I don't own twilight. What I own is my character's behavior, personality, background, and plot of the story.

A huge thank you to my beta Madmooey18 for putting in the effort and helping me make this story what it is.

Author's Note at the end.

Everyone stiffens. Emmett and Carlisle place their hands on their waist where their guns are placed.

"Relax people that wasn't what Bella meant. It was more along the lines of the "you hurt my friend I hurt you" talk," Alice says reaching the group as Bella made her statement.

Everyone heaves a sigh of relief while Edward rolls his eyes at his family's theatrics and their perpetual existence on edge. Bella turns to Alice and glares at her. She does not want anyone to shoot her, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't want them to be slightly apprehensive of her. She is not an easy prey and the meat on her bones is anything but soft.

Noticing the look Bella is giving her, Alice winks at Bella then turns to the family and says, "Plus, Bella isn't one to tell her plans in advance."

Edward throws his head back and laughs loudly at that. His family must see the humor in what Alice and Bella said as some forced chuckles and genuine ones follow his. The stiff air seems to dissolve then as every other person finds someone to chat to.

Bella smiles as she listens to details about the case Rosalie was representing in court. Bella is neither interested in law, nor tax evasion, but Alice seems to not want her to know Rosalie. That is enough to peck her interest. Plus, Rosalie seems like a people pleaser, and Bella could make use of a person like that.

Once, Rosalie is done telling the story, she leaves them to check on Emmett, and Alice mutters with exasperation, "It seems like she wouldn't shut up."

"Alice," Bella reprimands her sharply.

"What? You can not tell me that you gave a damn about what she was chattering about," Alice tells her rolling her eyes at her friend's good girl show. She can't want to pretend now. It's not like she has any interest in Edward thinking the best of her.

Or does she?

Of course not. Edward is useless to her as a friend. He can't provide her with any connections, and they would never happen romantically. If Bella dates anyone, she will milk it for publicity's sake. Edward would never have that. He is a private person who would never tolerate all of the attention-seeking shenanigans Bella will need to revive her career.

Alice loves her friend, but she will be feeling secondhand embarrassment as she watches her friend make a spectacle of herself to get any jobs. That said, she won't try to tell her that. The last thing she needs is to get her friend to be angry with her. No, that's a lesson Bella will have to learn on her own.

"Yes, I would like to know how to get away with tax evasion," Bella replies with a straight face. Edward bursts into laughter followed by a less enthusiastic laugh from Alice. She looks at Edward as he laughs loudly at Bella's joke. His body is turned toward her and he is staring at her as she tucks a hair strand behind her ear. She realizes with horror that Edward likes Bella. Jasper wasn't being a moron when he said that Edward likes her. She excuses herself and goes to the kitchen to think.

"Is everything okay with Alice? I haven't had the chance to speak to her, but she seems off," Bella tells Edward with concern once Alice is out of hearing shoot.

He shrugs his shoulders and then tells her, "I wouldn't know more than you as our time was spent with her bossing me around, but I know that she is angry at Jasper."

She nods her head in understanding as his mum comes from behind him and asks her, "Are you enjoying your time Bella?"

"Well," Bella begins thinking carefully over her next choice of words, "The beginning was a little bit bumpy but Edward has been entertaining me since then."

"Excuse me," Edward exclaims offended.

"Entertaining you? You make it sound like I am juggling balls for you." Edward is not very offended per se, he just knows that had the shit show not happened, she would not be saying that he is entertaining her, and he doesn't want the time they spent together to have anything to do with what his father and Jasper said.

Rolling her eyes at him, Bella tells him in a bored tone, "You work in the entertainment industry. You are an entertainer. It's not like I insulted you. Stop being dramatic."

"I reject that title and industry label. I work in the music industry and I create art thus I am an artist," Edward replies crossing his arms and raising his head in the air.

"Okay then," Bella mutters to herself then theatrically plasters a fake exhausted smile on her face and turns to Esme and tells her, "He was doing damage control."

"Bella!" He exclaims glaring at her.

Continuing her charade, she looks at him in disbelief and asks, "What?"

Edward glares at her silently for a minute but when she doesn't budge, he rolls his eyes and then turns to his mum and tells her, "We are chatting. Bella is just being a bully."

"Thank you," Bella tells him and when she notices the look Edward and Esme give her, she replies with pride, "Me bullying someone of your size is an impossibility, so if anyone says I am bullying you I will take it as a compliment."

Both Edward and Esme burst into laughter and after a couple of seconds, Bella breaks her neutral expression and gives a shy smile. Esme says something that prompts Edward and Bella to have another debate and then watches as her son looks adoringly at a woman she just met.

The truth is that Bella isn't someone Esme would have imagined or wished for her son. She is a single mum to two kids, and a model. She doesn't have the right lineage. For all intent and purpose, the only thing that could make Esme approve of her is Bella's connection to Phil and even that is barely there since her mum died before marrying him, but seeing him with her has put things into perspective for her.

The way they lean into each other, focus on one another, and have their own inside jokes makes it seem like they have been in a relationship for years, not two people who hardly know one another.

Esme is returned to reality when she hears Edward tell Bella, "Okay I will go and get her for you," leaving Bella and Esme alone.

Suddenly Bella finds herself in awkward silence as she smiles at Esme while looking around. The lady seems nice enough, plus she birthed Edward so she can't be half bad, but she is also a mafia wife. She can't be that sweet. Not that Bella would ever shame her for that. She is in no position to speak.

"Bella," Esme states attracting her attention.

"Yes?" Bella states not sure what Esme wants from her.

Esme takes a deep breath and tells her, "I want to apologize for what happened,", "Please don't. You didn't do anything wrong," Bella states cutting her off and raising her hand to stop her from speaking.

Esme reaches forward and grasps Bella's other hand in hers and tells her, "Listen. I do owe you an apology. What happened is extremely unacceptable. I won't apologize for my son, but on behalf of my husband I am very sorry."

Bella doesn't understand why Esme apologized. Sure they were assholes, but it's nothing in the greater scheme of things. Plus, she can handle what was said, so was it really bad?

She accepts Esme's apology right as Alice appears. "Are you already leaving?" Alice asks pouting her lips.

Bella nods her head then tells Alice while hugging her, "I can't leave the boys longer than that."

She actually can. She is just exhausted and wants to go home.

Esme opens her mouth looking eager to ask something which prompts Bella to say goodbye to her before she asks as she isn't sure if she wants this family to know details about her children.

What was I thinking?

What the fuck was I thinking?

This question plagues Bella as she goes around the house tidying it. Yesterday, when she reached home she found out that Edward started following her on her social media accounts. She was very excited. Now, she knows better.

She has no business being interested in a guy, any guy, but especially a man like Edward. Someone that successful has a lot of expectations. Expectations she can't meet. She can't compete for the attention of a guy like that. She doesn't have the capacity to be available for a guy like that, and even if she did, she would have to live with keeping secrets from him because a man who chooses to have nothing to do with his family's mafia will never be okay with the secrets she is keeping.

No, he won't. No one would be okay with what we did.

Bella throws herself on the couch and stares at the mug of coffee in her hand. Edward is a nice guy. He is such a sweet guy. In any other life, she would have been extremely excited about him being interested in her, but she is the Bella that has gone through Charlie and James. This Bella has seen what nightmares are made of and knows that innocent people will never truly like her.

They might assume that they like her, but only because they don't know her.

"I need to do something. I can't stay in my head," she mutters to herself then gets up. She gets ready and dresses Peter then takes him to the park and plays.

Once she notices her mind going to places she doesn't want it to go to, Bella picks up Peter and goes with him to the mall telling herself that needs to shop for the boys which isn't false. She can work with what she already has, but the same can't be said for them, but because god hates her, an hour into shopping she runs into Alice and Edward.

"Bella, long time no see. What has it been like? 16 hours?" Alice jokes after hugging her.

Bella tries to smile at Alice's attempt at joking but it comes out as a grimace. "Hey, what are the both of you doing?" Bella asks not wanting to actively seek out Edward but not wanting to ignore him either.

"We are shopping for me. What are you and this young man doing her?" Edward asks directing the question at her then he stoops to look at Peter in his carriage and tickles him which prompts Peter to giggle.

Edward smiles with Peter who's giggles are infectious, but Bella cuts in and ends that for him when she tells him, "Edward, can you please not? I don't want to risk him vomiting. He just ate."

She knows that her excuse in bullshit, and they probably do too, but it gets her message across as Edward stands up while trying to cover up a frown.

Faking a huge smile, Bella tells them, "So I guess I will see you soon, but I have to go now."

Home, she needs to go home because she won't be able to do anything now that she saw Edward and knows that she could run into him at any moment.

Edward who didn't want her to leave before he figured out what happened between yesterday and now, subtly nudges Alice who gets the message and says, "Bella wait. We want to have lunch together why don't you join us?"

Bella tried to come up with an excuse to not join them, but for some reason comes up blank.

What the fuck! Think!

I am trying.

Not hard enough obviously.

Shut up.

"I don't know if that is possible, I have stuff that I need to buy, and then I need to get home for Adam," Bella states rubbing her hand at her jean-clad thigh.

Neither Edward nor Alice buy her excuse and Alice lets her know by asking her what she wants to buy and reminding her that she has three hours before Adam finishes kindergarten and before she knows it, she finds herself leaving Peter with them while she goes to buy that thing that she desperately needs so that she can finish quickly and eat with them.

For the first minute, Alice and Edward stare at each other not knowing what to do. "So this is it? We just stare at him and make sure that he doesn't fall from his carriage?" Alice asks apprehensively.

She doesn't understand why Edward wanted her to invite Bella to have lunch with him. She understands that he likes her. He told her so when she asked him in the car. What she doesn't understand is, why? Bella isn't like the women he typically goes for. It would be awesome if they fell in love. Bella and her would-be sisters-in-law. It That would make the family dinners more tolerable. Edward is a great guy, so she would never have to worry about him hurting her friend, but that doesn't change that Edward has a type, and Bella doesn't fit into said type.

He tends to go for women who aren't as tall as Bella. Most of his past girlfriends, like him, don't relish attention and work behind the scene jobs. He also usually dates women who are more established in their careers and who don't have any baggage in the form of children.

"He is strapped in and can't fall out of the carriage," Edward replies rolling his eyes at Alice. He knows that Alice knows that and is just showing her irritation over how Edward made her handle things.

"Well, I need to make a phone call and since you wanted this, you can keep an eye on him," Alice tells him then turns around and goes to the other side of the floor.

"It looks like it's just you and me buddy," Edward states as he runs his knuckles across Peter's cheek. Peter makes an indecipherable noise and smiles at Edward then takes one of Edward's fingers in his hands and moves it around.

"I guess you like me. Now if I could only figure out why your mummy won't look at me today things would be perfect," he tells him.

Peter kicks his feet and makes another sound, and when Edward realizes he is calling for his mum, he tells him, "Yes I am talking about your mummy. She is amazing isn't she?" Edward asks him smiling.

Peter giggles louder and kicks his feet more furiously and then claps his hands while still holding onto Edward's thumb.

"I will take that as a yes," Edward tells him then pauses when he hears a kid let out a scream. He looks to his left and finds a toddlers stomping the ground while glaring at his parents.

Edward realizes that he needs to get Peter out. He doesn't know if he is the kind of baby to get triggered by loud noises, and he doesn't want to wait and find out. Bella strikes him as the kind of mother to shoot first and ask questions later.

He looks around nervously till he spots a bookstore at the other end of the floor, and rushes there. He takes Peter out of the carriage once the door closes behind him and leaves it by the door to explore the mostly empty bookstore.

"Let's look around for a book, shall we?" Edward asks Peter who replies by patting Edward's face.

"I will take this as a yes," Edward tells Peter and then takes him to the children's section. Edward pursues the section till he comes across a book that has a lot of pictures in it and sits down in one of the chairs with Peter in his lap and reads it to him.

When Edward receives a message from Alice telling him that the kid is gone, he gets up to go back and wait with Alice for Bella outside the shop she is at, but as he tries to place Peter in his carriage, Peter refuses to let go of the book.

He tries to gently untangle his fingers from him but that makes Peter tear up. "Okay young man. You get to keep it but I need to pay for it, so you need to give it to me for a minute," he tells Peter as he goes to the cashier and hands the clerk the book, and pays for it.

He carries Peter in his arms as he leaves the bookshop. He spots Bella and Alice before they spot him, and because he is nosy he decides to hide behind a pillar and listen to what they are talking about.

"I am just saying that I find it surprising because you aren't each other's type," Alice tells her raising her arms in defense.

"Alice, there is no chemistry. You are imagining things," Bella tells her in irritation.

"I am not."

"Alice, what exactly are you getting at?" Bella demands in annoyance.

"I am not getting at anything,", "Lies. I know you. This is leading to something," Bella cuts in sharply.

Alice rolls her eyes at Bella and patiently tells her, "I am just making an observation Bella. Not everyone is out to get you."

Bella takes a deep breath and using a softer tone tells Alice, "There is no observation Alice. We aren't interested in each other. It's just that he was the only person at your party that was actually nice to me." He feels a pang in his heart at her words. Does she not care for him at all? Has he been reading the signs wrong all along?

"As your friend, I know that yesterday was a disaster and I will make it up to you, I promise, but those two things aren't mutually exclusive. He can be the only nice person to you while both of you are interested in each other," Alice tells her after she touches her shoulder.

"Even if hypothetically speaking one of us is interested in the other. We will never happen," Bella states. That pecks Edward's interest and he listens closely to what they say next.

"Why not Bella? The two of you are perfect for each other. You do know that Edward is a great catch, right?" Alice asks her trying to understand Bella's disinterest. Edward is Bella's exact type not just in the looks department, but also personality-wise. The fact that Bella isn't baiting makes no sense. Granted, Bella isn't the type to ask a guy out, but her complete lack of interest makes no sense.

"Alice, have you seen his dating history? The dude has been through a laundry list of women. A man like him is a serial monogamist. He will commit to someone, but only for a short period of time. He isn't one to stick around and frankly I don't have time for someone like him," Bella states with her arms crossed.

Edward frowns at what she states. If he was standing in front of her, he wouldn't know how to defend himself. Thing is that she is right, but for the wrong reason. He has had many short relationships because his life situation has made it impossible for any relationship of his to grow beyond the superficial stage. Any relationship needs the honesty to survive. That's not something he can provide. That is a reason why he thinks their relationship would be different, because he will be able, and to be honest with her, and that will be a huge thing for him as a boyfriend.

He tunes to the end of Alice's statement as she says, "For all you know, you will be different."

Bella ignores Alice's pleading and replies, "The predictor of past behavior is future behavior, Alice. Edward and I will never happen."

And because God wants that smack to the face to resonate, it's followed by a real one. He turns to Peter and finds him giggling at him.

"Peter, you can't team up with your mama against me," Edward slightly whines as he rubs where Peter smacked him on his face with the book. Peter's reaction is to giggle more and then call for his mother.

"Okay, okay. I will take you to her. It's not like there is anything left for her to say. I swear to God, I will never eavesdrop again."

Edward walks toward Alice and Bella and makes his presence known by humming loudly.

"Peter, come here baby," Bella states snatching him from Edward the moment he is within reach. She looks him over to make sure he is okay. It took everything in her to stand with Alice and wait for Edward to return instead of looking for him. She is in no way, shape or form ready to have her son away from her when it's not someone she one hundred percent trusts. She knows what it's like when someone takes her children from her or bans her from seeing them for the fun of it.

Edward is taken aback by her behavior. Sure, she doesn't think he will harm her son, or does she think that badly of him? The longer the silence extends the angrier Edward gets.

Does she think we fought the great war together?

Bella seems to notice then the book Peter is holding and turns to Edward to say, "Thanking you for taking care of him. I can't have you pay for the book. How much did it cost?"

"Consider it a gift Bella," Edward replies trying to smile at her but failing miserably because he is still bothered by what he heard and what she just did.

"Nonsense Edward. You don't need to buy him a gift," Bella tells him placing Peter in his carriage and then turns to him to ask, "How much did it cost?"

"Of course, it's a gift, Bella. Friends get each other and by extension, each other's children's gift," Edward tells her getting a better handle on his feelings.

"Edward we are hardly friends. Of course, I will pay you back," Bella tells him hardly masking her irritation. She doesn't like feeling like she owes someone anything. If Edward gets Peter a gift, she will need to get Edward a gift to be even, and frankly, she wants to limit her contact with Edward.

He isn't good for her. Anyone that gets her to feel things she doesn't want to feel is not good for her and should stay as far away from her as possible.

Bella's statement feels like a kick to the gut and before he can think through his reply, he tells her, "It's not a gift. I was too busy flirting with this beautiful woman that I didn't notice Peter sticking the book in his mouth and so I had to buy it. I have no use for a children's book. You will be doing me a service by taking it off my hands."

Ouch. I guess he won't be asking you out any time soon.

For someone who just told herself that she doesn't want him, his interest in another woman hurts more than she cares to admit.

She gives Alice a sharp look as if to tell her, See, he isn't interested in me or else he wouldn't have said that, and then she tells Edward, "Then you should drop it at the closest women's shelter. There are a ton of women with kids who would love it. My son has enough books. He doesn't need more."

That will teach his incompetent ass for treating my son like a charity case. Take it off my hands, like I will fall for that.

If looks could kill, he would be dead. Understanding that some battles aren't meant to be won, Edward silently takes the book from her and holds it under his arms as she glares at him.

"So, who is ready for lunch?" Alice chimes in trying to break the ice.

They both turn to look at her as if just remembering that they aren't alone.

"Not happening. I need to leave. We will have lunch together another time," Bella tells her. She needs to leave before she snaps at the asshole she is looking at.

"What? But Why?"

"I can't do this now Alice, but I promise we will have lunch together when you are in better company," Bella tells Alice while side-eying Edward.

Ohh, I have gotten under her skin. She is definitely interested.

"I guess I will see you again then," Edward tells Bella smirking at her.

"Oh no, we won't."

"But we will. I know we will," Edward says to himself as he watches her walk away.

Hello lovely people,

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My favorite part was writing the lighthearted moments between Bella and Edward. This Bella is a dark one, and so I relish the moments a little bit of sunshine peaks through. tell me your favorite part below.

Please leave a comment in the review section. It could be your favorite part, thoughts, feeling, or even criticism. Any and every comment you leave is read and taken into consideration. Your comments motivate me to update faster, and help me grow as a writer.

Until my next update,

Stay Safe