I am SOSOSO mega sorry for the SUPER late update and I really do hope you're all still willing to read my little story. I was going through a hard time and just didn't have the energy to write. And I didn't want to post something that I wasn't happy with. So, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Leave a review if you like it and let me know what you want to see happen next! Your opinions help a lot!

Chapter Three: Support

"I'll never get it," Timmy groaned with a pout on his face. He had his head leaning on his fisted hands. I could see the tears threatening to fall from his eyes and the frustrated red tint that his cheeks were taking on.

I lightly touched his back in a soothing gesture but all it did was make his tears fall freely down his face. He scrubbed them away angrily. You'd think with me being a teacher to young children and having two of my own, that I would be better suited to help them when they were upset, but I just seemed to be floundering lately. Another drawback of my divorce.

"It's okay, Timmy. Just take a break right now. Go sit in the comfy corner and color until you feel better and then we'll take another look at your schoolwork when you're ready, okay?"

He didn't look at me as he stood up from his desk and clomped his light-up shoes over to the coloring books. His shoulders were drawn in and his expression was getting angrier by the second, so I felt it was better to just let him be. He had a pretty bad temper, and I was already having a shit day. The last thing I needed was Timmy's temper tantrums.

I made my way through the desks, looking down at each of my students and surveying the work that they were doing. I offered help when it looked like it was needed, but otherwise left them alone. When I was satisfied that everyone was okay with their work, I went to my desk and plopped down, immediately searching through my purse for some Advil. Another headache was making itself known.

I was just so damn tired.

I leaned back in my seat after taking two Advil and covered my eyes with my arm, swaying my chair back and forth, the motion somehow comforting. I was trying my hardest to relax and get through the day without a hitch. I wanted nothing more than to get my kids after school and just enjoy being with them without the weight of the day crushing me.

But, as I have learned, things don't ever really go that easily for me.

"Excuse me?" a loud booming voice pulled me from my trance. I cringed and looked over to the door. I held back the groan when I saw Mr. Crowley standing there with his big hand wrapped around Timmy's shoulder, "Did you lose something?" He shoved Timmy forward with an amount of force that I really didn't like.

I stood up and walked over to them quickly, grabbing Timmy away from his grasp.

"What happened?" I scowled up at him, holding Timmy close to my side. I didn't like it when Mr. Crowley got rough with the kids. No matter what he did, it didn't warrant him putting his hands on him that way.

"Something that wouldn't have happened had you not been snoozing at your desk," he snarked venomously.

I pushed my tongue to the inside of my cheek and grinned tightly at him, "I wasn't snoozing, I was simply relaxing while the kids were working on their assignments."

Mr. Crowley huffed and rolled his eyes, "Well, while you were relaxing, this one was running up and down the hallways making a spectacle of himself. Is this how you run your class?"

"I'll take care of it," I forced out through clenched teeth, "You should head back to your class now before one of them wanders off on you."

He snorted, "My class knows better than to do something like that. They respect me."

I couldn't hold my tongue on that one, "It's a fine line between respect and fear, Mr. Crowley and I don't want my kids to fear me."

Before he could say anything else, I turned around and headed back to my desk with Timmy tucked into my side. I sat down with a long sigh and turned my chair to face him so that we were at eye level.

"Timmy, do you want to tell me why you were running in the hallways? Or, better yet, what were you doing in the hallways in the first place? I told you to color over there," I said sternly and pointed to the corner full of colorful pillows and beanbags.

Timmy jutted out his chin and crossed his arms, "My dad told me that when I get mad to exercise. So, I was exercising."

I nodded, "Well, that is a very healthy way to deal with your emotions and I am fully on board with it, but you need to ask. And I'd prefer you ran in place or did jumping jacks instead of running in the hallways. You know that's not allowed. And you surely know that you are not to leave my classroom without permission and a pass."

He shuffled his feet and nodded, "Sorry, Mrs. Newton. I'll ask next time."

I touched his arm. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged.

"Okay, let's go take another fresh look at your assignment." I ushered him back to his desk and squatted down to help him understand what he needed to do.

The day dragged on after my encounter with Crowley the Enforcer, a nickname that the girls in the office gave that Neanderthal. I had other nicknames for him, but they weren't as kind. When it was time for recess, I grabbed an apple from my lunchbox and led my kids outside. I sat on the bench and kept a watchful eye on my class while they played, screamed, and ran everywhere. Nibbling on my apple, I let my thoughts drift, being careful not to think about things that would upset me.

I was almost successful.

After recess ended, we had just an hour left of school, and I allowed the kids to draw pictures for their parents or work on homework since they had completed all their in-class assignments for the day. When it was five minutes until the bell rang, I had my students pack up their backpacks and then I lined them up at the door. Sasha was at the front today, a position she took proudly. Her tightly coiled black hair bounced with the excitement she emanated.

"Please do not forget your permission slips, guys," I reminded them. "One more week until our field trip and they need to be turned in before then."

I grabbed one off the desk and shoved it in my purse. I wanted to get it to Edward's little one when I saw them at the barbeque on Saturday. Maybe he would even want to volunteer to help. We were seriously lacking parental supervision. Which was understandable. People have jobs. But we needed some parents as extra hands and eyes.

The bell rang and Sasha led her classmates out. I stood off to the side until they were all at the exit door and then went to let them out, leaving them in the care of the pick-up supervisors. Luckily, that wasn't my job today. I just wanted to get my babies and cuddle them for a few hours.

I was in my car on the road in no time at all, heading to my parents. Hopefully, they wouldn't be passed out this time. I had to ask my mom a question about the Cullen's barbeque.

I walked inside and thankfully I heard voices coming from the living room. I turned the corner and saw my dad sitting in his chair with Maisy on his knee. He had a book opened and was reading in a terrible English accent. Connor was by the window with colorful building blocks. It looked like he was trying to build the tallest tower in all the land. He stood on his tiptoes in an effort to reach the top to add another block. My mom was reclining on the sofa, a smile on her face as she watched my dad and Maisy reading together.

"Hello," I announced my presence.

"Momma!" In his haste to get to me, Connor knocked all his blocks down. He stopped for half a second, looking sad, before turning back around to smile at me. He launched himself into my arms with a squeal.

"Hi, baby boy. Did ya miss me?" I gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

He grimaced and wiped his cheek with his sleeve, "Yucky, mom."

I snickered and set him down on his feet and turned to my daughter. She was still enthralled by the words my father was reading to her. Maisy loved books. She was a lot like me in that way. And I got my love for books from my dad.

"No hug and kiss for mommy, huh?" I mock pouted, sticking my hands on my hips.

Maisy looked up; her eyes wide like she had just noticed me, "Hi, Mommy," she grinned, scurrying off her grandpa's lap and running to me. I lifted her up and let her slobber all over my cheek and nearly strangle me with her strong little toddler arms.

"Hey, kid," Dad said while he bookmarked their page.

"Hey, Dad. What are you two reading?" I put Maisy's wriggling body down.

"Harry Potter!" Maisy yelled before Dad could speak.

"Ooh, really? I love those books. When you finish reading them all we can watch the movies." Her eyes lit up like I had just told her she could eat as many cookies as she wanted for the rest of her life. She started to jump on her tiptoes.

"Movies?"

"Yes, there's a movie for each book. And, trust me, there's a lot of books. You and Grandpa are going to be reading for a while."

Maisy screamed happily and started jumping all over the place. I noticed the empty plates with chocolate frosting on the coffee table and glared at my mom.

"You cannot give them cake every day, Mom." I crossed my arms over my chest and jutted out my hip in my best authority figure pose.

Mom only smiled, "Of course not. There are also cookies, ice cream, doughnuts, s'mores..."

"Alright, enough," I held my hands up and laughed, "You guys are awful. I needed to ask you, though, does Esme need me to bring anything to the barbeque? Or are you making anything to bring? I don't want to be the only one showing up empty-handed."

Mom shook her head, "No, she said for us to just bring ourselves. But I really think you should make your fruit dip. It's too good not to share."

I smiled, "I can for sure do that." I looked down at the kids, "Hug and kiss your grandparents, guys. We need to stop at the store before we go home.

Maisy kicked me on the thigh for the sixth time and I was ready to just kick her back. Of course, I wouldn't do that but sometimes it was a nice passing thought. She sat in the seat of the cart, her overly hyper, sugared-up self couldn't seem to sit still for even one second. Her brother was a lot more mellow, hanging onto the side of the cart. While she was in a sugar high, he seemed to be going into a sugar coma.

I had all the ingredients needed for my fruit dip as well as some extra groceries for the house. I just needed to grab some more Advil for myself. I had taken a lot recently and needed to restock. I made my way over to the medicine aisle going straight for what I needed. As I grabbed it, I heard a man clear his throat.

"Excuse me, Miss?" he asked politely, his voice low.

I went to get out of his way, turning to smile apologetically. My smile froze on my face, and my cart stopped in its tracks. His full lips turned up into a crooked little smile. I took in his dark green eyes, alabaster skin, and infamous bronze hair, somehow even more disheveled now than it was when he was a teenager walking around with a permanent bedhead.

"Edward?" My voice was no more than a low whisper. I didn't trust my voice because I had never in my life seen any man that gorgeous. Not even what I remembered him to look like when I was a kid. To say he had grown into a devilishly handsome man would be a catastrophic understatement.

He tilted his head and frowned, "I'm sorry, do we know each other?"

My eyes widened and my cheeks flushed. I didn't think I was that forgettable, but apparently, I was.

"Uh, B-Bella. Bella Swan?" I said it as more of a question, suddenly very unsure of myself. Recognition lit up his eyes instantly and I sighed in relief when he smiled again, this time bigger and more genuine.

"Bitty Bella?" He asked, surprise lacing his tone.

I felt the heat rush from my cheeks all the way down to my neck. I always hated that nickname. People called me that when I was younger because of how small I was. They didn't mean any harm with the name, but to be called that as an adult made all those memories come flooding back.

I pursed my lips and grimaced, "It's just Bella now," I laughed awkwardly, waving my hand from my head to my shoes.

He laughed too and that sound was a lightning bolt through my chest. And it wasn't an unpleasant feeling either.

"Of course. Bella." He nodded when he said my name. His dark hair fell in front of his eyes, and he quickly moved it to the side only for it to fall right back in place. He seemed to give up and stuck his hands in his jeans pockets.

We stood there staring for an amount of time that seemed inappropriate. It was only broken when Maisy decided to make her presence known by kicking me right in the crotch. I grunted and doubled over. I don't care what anyone says, it hurts women too.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked. I could hear the laugh in his voice.

I lifted myself back up to a standing position and glared at my daughter briefly before smiling tightly at him, "Oh, I'm fantastic. My daughter is just a very impatient child."

Edward looked down at Maisy and smiled, "Hello, there."

Maisy blushed and lifted her shoulders to her ears with a nose-scrunching smile, "Hi." She was apparently quite smitten by the handsome man as well.

"This is Maisy," I said pointing to her and then to my son. "And this is Connor."

Connor barely lifted his head from his hands in recognition of his name being called.

"They look just like you," Edward smiled.

"Thank you," I grinned. I always loved hearing that.

"So, anyway," Edward laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "I was actually trying to get your attention for a reason."

"Oh, what did you need?" I asked, curious as to what he could have wanted seeing as he didn't recognize me at first.

He turned to the children's medicine and waved broadly, "I saw a mom with two kids and was hoping I could get some insight on what to get for a seven-year-old with a cough and a runny nose."

I barked out a laugh and quickly covered my mouth, my eyes going wide. "I'm sorry, but didn't I hear through the grapevine that you're a doctor?" I knew I heard that. Alice had posted about it on his birthday, talking about how proud she was of him.

Edward smiled sheepishly, "In the grand scheme of things, I know what to get. I'm at a loss as to what she'll take. Her... her mom," he swallowed thickly, closing his eyes tightly for a moment, "her mom always seemed to know what to get."

I didn't want to dwell on the pain I could see building within him, so I quickly went over to the medicine and grabbed the purple one Connor liked. "If the issue you're having is with taste, then you can never go wrong with either purple or pink liquid."

He breathed out and looked at me gratefully. "Purple or pink, huh?"

"Sound advice. Trust me."

With a nod, he smiled at me and held up the purple medicine. "You sure she's not going to spit this one at me like she did with the last three?"

I couldn't help but giggle. "Almost positive. All kids are different, but I'd put money on it that she'll take it with minimal problems."

"I swear I am a good doctor," he frowned.

"I don't doubt that. Kids are difficult," I assured him with a small smile.

He nodded and widened his eyes, "They sure are. I never realized how much my wife had to deal with. Now that I do, I wish I had appreciated her a little bit more."

I could feel my heart breaking for the man before me. I reached out and lightly touched his arm because that was the only way I knew to comfort someone. He smiled slightly at me but pulled away and crossed his arms. I tried not to take offense. He was grieving and everyone grieved differently.

I took a step back. "Well, I should get going," I hedged. "But I'll see you at the barbeque."

His eyes wouldn't meet mine. He put more distance between us, slowly moving backward and out of the aisle. "Yes, I'll see you there."

His reaction to my touch stung me a bit but I had to remind myself of what he was going through and I also had to remind myself that some people simply did not like being touched by virtual strangers.

I had thoughts of Edward the whole way home. So much so, that I almost missed my own driveway.

"Guess who the fuck I saw last night?" Rosalie shouted as she came barreling into my kitchen.

I jumped and turned away from the stove, "Jesus, Rose. Knock!"

"Jeez, Bella. No," she mocked with a roll of her eyes, "Now can I finish what I was saying?"

I waved my ladle at her as my heart went back to a normal rhythm, "Proceed."

"Mike and his crotch waffle," she growled.

My heart rate went right back up. I stopped stirring the chicken alfredo and turned the burner off. I set the ladle on the stove and turned to my friend. "And?" I tried to keep my voice steady. Calm. Cool.

Fucking collected.

I was buzzing on the inside though. I didn't want her to know that.

"And," she continued heatedly, "they came into my bar, dude. Like, he knows that's my fucking bar. He did that shit on purpose. So, I showed him what's up." She crossed her arms under her ample chest, the dimple in her chin becoming more pronounced as her smile grew.

"Rose, what did you do?"

I was terrified to find out but too curious not to know.

Her shoulders shook with her laughter. "Let's just say they had a bad night."

"What? Did you kick them out or something?" I knew it wouldn't be that easy. It never was with Rosalie. When she had her mind set to do damage, she made damn sure she wreaked havoc.

"Oh, no. I took their money, of course. Business is business, right?"

"So, you gave them shitty drinks?"

"Girl, I have a rep to uphold. No one gets a bad drink in my bar, and they always get what they order."

I threw my hands up and sighed, "Then what?"

"My friends Jacob and Paul were there," at my confused stare, she explained, "They're some local bikers who come in every now and again. Well, I told them that Mike had abandoned his kids for a little girl. They didn't like that very much. These guys have morals and bad tempers. So, they went over and had a little chat with him, and just as I suspected, Mike talked shit to them because he is a pretentious little d-bag that can't stand being called out. So, a bit of a fight broke out." She uncrossed her arms and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, my gosh, Rose. He's going to think I had them go after him!"

"So?"

"So, if he ever wants to go after me for custody, he could use that against me."

"Okay, for one," she held up her pointer finger, "he's not going to come after you for custody. Two, he started the fight. That's why he got arrested."

I gasped, "He got arrested?" I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to hide the little satisfied smile that was pulling at my lips.

Rose licked her teeth with a wide smile on her face, "He sure the fuck did. And he was so drunk from all the booze I had supplied him with that he tried to fight the officers as well."

"No freaking way!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You bet your ass. And that's not even the best part. Little miss slut face was so hammered that when she went to follow them out, she tripped in her trashy sky-high heels and busted her face on the door. And to think, all I had to do was tell the truth to the right people."

"But did your friends get arrested?"

"Hell no. They were out of there before the police even showed up. Literally, just beat his ass and dipped." Rosalie leaned against the counter with a self-satisfied smile on her angelic face.

I turned away from her and went back to the stove, busying myself with stirring. The smile on my face made me feel like a bad person, but I couldn't help but feel slightly vindicated as well. Karma was a bitch, and her name was Rosalie.

"Also, now because he started a fight, he and his whore are banned from the premises. It's only right," She continued.

I shook my head and grinned.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" I asked my friend when I turned around. She peered down into the pot and smiled.

"Fuck yeah, sis."

I set the table and called the kids down from their rooms. They were so happy to see their Aunty Rose that it took them longer than necessary to eat their food. They wanted to tell her all about their day. I sat back and allowed them to play catch-up. As my mind had time to wrap around what Rose told me, I started to feel a pit in my stomach. Sadness, guilt, self-disgust. I hated that I felt that way over a man who didn't think twice about my feelings or the feelings of his children.

I hated the hold he had on me.

I wanted to be free of it.

Rosalie cleaned up for me while I got the kids in a bath and then settled down in their beds. I had to read Maisy to sleep but it never took her very long to pass out. The girl loved to sleep. Connor just wanted me to hold his hand until he fell asleep. I rubbed his hair while he drifted. His hand would squeeze mine every few minutes. Almost like he was making sure I was still there while he was entering dreamland.

I kissed his temple when his soft snores started. I set his Hulk action figure under his hand, hoping that would bring him some comfort while he slept.

When I made it back downstairs, Rose was sitting on the couch with her feet up on the table and a glass of white wine in each hand. I sighed and plopped down next to her. I laid my head on her shoulder and took the glass from her hand, taking a small sip.

"My brother working late again?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"No," she sighed, "I just told him that I needed some girl time tonight. Although, I think you're the one who needs the girl time."

"Why do you say that?" I hedged. My lips wrapped around the rim of the glass, but I didn't drink as I waited for her answer.

"You think I didn't notice what you were doing tonight? You know, you say a lot when you're quiet." She wrapped a lock of my hair around her long fingers and gently pulled me up to face her.

I backed up, "And what was I doing, or saying, or whatever?"

She quirked an eyebrow, "Thinking about that asshat and feeling bad for what I did. Am I right?"

I set the wine on the coffee table and fell back into the cushions. I peeked at Rose through my hair and shrugged. "You're not wrong. I can't help how I feel, though."

"I get that," she sat up and set her own drink next to mine, "But you need to start thinking about your damn self. Think about what he did to you and get fucking pissed off and take joy in him getting his goddamn karma. I can't force you, but I'm sure as shit going to nudge you in that direction because you don't deserve to be feeling this way when you. Did. Nothing. Wrong."

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes,l begging to be shed. I groaned and dug the heels of my hands into my eyes roughly. "I am so sick of being sad," I ground out.

"Good," Rose nudged my hands out of the way. She grabbed my cheeks and forced me to look at her. Her icy blue eyes met mine and all I could see there was love. "It's time to take back your life. It is no longer about Mike. It's you and those kids and that's what matters." She squeezed my cheeks tighter between her hands and enunciated her next words slowly. "That's all that matters."

I nodded. She let go of my face and pulled me into a hug. After a few seconds, she pushed me away and smirked, "Now stop with all this sad shit. Let's drink some wine and watch something with Robert Pattinson's fine ass in it."

I sniffled and laughed, "I have his new movie on my watchlist."

"Ooh, the one where you get a full-frontal view?"

"The very one."

Rose squealed silently, grabbing my remote from the table and handing it to me. We cuddled up on the couch with our wine glasses and started the movie. No matter what bad things were happening in my life, I could take comfort in the fact that I had a lot of people who loved me and would always be there for me.