I distracted myself by cooking, baking, and making a few dozen salads.
Jasper raised his brow at me as he arrived and saw the assortment. "Uh, how long have you been up, Bells?" He asked me.
I frowned, "Five? I think." I told him nonchalantly.
He sighed and shook his head, "Alright, what's bothering you?" He asked me.
I blinked in surprise before I sighed and shook my head. "Nothing. It's just been a long week, Jazz." I told him honestly.
He nodded as he leaned on the counter behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know, which is why it's going to kill me when I tell you that, uh, Rose left a few things to receive if she, uh, ever died. They're supposed to be arriving two days from now." He informed me.
I swallowed thickly before nodding at him as I mixed the macaroni salad and turned to look at everything. "Where's Edward?" I asked him, quietly.
"He's outside setting up tables and chairs. Macy's is playing pattycake with Alice." He told me.
I took a deep breath before rolling my head on my shoulders. "Okay, well, help me get all of this out there so the food is ready once they arrive." I told him.
"Sure." He said.
It took five trips to take everything out to where Edward had set up a table.
There was strawberry lemonade, regular lemonade, and iced tea. Three types of macaroni salad, regular salad, along with fruit salad.
Edward, Garrett, and Peter had brought out the chicken, steak, and kabobs to grill.
Jasper sat with me while they manned the grill.
Then Kate, Charlotte, Irina, and her boyfriend Laurent arrived. Macy finally approached me to eat.
"Coco, 'm hungwy." She told me.
"Okay, what do you feel like eating? There's chicken or steak, macaroni salad, and fruit salad. Diced fruit." I listed off to her.
She frowned as she thought for a second. "Fwuit sawad, and chicken." She told me.
"Okay, I'll get you some. Go sit down next to Uncle Jazz." I told her.
I served her a little bit of macaroni salad on a plate along with grilled chicken. Placed fruit salad in a small bowl before taking it to her.
She immediately began to eat as she sat next to Jasper, kicking her feet in the air as she smiled and popped one of the grapes from the fruit salad into her mouth.
It was just after one that everyone began to arrive.
I managed to get busy by catching up with Kate and Irina, then by making sure everyone had enough food.
Then I realized a few of the people that had arrived, I didn't know at all. I figured that I'd meet them eventually, before busying myself again when the lemonade ran out and I had to go make more.
I was about to take the large pitcher when one of the women and guys that arrived walked in.
"Hi, you must be Edward's wife. Nice to meet ya, I'm Heidi." She said, as she extended her hand towards me.
"Uh, hi, I'm Bella, and yes, I am Edward's wife. Nice to meet you." I said as I took her hand and shook it in mine.
"I'm so sorry to hear about Rose and Emmett. Felix and I met them when they visited Edward in Boston. They were great people." She told me.
I nodded as I swallowed hard and looked away.
"Uh, I'm Felix. I'm so sorry about that. How are-- How have you and Edward been dealing with all of this?" He asked me.
I nodded as I placed a tight smile on my face and looked up at them. "It's been… difficult, but we're adjusting." I told them.
They nodded somberly.
I took a moment to get a hold of my feelings before I looked at them, with feign politeness.
"So, where are you guys from?" I asked them.
"Oh, we're from Boston." Felix replied as he eyes the fruit on the counter.
"You're welcome to have some. There's plenty for everyone." I told him as Heidi elbowed him.
"I'm sorry about him. We were just wondering how you two are going to deal with this temporary situation and the business in Boston." She told me.
I looked at her, surprised. "Temporary situation? What temporary situation? We're both here because both my sister and his brother died in a car crash three months ago, and their daughter was orphaned. Leaving us as her godparents. Nothing about this situation is temporary as you put it." I replied to them tightly.
"Uh, we're sorry. We assumed Edward was here to settle the financial situation, Demtri, Felix, Alec, and him own a tattoo shop. A successful one. Do you think that is a bit more important than maintaining some horse farm in Podunk?" She asked, amused.
"Okay, one, Edward is here because he wants to be. Two, at any time he wishes, he can leave. I am not stopping him if he does. Third, you have no business assuming you know the situation, so do me a favor and mind your own damn business. This doesn't concern you." I told her.
"Of course it does, Felix is my husband. His finaniances are also mine. Since Edward left, we've lost a lot of clientele. We need him more than you do here." She told me as she tried to get in my face.
"You need to back the fuck up before I smack that bleach out of your hair." I told her calmly.
Someone walked in and immediately pulled me away from her.
"What the hell is going on here?" Edward asked, looking at me concerned.
"Heidi, here, was just telling me that she needs you to go back to Boston, because they're losing clientele." I informed him calmly.
He sighed, "I told you two that I wasn't going to go back. Why the hell are you bugging my wife with this shit?" He asked them.
Heidi shrugged, "I figured she'd be able to convince you. Come on, Eddy, don't you miss tattooing Courtney, Janie, and Victoria, or Becky? They miss you." She cooed at him.
I scoffed and shook my head before looking up at him.
He shook his head at them, and turned to me, "Can you please give me a minute with these two idiots?" He asked me, in a calm tone.
I nodded, before looking at him, "You have ten minutes to get them out of my house, after that I won't be held responsible for my own actions." I told him cooly.
Jasper was waiting for me as I exited the house, "What was that?" He asked me quietly.
"I met some of Edward's friends. Let's just say that I was not amused or happy to meet them." I whispered.
He sighed, "I got that from what I heard. What's going on?" He asked.
"They want Edward to go back over there. Because they're losing clientele. Many thirsty ass bitches who like getting pawed at." I grumbled.
He snickered, "You're jealous." He notes.
I blinked, my face flushing in embarrassment as he began snickering.
"Shut up, asshole." I mumbled, flushing harder.
"I didn't say anything." He replied, innocently, as Peter sat down next to him.
As soon as they shifted into another conversations, I got up and made my way towards Kate. She was talking to Garrett and Irina.
I smiled at them, as I looked over at Macy, as she spoke to Laurent.
"So, I take it you're annoyed with Ed's friends?" Garrett asked me.
I shrugged, "I can't say they're my type of people. But they're sure as hell no longer welcomed here." I told him, flatly.
"Heidi is a bit hard around the edges, but she's a good people." He told me.
"She implied that I was the one keeping Edward here, in Podunk, in a horse farm." I told him, annoyed.
His eyes widened, "Are you serious? Does Edward know?" He asked.
I swallowed thickly and blinked, "No, he only heard when I spoke." I whispered.
He sighed, "I fucking knew those two weren't here for the fucking weather. I hate it when this happens." He mumbled rubbing his face with his hand as he leaned back.
"Do I want to know?" I asked.
He shook his head, "Heidi is Carmen's cousin, she set us up." He replied, tightly.
"Hm." I hummed, as I turned to look back at Jasper.
As I did, I noticed Edward was shaking his head and rubbing his temples in annoyance as he stood by him.
"I should…" I began but Garrett shook his head at me, and extended his hand in front of me to stop me.
"Give him a moment." He told me as he eyed him. "He needs to calm down. The veins on his arms, neck, and forehead. You don't want to be around any of that until he calms down." He explained.
It was clear there was tension between us.
I knew something was up when he kept avoiding me.
A sinking feeling hit my gut as I sat there listening to Kate retell a story of when we got lost while hiking in Portland, Oregon.
Something was definitely wrong.
I could feel it.
In all honesty, I like being right, but this is one of those times when I truly wish that I wasn't.
I stood there listening to what Edward had to say, and the situation seemed to be going from bad to worse.
But I was right.
His friends are trouble. Deep trouble.
As it turns out, they were only here to dangle the situation back home like a piece of meat to a pool of sharks.
Temptation, at its worst.
But what Edward said only confirmed what I thought when Rose and Em first passed, Edward didn't want this. He was looking for a way out of this. And he found it.
Knowing this hurt more than his words ever could.
"Aren't you going to say something?" He asked.
I frowned, before shaking my head in response.
"Bella, please just say something. Anything. Please, I'm begging you." He pleaded.
I blinked and swallowed hard, " You want me to say something?" I asked, quietly.
"Yes! Tell me what you think. Yell at me. Something." He pleads.
I nodded, before I felt my anger get the best of me,"You're a fucking coward and I would never done this to you." I say angrily, blinking tears rapidly. "I would've never done this to you..." I repeat as I shrug out of his touch as I feel his hand land on my shoulder, my voice breaking at the end.
He sighed, "I am. I fucked up. But what do you expect me to say? That— That I wanted all of this? That I'm happy with all of this. No. We got hurled into parenting Macy. Our choices were taken from us... And all I asked for was time away. A few weeks at the most to settle the situation in Brooklyn." He told me.
"Situation? What situation? There's three more people over there working on it. And you want to up and go in the middle of this shit storm?" I retorted.
He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "Look, this is important… There's things that only I can do." He told me.
I shook my head in disappointment. Realizing that he wants to go so badly… and nothing I say is going to keep him here.
"Fuck that. I told you that we didn't have to do it like this. But it's like you to fucking run whenthings get tough. You always do. Macy is a fucking innocent to all of this. She's a child who's already lost her biological parents... And you let her down. You let me down... So, you- you can leave." I finally said as I wiped my face.
He shook his head. "I'm not leaving... Did you forget? Together." He reminded me.
"I didn't. You did." I replied, before turning away and walking out.
He left without another word.
Once he was gone, I made my way to the kitchen, and poured a tumbler of whiskey.
I had only just sat down when I heard a knock in the door before it opened and the person walked in.
"I got a call from Edward." He said.
I sighed, "Didn't take you long to come. What do you want, Jasper?" I asked, as I pulled the tumbler to my lips, before it could touch my lips, Jasper's hand was on top, blocking the amber liquid from reaching my lips.
"I never left, I was on the phone outside. What are you doing?" He asked, in disbelief, "You can't drink." He told me, as he pulled the tumbler away.
"Yes. I can. You can't tell me what to do." I snapped.
"I saw what you left in the bathroom, Bella. Don't drink that." He told me.
I blinked rapidly, swallowing hard, as I dropped my head into my hands. "It was a false positive. Don't worry about it." I whispered.
He shook his head, "You can get a false negative but not a false positive, Be. Let's not act like we don't know this." He told me.
I shook my head, "I started my period a few days ago. It was a false positive." I told him.
"Have you had a chance to go to the doctor?" He asked.
I nodded, looking at the counter top instead of his face. "I--I did." I whispered.
He sighed, "It'll be okay." He mumbled.
"Please, don't tell anyone." I mumbled.
"I won't." He promised.
"Thank you." I whispered, blinking hard as I tried not to cry.
"If you and Edward are going to separate. You need to figure out who is going to stay here and who is going to leave." He told me.
"Edward already left." I told him.
He shook his head, "No, I mean
permanently, sis." He mumbled.
"I know. I— I guess... This is our house. Macy's too. He told me he didn't want this life, or to parent Macy anymore. So, he is leaving." I whispered.
He sighed, "Are you sure that that's what you want to do?" He asked me, concerned.
I reached up and wiped the tears off my face with the pads of my fingers, "I don't have a choice here, Jasper. He left. It is what it is. Make sure you state that it's irreconcilable differences to make everything go faster." I told him before getting up and making my way out of the house to clean up the mess that was left after everyone was gone.
As I made my way across the yard, Alice looked up, and gave me a small smile.
"Hey, how is everything going?" She asked me as she offered.
I shrugged, as I looked away, and took a stuttered breath.
She gasped, "What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing." I said, as I swallowed hard again.
"Does this have anything to do with my brother?" She asked.
I shrugged, as I felt a small body slam into the back of my knees.
"Coco, whewe is ShuShu?" She asked me, with a happy smile.
Alice and I exchanged a look before smiling at her, "He went out. He'll be back soon." She reassured her as she kneeled down to be at her eye level.
Macy frowned, "ShuShu's gone?" She asked, looking at me.
I took a deep breath and smiled, "He'll be back." I promised as I bent down to pick her up.
She nodded, clearly not liking the idea that Edward had left.
I sighed as I felt her head fall on my shoulder. "You ready for a nap, bug?" I asked her.
"Mhm." She sighed.
I looked at Alice before motioning for her to follow me into the house.
Once she was down for her nap, I went back downstairs to find Alice sitting in the place I had been just half an hour ago.
She had a glassy eyed expression on her face, as her finger traced around the rim of the lemonade that sat in front of her.
"Are you going to tell him?" She asked as she blinked before she turned to eye me.
I shook my head, "There's no point. He already left." I whispered.
She frowned, "He should know about this, Bella." She stated.
"How? Do you not see that he doesn't want to be here? What is going to happen if I do, and he comes back, he's going to resent me and Macy. I can't do that to her. She's-- She's already lost too much." I replied, tearfully.
She shook her head, "I swear I am going to kick his ass when I see him again." She grumbled.
"Not before I do." Jasper said as he stood by the doorway, raising a brow at me.
"I'm second." She mumbled.
"No, I believe I am second." Peter suddenly said, as he walked in with Charlotte.
I sighed and dropped my head, before looking at all of them, "What are you all doing here?" I asked.
"I never left." Jasper replied, with a shrug.
"He called me, and Lot decided to come with me." Peter replied, eyeing me.
"I'm fine, Macy is fine…Everything is fine… " I told them, forcefully.
Jasper and Peter exchanged looks before sighing. "Okay, sis, since you want to act like everything is fine, we'll drop it, but we're going to stay here with you. And I don't want to hear anything else." Jasper told me.
I felt my shoulders drop, as tears filled my eyes, as I glared down at the counter. "You don't have to do this." I whispered, choppily.
Jasper moved from his spot by the doorway and made his way towards me. Silently pulling me into a hug as I felt a sob escape through my lips.
"It's going to be okay, Bells. You're not alone in this. And you're not going to be alone in this, you've got us." He told me, reassuringly.
I only whimpered in response as I held onto him like he was a lifeline, as we stood there surrounded by my family.
Author's Note:
Hello, lovelies,
I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I thank you all for being here, reading and reviewing, it makes my day.
I do have to warn you, buckle up for what is to come.