Bella's breath hitched, and she tried not to grin as Jamie silently nodded against her chest. Paul straightened his stance just enough to press his lips to hers as she closed her eyes. He slid his arm around her, squeezing a giggling Jamie between them before pulling away with a loud smack of his lips.

Bella slowly opened her eyes and instantly laughed, embarrassed as Jack hovered near his bags. The bellhop waited at the open door with a room service cart, and Leah stood behind him, grinning like an idiot.

Paul looked around at their amused expressions and rolled his eyes as he laughed. "Oh my gawd."

Bella asked, "Jack, will you tip him and take the cart, please?" Jack chuckled as he stepped around the overstuffed chair by the door, then froze as he spotted Leah.

"Hello, Leah!"

"Hello, Jack."

Paul nudged Bella. "You're popular tonight."

Bella laughed as she adjusted Jamie in her arms. "I might kick everyone out and snuggle with this little guy."

The Bellhop pointed to Jack. "I thought this was your husband, ma'am. Are you not married?"

Bella snorted at the worried look on his face. She could only imagine what he was thinking. Unfortunately, what he said upset Jamie, who began sniffling again.

Jack handed him the money, grabbed the handle of the room service cart, and said, "Don't worry about it, kid. You'll get it one day." He pulled the cart into the room and gestured for Leah to enter as the bellhop walked away, confused.

Jack turned to Bella and said, "Looks like a party here, Honey. And Sweet Jesus, you ordered wine for me. I could kiss you, but I'll leave that to…" He winked at Paul, who laughed.

"That's for me too, sir. You better share!"

Leah asked, "Bells, have you drank every night since you've been home?"

"Not every night, Leah, but far too many, yes." Bella readjusted Jamie in her arms and walked toward an overstuffed chair to sit down. Jamie resettled himself against her chest, refusing to move. She gently patted his back, surprisingly unbothered by his clinginess. He was only three, sad, and everyone needed to be held sometimes. Bella felt honored that he wanted to be comforted by her.

Leah laughed as she looked at the food cart. "Five entrees. Five people in the room. I'm thinking you're a little psychic, Swan."

"Well, if I am, I'm kind of terrible at it," Bella joked,

Jack held a steak, mushroom, and bell pepper kabob to Leah. "Want one?"

"Fuck yeah, I do," she said and took it from him before sitting on the couch. Bella watched Jack's eyes light up at Leah's sass and tried not to laugh.

Oh, boy. Jack looks half enamored already. She couldn't blame him. Leah was as gorgeous as ever, and Jack always had a thing for loud women.

Paul sat on the edge of the bed where he could see Bella and Jamie directly, leaving the couch for Leah and Jack.

"Thass a bad word, Lee."

"Yes, it was," Leah chuckled. "Sorry, Jamie."

"S'kay. Daddy says 'em too."

Everyone laughed, and Jamie buried his face harder against Bella's chest. He was still rubbing at bits of her shirt, and the light movement was oddly soothing to her, too.

She asked, "So, Paul, will you tell me what happened? What did Karrie say that had you both so upset?"

Jamie suddenly sat upright in her lap, frowning. "I don't like her. Bella, will you tell her to…" he looked toward Paul and asked, "What Aunt Angie says, Daddy? P-"

"Don't say it, James!"

As Paul gave Jamie a reprimanding look, Bella asked, "Well, I don't like her, either, if she made you cry, buddy. What happened?"

Jamie looked toward Paul again, who nodded and said, "Tell her the truth, Jamie. You demanded to talk to her, son. Go ahead."

Wide gray eyes looked up at her from his round, sad face. "I said I had a new friend named Bella…"

Bella couldn't help but smile at that. She was proud to be a friend to this incredible child.

"...And she said, 'Thass not you friend. Thass you 'stedmother."

Bella wanted to smile at the mispronunciation, but she was too stunned. She looked toward her wide-eyed friends and Paul and asked, 'She said what?!"

Attempting to mock Karrie's voice, Jamie said, " But not for long! And she laughed at me."

Looking angrier by the second, Paul only nodded his confirmation.

Bella wanted to find this Karrie woman and rip her hair out. One glance at Leah told her that her stepsister thought the same thing. How could she be so callous with a three-year-old? And she worked for Child Protective Services?

Without thought, Bella grumbled, "That's crap!"

Jamie giggled in surprise as Paul chuckled over her choice of words. He stood and gestured with his hand for Bella to stand up. Jamie clung tight to her as she stood, and Paul slid into the chair behind them before pulling Bella and his son into his lap to cradle them both. Bella turned toward Paul somewhat, letting Jamie snuggle between them.

Suddenly, a flash went off, and Bella scoffed over the phone in Jack's hand.

"Seriously?"

"You're gonna want this picture later, bitch. Hush."

Leah teased, "Awe, Bells. He calls you Bitch, too?" Even Jamie laughed at that one.

Bella turned her attention back to the boy on her lap, feeling far too cozy as she leaned against Paul's warm chest. "Karrie shouldn't have said that to you, Jamie. No one should ever make you feel bad about yourself like that."

Quietly, he asked, "Are you…diborsting my Dad?"

Paul chuckled, and the vibration of it shook the three of them a little. Instead of Bella having to answer, Paul said, "We talked about that, didn't we, buddy? See, I explained a little about what marriage is and what a divorce means… which he understood better than I expected, I must say. I told him you live in Florida. This is the first time we've been around each other in seven years."

Jamie cried, "So? You like Bella. You kiss like Uncle Sam kisses Aunt Emmy." His gray eyes widened in alarm, and he asked, "Are they diborsting, too?"

"Nooo…" Paul, Bella, and Leah all said simultaneously.

"Sam and Emily will never get a divorce, sweetie," Bella reassured him.

Quietly, from the corner of his mouth, Jack muttered. "Should ya tell the kid that? I mean…" He cringed. "People divorce all the time."

"No, she's right." Leah nodded. "If you meet Sam and Emily while you're here, you'll get it. Just trust me." Leah turned to look at him and grinned. "So, how long are you here, anyway, Jack?"

"Three days." He winked before standing to open the wine bottle. "All because my bestie over there was worrying me. She's been too quiet."

Paul buried his face in Bella's hair as he tried not to chuckle over Leah flirting with his childhood friend - which Bella still couldn't believe.

It truly is a small world.

A tug at her shirt pulled their attention as Jamie frowned at them. "Ahscuse me, we was talkin'."

Jack nearly spit out his wine as Leah tried to muffle a snort. Very serious, Jamie turned to glare at them.

Leah said, "Uh, hey, Jack? Let's go for a walk and let the little family over here sort this out?" Bella stuck her tongue out at Leah, who chuckled.

Bella said, "Jack, open container isn't illegal here."

He grinned and walked over to step into a pair of slippers. "Let's go."

Leah said, "You're going on a walk in pajamas and slippers and carrying a wine glass."

Jack blanched, confused as he asked, "So?"

Bella teased, "He's from Florida, Sis. It's fine." Leah shook her head, laughing as Jack opened the door and boldly left the room.

After Leah shut the door behind her, Paul chuckled but grumbled, "Good God, that's one hell of a development."

"Yes, but we can discuss that later."

Jamie yawned but continued frowning at them with his arms crossed over his chest. At that moment, he looked so much like Jared that it made her head spin.

Carefully, she said, "I'm sorry, Jamie. Say what you have to say, sweetheart."

Bluntly, he asked, "Why don't you like my dad?"

Bella rubbed his back with both hands. "I never said I don't like your Dad, Jamie. I…"

She glanced over her shoulder at Paul, patiently waiting for her to finish what she had to say. She blinked back tears, still terrified to say it out loud. The child in her lap was braver than she was, regardless of her facade. Tentatively, she admitted, "I love your Dad, Jamie."

Paul tried not to react, but his sad eyes couldn't lie. Paul's eyes always had much more to say than his mouth ever could - and for anyone who knew him as a teenager, that was saying something.

Turning back to Jamie, she finished, "I will always love your dad, but we have very different lives."

"Thass-"

"Don't say it," Paul warned, interrupting his son. "You've already gotten away with too many cuss words tonight, but no more, buddy."

Jamie's voice squeaked as he asked, "Are you diborsting 'cos of me?"

Simultaneously, Bella said, "No way!" as Paul said, "Absolutely not!"

"Like I told you earlier, Jamie. Bella and I split up seven whole years ago. We had a big argument. We both yelled and said hurtful things we didn't mean. Sometimes that just happens with people. And it was a long time before you were born, buddy. You were never to blame for anything."

Jamie asked, "You still mad?"

"About what?"

"At Bella?"

Paul kissed Bella's temple and began toying with her hair on the opposite side of her head as he said, "Not at all. I will always love Bella. I told you that, too. Remember at the gathering, I told you Bella will always be family?"

Jamie nodded, a tiny smile finally crossing his face. Paul said, "Just because people get divorced doesn't mean they stop being a family, buddy. People don't have to be married to become a family or be blood-related. Your Aunty Emmy isn't blood-related to us, but she's still your Aunty. Right?"

Jamie nodded, his smile widening as his brow finally relaxed. There was something in his smile that was so very Kim that an unexpected sob from Bella jarred all three of them, and she quickly swiped her sleeve-covered palm over her eyes.

Paul kissed her before whispering, "You see her, too, huh?"

Bella sighed as she nodded, overcome with an indescribable feeling. To have him close, to feel so connected, was pure magic. They saw the world so similarly in some ways that it felt like they were one - the two halves of a whole. Perfectly balanced in the oddest of ways.

They had experienced a few moments like this during their short time as reluctant acquaintances and several during their unplanned honeymoon weekend together. But, now that he had fully matured (and he was far more mature than she now, to be honest), that connection with him felt stronger.

Bella felt more torn than ever. Paul has to be insistent on this divorce because of Jamie. Logically, she couldn't keep telling herself he wouldn't have Jamie without her.

She knew, without a doubt, that if she had been here with Paul all this time, and they had still lost Jared and Kim, Jamie would have still been raised by Paul. He was Jared's best friend and, now that she thought about it, most likely Jamie's godfather. Bella knew that she'd never have turned this child away. Despite not wanting to have children, she dreaded leaving Jamie behind, too.

What was that supposed to mean? Was Leah right? Should I have been here with Paul this entire time? Does that even matter, though? It changes nothing. We're still divorcing. I still have a lifelong impending threat over my head. The Cullens could easily find me here, and the Volturi… She did not know how the Cullens had handled that situation. Was Alice still watching, keeping tabs on her? Did that imply they knew she'd gone home, disappearing from her visions because of the wolves? All of those things put everyone at risk, including Jamie.

Perhaps Paul had finally realized that, too. Again, she assumed he was putting Jamie first, just as he should. The fucked up part of that was that it only made her love him more.

She would go back to Florida entirely changed, divorced, and brokenhearted yet again. But she would pick up the pieces and move on with her life, just as she'd done for a decade. She just hoped she would take more chances to visit. Knowing she was welcome had healed so much of her heart - perhaps that was the balance she needed to go on.

Jamie yawned as he snuggled into her again and closed his eyes. Bella brushed back his hair to see his full, thick black eyelashes before mentally tracing every line of his little face. At this angle, quickly falling asleep on her chest, he almost looked like Paul. She turned them further into Paul's lap, putting her legs up over one armrest as he shifted somewhat underneath them to accommodate her. Bella laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She felt confident that this memory, more than any other, would be the one she cherished best on those nights when the wine went down like water.