be replaced. Besides, A lot of important things, I brought to Forks with me."

"Knock, knock!" A cheerful voice spoke up behind me.

Edward and I both looked at the door as Sasha and her mother Dominique came bounding into the classroom. Sasha went straight to Lena, briefly waving at me on her way over. Dominique walked up to me and let out a low whistle that made my ears burn from how hot they got.

"My-my, Mrs. Newton. Don't you look nice?" She grinned, all of her pearly white teeth gleaming at me.

I looked down at the floor, playing with the sleeves of my shirt, "Thank you, Dominique."

"And who's this?" she asked curiously.

I looked up as she held her hand out to Edward.

He took it with a smile, "I'm Edward Cullen. Lena's father." He pointed over to his daughter who was laughing with Timmy and Sasha.

"Oh, Lena?" she asked, clasping her hands together. "My Sasha just adores her."

"Yeah," Edward grinned, "Lena feels the same. She talks about her a lot."

"I'm glad I'm running into you actually," Dominique said, "Sasha has been begging for a sleepover and she wants Lena to come. How would you feel about that?" At Edward's unsure frown, she added, "Please do not worry, Papa Bear, you can video chat with her at any point of the night. I don't care if you get a bad feeling at three in the morning, you go right ahead and call and I'll hand her the phone."

"Can I think about it for a while?" he asked, still looking unsure.

Dominique nodded quickly, "Give it some thought and let me know before the day ends. Sasha wants to have the sleepover tomorrow night."

Once my entire class was accounted for and Angela joined us, I had everyone grab their coats and lunches and then had them all follow me outside. The parents that were chaperoning stuck close by their kids as they walked in a single file line behind me, Angela walking next to me. Her rounded belly was so big it looked almost painful, but she was all smiles, gently rubbing her belly with some pep in her step.

Angela walked up onto the bus first to help seat everyone, while I stayed back and watched everyone climb on, counting heads and making sure no one was missing. When everyone was accounted for and on the bus, I got on and sat down behind the bus driver, next to Angela. Edward and Lena were in the seat behind us, with Sasha and her mother in the seat next to them. The girls were in the aisle seats, chattering away.

The drive to the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center was chaotic, to say the least. The kids were overly hyped and no matter how many times some of them were told to sit back down in their seats, one of them inevitably let their ADHD take hold and stood back up. We stopped once halfway through the drive so the kids could get out to stretch their legs and use the bathroom. But it was more to give the adults a break from the constant chatter and yelling.

When the hour-long drive was finally over and we pulled into the Fine Arts Center, Angela waddled down the steps of the bus and took the lead as my students all piled out. She had them all lined up, but I wouldn't call it a single file since those kids were all over the place, rambunctious with excitement.

I really hoped they enjoyed the field trip and weren't let down. Art wasn't for everyone, but I also knew they would be happy regardless, to get a break from the mundane task of schoolwork. As exciting as I tried to make learning for my kids, I knew that a break was always appreciated.

A worker at the Fine Arts Center showed us around the inside of the institute first, the kids oohing and ahh-ing at the pretty pictures on the walls. But the real fun came when we were taken outside to look at all the cool sculptures they had. I took pictures of the kids, smiling as they posed with the sculptures and their friends. I was ecstatic when I got a beautiful candid of Lena and Edward sitting on a bench. She was smiling at him, and he was looking adoringly down at her.

The love they had for each other rolled off the picture in waves. I made a mental note to not only send Edward that picture but the ones I took on our playdate as well.

I was so busy chasing my students around that I didn't get a lot of time to socialize with Edward or the other parents and before I knew it, two hours had passed, and the students were all gathering back on the bus. Sasha and Lena wanted to sit together, so when I got on the bus and the only seat available was next to Edward, I took a deep breath in to calm my nerves and smiled as I sat down.

Edward leaned a little closer to me, his breath fanning over my face and making me dizzy, "The kids all seemed to have a great time. You're a really good teacher."

My cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree, forcing me to look straight ahead, "I love my kids," I said simply.

And it was God's honest truth. I loved each of them for their uniqueness and passion for learning. It made my job feel less like work and more like I got to do something I loved every day. You really couldn't ask for more than that.

But it was always nice to be told you were doing a good job, regardless.

Edward's shoulder nudged mine causing me to look over at him, "I'm sorry about the other day," he shrugged sheepishly.

I squinted my eyes, "Sorry? Whatever for?"

"When you gave me the information for the psychiatrist, I didn't adequately thank you," he looked forward and blew out a long breath, "I guess I was just upset with myself because I should have been the one to realize that my daughter would benefit from some extra help. She went through something traumatic, and I thought that I could handle it all on my own, but…" he trailed off, tugging at the knees of his jeans, his knuckles turning white, "but I need to come to terms with the fact that I can't fix this for her. I can only take all the necessary steps to help her heal."

Without thinking, I reached my hand out and placed it on top of his. A small spark ran through my palm to the back of his hand, and I jumped slightly but didn't remove my hand. I looked into his eyes, happy that he wasn't pulling away from me for once.

"You really need to stop beating yourself up, Edward. Lena is one well-loved little girl, and no matter what, she's going to get through this. No, you can't fix it, but you're doing what you can to help her get through it and that's what matters in the end."

Edward nodded, his full lips quirking up at the side, "But you were absolutely correct the other day. I already made her an appointment with the psychiatrist. I'll be taking her Tuesday after school lets out." His enchanting green eyes locked on mine, nearly knocking the breath right out of me from the intensity they held, "So, thank you. So much."

I pursed my lips, the smile that was threatening to break loose would have ripped my face in half if I let it. I didn't trust my voice while he was looking so intently at me, so I just nodded as I tried to blink away the fuzziness that Edward was causing in my vision.

"Daddy," Lena popped her head over the seat, the wide smile on her face disappearing when her eyes darted to our touching hands.

Edward quickly slid his hand from underneath mine and moved a little further away from me, turning so his back was touching the window behind him. I tried not to take it personally, but I couldn't hide the frown forming on my face. I was happy his attention was focused on his daughter.

"Yes, baby?" he asked her with a tight smile. He looked like he just got caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

Lena's eyes looked between me and her father for a moment before she turned her nose up and flipped her hair over her shoulder, blanketing her face from my sight. That, too, made my frown deepen even more. She and I had made so much progress, but that look she gave me was a clear snub.

"Daddy," she repeated, her tone losing some of the enthusiasm it previously held, "Sasha is having a sleepover tomorrow. Can I go?"

Edward set his lips into a thin line, his eyes squinting, "Will you be okay without me?" he asked, uncertainty lacing his tone.

Lena nodded, her strawberry blonde hair bouncing from the quick up-and-down motion, "I really want to go. I'll be okay, Daddy."

Edward licked his bottom lip, his knee jumping in a broken rhythm as he clasped his hands together on his lap. He looked torn between keeping her near and keeping her happy.

He tilted his head to the side, "I suppose that would be okay. As long as that's what you really want."

"Thank you!"

Lena fell back into her seat behind us, and I could hear her and Sasha squealing happily and talking back and forth in hushed whispers. I glanced at Edward, adjusting in my seat so that I was facing him more.

"Are you okay?" I asked, gripping my hands together in front of me to keep from reaching out to him again. For some reason, I felt the need to touch him, to comfort him. I had never felt such an urge to comfort someone other than my children.

Edward let out a long, drawn-out sigh, "I'll be fine. As long as she's happy, I'm happy."

"The Thompsons are good people," I assured him gently. "And I'm sure if she feels uncomfortable or if she misses you, she'll call."

Edward bit his lip, nodding, "I know. It's just…" he blew out a breath between his pursed lips, the hair hanging over his eyes flying upward, "It was hard enough being away from her when I had to go back to New York for two days. I don't like being away from her. I'm always worried that she'll need me, and I won't be able to get to her fast enough. That's why I kept her out of school for as long as I did."

He looked helplessly into my eyes, trapping me in their endless depths, "Tell me I'm overbearing. My sister says it all the time."

I shook my head, "How parents choose to raise their children, especially under traumatic circumstances, is their business."

His lips lifted at the corner, "So I'm not ruining her by keeping her close to me?"

"From what I've seen, Edward, close to you is where she'd prefer to be."

His smile grew, lifting even higher at the corner, "I was thinking about getting myself into therapy as well," he admitted with a sheepish shrug. "I think that it would help me and in turn, help Lena through this."

"I think that's wonderful," I told him with an encouraging smile.

I was starting to wonder if maybe I should take my own advice and get my children, and maybe even myself, into therapy. With how much Connor was visibly hurting and Maisy not understanding why her dad was gone, it would probably help them.

I turned around, facing forward, and leaned my head back on the seat. I closed my eyes as I considered where I wanted my life to go and how I would make it happen. I was getting better, but some help along the way couldn't hurt. My kids needed me at one hundred percent.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked quietly.

I opened my eyes and looked over at him, sighing, "That I should start taking my own advice."

"Which advice would that be?" he asked curiously.

"Therapy," I pouted.

I never thought that I would need it. I've always seen the importance of it, of course, but I never thought that something would happen to where it became a necessity in my life. Especially not my kids' lives. I only ever wanted the best for them. And even though it wasn't my fault, I felt like I had failed them. I needed to get myself together and be proactive in getting them the proper help.

"That could be a good thing," Edward spoke up after a couple of seconds of contemplative silence. "It at least wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

I nodded, "Yeah… yeah, I think you're right." I nodded again, trying to hype myself into the idea of taking myself and my kids to get some help.

What could it hurt?

The bus came to a stop, and I looked over Edward's shoulder to see out the window. We were already back at school. The time had just flown on by. Edward was definitely good company to keep if he could make time meaningless. Because I hated long rides, especially on buses.

Angela walked off the bus first, her little pregnant waddle making me smile to myself. I called the attention of my students and had them all stand up and exit the bus one at a time. Me, Edward, Dominique, and Donny's father were the last ones off the bus. I escorted everyone back inside to gather their things and wait for the last bell of the day to go off so I could take them back outside to get picked up. The day was pretty much over when we walked into my classroom.

I wandered over to my desk to start gathering my things, leaving Edward and Dominique to exchange numbers so she could text him her address for the sleepover tomorrow night. When they were done, Dominique took Sasha's hand and waved at me as they left the school. I had already told the parents that chaperoned that they could take their kids back home when we got back to the school because there was no sense in them leaving for thirty minutes just to come right back. Donny and his father left right after. Edward, however, wavered by the door for a moment with Lena's hand grasped in his.

I gave him a curious glance, lifting back up from my bent-over position at my desk, "Everything alright, Edward?"

"I was just wondering," he started, taking a few long steps closer to my desk with an unhappy-looking Lena at his side, "if you and the kids would like to go out to dinner with us tonight?"

I grinned at the offer, "I'd love to and I'm sure the kids will be thrilled."

"Meet us at the diner around six?"

I nodded, unable to control the wide smile that split open on my face. Spending time with Edward and Lena was quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. And maybe, soon, I could get to the bottom of why Lena sometimes seemed to dislike me.

"Great," Edward showed off his signature half smile before giving me a two-finger wave as he led Lena out of the classroom.

"Great," I sighed quietly to myself, feeling perkier than before as I sat down on my chair and waited impatiently for the last bell to ring.


"Ready, my loves?" I asked, turning around in my seat to smile at Connor and Maisy in the back.

"Yeah," Connor bounced in his seat excitedly. He always loved going to the diner. We hadn't been going ever since I ran into Mike and Jessica that last time.

Maisy kicked her legs and grinned at me, "Yay, fries!"

I rolled my eyes. If I let her, that girl would survive off nothing but fries. But not just any fries, they had to be the ones from the diner. She accepted no substitutions.

I climbed out of the car and went over to Maisy's side, quickly unbuckling her car seat and gathering her into my arms, trying to get to the other side of the car before Connor took off without me. Ever since he learned how to unbuckle himself and get out of the car on his own, he thought he was grown. And I was always forgetting to set the child locks.

"Hey, hey, hey," I yelled, running to catch up with Connor as he made a beeline for the door to the diner his little legs carrying him faster than I thought possible. I grabbed his hand when I finally caught up to him. I huffed out a breath and pushed the door open with my hip.

My eyes scanned the diner until they fell on Edward and Lena in a booth at the back of the restaurant. Lena was across from her dad throwing what looked to be M&M's at him, giggling when he caught them in his mouth. I grinned as I made my way over. I let go of Connor's hand and he ran over climbing up next to Lena.

"Hi," he yelled excitedly in her face to which she just laughed some more.

I set Maisy down next to her brother and took the only open seat, next to Edward. He scooted over with an indulgent smile. They both seemed to be in high spirits. It made me so happy to witness that. They not only needed it, but they deserved it.

"M&M?" Lena held out a bag of candy to Connor and Maisy, dumping a little in each of their hands.

"How are you?" Edward asked me after I pulled my jacket off and set it on my lap.

"I'm great, and you?"

He shrugged, "Pretty good. Excited to eat some diner food. I haven't had it since I was a teenager."

Before I could say anything, Maisy slapped her hand on the table. I jumped slightly and glared at her bad manners.

"Fries," she said simply, slapping her hand down again.

I wanted to berate her but stopped short at the sound of Edward's infectious chuckle next to me.

"Gotta love a girl who knows what she wants, huh?" He joked, playfully nudging my shoulder with his own. I tried very hard to control the shudder that wanted to wreak havoc through my body when the heat of his body melded with my own.

I looked at him and rolled my eyes, "Try spending every day with her."

I saw Maisy's hand lift back up and quickly reached over, stopping her before she could slap the table again. "Manners, Missy-May."

She only giggled, wriggling free from my grasp.

"I guess we're all here now?" The waitress smiled at us as she walked up and pulled out her notepad and pen.

Edward nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"What can I get you guys?"

Edward and I ordered the special – spicy chili with baked bread. And the kids each got fries and burgers. I allowed Connor and Maisy to get a shake to share since Lena and Edward were going to share one. I just got water.

After the waitress came back with our drinks, I turned to Edward, but before I could say anything, he blew the wrapper to his straw at my face hitting the center of my forehead.

I closed my eyes and pursed my lips, trying to keep from laughing at his childish behavior but when Edward broke down with amused chuckles, I let myself go, laughing along with him. I opened my eyes and mock glared at him.

"Real mature, Eddie," I teased.

He grinned, "I thought so, Bitty Bella."

I ripped the end of the paper off my straw as Edward took a drink of his shake. I turned to him and quickly blew it in his face. The paper hit him on his cheek, and he snorted, pulling the straw from his mouth and covering his nose with his hand.

I cackled to myself as he scowled at me, wiping his nose and mouth with a napkin. Connor and Maisy laughed across from us, clearly enjoying the show.

"Eww, Daddy," Lena grimaced, not as impressed with the spectacle we were making of ourselves.

"Eww," he mocked, picking the shake back up and sucking some into his mouth before using the straw to spit some on the table in front of her.

She quickly moved her arms off the table and laughed, "Daddy!"

Edward grabbed a napkin, cleaning up his mess, chuckling to himself. The waitress came out with her hands full of our food, a smile on her face.

"You guys are such a cute family," she said as she set our plates and bowls down in front of us.

My eyes widened and I quickly looked at Edward only to see him looking at me with the same expression on his face.

"We're not," Lena said adamantly, a pout darkening her features.

The waitress's smile dropped as she looked at me and Edward, then back to our kids, "My apologies."

"Oh, don't worry about it," I quickly assured her, trying to cut through the sudden tension. "Thank you for our food."

She nodded and walked away, an unsure look in her eyes.

Edward cleared his throat next to me, "The food looks great, right, Lena?"

I looked over at Lena. She had that pout on her face still, her arms crossed as she leaned back in her seat. Her eyes were glaring into her food. Her jaw was clenched and she looked about ready to explode.

"Yummy," Maisy said, stuffing fries in her mouth, completely unaware of the uncomfortable situation we were suddenly in.

"I think it's good," Connor spoke up, ever the peacekeeper, as he took a bite of his burger, but the red tint to his cheeks told me that he was uncomfortable as well. He was a perceptive child and didn't handle stressful situations very well.

"Are you going to eat, honey?" Edward asked his daughter. He reached across the table to push her plate closer to her. She pushed it back with some force before recrossing her arms and looking out the diner window next to her.

Edward sighed, shaking his head.

"Um…" I wracked my brain for a topic change. "Lena is doing exceptionally well in school," I said, hoping to appeal to her ego.

I peeked over at her and her face had lightened up the tiniest bit, but she made no move to eat her food or release her stoic stance.

"I knew she would," Edward said quietly. "My girl is smart."

Lena sat up straighter, uncrossing her arms.

"She sure is," I added. "Very well behaved on top of that. She has a bright future ahead of her. I wouldn't be surprised if she followed in your footsteps, Edward, and became a doctor."

"I could be a doctor," she perked up. She looked up at her dad with wide eyes. "I could work with you, Daddy."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief and smiled indulgently at her, "Well, when you become a doctor, your old man is probably going to be retired. But I know you'll blaze your own trail in the medical field."

Lena pulled her plate back over to her with two fingers and popped a fry in her mouth, a satisfied and prideful look on her face. I gave myself a mental pat on the back. Crisis averted.

The next half hour went by smoothly, thank God. We fell into an easy silence as we munched on our meals, just enjoying each other's company. I only had to stop Maisy from trying to choke herself with fries twice and the kids seemed to get along very well, Connor and Lena eventually breaking the silence to chatter about their favorite shows and superheroes.

I glanced at Edward from the corner of my eye a few times and each time, he looked more and more relaxed until he was back to smiling and laughing when the kids did or said something off the wall funny. Like when Maisy picked her brother's fry and stuck it in his ear. Aside from that one hiccup, our dinner went very well and the ease with which we fell into a comfortable dynamic made butterflies flutter in my stomach.

It both thrilled and terrified me. I wasn't sure which feeling was more prevalent.

"Full," Maisy announced, pushing her plate away. She still had half a burger left but the fries were all gone and her and her brother's shake was empty.

I reached across the table to clean up her mess, using a wet napkin to clean up the ketchup spattered all over the table. I set the napkin on her plate and set it off to the side, putting my bowl and plate on top of it.

Edward took his dishes, as well as Lena's and Connor's, setting them next to mine and Maisy's. He cleaned up any mess that was left over and it made me smile in appreciation. I always cleaned up after myself and stacked the dishes to make the workers' lives easier. Mike would tell me that was their job and insisted, angrily, that I stop every time.

Edward insisted on paying for all of our meals and when I tried to fight him on it, he told me that I could take care of it next time. And just hearing him say there would be a next time had me shutting my mouth and hiding my smile behind my hand.

Edward even carried a sleepy Maisy over to my car, setting her gently inside and buckling her in. When he closed the door, he turned to me and grinned.

"This was fun," he said.

"I had a great time," I smiled and then looked down at Lena as she clung to Edward's leg, looking wiped out from her long day. "I hope you had a good time, as well, Lena."

She opened her mouth in a big yawn and then nodded, "Yeah."

Edward reached down and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled into his throat. "We better get going. See you Monday morning?" He started to slowly back away.

"Bright and early," I grinned back at him.

After Edward turned around and headed to his car, I got into my own. I looked behind me to make sure that Connor was sufficiently buckled in. When I was satisfied that he was, I pulled out of the parking lot, waving at Edward on my way out.

When I turned onto my street I quickly hit my brakes. I could feel the anxiety taking hold of me as I took in the shiny black Mercedes parked on the curb outside of my house. I quickly looked back at my kids who were peacefully sleeping in the backseat, thankful that my brakecheck didn't hurt or disturb them.

I took a deep breath and let off the brake, rolling my car as slowly as I could up the street and into my driveway. I shut the car off, my stomach bubbling up into my throat.

Mike stood up from his perch on my porch steps, his hands dug down deep in his jacket pockets and his eyes focused on me through the windshield.