A Hard Day's Night Story

A Hard Day's Night

Thanks to my beta's darcysmom and BelleDuJour for there help.

Banner is up on my blog made by TwistedinMasen

Disclaimer: All Twilight Saga related thing belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Summary: No one ever said parenting was easy. But, when you have a spoiled brat of a teenage daughter,  a little boy who thrives for attention, and immature parents, you could say that there family is a little more chaotic than some families, and in need of some help. It doesn't help that the town likes to gossip about them, and Mrs. Weber  is out to get Bella and little Masen. 

Chapter: 1

Bella's Point of View

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I slammed my hand against the nightstand until I found my alarm. It felt like I had just gone to bed. I didn't want to wake up or get out of bed. It was nice and warm cuddled up against my husband. If I got out of bed that meant I had to deal with reality.

It was five thirty in the morning— the only peaceful time before our children woke up. The sound of Edward's alarm went off. "Fuck off." He grumbled and then slammed his hand on the alarm clock. He pulled me back into his chest and nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck.

I knew we had to get up, if we didn't Edward and I would be late for work. I started to roll out of bed and Edward pulled me tighter against his chest. "No, Bella."

I ignored him and maneuvered away from him. Walking into the bathroom, I turned on the lights. It hurt my eyes to go from dark to light within seconds. I used the bathroom first and then walked over to the sink and started with my morning routine. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste. Brushing away, I stared at myself in the mirror.

I looked exhausted; there were circles under my eyes. I spit the toothpaste out and rinsed my mouth with water. After that I washed my face, the warm water threatened to put me back to sleep. When I was finished, I dried my face off and hung the small wet towel on the rack.

I stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Edward was still asleep with the sheets around his waist. His tattoo of the Cullen family crest was on full display on his back, and the abstract design on his ribcage was peeking out. I was a sucker for tattoos. Edward and I both had three of them. Edward had the Cullen crest on his back, an abstract design on his right arm, and on his ribcage was another abstract design with my name incorporated in it. My tattoos were simple; I had the word 'Believe' on my wrist, 'Myself' on my ribcage, and 'Love' on my hip.

I walked over to Edward and placed a kiss in between his shoulder blades. I left the bedroom and went into the hall to turn on the heat. We were having chilly weather here in Forks, Washington. It wasn't unusual. I was just happy it wasn't raining today.

I worked at the local elementary school as an aide and when the kids were on inclement weather schedule it sucked. They were unable to go outside for a much-needed recess to burn off their excess energy. I entered our bedroom again and noticed the empty bed. I went into the bathroom and Edward was brushing his teeth. His eyes were half closed.

I stripped out of my pajamas and turned on the shower. I waited a couple minutes for the water to heat up before I stepped inside. It felt like heaven as the warm water cascaded down my body. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back getting it wet.

I heard the glass door open and felt warm hands on my hips. I was pulled into a nice heated body. I opened my eyes to a very alert Edward. "Morning, baby. Where is my kiss?"

I laughed at his puckered lips, stood up on my tippy toes, and pressed my lips to his. "There it is." I laughed. I was five foot two and Edward was six foot one.

I pulled away and grabbed the Aveeno Shampoo and squirted it into the palm of my hand. I started to massage it into my hair and Edward started doing the same. When I was done I shaved my body free of any unwanted hair. Edward watched me with lustful eyes. It wasn't long before I was in his arms, in between the white tiled shower and him. His hardening member was pressed against my opening. His lips crashed against mine and he thrust fast and hard.

His breath mixed with the steam was hot against my neck. I locked my legs around his ass, pushing him deeper into me. My hands were grasping his bronze locks.

"Ah, fuck yeah!" he cried out.

The sound of our skin slapping against one another was loud. It turned me on more. "You fucking like that, baby?" He asked me.

I stared into his green eyes, "Of course, I fucking like your dick pounding into my pussy."

"Fucking, shit!" He grunted.

My screams were getting louder by the second and Edward's thrusts were getting faster. His balls slapped against my pussy. I could feel myself starting to succumb to the pleasure. My toes were curling, my breathing was labored, and my stomach coiled. "Come on my fucking cock, baby," Edward pleaded.

That was all I needed before I screamed out and felt the blissful feeling take over my body. Edward thrust into me a few more times before he finally came inside of me in long, hot spurts. I moaned and held onto him. My muscles ached from holding tightly onto him. He had to hold me up when I finally let go.

We finished up our shower and moved on to our daily routines. I was dressed in my skinny jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. I left the bedroom and went over to Tanya's room—she was our eighteen year-old daughter— I could hear her moving around. I walked down the hall to Masen's room—our little hyper eight-year old— he was cuddled up in his blankets with his teddy bear and our Tea Cup Yorkie named Brownie. Brownie woke up instantly and ran out the room. I pulled Masen's bear out of his arms and shook him awake.

His bronze hair was disheveled— he inherited that from his father. I shook him again. "Mase, come on you need to get up."

He finally started to come around a few minutes later. I directed him to the outfit I had placed on his dresser last night and then I left his room.

I walked down stairs and let Brownie outside. I went over to the fish bowl and fed Masen's goldfish, Marty. Then I made the coffee that I was sure I was going to need. After that I opened the freezer, pulled out Eggo Waffles, and plopped them into the toaster. I was not a big fan of cooking in the morning.

As I waited for the waffles, I made everyone's lunch. Edward was having last night's chicken parmesan; Masen was having a ham sandwich, carrot sticks with ranch, an apple, and Gatorade; and Tanya was getting two dollars to buy lunch. I tried to find something for me that sounded good for lunch. I was tired of eating a salad every day. I looked through the fridge and found a frozen mini pizza. I guess I would just take that for lunch.

I packed everyone's lunches and set them on the counter. I took the waffles out of the toaster and placed them on paper plates. I walked back upstairs and ran into Masen. His hair was sticking up in the back. "Masen, let's go fix your hair."

He stared at me with his big brown eyes. "No."

"Yes, move it." I pointed to the bathroom door.

"No!" he screamed.

Masen was very tiny for his age, so it was easy to pick him up and bring him into the bathroom. I don't know what it is with boys, but he never remembered to brush his teeth. He glared at me as I watched him brush his teeth. When he was done, I grabbed the brush and started to comb his hair. He had a total melt down.

"I don't want you to touch my hair!" he cried.

"Stop it; you can't go to school looking like a slob," I snapped.

"Momma, no!" he shook his head.

I was getting frustrated and took the brush and gave his bottom a slight pat to get him to stop. His screams got louder. It was beyond frustrating. What is so wrong with brushing your hair? "Masen Thomas Cullen you better knock it off right now!"

His eyes were watery, but he stopped screaming at me. I finished brushing his hair and we left the bathroom. I walked downstairs and poured the syrup on Mase's waffles and cut them up. "Here you go, Mase."

He sat quietly eating his waffles and then Tanya joined us. "Jeeze, Mase, you practically woke up the whole neighborhood with your screaming this morning."

"Tanya, don't." I raised my voice.

She looked like me with her chocolate brown eyes and she tossed her brown hair. "What? He was screaming and acting like a baby. You're eight years old, kid. Start acting like it."

"Tanya! I don't want to hear you talk to your brother like that ever again." She was pushing my buttons. Well, I guess she always pushed my buttons. When I was her age I was a bit of a rebel. I was married with a two year old. She on the other hand was just a plain old bitch.

"Who gives a fuck what I say?" she brushed off.

I was about to say something to her but Edward beat me to it. "Hey, I don't want to ever hear you talk to your mother like that. You need to treat us with some fucking respect around this house. And I also don't want to hear that language come out of your mouth."

She rolled her eyes, "What's the big deal? You and mom both have sailor mouths."

"There's a difference. We are your parents, we can talk anyway we please. You, however, are the kid and living under my roof, and you must abide by my rules."

"Whatever," she grumbled.

I placed her waffles in front of her. This was how it was every fucking morning. My daughter would make snarky remarks to her brother, I would yell at her, she would yell at me, and then Edward and she went at it. I was so sick of her behavior, and it didn't matter what we said or did. She would always do her own thing.

There was a loud honk outside and Tanya smiled. "Great! Demetri is here. I am saved from you losers." Since Edward and I refused to buy Tanya a car she got a ride from her boyfriend Demetri. I don't like his family; I swear they have sticks up their asses.

"You okay, Mase?" I asked him.

He nodded his head. Brownie started scratching the door and Edward let her in. The coffee pot beeped and I poured Edward and I each a cup. I grabbed the French Vanilla creamer out of the fridge and mixed it into my coffee.

I took a sip of the warm liquid and sighed. Masen finished up his breakfast. I grabbed his plate, threw it away, and washed his fork. Masen grabbed his backpack. Edward ran his hand through his hair. "Bella, that girl is trying to kill me. I am going to have grey hairs before I turn thirty-five."

"I know, I don't have any more words on how to deal with her." They never gave you a handbook on how to raise your child the right way. I got pregnant with Tanya when I was sixteen, and she was such a difficult baby. She was colicky, never wanted to take naps, only liked certain foods—the list went on and on. Then ten years later I had Masen. He was such an easy baby, but now he was a little monster child. We had our good days and then we had our bad days. Masen was extremely smart for a third grader; however, he had trouble with staying on task and talking. Tanya, on the other hand, struggled for her grades, but I truly believe it was because she put all her effort into being the cheerleading captain.

"Well, all I know is that if this behavior continues she is getting sent to your parent's house." I laughed at him. My mother was English and carried many traditions with her and my father was a retired chief of police. I had an older sister, Vanessa, who was the perfect child, and I wanted to be just like her. Growing up I was so scared to break the law or disobey my parents, but that changed when I met Edward. He turned me into a bit of a rebel. My parents hated him at first, but over the years they have taken a liking to him.

Edward and my brother-in-law, Jacob, own a mechanic shop in La Push. While my sister is a conservative woman, she married Jacob who couldn't be any more opposite. Despite their differences, they really do love each other and are wonderful parents to their three boys.

Masen came back into the kitchen and grabbed his lunch. He put it into his backpack. "I'm ready."

He went over to Marty and started talking away to the little goldfish. I finished up my coffee, rinsing off both our cups, and putting them in the dishwasher. When I turned around it was the first time that morning I noticed how good Edward looked. He was wearing a snug white v-neck shirt, blue jeans that hugged his ass, and his black work boots. He was my greaser boy.

He leaned down and gave me a chaste kiss. "I'll see you later."

"Mhmm." I mumbled against his lips.

"I love you," he said, pulling away.

"I love you, too."

"Have a good day, Mase." Edward said and gave him a pat on the back.

Masen grabbed his backpack and we headed out. I got into my black Jeep and waited for Edward's red pickup truck to pull away. I drove down the black, wet roads. Masen was in the backseat looking out the window. I had the local radio on low. It took only fifteen minutes to get to the elementary school.

As usual, parking at the school was difficult. They really needed to expand the parking; they had 25 parking spots and 35 teachers. That didn't include office aides, administrators, and parent volunteers. I finally found a spot across the street. Masen and I got out of the car and carefully ran across the street, dodging some of the crazy drivers.

We walked inside the office; I grabbed my badge and locked up my purse. I greeted some of the office staff, picked up my walkie-talkie, and moved quickly to the playground before the children arrived. I nudged Masen to drop off his backpack as I met Rosalie McCarthy, one of my best friends near the swings. I had met her ten years ago when I first started working at the school. She was married to Fork's High's Physical Education teacher, Emmett McCarthy. They also had two children— Riley, who was fifteen and a freshman in high school, and Ben, who was eleven and in fifth grade. Riley was a football player, and was the perfect mix of Rose and Emmett with his brown hair and blue eyes. Ben was the quiet kid with long brown curly hair just like his dad.

"Good morning, Bella," she smiled. Rosalie had a good eight inches on me. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She really should have been a model.

"Morning," I greeted.

"You ready for another day with these munchkins?" she laughed.

"Am I ever?" It seemed like these kids were growing up too fast. They wanted to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. They were way too young for that in my opinion. Then there was also the fact that these kids were mean to one another, they picked on each other and not to mention the foul language. I knew I was not one to talk, but I didn't like kids talking that way. My children knew better—well, maybe Tanya didn't, but Masen did.

The children ran up the sidewalk toward the playground. They fought for the handball courts. It was the children's favorite place to play. I saw Masen heading over to court number one. He waited in line patiently until he was up. I liked to call him my jumping bean; he was so tiny but he could burn so much energy.

The bell rang after twenty minutes and the kids lined up. The teachers came out and lead their students to their respective rooms. Mrs. Weber was Masen's teacher and one of the last teachers that got their students. It was silent and Rose and I had a half-hour before we were back at the playground for recess.

I was so happy when the bell rang. I had my purse and was waiting outside Masen's classroom for him. Mrs. Weber always took forever to let the kids out. I never knew why. It was five minutes after release and the kids started running out to their parents. I waited for Masen but Mrs. Weber saw me and pulled me in.

"Hi Mrs. Cullen. I had a little problem today with Masen," she said in a condescending voice. I truly believed she didn't like teaching anymore. She was always grumpy around me and she always had a complaint about Masen.

"What did he do?" I asked, staring at him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I had my door opened today and there were a couple of flies that entered the classroom. Masen decided during art time to catch them with his pencil sharpener and got the other students distracted.

"Really?" I asked. So he was a kid, he did that all the time when he was outside. He had a thing for critters.

"Yes, I hope you can address with him what type of behavior should be used in the classroom tonight?

"Of course," I responded to please her.

"Alright, well, have a nice night." She smiled.

I said the same to her and got in the car with Masen. After a few seconds of silence Masen spoke up. "Momma, am I in trouble?" His brown eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

"No, Mase, you aren't in trouble." I promised him.

I just wanted to get home and have a nice dinner with my family. I just hoped Masen didn't have a fit about something, and Tanya would be pleasant for once.

Chapter 2

Bella's Point of View

"Just go away, Masen!" Tanya screamed.

"You go away! No one likes you!" Masen retaliated.

"No, I think you have confused me with yourself!" Tanya yelled.

I slammed the black oven door, fed up with fighting. Their bickering hadn't stopped since the minute Tanya got home. All Masen wanted was for someone to play with him— it didn't matter if it was Legos, a Wii game, even coloring— all he wanted was that interaction with someone.

I was making dinner so it was a little hard to play Legos with him at the moment, so I thought it would be a great idea when Tanya walked in. I should have known better. Tanya hated our family. I didn't understand why, but she did. She always made it known any chance she got. I felt frustrated and angry every time.

I walked out of the kitchen and into the family room. Masen was sitting on the floor with his box of Legos and Tanya was filing her nails on the brown leather couch. "Tanya, why can't you play with your brother for a few minutes?"

She looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Why don't you play with him?"

I gave her a frustrated sigh. "Tanya, you complained earlier that you were hungry. So, I am making dinner for you and the family now. You, on the other hand, are just sitting here. And also I told you earlier to stop talking to your brother that way."

She rolled her brown eyes and walked out of the room with her head held high. Masen sat on the floor holding his box of Legos with a sad face. Brownie came into the room and plopped right into his lap. "Mase, when dinner is finished, I will come play Legos with you."

I leaned down and kissed the top of his head before walking back into the kitchen, to finish dinner. I worked on the side dish—Edward's favorite, spinach with Alfredo sauce—and checked on the chicken.

I started washing the dishes as I waited for dinner to be ready. Edward was going to be home soon. I just hoped that we didn't have another bickering match between Edward and Tanya. It got pretty bad this morning. Tanya called Masen an unwanted little bitch and Edward just blew up. Over the past eight years I had wondered if Tanya's behavior changed because she wasn't and only child. However, it didn't matter; she was always a hard child.

"Masen! Leave me the hell alone!" I was getting a painful headache.

"Momma asked you if you could play with me. Please?" he begged.

"No, you little leech. Get away from me."

I pulled the chicken out of the oven and placed it on the stove next to the pan of creamy spinach. I walked back into the family room and saw Masen with tears in his eyes. "I'm not a leech," he cried.

"Yes, you are." Tanya sang.

"No, I'm just an eight year-old boy," he whimpered.

"Tanya, go to your room," I said in a calm voice.

Why? I only spoke the truth." She acted flabbergasted.

"Tanya!" I snapped.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I always knew you loved him more than me." She stomped up the stairs.

I sat down on the floor next to Masen. "You okay, Mase?"

He climbed into my lap and nodded his head. I gave him a big hug and kiss. The front door chimed, alerting me that Edward was home. I was extremely thankful that he was finally here. I wondered if he could talk some sense into Tanya, because I sure as hell wasn't able to.

"Go wash up, Mase." I pulled away from him and went back into the kitchen.

Edward placed his empty Tupperware in the sink. He was covered in grease from head to toe. He turned around and smiled at me. "Hey, sexy Momma. How was your day?" He pulled me in for a kiss.

"It was good until Tanya got home. She called Masen a leech, Edward."

He sighed and ran his hands over his dirty face. "It's been getting fucking old, Bella. She doesn't respect us; she acts like she can do whatever shit she wants. I think we should take away her phone. Maybe make her get a job so she can pay the fucking bill." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"She would probably make Demetri pay for it. She has been a lazy bitch around here," I huffed.

"I'm sure she would. Just give her another reason to hate us. Her fucking chump of a boyfriend gets everything handed to him because his parents fucking own the town."

Tanya was dating the town's mayor's son, Demetri. She thought she was fucking royalty now and didn't hesitate to tell Edward and me how cheap we were.

"I know. We will talk about this later. Go wash up quickly. Dinner is ready and I made your favorite, creamy spinach."

Edward smiled at me and gave me a chaste kiss on my lips. "You spoil me too much."

He walked away, but not before he slapped my ass. I opened the cherry wood cabinet next to the fridge and grabbed the plates. I scooped the casserole and spinach onto a plate for Masen. I grabbed a knife and a fork and started cutting his chicken. Masen came into the kitchen and grabbed his plate. Tanya came in a few seconds later and grabbed her plate silently.

I got Edward's plate and then mine. Masen got everyone their drinks and Edward came into the kitchen freshly showered. His hair was wet and wild, and his white t-shirt clung to his chest. He was so handsome.

"Thank you for making this delicious dinner, honey." He winked at me.

"You both are disgusting," Tanya huffed.

I ignored her and started eating. I hadn't made this casserole in a long time. It was really simple, with chicken breasts, salted Ritz crackers, cream of mushroom soup, egg noodles, and a couple of spices. It was really good.

Dinner was a little too silent for my liking. I felt like we were walking on eggshells because of Tanya. When we finished, Edward and Masen helped me clean up the kitchen while Tanya disappeared upstairs.

I washed the dishes and Masen placed them in the dishwasher. Edward put away the leftovers. It was silent once again, which helped appease my headache. When we finished, Masen went upstairs to take a shower.

Edward grabbed a beer and went into the family room to watch the football game. I walked upstairs and went into Masen's room to lay out his pajamas. I also grabbed his outfit for tomorrow and hung it on the hook next to his closet.

After that I went into my bathroom to wash my face and put on my pajamas. When I came downstairs Edward was playing Legos with Masen. I smiled as I watched my two boys. The floor creaked and Edward looked up. He gave me his panty dropping crooked smile. I walked over to them and sat down playing with Masen. I built a house and Edward helped Masen build a car. We were having a lot of fun. I walked away to go get the ice cream.

I went upstairs first to see if Tanya wanted any, she told me she would be down in a minute. I jogged down the stairs and went into the kitchen. I pulled out the Butterfinger ice cream—

Masen got to pick the flavor this week—and scooped it into four bowls. I was drizzling it with chocolate sauce when Edward came in and helped me carry the four bowls into the family room.

Edward still had the game on, and Masen had his Legos put away. I handed Masen his ice cream and Tanya soon joined us, taking hers. I sat on the couch cuddled up with Edward while eating my dessert. I wasn't into sports and I really didn't know much about football. I only knew what they wore and what the ball looked like.

Masen was trying to get Tanya to talk to him as he sat next to her. He really wanted his sister to like him. I don't know how she could be so cruel to him. He was such a cute little boy that it was really hard to get mad at him. He was always happy when she wasn't picking on him.

I finished my bowl; Edward placed in on the coffee table next to him. He kissed my temple and pulled me closer to his chest.

"Stop pushing me," Masen grumbled at Tanya.

Tanya ignored and pushed him every time he tried to get back on the couch. "Tannie, stop it!"

She snickered and pushed him again. "Tanya, knock it off," I snapped.

She gave me a bitch brow and a smirk before she pushed him with a lot of force, making him fall hard on the wooden floor. He immediately started crying and I got up to see if he was okay.

"Tanya, why the hell did you do that to your brother? Is it really that fucking bad that he wants to sit next to you?" Edward yelled.

"Who cares? I'm going up to my room. You people suck." Tanya scampered off up the stairs.

Edward was breathing really hard; his face was almost a shade of purple. I held a crying Masen as Edward tried to calm down. "You okay, buddy?" Edward asked.

Masen nodded his head. "Can you go and get an ice pack?" I asked Edward.

Edward nodded his head and went to the kitchen. I sat there rocking Mase back and forth. Edward came back and handed me the ice pack wrapped in a cloth. I put it on Masen's arm. His sobs started to go away and once he had calmed down I sent him up to his room.

I walked into the kitchen with Edward and put the ice pack back into the freezer and the cloth in the hamper by the laundry room. "Bella, we have to do something about her behavior. I can't take it anymore. She just fucking pushed her brother because she wanted to."

"I know," I sighed. This parenting thing was a lot harder than my mother made it look growing up.

Edward pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my forehead. We stayed in the same position for a few minutes before the yelling began upstairs.

I ran up the stairs with Edward following behind me to see Masen kicking and pounding on Tanya's white door. "I hate you! I hate you!" Masen kept screaming.

"I hate you too!" Tanya's voice was muffled behind the door.

Edward had trouble grabbing Masen as he tried to pull him away from the door. "Mase, stop it!" Edward struggled.

"No, I hate her! I wish she never existed! She always tells me she wishes I was never born!" Masen said in a high pitch scream.

"Masen Thomas Cullen, you stop this behavior this instant. I want you to go in your room and think about what you said!" I yelled at him.

Masen stomped all the way down the hall into his room and slammed the door. A framed picture of our family taken from the last summer fell down and the glass shattered against the wooden floors.

I wanted to scream and pull my hair out like a child but I refrained from doing that. Edward walked in Tanya's room first. I thought it was a good idea to let Masen calm down for a little bit before I went in his room to talk to him. Tanya was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed as she talked on the phone with her boyfriend.

"I know, that little boy is so fucking annoying. I don't know why my parents wanted to keep him so much. They think of him as the golden child. All he does is scream and cry like a little baby." She laughed into the phone.

Edward and I stood there waiting for her to notice us. I shouldn't have been shocked by what I was hearing come out of her mouth, but I was. My sister and I had a few little fights when we were younger, but I never talked about her the way Tanya does about Masen. Vanessa and I had stupid fights, like wearing each other's clothes without asking, using the shower to long, shit like that.

"I wish I could live with you. It would be so much better than this fucked up family. Plus, we could share a bedroom and do whatever the hell we want," she said in a sultry voice.

Edward walked over and grabbed her cell phone and hung up on the boy. "Dad?" Tanya asked shocked.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt your time with the dipshit?"

"Yes! And his name is Demetri," she answered.

"I don't really give a damn, Tanya. I don't know how many times I have to tell you not to talk to your brother that way. This whole 'I don't give a fuck what I do' attitude is getting old. You will respect me, your mother, and your little brother!"

"I'm eighteen and legal. I don't have to listen to you!"

"You're damn right you're legal. If you don't listen to me or respect my rules, then get the hell out of here!"

"Edward," I warned.

"Don't 'Edward' me, Bella!" he snapped.

I bit my tongue to refrain from saying something I would regret. "I'm going to check on Masen."

When I got to Masen's room Edward and Tanya's loud fighting nearly drowned out Masen's sobs. I knocked on the door. "Masen, can I come in?"

I didn't wait for answer. I opened the door and walked inside. He lay on his small twin bed; holding his teddy bear. I walked over and lay down next to him. He cuddled into my side and I held him close to me as he let out the tears.

"I didn't mean to kick her door. I just wanted her to play with me."

"I know, honey."

Edward and Tanya were still fighting until finally I heard the door slam. I laid there in bed with Masen until he fell asleep. I gave him a kiss on his forehead and tucked him in. When I stepped outside his bedroom I saw the shattered glass still on the floor. I quickly cleaned it up with the vacuum and broom. I turned off the hall lights and walked into my bedroom.

Hearing the shower running, I stripped out of my clothes and walked inside the bathroom. I climbed in the shower. Edward was standing their under the warm spray clenching his fists. I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed in between his shoulder blades. I hugged him close to my naked body and felt his muscles relax.

He turned around and with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

I smiled at him that was long forgotten. "Don't worry about it."

"Bella, her lack of respectfulness toward us and Mase is driving me insane. I'm so sick of this shit. If she didn't act like this every fucking day then it would be different."

"Just let it go for now, Edward."

The warm spray continued to caress our bodies. He pulled me into his slick body and held me tightly. When the water got cold I turned it off. Edward snatched the towels off the rack. We both quickly dried off. I took a pair of his boxers and a white shirt and put them on. I braided my wet hair. Edward lay in bed in a pair of boxer briefs waiting for me.

"I'm going to check on Masen one more time."

He nodded his head and then I left. I went down the hall into his bedroom and opened the door. Masen was still asleep with his bear. I quietly shut the door and went back to my bedroom. I joined Edward underneath the covers. He pulled me close to his side and breathed in.

"I can't even describe how much I love you, Bella." He whispered and hugged my body tighter against his.

"I love you too, Edward."

Edward placed kisses along my neck and pulled the fabric of his shirt away from my body. He placed more kisses against the exposed skin. He pushed me back and hovered above me. He positioned himself in between my legs and stared into my eyes. The moonlight made his eyes sparkle.

We didn't have to speak. His eyes showed me what he was feeling. My fingers grasped his hair and I pulled his face down. His lips pressed hard against mine. He ran his hands up my sides until he clutched my shoulders. I could feel him hard and throbbing against my warmth. Our bodies were in a constant grind.

The clothes were quickly discarded. His warm breath fanned across my face. I felt like he was protecting me with his body. He lined himself at my entrance. We stared into each other's eyes as he slid in. My eyes closed and I moaned as he slowly moved in and out of me. The pleasure that emanated from my body caused my moans to get louder and louder. I was almost afraid of waking up my children, I was entirely grateful for the soundproof room.

We made love until early morning; before we finally succumbed to the pleasure. Edward gave me one last passionate kiss. I whimpered as he pulled out of me. He pulled the covers over us and cuddled against me. I kissed the palm of his right hand before I let sleep overtake me.

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View

"Edward!"

He chuckled and moaned out my name as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of my warmth. "You like that baby?"

I moaned in response. I prayed that the kids were still asleep on this cold Saturday morning. Edward twisted his fingers and his thumb circled around my clit. He drew his lips back to mine and I gripped a handful of hair in my right hand. My other hand clutched his shoulder.

I opened my mouth and his tongue massaged mine. I could feel his arousal against my stomach. He withdrew his fingers from my pussy and savored the taste. "Fuck! You taste so good, Bella."

He flipped me over so I hovered above him. He propped his head on the pillow and pushed my ass back. I shuddered the instant I felt his tongue on my pussy. The noises he made sucking my clit and the slick noises of his tongue turned me on. I leaned forward and took hold of his throbbing cock. It was so silky, hard, and pulsating as it twitched in my hand.

I took the head of his dick in my mouth. A deep moan erupted from his chest. He was salty tasting. I swirled my tongue around the head and hollowed out my cheeks. I took him deeper into my mouth and took calming breaths.

He slipped a couple fingers inside of me while he continued to suck my clit. I bobbed my head up and down and brought my hands down and massaged his balls.

"Fuck!" He grunted and bucked his hips.

"You keep that up, I won't fuck last," he panted.

I smiled. "That's kind of the point, Edward."

"Come here, you little vixen." His taut muscles flexed as he flipped me upright.

I straddled his waist and traced the familiar black ink on his ribcage. It was an abstract design with my name. It was my favorite tattoo of his.

"I want to fuck that tight little pussy of yours."

"What are you waiting for?" I smirked.

I raised my hips up and took hold of him. I lowered myself on him and we moaned together. He placed his hands on my hips, setting the pace. I licked and nibbled on the salty skin of his neck. He held me tightly as he rolled us onto my back, making him thrust deeper inside of me.

"Fuck me," I moaned.

He made a growling sound and his thrusts became more animalistic and sporadic. I clung to him as I felt the coil in my stomach. My legs wrapped around his back and my toes curled. The bed was banging against the wall from our love making.

I felt myself submit into the pleasure he gave me and I screamed his name; however, it sounded slurred. He thrust into me a few more times before he screamed out. He continued his fast pace as hot streams of his release coated my walls.

Our bodies were slick with sweat. He brought his lips to mine. The chaste kiss started out innocent and soon turned into a passionate one leading to round two.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I waltzed into the kitchen. Edward and I were still young and let our hormones get the best of us. I'd had Tanya at the age of sixteen; I didn't really have the high school life that most teenagers had. I'd had to step up, but now I acted a little immature. I didn't want to be known as the mean mom; I wanted to be the friend. Sometimes I forgot that there must be that boundary. I wondered if that's why Tanya wasn't very fond of Edward and me.

The kids were still asleep and Edward was upstairs getting out of the shower. I made us each a cup of coffee. Edward walked downstairs and joined me with a smile on his face. His hair was still wet and his white v-neck t-shirt clung to his chest.

"That was some morning." He smiled and kissed my lips.

"It sure was." I agreed and returned the favor.

"So, I was thinking that instead of you making breakfast, I would go out and buy you your favorite doughnut."

"Doughnut holes?" I laughed.

"Yep, you haven't had those in a long time. Plus, it would save you from cleaning a bunch of dishes. I don't want you to over work your body," he winked.

"By washing dishes and cooking breakfast?" I questioned.

"You never know," he smirked.

"Fine. I want the maple doughnut holes too."

"You got it." He kissed the corner of my mouth and left.

I was pretty damn lucky to have a man like him.

I sat at the counter with Masen finishing up the puzzle he brought out. Tanya was still upstairs sleeping. I expected Edward any minute. As if he knew I was thinking about him, the door opened and he walked inside with a big smile.

I smiled back at him and took a sip of my coffee. "It's pussy!" Masen chuckled.

I choked on the warm liquid and looked at Masen, "What did you just say?"

He looked at me with a frightened stare. "I heard you scream that word and I went to ask Tannie what it was last night because your door was locked. She said that dad was a pussy."

"Is that right?" Edward asked.

I couldn't believe we were so loud that Masen heard us. We definitely had to quiet down our little escapades from now on. "Masen, that is a bad word. I don't want to hear you say that again."

"But Tannie says it when she talks to Demetri."

"She what?" Edward yelled.

"Yeah, I walked in her room the other day and she whispered things on the phone to him and said that word."

"Masen, the bottom line is you are not to say it."

"Okay," he pouted.

I gave Edward the look to drop this conversation. We didn't need to discuss in front of Masen what Tanya was doing. Edward sighed and put the pink box of doughnuts on the counter. Masen was so excited and started picking out his favorites. Edward handed me the bag of doughnut holes and I gratefully thanked him.

When we were finished with breakfast, Edward decided to take Masen to the park to play soccer while I stayed home and cleaned. It was already eleven o'clock and Tanya was still asleep. I couldn't imagine why she would sleep this late. She basically lost the day by sleeping.

I started the first load of laundry for the day. I have to say the one thing I hated about being the mother was the laundry. It was endless; when I thought I was going to be finished, Masen or Edward would hand me more clothes.

I walked over to the hall closet and pulled out all the cleaners and rags. I polished the wood furniture. I cleaned the bathrooms, Masen's room, our bedroom, saving the kitchen for last. I was so happy that I bought the vegetable tray that Tanya wanted—note the sarcasm. The vegetables were moldy and mushy. She would always tell me to buy her food and when I did, she never ate it and I would have to throw it away. It was such a waste of money. If only she could really see how much food cost. I had two trash bags filled with rotting and expired food.

I took the bags of trash and put them in the trashcans outside. I walked back inside and vacuumed the house. The worst part was going up the stairs. I mopped the tile floor and then went back downstairs.

By the time I was finished it was two o'clock in the afternoon and Tanya came downstairs. I was catching up on the Real Housewives of Orange County—I know these reality shows are trashy and stupid—I just love to get a laugh at how pretentious and bitchy they are to one another.

Tanya plopped on the couch next to me. Her hair was perfectly curled, make-up was painted on her, and she wore her pajamas. She didn't even greet me; she sat with me watching the television.

I groaned when Edward and Masen walked in. Masen was covered in mud from head to toe. "No! Both of you out of the house. Edward, wash your shoes off and wash Masen down with the hose. I just mopped the floors."

Edward laughed at me and Masen ran outside. I went upstairs and into the hall closet to grab a big beach towel. Edward pulled off Masen's clothes and I wrapped the towel around him. Edward rinsed off Masen's clothes and both pairs of shoes. I told him to put the clothes in the laundry. Masen went upstairs and went straight into the shower.

I went into the laundry room and there was an extra load. I grabbed the dried laundry and brought it into my room. I turned on the television that Edward insisted we needed in our room; flipping it to the episode of "Saturday Night Live" that I missed last week.

After finishing his second show of the day, Edward helped me fold the laundry. He sat next to me on the bed and helped me sort everyone's clothes. It took us two hours to fold all the laundry.

I walked back downstairs and I knew the kids would be getting hungry. I decided to make it simple tonight with roadside potatoes and barbecued chicken in the oven. I started with the potatoes since they took about an hour to cook. I dumped the frozen bag of hash browns in a rectangular pan, I added half and half, green onion, and Parmesan cheese. I stuck it in the oven to bake and then I started making the chicken.

Masen set the table as I pulled out the chicken. The potatoes had five minutes left. Tanya came in minutes later and sat down in her usual place without saying a word. I was wondering what was going on with her today. She was being unusually quiet.

Edward came into the kitchen with his beer half full. I grabbed him another bottle and set it down on the table. I plated dinner for everyone except Tanya. She was too old for her mother to get her plate. She only took the roadside potatoes since the chicken was on a bone. She didn't eat anything that was on a bone; even if I cut the chicken off, she still wouldn't eat it because she had seen it on the bone.

Dinner was quiet with the exception of Masen telling me about how he beat Edward at their soccer game. When we were finished, Tanya disappeared like usual and Edward and Masen cleaned the dishes, while I packed up and put away the leftovers.

Tanya came in once we were almost finished and sat on the stool. "Can I borrow three hundred dollars?"

Edward choked on his beer and it fizzled down the sink. "Why the hell do you need three hundred dollars?" I asked.

She shoved a piece of white paper in my hands with a picture of a beautiful nude gown on it. "For my prom dress, why else? It's coming up in a couple of months and I have to have the perfect dress."

"So, you go down to the little store in Port Angeles and buy one for fifty dollars. That's what your mother did," Edward said.

"This is different. I am the cheerleading captain. I have to have the most extravagant dress. I don't see the big deal?" she rolled her eyes.

"The big deal is its fucking three hundred dollars!" I told her.

"So you make a lot more than three hundred dollars a month."

"No. If you want that dress you can go get a job like most kids around here and buy it yourself." Edward interrupted.

"Are you serious?" she shrieked.

"Yes, you want to have a three hundred dollar dress you can get a fucking job to buy it. The other option is fifty dollars from your mom and me for a more affordable dress. You are only going to wear it one time, so I will not waste the money that I earned for this piece of shit." Edward said as he stormed out of the kitchen.

"Mom, please?" she clasped her hands together and pleaded with me.

"I am with your dad on this one. That's a lot of money for a dress that you are only going to wear one night. If you really want it I am sure Mrs. Newton would be happy to give you a job at the hardware store."

"If you won't give me the money then I will just ask Demetri. I am not getting a job. A job is for poor people and I am not poor."

"Really?" I laughed, "Because, if I remember correctly you don't have any money. The money you have in your wallet is from your father and me. So, I guess you are poor."

"You guys suck!" she screamed and stomped up the stairs. If I had a nickel for every time she told us that, I would be a millionaire.

I grabbed a bottle of Heineken—the only beer Edward and I would drink. I walked into the family room to find Edward staring intently at the television. He was watching wrestling—stupidity in my opinion. I don't know why men liked this, but whatever.

Edward opened up his arm and I snuggled up to him, watching this stupid sport with him while drinking a beer. If I asked him to change the channel to Housewives he would tell me no, but if I was already watching Housewives he would have joined me and gotten into the show. He hated to admit it, but he loved that shit just as much as I did.

I traced the ink design on his right arm. I still wasn't into wrestling and I didn't want to bother him by changing the channel. Masen soon came running down the stairs in his Angry Birds pajamas. He sat next to me on the couch. He pulled out a small black foil package and dangled it in front of me.

"Momma what's a Trojan?" he asked pronouncing the name wrong.

"What the…?" Edward turned.

Masen sat there his brown eyes staring at us for a response. He was such an innocent boy. "Where did you get that?" I asked with a shaky voice.

Edward and I haven't used a condom since we were teenagers. He didn't like the feel of having a barrier in between us. I've been on the pill for years.

"Masen Thomas Cullen, where did you get that?" my voice raised.

Edward was still in shock with his mouth opened and his eyes wide. "I found it in the bathroom. I was trying to find a Band Aid because I cut my finger, and I found a box of these in the drawer. When I opened one it didn't look like a Band Aid."

I looked at Edward for help. How were we supposed to explain this to our son? "Mase, that's like Saran wrap. Saran wrap protects the food," Edward coughed, "and that protects other things you are not old enough to know yet."

"Why?" Masen asked.

"Mase, I will tell you when you are older. Please go get your sister and tell her to come downstairs now," Edward growled.

Edward held out his palm and Masen stuck the condom into Edward's hand. Masen ran up the stairs to get Tanya. "She's having sex now, Bella?"

"At least she is protecting herself." I tried to tell him but he didn't want to hear it.

"No, she is too young."

"Edward, when we were her age we had a two year-old."

He scoffed, "That is different."

"How is it different besides the fact that we had a baby and she doesn't? She is being responsible by protecting herself."

Edward narrowed his eyes at me. "Bella, please Responsible?"

I was about to say something but I was cut off by Tanya. "You guys wanted to see me?"

"Where did you get this?" Edward asked.

Her face paled when she saw what he was holding. "It must be yours. I have no idea…"

"Cut the crap. Where did you get it?" he asked again.

"Edward calm down." I told him.

"Fine I got it at the store, alright? Demetri and I have sex. And I don't want to become pregnant with a child like you guys did so I make sure he wraps it up every time."

Edward looked taken aback by her words. It didn't really shock me that Tanya was having sex. Edward on the other hand chose to believe that our daughter would remain a virgin until her wedding night.

"I did wrap it up and your mother still got pregnant. If condoms were one hundred percent effective then you wouldn't be here."

"I won't get pregnant. There's like a small chance that it could happen."

"You will not see that boy anymore." Edward changed the subject.

"Edward! I yelled at the same time Tanya screamed "Dad!"

"Edward, can I talk to Tanya alone?"

"Fine, she never listens to me so why don't you talk some sense into her?" He stormed off with his empty beer bottle.

I sat on the couch and patted the seat next to me. "If you want to have sex, you have to be prepared for the inevitable, Tanya. I thought I wasn't going to get pregnant at your age and I did— even with protection. You aren't an exception."

"This is high school, Mom. Everyone is having sex. You guys can't stop me from having sex with Demetri."

"Well, if something happens then you will have to take full responsibility just like your father and I did." I got up from the couch. "By the way, keep this shit out of sight from your brother and then next time you have phone sex make sure your brother isn't around and you aren't saying shit like your father is a pussy."

"Of course he told you." She rolled her eyes.

I walked away and said a soft goodnight before walking up the stairs to talk with Edward.

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View

I slammed my purse on the granite counter and went upstairs. today was a nightmare. It started off with that time of a month. Then Tanya tried to pull a fast one before she left for school. She'd failed a math test and instead of giving us the failed test to sign, she tried to give us a fake permission slip—with the signature line of the failed test tucked underneath. If that wasn't enough, then I got called into the office because Masen was acting out in class and jumped on a couple of tables. It was just one thing after another.

I went upstairs into the bathroom and splashed cool water on my face. I needed to calm myself down before I started screaming at the kids. I walked out of my bedroom and stopped in my tracks as soon as I heard a cry.

I walked down to Masen's room to see him holding his hand over his right eye. "Mase, what happened?" I asked.

"I hit my eye!" he cried and pointed to the corner of the dresser.

It didn't shock me; he really was a clumsy kid. He always seemed to hurt his eye, never any other part of his body. Not to mention his room was filled with toys and was almost impossible to walk in. "Mase, let me see it."

He came toward me and I sat down on the floor. His eye was red and there was a definite bruise starting to form. I kissed the spot on his eye. "Let's go downstairs and put ice on it."

I grabbed his hand and led him downstairs. He sat down on the chair while I went into the freezer and grabbed a bag of frozen peas to put on his eye. His tears started to dry up as he sat in the chair. I started rummaging through the pantry for something simple to make for dinner. It was one of those days were I wished that I didn't have to cook.

I didn't feel like making anything, so instead I decided to order pizza and breadsticks for dinner. We usually got pizza on Fridays but it was Thursday—close enough. I would just order extra tonight so the leftovers could be for dinner tomorrow.

I ordered the pizza; it would be here in thirty minutes. Tanya stormed into the house as soon as I put the phone back on the charger. "Today sucks!" she yelled and ran up the stairs.

"Well, hello to you too," I mumbled, and Masen laughed.

She turned around and glared. "Ugh! I am two days early and have cramps like hell. Not to mention Mrs. Cope was being a bitch today because I didn't dress out for P.E. She told me to suck it up. What's for dinner?" she huffed.

"Pizza," I said.

"Why? We always have it on Friday nights," she asked.

"Well, we're having it tonight also," I huffed.

"Whatever," she said and turned and looked at Masen, "What happened to you? Did you fall again?" she laughed.

"Tanya," I warned.

"What?" She looked at me like I was crazy.

"I hit my eye on the dresser," Masen mumbled.

"Ha!" Tanya laughed.

"Tanya, stop it!" I snapped. Masen started to get watery eyes.

"Why? That shit is so funny!" Tanya laughed.

Masen quickly got off the chair and ran upstairs. "Language, and it isn't funny. He could have really hurt himself, Tanya."

"You're no fun." She huffed and walked away.

"Kids," I mumbled under my breath.

Fifteen minutes later Edward walked inside carrying a brown grocery bag and black grease on his clothes. He bent down to give me a kiss. "Hey, baby."

I kissed him back. "Hi."

I had sent him numerous texts about what had happened throughout the day so he knew how I was feeling. "I got you a couple things."

He reached inside the brown bag and pulled out bananas, Hershey's chocolate bars, Oreos, and peppermint ice cream. "I thought this would help make you feel better."

I felt highly euphoric. "How did I get so lucky?" I asked and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

He laughed and kissed my temple. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Pizza," I responded as I put the ice cream in the freezer.

"That sounds good tonight," he said, walking over to the sink to wash his hands.

"Yeah, I didn't feel like cooking. Oh, Masen tripped and hit his eye on the corner of his dresser." I told him and opened the bag of Oreos.

"Are you serious? People are going to think that we beat him, Bella. Why can't he trip and hurt his arm or his leg? Some part of his body that would make sense. It's always his fucking eye." He chuckled.

"I know. I felt the same way when that happened," I said.

"Well, I'm going to go upstairs and wash up. I'll be down in a few minutes," he smiled.

"Alright, Greaser Boy," I laughed.

He smiled back at me and then headed upstairs. I didn't really know what to do for the remainder of the time until Edward came back, so I opened up the laptop and went to check my email. I hoped there was something new and exciting, but I always seemed to get stupid spam messages or chain letters, which I hated.

Of course when I logged in I had a couple religious chain letters because of course I am so religious—note the sarcasm. I had some spam messages, a couple cute pictures of my nephews my sister sent me, but that was about it.

I logged off just as the doorbell rang. Grabbing my money, I opened the door to see a young kid with greasy blonde hair, "Hi, one cheese pizza and one olive and sausage pizza, and an order of breadsticks."

I nodded. He continued, "That will be twenty dollars even."

I handed him the money and the tip. "Thanks," he said, and walked away.

I laid the boxes out on the kitchen counter. "I smell pizza!" Masen called, running down the stairs. He bounced up and down his eye was looking a little bit better except for the purple mark underneath his eyebrow.

I served him his cheese pizza and a breadstick with a side of ranch. Tanya and Edward joined us and got their food. Edward grabbed two beers, popping them open and handing one to me. "Can I have one?" Tanya asked.

"No!" I answered immediately.

She rolled her eyes and got a cola. After that, dinner was actually pleasant for once. Masen and Tanya weren't fighting. Tanya was actually talking to us nicely. It made me smile. Edward and Masen cleaned the kitchen up and put the remaining food into the fridge. Tanya and I sat on the couch eating peppermint ice cream in our pajamas while watching The Real Housewives. My sour day had turned into an enjoyable evening.

The next day I got to work late. Masen had a little episode with his hair not being brushed and Tanya wouldn't eat the scrambled eggs I made because I cooked them with milk. When I got to the office, Masen scrambled out the door and left me without a goodbye. I locked my purse up in the cabinet and grabbed my walkie-talkie.

When I reached the playground, Rosalie was talking to two boys against the fence. I recognized one of them. He was really heavy, had brown hair, and wore the same dirty clothes as yesterday. He was in Masen's classroom; his name was Paul. He had some kind of mental disorder— he whispered all the time, and his facial features were tiny. I believed he was a fetal alcohol syndrome baby. He was always in trouble and never owned up to what he did. I know he was only eight, but he should know shoving kids in the lunch line was not okay.

As soon as Rosalie saw me she sighed in relief. "Hi Bella. Paul and Alec were pushing kids off the monkey bars again."

Paul and Alec sat against the fence. The bell rang five minutes later and the teachers showed up to get their students. Rose and I walked down to the lounge to talk until we were needed again.

"So tough morning again?" she asked once we were seated.

"Yep, Masen and his hair and Tanya not liking how the eggs were prepared."

"So, if Masen's hair isn't done who cares and if Tanya doesn't like the eggs she can make her own damn breakfast."

I sighed, "I know but Masen gets teased if his hair isn't brushed. As for Tanya, not making breakfast would just give her more incentive to hate me."

Rose laughed, "Bella, they have to learn. Your parents and definitely not my parents ever catered to what we wanted."

"I guess. I just wish for once that she would be grateful for something. At least Masen isn't that picky."

She smiled back at me, "So, what happened to Masen's eye?"

"He tripped and hit the corner of his dresser."

"Poor kid." She laughed.

The hour went by so fast and then we went back to the playground to watch the second and third graders. Masen was lagging behind his class eating his apples and was holding his book in his hand. Most kids like to play at recess, but not my son— he wants to read.

I watched the kids interact with one another while eating their snacks. Rose and I would often look at the kids and guess what they would be like in high school. I was always the quiet nerdy girl and in high school, I met Edward. I got drunk and partied. Who would have thought little Bella Swan would change.

The recesses went by fast, and then it was lunch time. Lunch was a little bit easier to handle since they ate half the time. I watched as Paul ran to get into the lunch line. "Paul! End of the line!" I yelled.

He looked at me, slouching with a pout. It was not cute. Masen sat with his friend Ben like usual. Ben was a quiet kid and Masen was a talker so their friendship worked out perfectly. Rose walked over to me with a slight laugh. "Bella, look at Masen's legs and then all the other kids at the tables."

I did and noticed Masen's were the only ones dangling. All The other kids' legs touched the concrete. "Poor child got his mother's height." I laughed.

Paul came barreling out of the cafeteria eating his food with his hands. Didn't that boy's mother teach him some manners and how to eat? The children started lining up when they were finished eating. The janitor always watched the remaining children so Rose and I could watch the others on the playground.

After about five minutes I was ready to pull my hair out. I was dealing with one girl who was crying because a boy said she had pretty hair, then two girls were angry about something that happened a year ago, a boy passed out because he wanted to see how long he could hold his breath—he was sent down to the nurse's office with Rosalie— then there were kids complaining on the swings. It was one thing after another and this was the first lunch of the day.

It felt like hours before the bell rang and the teachers were coming to pick up their kids. I thought it was strange that I didn't see Masen, but with the problems I was dealing with it wasn't a surprise. Rose and I were getting ready to walk back down to the cafeteria for the fourth graders when I heard a familiar voice yell. "Help! Momma! Ms. Rose!"

I looked at Rose and she mouthed 'Masen?'

"Masen!" I called.

"Momma! Help me. I'm in the bathroom."

I walked by the boy's bathroom door and called Masen's name again. "Momma!" he cried.

"Is anyone in here?" I called, making sure all the boys were out.

"Momma, it's just me," he croaked.

"Mase, what's wrong, honey?" I asked outside.

"I need help."

"You go in there. I will make sure no one else goes inside," Rose said.

I nodded my head and walked inside. It was so gross in there. "Mase?" I called.

"Momma? I'm in here."

I went over to the only stall that wasn't open. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Can you please open the door slowly?" he sniffled.

I couldn't understand why he wanted me to open the door. My son was a little old for this, wasn't he? I carefully opened the heavy door and heard a groan. "Mase?"

"Momma, I'm on the door," he squeaked.

I pushed my way inside—which was very hard to do in these tiny stalls—and found Masen dangling on the hook by the hood of his jacket. "Oh my god!" I yelled.

I quickly pulled him off and checked to see if he was hurt. "What the hell happened?"

"Momma, can we get out of here first?"

I pulled him along with me until we were outside. "What happened, Bella?" Rose asked.

"I don't know," I shook my head. "Masen hasn't told me yet."

He had tears in his brown eyes. "I went to the bathroom and when I walked out of the stall, Paul came in. I was washing my hands when he started pulling Sam over into the stall with Alec. I was pulling Sam back because I didn't know what they were going to do and then Paul and Alec pushed me up and hung me on the stall."

"That little shit!" Rose yelled.

"Rose!" I snapped.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Masen, why didn't you ask for help when the other boys came into the bathroom?" How could they not notice something like that?

"They all laughed when I told them to get you," he sniffled.

"Rose, can you handle the other kids while I take Masen to the nurse's office? I'm going to grab Paul, Alec, and Sam."

Rose nodded and quickly went down to the cafeteria. "You alright, Mase?"

He wiped his tears on his sleeve and nodded. I didn't know what the hell was up with this kid, Paul, but he was messing with the wrong boy. I went to Mrs. Weber's class and Mrs. Nomad's class. I grabbed the other children and we went into the office to see Mrs. Cope.

Paul and Alec were benched the whole week for both recesses and lunches. They would have to sit in the office until their breaks were over. Masen was fine after a while and went back to class. I joined Rose for the remainder of the day watching the children at the playground.

I was standing outside Masen's classroom when the bell rang. Paul rushed out of the room, shoving other kids.

The Associated Student Body was selling cake pops. They were fundraising so the sixth graders could go to science camp.

I waited at least five minutes for Masen to come out. Mrs. Weber asked me if she could talk for a few minutes. I walked inside with Masen. Mrs. Weber's daughter Angela was sitting at one of the back tables. Angela had long brown hair and brown eyes; she looked nothing like Mrs. Weber. Angela took Masen outside so he wouldn't hear the conversation.

Mrs. Weber motioned for me to sit down at the long brown table. "Mrs. Cullen, there seemed to be an issue today with Masen. He refused to work with Paul when I asked him. He was also late getting to class after lunch."

I stopped her. "He was with me at the office. I came and grabbed Paul and Sam from your classroom."

"Yes, I know. It would have been nice if he had told me what was wrong." She raised her perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Hold on, you are upset with my son? He was trying to help his friend and in turn Paul and Alec hung him on the bathroom stall. Are you are blaming my son?"

"Mrs. Cullen, please don't raise your voice," she said in a condescending tone.

"This is absolutely ridiculous. They did this to my son and you are blaming him. Do you have some personal vendetta against him? Why don't you look at the big picture here? I don't see you out there watching all the kids and I can tell you my son isn't one of the trouble makers. It is always Paul and Alec. I have heard other parents complain about Paul, so I know I am not crazy."

"Mrs. Cullen, I know there are no boundaries in your home, but can you please teach Masen appropriate school behavior?"

"I'm done," I said in a calm voice.

"Mrs. Cullen," she called after me.

"Let's go, Mase," I said. He was sitting outside laughing with Angela.

I hated the woman. All she did was complain about my son. I knew the real reason was because she hated me. A lot of women in this town hated me. They thought Edward and I didn't parent, they couldn't believe that we had tattoos, and their biggest problem was that we never attended church.

The car ride home was silent. I needed to cool down. Edward was already home when we pulled into the driveway. I slammed the car door as soon as I got out. Masen asked if he could play Legos and I told him he could. He usually did his homework before he played, but I could make an exception today.

I dropped my things on the counter and looked for something simple for dinner. I wasn't in the mood to cook. I was still upset by all the shit that happened today. I found some frozen taquitos and put them on a cookie sheet. I turned on the oven and waited for it to heat up.

The oven beeped ten minutes later. I placed the taquitos into the hot oven, and then I got the sour cream, guacamole, and shredded cheese out. Tanya wasn't going to be home until much later so I figured she would probably go out to dinner with Demetri. Edward came down freshly showered with a smile on his face.

He grabbed a beer and popped it open. He took one gulp before he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my body. "Hey baby."

"You're home early," I noted.

He pulled back looking offended. "Yeah, we weren't that busy tonight. What's got you in this funk?"

The tears started to fall. "It's that stupid bitch of teacher. That little shit, Paul, hung Masen by his hood on one of the bathroom stalls. Not to mention there were other kids who weren't behaving. Then after school that fucking teacher was trying to tell me that Masen was being rude to Paul and apparently we need to teach him better fucking manners!"

"Bella," Edward said in a calm voice and wrapped his arms around me. "Shhh, calm down."

"I'm so sick of them picking on Masen. I hate that kid and that bitch," I cried.

"Bella, just calm down." He kissed my temple.

I had his shirt in a death grip, my knuckles were turning white. I was tired of this shit town telling me that I needed to parent better, and insinuating that there was something wrong with my children. Other families around here had more shit to stir up compared to my family drama, but I didn't go around talking about it.

My tears finally came to a stop and Edward took hold of my hand. "You okay now?" he asked.

I nodded my head and grabbed a tissue. I blew my nose and dried my tears. I finished up with dinner. Throughout dinner I kept watching Masen. I saw a little boy who wanted approval, was happy, and tried to make us laugh. I didn't see a disrespectful little boy. Mrs. Weber and any other bitch around this town can kiss my ass. I had a great family—including Tanya. We may have problems, but what family doesn't?

I went to bed that night trying to forget the day's events.

Chapter 5

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View

I stared at the brown metal door. I had been dreading this appointment all week. Edward squeezed my hand, reminding me that he was with me. It had been a month since the whole hanging Masen on the bathroom stall hook fiasco. This week all the elementary students got out early, because of parent teacher conferences. Mrs. Weber gave me the last appointment on Friday.

So, here I was, at four o'clock and she was running late. The appointments were twenty minutes long, but I knew it was going to be the longest twenty minutes of my life. Tanya thankfully offered to watch Masen while Edward and I met with Mrs. Weber. It was nice, but strange for her to want to help us out. She didn't even have to make dinner because I ordered pizza for them.

Edward and I sat on the concrete planter. He was playing a game on his phone. I, on the other hand, couldn't get my eyes to drift away from the door; my leg was shaking like crazy. I didn't want to hear Mrs. Weber complain about my son again. If anything, her daughter was contributing to Masen's behavior. She liked to play around with him, and I signed a paper giving her permission to observe Masen in the classroom—for her Child Development course.

"Bella, calm down," Edward whispered in my ear, kissing the tip.

"I'm trying," I responded with a hint of hysteria.

I looked up at him—his eyebrows were raised in an amused expression. I shook my head at him and leaned into his side. I traced the visible ink on his forearm—I did this when I was nervous. He wore a white V-neck t-shirt with blue jeans and his black work boots. In eighteen years his style hadn't changed.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weber." I heard the voice of Mrs. Banner, who turned and gave us a small smile before she rushed off.

"You ready?" Edward asked.

"No," I pouted like a willful child.

Edward laughed at my antics and pulled me with him as we walked inside the classroom. Angela was talking to her mother and once she saw Edward and me, she smiled and quickly left. Mrs. Weber had her reading glasses on and motioned for us to come and join her at the table. On it were some papers and Masen's report card.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," she greeted.

"Hello," Edward and I said at the same time.

"Well, I am glad you guys were able to meet with me today." She pulled out the first paper showing Masen's math scores. As you can see Masen is doing extremely well on his division. It is advanced considering most children are still on addition."

She handed us the paper to keep. She moved on to reading and writing which were advanced as well. Masen was a smart kid, so his advanced skills never really surprised me. She finally got to his report card and it was all fours and fives until we got to his behavior.

"I gave him a needs improvement for behavior. Masen tends to talk a lot in class and get off task. He also likes to talk with my daughter. Lately, he has been throwing pencil erasers at her. Now, this may be acceptable in your home, but it is not in the classroom." She paused.

I took this opportunity to speak up. "Now, Masen can't be the only one who talks a lot. I have been in this classroom multiple times and have seen many kids shouting out. I also think your daughter isn't helping the situation. She could kindly say to him that it is not appropriate to talk to her, but she doesn't. I'm not going to even mention this eraser thing, because I know for a fact your daughter throws them back at Masen."

"Bella," Edward whispered, trying to calm me down.

"Mrs. Cullen, I know Masen is a sweet kid. I'm not trying to say that he is bad. I am only trying to help him improve. It is hard teaching twenty-five students the solution to a math problem when Masen is constantly shouting out the answer." First she was talking about him talking, and then throwing erasers, now it was shouting out in class.

"So send him out into the pod to work on it," I interrupted her. The pod was a big room that connected all the teachers' rooms together. It was their computer lab where teachers sent out disruptive children to complete their work.

"I see where Masen learns his behavior," she murmured loud enough for me to hear.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, offended that she would insinuate that I am a bad example for Masen.

"Mrs. Cullen," she paused and dropped the subject.

I however wasn't done with this matter. "You know the reason he talks a lot is because he is bored. He finishes his homework within five minutes."

"He still makes mistakes sometimes," she intervened.

"I'm not saying he is perfect, but at least give him a challenge. I have talked with Ben's mother and she said Ben is bored too."

"There is a difference," she interrupted, pointing her finger at me, "Ben doesn't talk. Masen voices his opinion on everything. They shouldn't be challenged unless they are getting at least a hundred on everything."

"But that could be a mistake. I would be bored doing the same crap every single day."

"That language is not acceptable in my classroom," she told me as if I were a fucking child.

"Mrs. Weber, is this an appointment about my son's behavior, or you having a problem with my wife?" Edward asked raising his eyebrow.

She choked up and shook her head. "I have no problem whatsoever with Mrs. Cullen. I am just trying to talk to her about Masen's behavior and she seems to be in denial."

"My son is not a bad kid!" I snapped.

"Bella," Edward whispered in my ear.

"Mrs. Weber, I think this meeting is finished. You obviously have a problem with my wife and my son. You keep spouting out this bullshit about my son misbehaving. Bella works here, she knows the kids and how they act. I think you're a fucking bitch the way you thought Masen should have been punished, when he was hanging on that fucking stall," Edward snapped.

I knew this wasn't going to end well. Edward's face was getting redder. "You complain about my son and yet what about your daughter? I have heard nothing but nice things about her, but it seems to me like you put all the blame on Masen when something happens. Bella and I might not be the best parents in this fucking world, but we are not the worst. There isn't a fucking handbook on how to handle every situation with your child. We may butt heads sometimes, but what family doesn't? I will not sit here any longer and hear you patronize my wife or son for one more second. You have a good day," Edward finished.

Mrs. Weber stayed in her seat shock rendering her silently. I grabbed Masen's report card and took Edward's warm hand in mine. We left the classroom in a rush. Edward was fuming quietly. He opened the truck door for me and slammed the door shut. His door opened and he jumped in. Edward didn't start the ignition; we sat there in peace while he calmed down.

When Tanya was in third grade, she was really talkative in class. Mrs. Nomad had complained frequently about Tanya's behavior. There was always something wrong with Tanya, but Tanya was always great in school. The complaints about her didn't stop, and so I took her out of school and homeschooled her the remainder of that year. Now, whenever someone gets Masen in their class, they always say, "Oh, you have a Cullen," as if it was a bad thing.

"Bella, I don't want to listen to her bitch about Masen again. So I think we should talk to him and tell him to try to be quiet while she teaches, and leave that girl alone." His voice was strained.

"Edward, do you really think that will solve the problem? Clearly, Mrs. Weber doesn't like me, so she will probably take it out on Masen."

"Let's just see how this goes. I don't want to have another conference with that imbecile woman this year. She had no right to fucking treat you that way. She acted as if she was more superior than you—us."

I pulled his hand off the steering wheel and held it in my lap. We might be over-reacting about this situation, but I didn't think she had a right to put the blame on Masen when she had a classroom filled with other kids who behaved a lot worse than he did.

Edward started the car and the tires squealed as he pulled out of the parking lot. I sure hope I don't get a lot of shit when I come back to school next week.

As soon as we stepped inside the house it was filled with chaos. Tanya and Masen were yelling at each other, the television volume was so loud it hurt my ears, there were smashed Cheeto's on the tiled flooring that Brownie was gobbling up and grape juice was spilled on the counter. I felt like I was in a dream just watching the insanity—it couldn't possibly be happening, but it was.

"What the hell is going on?" Edward roared.

Tanya and Masen froze and turned to us, with guilt written all over their faces. "Well, I asked you a question."

"Tanya, was…." Masen spoke at the same time Tanya said, "The little brat was…." I couldn't understand what either of them were saying when they talked over one another.

"Quiet!" I yelled.

"Tanya, tell me what happened?" I asked her first.

"I was watching 90210, and Masen asked me to get him some Cheetos. I told him I would when the commercial came on and next thing I know I hear a bunch of noise in the kitchen. Masen managed to knock over the bag of Cheetos and spilled grape juice on the counter. I told him to wait, but he never listens." She glared at him. She turned back to us with a huff and her arms crossed against her chest.

"Masen, tell me what happened?" I asked, wanting to get his side of the story.

"Tanya kept telling me after a commercial break she would get me my snack, but whenever there was a commercial she would fast forward through them. She told me 'next commercial' and she did the same thing. I was really hungry so I thought I could reach the Cheetos. I slipped on the chair and knocked over the opened grape juice. I'm sorry Momma, I didn't mean to do it. I tried to clean it up, but Tanya started yelling at me."

I thought about both of their stories. Masen's sounded a lot more realistic then Tanya's. She had been known to torment her little brother all the time. The commercial thing was not a new one for her.

"You want to tell me why you kept doing that to your brother?" I asked her in a calm voice.

"Ugh! You always pick his side!" she huffed and rolled her brown eyes.

"That's because we have witnessed you doing that to him. Plus, his story is a lot more plausible than yours."

"Fine! Believe him. It wouldn't matter what I say. You will always believe him." She turned and stomped up the stairs.

"Tanya!" I was about chase after her but Edward pulled my arm back.

"Bella, just let it go for now. We have to talk to Masen right now."

I knew he was right. I didn't want to have to talk to Masen about his teacher, but if I wanted her to stop talking about my child in a negative way, then I needed to talk to Masen.

Masen sat down at the table across from Edward and me. He looked at us with a curious expression, a hint of nervousness peeking through. "Your mother and I met with your teacher today. She had some interesting things to say about you. First, I would like to let you know that your mother and I are very proud of your academics. You have done really well, buddy. However, your teacher voiced her concern about your behavior."

"She always picks on me," Masen mumbled.

"Masen, I need you to listen to me." Edward used his stern fatherly tone.

"Masen, please try and not call out a lot in class, and talk to others. I especially don't want you to talk to Mrs. Weber's daughter or throw erasers at her. If she throws them at you, just stick the eraser in your desk. Mrs. Weber is getting frustrated with your behavior and I know it isn't just you, but she won't admit it."

"But Angela always talks to me. You always told me never to ignore an adult, unless they tell me to do bad things. So I should just ignore her?" Masen inquired.

"I know, Mase. This is different, though. I need you to just stop. Think of Angela as your second teacher, if that helps. Please, just try your best to be on your best behavior. Okay, buddy?"

"Okay. Can I have some Cheetos now?" Masen asked, the conversation going right over his head. Hopefully, we won't have to have another conversation with Mrs. Weber again about this situation.

"I need a beer," Edward mumbled. The chair squeaked against the tile as he pushed away. He grabbed a cold beer from the fridge as he left the kitchen. I gave Masen the rest of the Cheetos—which wasn't that much, considering that more than half the bag was on the floor. I grabbed the vacuum and started cleaning up the smashed Cheetos. Brownie wasn't happy about that. I mopped up the sticky juice and then I went upstairs to change.

I was getting ready to walk back downstairs in my pajamas when Tanya stopped me. "Hey Mom, can you sign this for me?" she asked.

I looked at the paper; it was her grades. She had a couple A's and three B's. When I got down to Chemistry I noticed that the print changed. It looked like someone had made a copy of this on the computer and changed their grade. "Tanya, what grade do you have in Chemistry?"

"It says it on the paper," she rolls her eyes and points. "See, I have a C plus. That is a passing grade." Her voice shook and I knew instantly that she was lying.

"Tanya, where is your real progress report?" I asked in a stern but calm voice.

"It's right in front of you." Her voice cracked and she looked away from me.

"Tanya, show me your real progress report or I will go look it up on the computer. Your teachers always post your grades to Aries Browser Interface (ABI), so I will know if you are lying."

"Fine!" she yelled and stomped back to her room.

She came out seconds later with her real progress report. I looked at the grades and they were the same until I go to Chemistry. I felt the anger boiling up. "You got an F! Tanya, that's like not even trying in school. I took Chemistry and I at least got a C. You need to pass this class. If you don't, you won't get to graduate!" I yelled.

"I hate Chemistry! Mr. Banner sucks as a teacher. It's so boring and confusing and he talks in a monotone voice. I don't understand the big deal; he told me that he would give me a C if I show up the rest of the year."

"Clearly, you don't see the problem. Tanya, you will not be hanging out with Demetri or going out with your friends until this grade is up to a solid C," I told her.

"You can't do that!" she yelled.

"I think as your mother I can do that!" I snapped.

"I will now be driving you to school. Maybe next time you will think before trying to lie to me again. And I want your phone also."

"What? Why?" she yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Because I said so. You are grounded. I will let you have your phone when you are at school only to reach me or your father. I will call the phone company tomorrow and make sure they restrict any messages or calls your try to make."

"That's not fair!" she cried.

"What's not fair is being lied to, Tanya. Maybe next time you will think about your choices instead of lying to me. Now, go get me your phone."

"Ugh!" she screamed like a little child and stomped back to her room.

A few seconds later she emerged from her bedroom and roughly put the cell phone into the palm of my hand. "You're ruining my life!" she yelled and slammed her bedroom door.

"What the fuck was that?" Edward asked me in a calm voice.

I didn't realize he was near until I heard him. "She made a fake progress report. I called her out on her bullshit and she showed me the real one. She had great grades except for Chemistry. She is failing it and she doesn't see the big deal. I grounded her and told her she is on restriction with her phone. I don't understand why she would even lie. She knows that her teachers email us when they post her grades to ABI."

Edward made a move to walk into her room, but I put my hand on his arm. "It's been a long day. Let her cool off before you go and talk to her," I explained to him.

I didn't need another screaming match tonight. I was exhausted. I just wanted to go to bed and forget about this horrible day. Masen came up in his pajamas with Brownie. I tucked him into bed and made sure the lights were turned off. I crawled into bed with a half naked Edward and he wrapped me in a cocoon with his arms. I fell into a deep slumber within a matter of minutes.

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View
Hawaii.
Hawaii.
All I could think of was the warm, beautiful weather of Hawaii. This year instead of spending Christmas in snowy and cold Forks, my family decided that we should all go to Hawaii—Edward's parents included.
This last month I had been working out like crazy. Don't get me wrong, I know I am not fat; I'm just like any other woman. I want to have a nice toned body before I go anywhere near a bikini. I had bought some really cute ones online because stores weren't selling swimsuits in the winter—especially here in Forks.
We were leaving early tomorrow morning. Edward was in charge of packing up the car, while I made sure that I had everyone's clothes and necessities packed.
I had Masen's clothes all ready to go. Tanya was still working on hers. Rosalie was taking care of Brownie and Marty this week. She was jealous of me. While I would be outside tanning, she would be in the house at the beck and call of her mother-in-law. Mrs. McCarthy was one of the most intolerable women I had ever met—that included Mrs. Weber.
Speaking of Mrs. Weber, she hadn't really talked to me since that conference. Thanksgiving break was nice. We saw Tanya that whole week; she even helped me make Thanksgiving dinner. When I returned to work, I was called into Mrs. Cope's office and she wanted to tell me that I would need to respect Mrs. Weber and that foul language was not appropriate. I felt like a child once again. Since then, Mrs. Weber hadn't said much to me about Masen besides when he got detention for forgetting his homework or something stupid like that.
For the first week of winter break we were going to be in Hawaii, and then we would back by Christmas Eve. On New Year's Eve my sister was throwing a party at her home. We would definitely be spending the night, because I knew Edward and I would both be drinking so I didn't want to have to worry about getting home that night.
"Babe! Did you pack any sun screen in the carryon bag?" Edward yelled from downstairs.
"Yes!" I yelled back down; we would burn in the sun within minutes if I didn't bring it.
I finished putting my outfits and Edward's outfits in the suitcases. I had all of our other toiletries and necessities packed. I had fun in the Target travel section this week; everybody had their own set so they wouldn't be nagging me that I had forgotten to pack them something.
I wheeled the suitcases down the hall and left them by the stairs for Edward to take down. I went into my bedroom and finished dusting and cleaning my room. I was one of those mothers that hated leaving the house a mess when we went on a trip.
"Are there any more suitcases besides these two?" Edward yelled from down the hall.
"Nope, those are the only ones left, unless Tanya has another one."
"She doesn't need to bring anymore shit with her."
I laughed at him and finished dusting. Masen came running in and sat on my bed watching some cartoon show. They all looked the same to me but apparently they weren't. Masen went into detail about it, but I just nodded my head and pretended I knew what he was talking about.
When it was nine o'clock I told Masen he needed to go to bed. We had a six hour flight tomorrow. We were leaving at three in the morning and our flight would take off at four forty-five. We would land at ten forty-five our time, eight forty-five in the morning their time.
I walked back into the bedroom, once Masen was tucked in. Tanya was already asleep; she fell asleep a while ago claiming she needed her 'beauty sleep.' If only I could use that excuse, but if I did nothing would get done around here.
Edward was already in bed with his head propped up against his arms. He grinned lazily when he saw me. I stripped off my clothes and changed into one of Edward's shirts. I turned off the lights and joined him in bed.
I woke up to the loud alarm and quickly brushed my teeth. I was wearing comfortable shorts, a tank top, and light jacket. I woke up the kids and had to carry a heavy Masen down the stairs. Tanya was busy doing her make-up. It was pointless because we were going to be sleeping on the plane.
When it was finally time to leave, Edward already had the truck warmed up. Masen was asleep with his teddy bear in his arms, and Tanya was looking at herself in her compact mirror. I grabbed my cup of coffee and took a big sip. It was nice and warm, the perfect temperature. Edward finished locking up before he joined us and then we were off.
We arrived at the airport forty-five minutes later. We checked our bags in and then we went through security. They patted down Tanya—I thought it was hysterical—they said they had to for every fiftieth person. Tanya wasn't very happy about it. My parents were the only ones sitting in the chairs when we arrived. My mother said Vanessa just got here and Edward's parents were buying some last minute things in the store.
I sat down next to my mother and held a sleeping— not to mention heavy— Masen. Edward held our tickets and Tanya sat next to him doing something on her phone.
At four fifteen they started boarding us. I sat in between Masen and Edward. Tanya was sitting next to my sister. It was three people per row. We were behind them. Jacob and Edward were talking about a car; my sister and I talked a little bit, but we were both tired.
Tanya kept moving around and complaining under her breath. "This is so uncomfortable. Why couldn't we fly first class?"
My sister looked at me shocked and I just rolled my eyes and shrugged. I talked to my sister a lot and she never believed me when I said Tanya was really ungrateful for the things we did for her. She always wanted more.
"Tanya, you should be happy that your parents are taking you on this trip. It shouldn't matter that we aren't flying first class," my sister said in a calm voice.
"Aunt Nessa?" My sister and I waited for Tanya to say something but she quickly turned toward the window and shrugged, "Never mind."
Vanessa raised her eyebrows at me and I sighed. I knew she was going to ask me about Tanya later. I cuddled into Edward and fell asleep once they turned off the lights and we took off. I woke up five hours later. Masen, Tanya, Vanessa, and Jake were the only ones asleep in our section.
Edward kissed the top of my head and ran his fingers through my hair. My stomach started growling and Edward got up and grabbed the bag of chips he bought. It wasn't the healthiest choice, but it was still food.
The kids finally woke up just before landing. When we stepped out of the plane we were greeted and given a lei. We went over to baggage claim and looked for our suitcases; we had marked them with neon green and orange tape so they'd be easy to spot. It took the longest time and the sun was already beating on my clammy skin.
Finally, Tanya's bags came through and we each grabbed our bags and left. There was a shuttle waiting to bring us to the Grand Wailea Resort. It was very expensive for our family to go, but Edward's parents and my parents took us on a trip every year. The only thing that we had to do was buy our plane tickets, and whatever else we needed.
I sat next to Edward on the bus; Masen was sitting next to an unhappy Tanya. I couldn't wait to get into our room. I was looking forward to it just being Edward and me. I watched my parents bicker with one another because he wouldn't put on chap-stick. I loved my parents and I knew they loved each other, but they could not be anymore opposite to one another. My mom was born in England— she was very conservative, but she was also free-spirited. My father, on the other hand, worked as the Chief of Police; he was always so serious and uptight. He was a pizza and beer kind of guy whereas my mother loved to cook amazing dinners.
"Charlie, put the bloody fucking hell chap-stick on!"
"Renee, I'm not a child!" he snapped.
"Well, you sure are acting like one," she huffed.
"Give it to me," he grunted and took it. I watched the pleased smile form on my mother's face as he put it on. He gave my mother a kiss and then they were happy-go-lucky.
The shuttle pulled up to the hotel and we all got out. We checked in, and thankfully we were all on the same floor. Masen and Tanya were in a separate room, along with Seth, Quil, and Embry. I felt better having the kids next to my room just in case Tanya did something she shouldn't or if she was bothering Masen.
We went up to our rooms and unpacked. I helped Masen put his things in the dresser and then put his swimsuit on the bed. I went back into my room and changed into an aqua and purple colored bandeau bikini with a black cover-up.
I walked out into the room. Edward was propped up on the bed watching the television. When he saw me he smiled. I knew what he was happy about— I had three tattoos; two were hidden most of the time. On my right wrist I had the word 'believe,' on my ribcage I had the word 'myself,' and on my hip the word 'love' tattooed on my body.
He pulled me onto the bed with him and I straddled his waist. He started tracing the tattoo on my hip. "Edward we have to go, the kids will be waiting for us."
There was a bit of mischief in his green eyes. "I'm not doing anything."
His hands squeezed my ass, making me squeal. "Edward!"
He chuckled and acted like he had done nothing wrong. "Let's go," I said and crawled away from him.
"Ah, come on, babe," he laughed.
I leaned over him on the bed. "Later," I said, and kissed his lips.
"I'm going to hold you to that," he mumbled, rolling out of the bed.
I grabbed the beach bag and filled it with sunscreen, some snacks, and towels. Edward grabbed the cooler. I knocked on the kids door and Masen came out in his swimsuit and flip flops. He was ready to go. Tanya was on the phone with Demetri and said she would meet us by the pool in a little bit. I wasn't in the mood to tell her to get off the phone so we just left.
We met my family and Edward's parents in the lobby. It was decorated in golden colors with a crystal chandelier. My mother and Esme were in their swimsuits and cover-ups. My mother was so skinny, but she never showed her stomach. She always thought she was heavy. When I am her age, I hope to have a body like hers.
"Bella, darling, where is Tanya?" my mother asked.
"She is upstairs on the phone. She will join us soon," I told my mom. She was giving me a disapproving look.
"Should I just go up there and tell her to get off that phone? I would like to see my granddaughter for once," Esme said.
"No, it's fine. I promise she will join us soon," I told her.
Esme and my mother went off chatting and we all followed. We found a nice cabana near the pool. The pool was huge; there were palm trees on platforms in the water, a bridge, and many waterfalls.
I set our things down and grabbed the sunscreen. My sister was spraying down her boys and Edward grabbed Masen before he got into the water. I rubbed the lotion on him and made sure he had chap-stick on. I put sunscreen on myself and had Edward put it on my back. I did the same for him.
My mother and Esme sat on the chairs with their Mai Tais. I got in the water with Edward and we swam around. My sister and Jacob were relaxing with us in the water while the kids played around. I guess they weren't all kids, because Tanya and Quil were eighteen, and Embry was sixteen. Seth was eleven and Masen was eight—they were the only 'kids,' I guess you could say.
"Daddy! Daddy, can you come play with us?" Masen yelled.
"I'll be right there, buddy," Edward answered him.
"Hey, I'm going to go with Mase, do you need anything?" Edward asked me, and kissed my shoulder.
"Nope, I'm good," I said.
Jacob and Edward went off to play with the boys while my sister and I sat in the water. She had a hot body, but she always wore an ugly one-piece bathing suit. "What's with the suit, Nessa?" I asked.
She rolled her eyes at me, "Oh come on, Bella. I am not as brave as you to wear a tiny bikini. I have stretch marks— I don't think I can find even one on your stomach. Plus, I am older than you. I am almost forty, and I shouldn't be showing off my wrinkly body."
"Wrinkly?" I laughed. "There is not one wrinkle on your skin. You have a fabulous body, especially after having three boys. Show it off." I nudge her.
"Let's change the subject. What's up with Tannie?" she asked. Her eyebrows were raised and her lips were raised up in a smirk.
"Okay? I'm sorry for mentioning that you should be in less clothing." I laughed and put my hands up.
"Bella?" Her tone told me that she wanted to know what was really going on.
"She's just a teenager. That's all I can say."
She snickered. "I seem to remember a certain girl who use to act the same way. She was always on the phone, even on the computer. Her name was Bella."
"I was not that bad," I interrupted her.
"Bella, come on. I am your sister. I knew what was going on between you and Edward. Tanya is the same way, except she has an attitude. You were never rude to mom or dad. We never questioned them. You definitely have your hands full with Tanya."
"Speaking of…" Vanessa pointed behind me.
Tanya came walking down the pool, wearing white heels and a black bikini—if you could call it that.
"Where the hell did you get that!?" Edward yelled at her.
She rolled her eyes and ignored him. He turned to me his eyes blazing. "Bella, did you buy that shit for her?"
I shook my head. "No, I've never seen it before."
"Demetri bought it for me," Tanya smiled.
"You look like a fucking hooker. Why the hell are you wearing heels?" Edward wasn't reacting well to her little outfit.
"Tanya, go back and change into something more appropriate." I used my stern mom voice.
"Are you serious?" she asked.
"Tanya, you heard your mother," my mother said.
Tanya rolled her eyes and walked back toward the hotel. "That is fucking ridiculous, Bella. That boy's buying her that kind of shit now?"
"Edward! I don't want to hear that language coming out of your mouth, young man." Esme scolded.
Edward scoffed and Esme cocked her eyebrow up. "Sorry, Ma," he mumbled.
Vanessa and I laughed at him and went back to talking about the kids while relaxing in the pool.
Later that night, we were all showered and dressed for dinner. Tonight we would be eating at the hotel restaurant; they had really great food here. After the pool incident Tanya was acting much nicer—I believe it was because she didn't want my mother or Esme to get mad at her.
I was drinking a Mai Tai tonight; they added a little extra rum to mine. Edward was having his Heineken; I swear that is all he drinks. Masen sat down at the far end; he was trying to talk with Seth. Seth was now in middle school and thought he was too cool for his younger cousin. It was hard for Masen, because he just wanted someone to play with.
I sat there quietly eating the different crackers and sauces they brought out—they were so good. The waiter came over and took our order a few minutes later. Edward laughed at me when I ordered a cheeseburger. I hated seafood—kind of ironic since I was in Hawaii—but you couldn't pay me to eat it. My kids were the same way. Edward was the only one who liked it. He ordered the fried calamari sandwich.
I gagged and he laughed at me. Masen got the macaroni and cheese with fruit on the side, and Tanya got a house salad. I continued to fill up on the crackers until the food arrived.
My mouth was watering from the smell of the burger. I couldn't get farther away from Edward and his big calamari sandwich. The smell was already a big turn off. He was going to brush his teeth before his mouth came anywhere near me.
My father dug into his salmon; he was giving me the stink eye. My mom made him order the salmon instead of the cheeseburger he desperately wanted. She was in healthy food phase.
"This tastes like shit," my father grumbled.
"Charlie, stop it. It's healthy and good for your heart." My mother nudged his arm.
"I would rather die happy and fat than depressed and skinny," he grumbled.
"Oh, shut up, will you," my mother huffed.
My father grinned at her and asked the waiter if he could have a cheeseburger instead of the salmon. While he waited for his food he munched on the crackers, much to my mother's distaste. After that little argument, conversation flowed freely.
I woke up the next morning feeling energized. Edward was still asleep on his stomach; his arms were underneath his pillow. I brought my hands up and traced the black ink of the 'Cullen Crest' on the soft skin of his back. We were supposed to meet my family downstairs in one hour for our beach day. The boys were going to snorkel and the girls were going to tan.
I kissed his shoulder blade and rolled out of bed. The alcohol morning breath tasted rotten. I got a little tipsy last night and instead of brushing my teeth, I went to bed instead. It was a long flight yesterday and I was tired from the night before.
I brushed my teeth quickly and used the restroom before my bladder exploded. When I walked back into the bedroom, Edward was just getting up. He sat propped up against the bed and his hands were rubbing against his eyes.
"Morning handsome," I chirped in excitement.
He chuckled, "Morning."
I walked over to him and placed a small kiss on his lips. I went into the dresser and pulled out my black bikini. I took off Edward's shirt and started changing into my swimsuit. Edward whistled at me when he came out of the bathroom and I rolled my eyes.
"Can you go check on the kids?" I asked.
"And miss the show? I don't think so," he smirked.
I took the white shirt I wore last night and threw it at him. "Edward! Go," I laughed.
"You still owe me for yesterday!" he called out as he walked down the hall.
I swear even after eighteen years of being together, all he thinks about is sex, money, food, and beer. He is still the man I fell in love with all those years ago. I hope that he never changes.
"Momma! Momma!" Masen kept repeating as he ran into our room.
Edward followed quickly behind him with Masen's swim trunks. "What, Mase?" I asked.
He jumped around flapping his arms. "I get to go snorkeling with Daddy!" he said in a high pitched voice.
"Masen, calm down. I know you're excited, but you need to get dressed and have a nice big breakfast. You also can't go into the water until you have some sunscreen on," I said, and he pouted at me. He knew how to work it; it was so hard not to smile at him.
"Can I use your bathroom? Tanya is still in ours. She takes too long," he said, and shrugged his shoulders.
"Go ahead." I motioned for him to go in.
Once Masen was in the bathroom, Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder. "I have a surprise for you tonight. Jacob and your sister said they would watch over the kids."
"Really? What's the surprise?" I asked, and bit my bottom lip.
"Oh, you know that lip thing kills me. And no, I am not going to tell you."
Masen came out a few minutes later and I finished packing the beach bag before we headed downstairs. Tanya was still on the phone talking to Demetri. It was extremely annoying, but she was going to do what she wanted to do.
We met everyone in the lobby. Masen was jumpy and full of energy. I made him eat a strawberry Pop Tart—I know, such a healthy choice—before he went snorkeling. He needed to have something in his stomach. While Edward got the gear, I lathered up Masen with sunscreen.
I made sure Edward had sunscreen on too—let's face it, when your guy is sick or in pain they act like such babies. This lady right here was not going to be taking care of a lobster man. Once all the boys were ready, they were off.
I placed my towel on the chair and lay out in the sun. Vanessa and Esme went to test out the water. I knew it was silly, but I was afraid of the ocean. I didn't like that fish and other creatures lived in it. The farthest I would go in was to my ankles. When we were little, Vanessa got stung by a jellyfish and that freaked me the hell out. She still loved the ocean, me not so much.
"Bella, are you going to join us?" my sister hollered.
"Nope, I am fine right here," I responded back to her.
I could hear her laugh at me, so I continued to tan while ignoring her.
"Momma, it was so much fun. We saw starfish and these blue fish, and…." Masen couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had.
It made me smile that he was having a lot of fun. Edward strutted over to me and plopped himself on the towel next to me. "Hey, you want to go in the water?" he asked me with a knowing smirk.
"Haha, very funny."
"Oh, come on, Bella!" Vanessa yelled from the water.
"No," I said, and closed my eyes.
One minute I was tanning and the next minute I was flung over Edward's shoulder and brought into the warm ocean water. I clung to Edward and screamed for him to stop. He didn't listen to me and my parents and sister thought it was hysterical.
"Edward, don't," I pleaded.
He pulled me around his body so we were facing each other and my legs were wrapped around his waist. I placed my arms around his back and held onto him tightly. "Edward." My voice cracked.
"Bella, you're fine. I've got you," he whispered in my ear and then kissed my forehead.
I continued to shake against him until he finally walked us out of the water. Walking over to the chair in silence, I plopped down into the seat. My family continued to stare at me, but I ignored them. Edward knew my fear of water and yet he dragged me in there like a fucking caveman. The silent treatment will do him good.
After my nice warm shower, I lathered up my dry skin in my favorite lotion, Paris Amour. I was excited for my night out with Edward; I had no idea what he had in store for us. My white sundress made my skin look golden. I left my hair down in soft curls.
"You ready?" Edward popped his head in through the crack in the door.
"Yes, just give me a second," I replied.
I slipped into my sandals and headed out to him. Edward smiled as soon as he saw me and kissed my lips. "You look beautiful as always."
"Thanks, so do you…I mean, you look handsome," I stammered, making us both laugh.
"Alright, let's go." I had kissed the kids goodnight before we had gone back to our room to get ready for our night away. Edward made sure to grab our room key before we left.
Edward held my hand as he led us down to the elevator. There were a couple of people in it already as we headed down. When the doors opened, he led me outside into a black car. We got in the back and the driver took off. I was extremely nervous because I didn't know who the hell this guy was and second of all, I hated surprises.
It seemed like a few minutes later the car stopped. Edward handed the man some money and helped me out of the vehicle. It was dark out, but there were a streak of blue lights shining making the ground visible. He was silent as he led me down the path and then he stopped. The sight made me gasp. There beside the aqua blue waterfall were pink lilies scattered across a white blanket. In the corner was a picnic basket with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. It was beautiful.
"Did you do all this?" I asked him.
"Anything for my beautiful wife," he smiled.
I leaned up on my tippy toes and brushed my lips against his. "It's beautiful. I love it," I smiled.
"I'm glad you do."
He took my hand and pulled me behind him. I sat down next to him on the white, plush blanket. He poured us each a glass of wine, which I kindly took. Moving my body, I sat in between his legs. My back was pressed against his chest. I don't know how long we stayed there, but I do know that there was a lot of kissing, and clothes were ripped off each other's bodies.
When we got back to our hotel, all I wanted was to snuggle against him and fall asleep, but of course that didn't happen. As soon as we stepped foot into our room, we saw Masen sitting on our bed with his teddy bear watching the television.
"Can I sleep with you? I had a bad dream," he whimpered.
"Of course you can," I smiled at him.
I quickly changed into my pajamas and joined my boys in the bed. As much as I loved Masen, it was hard when he slept with us. I always woke up the next morning extremely tired and with a backache. Edward gave me a tiny peck on my lips. When I turned my head I notice a pouting Masen. "What's wrong, Mase?" I asked.
"What about me?" he asked and puckered his lips.
I laughed at him and kissed his cheek. I turned and my side and quickly found sleep, but not for long…

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View
I could hear Tanya downstairs asking me if I washed her blue sweater. My answer would most likely be no. We had just gotten back from Hawaii a week ago; Edward's parents rented a small condo for us, extending our trip. Since we stayed longer than intended, I had endless piles of laundry, I needed to go grocery shopping, and we were starting school tomorrow. The stress level was not doing me any good.
Edward was out buying the groceries that I specifically asked for. If I didn't give him a list he would come home with all this crap that we didn't need in the house.. While Edward was out I was putting a load of laundry in the washer and then folding the dry clothes upstairs on my bed while watching reruns of "90210."
"Mom, I am going to Demetri's!" Tanya yelled.
If I told her no, it wouldn't exactly matter, "Fine, but you must be back by four thirty!" I yelled.
A loud engine made the house vibrate and I knew it was Demetri. I sometimes wondered how long their relationship would last; his parents don't exactly run in the same social circle as us. I had a nagging feeling throughout this past year that Demetri was going to use my daughter and then break her heart. He was always nice and courteous to us, but there was just something about him that made me hesitant about his intentions with my daughter.
I heard feet pounding on the tile floor and seconds later Masen came running in with Brownie behind him. "Momma, Brownie needs a bath. She is starting to smell again." He used his fingers to plug his nose.
Brownie sat on the floor panting and staring at Masen. "Well, if you want you can give her a bath. You just need to make sure that the bathroom door is shut. I don't want her running around and brushing up against the walls."
"I promise!" he yelled with Brownie chasing after him.
He came back in his swimsuit and a worn out towel for Brownie. I went into the hall closet and grabbed Brownie's shampoo. Masen was testing out the temperature of my shower. He picked up Brownie and as carefully as he could while holding a struggling dog brought her into the shower.
I could hear Masen trying to calm her down and singing "Scrub a dub dub" in the shower. It didn't look like I had made a dent in the pile of laundry on my bed, but it sure felt like I had.
Masen came out with a dry Brownie twenty minutes later; he had dried her with the blow-dryer—she howled during the whole time. It was kind of cute. I went into my bathroom and stared in horror at the mess they made. There was water everywhere and my blow-dryer was on the ground. I groaned and started picking up the mess.
"Momma! Momma! Daddy bought some Twinkies!" Masen exclaimed.
I narrowed my eyes at Edward. If there was one snack I hated the most it would be Twinkies. They were left on the shelf for the longest time, it grossed me out. "Were Twinkies on the list?" I asked him.
"Nope," he picked one up and put it in his mouth.
"Edward, I told you not to buy that crap," I groaned.
"Just splurge sometimes, Bella," he smiled and grabbed another one. I rolled my eyes and went back upstairs to fold the last load of laundry—hopefully.

---

"I hate you!" Masen screamed.
I walked downstairs; the nice bicker-free vacation was over. Masen had tears streaming down his face and Tanya looked nervous.
"What happened?" I sighed.
"She killed my Marty!" Masen accused Tanya.
My head whipped around to her and she shook her head. "I didn't mean to, Mom. I was reaching over the counter for my cup and I accidently hit the fish bowl and Marty went down the drain."
"No, you purposely killed my fish!" Masen was hysterical.
"Mom, I'm serious. I really didn't mean to, but the counter was slippery and I thought I could grab it, but the bowl slid with the cup and shattered in the sink after Marty slipped out," Tanya cried.
"I knew you always hated me. Why did you have to hurt my fish?" Masen continued to rant.
"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry!" she yelled back.
I was getting a headache from the tone of their voices and the back and forth banter. Edward needed to get out of the shower and help me with the kids. Placing my fingers on the bridge of my nose, I put slight pressure on it.
"Enough!" Edward's voice rang out.
I suddenly felt a lot better having him here to help me. He looked at the kids expectantly waiting for them to calmly tell them what's going on. "What happened?" he asked.
The kids both tried to speak, but Edward held up the palm of his hand. "One at a time."
Masen went first, "She killed Marty!" he sobbed loudly.
Edward's eyes bulged out of his head and narrowed into slits. "Tanya, is that true?"
"Daddy, I didn't do it on purpose. I promise. I was just trying to grab my glass and the bowl slipped. It wasn't on a towel like it usually was and I tried to catch Marty, but he was already down the drain."
"Stop pretending that it was an accident. You killed him on purpose!" Masen pushed Tanya.
"Masen!" I yelled and pulled him away from Tanya.
"She killed Marty!" he repeated over and over.
"Bella, take Masen out of here," Edward spoke in a demanding tone.
"Tanya, go to your room for now and calm down," I said in a soothing voice.
"Bella, I want to talk to her." I knew if he talked with her now, he would say something he would regret.
"No, everyone needs to calm down. Tanya, go to your room. Edward, please leave her alone." I pleaded for him to understand before I took Masen out of the kitchen. Masen cuddled against me as I tried to calm him down. Marty was his first pet; he won him at the school festival three years ago. I never thought that little goldfish would live so long.
I believed that it was an accident. Forgetting the towel underneath the fish bowl was my fault. The bowl was so slippery on the tile.
"Shhh, its okay, Mase," I cooed in his ear.
His tears dripped onto my skin. I held him tightly and rocked him back and forth. Edward walked in a few minutes later with his beer and sat down next to us. "How's he doing?" he asked.
"He's mourning his first pet. It's hard for him." I pursed my lips together.
"Do you really believe that it was an accident?" he sounded hesitant and nervous.
"Yes, Tanya can bitchy. But, I don't think she intended to kill Marty." I was absolutely sure she didn't mean it.
He took a swig of his beer and scoffed. "You can't be serious. Tanya would do anything to hurt her brother's feelings."
Giving him an incredulous look, I stammered. "You and I both know that Tanya has some personal issues she hasn't expressed yet. But she would never intentionally hurt him this way."
"I think a week at your parents house will do her some good." He stared off at the blank television.
I felt movement on my lap and completely forgot that Masen was there. "We will discuss this later." I motioned down to Masen with my eyes.
"Fine," he grunted and got off the couch.
I didn't want to fight with him, but he wasn't even giving Tanya a chance. Letting out the breath I had been holding in, I ran the pads of my fingers across Masen's cheek. "Hey, Mase? Would you like to go to the pet store and get a new fish? I know they are open for at least another hour."
He shook his head and grumbled, "I don't want another fish. I want Marty."
"Mase, I know this is hard, but Marty isn't coming back. He will be in the ocean with all the other fish. Maybe he will find his family." I said, trying to think of something that would put him at ease.
"But, we are Marty's family." His voice cracked.
"Mase, are you sure you don't want another fish?" I asked.
"What if Marty hates me, because I have a new fish? I don't want him to feel like I didn't love him."
"Mase, I am sure he knew that you loved him. Now, how about you get your shoes on and we can get another fish?"
"Can I pick any fish I want?" he perked up.
"Sure," I responded and he jumped up and ran to get his shoes.
I walked into the kitchen to see Edward throwing away his empty bottle of beer. "Hey, I'm going to take Mase to the pet shop. Want to come?" I asked him.
"Really, Bella? Do you think that will make a difference? Buying him a new fish?" he scoffed, acting like this was my dumbest idea.
"Yes, and he is excited. What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked, anger lingered in my tone. He was acting pissed off at me for no reason.
"You know what? Why don't you stay home. I'll be back in an hour." I glared at him and grabbed my purse.
He grabbed another beer and slammed the fridge door shut. "I don't really give a damn," he mumbled under his breath.
"You can sleep on the fucking couch tonight, jackass!" I snarled after him.
"Already planning on it!" he yelled back.
"Argh!" I stomped out of the house and slammed the door. Masen and I got in the Jeep, and I drove way over the speed limit to get to the pet store. The ride to the store was silent. I was angry with the way Edward was acting, as if he knew everything.
We got to the pet store just in time. There were rabbits, lizards, and cats. In the very back there were fish. Masen was very excited and was looking at all of them. I was hoping he would pick another goldfish.
"Hello!" A voice from the back called out. "Hello!"
"Hi." I greeted back.
Miss Sulpicia, an elderly woman, came slowly down the stairs. "Oh, hello there Mrs. Cullen and Masen, how are you two doing today?" she smiled.
Her grey hair was falling out of her messy bun and her glasses were crooked. "Well, Marty finally passed away. So, we are here to buy another goldfish." I smiled.
"Oh, poor thing, you guys have had Marty for years." She put her hand out on Masen's shoulder and brought him over to small hidden tank. "We just got a new shipment on goldfish; there is a fish that reminds me of you Masen. He is such a hyper little thing. He swims back and forth constantly."
In the tank was a lonely skinny goldfish. He was swimming back and forth, it was cute. I wasn't a fan of fish, but for Masen I could suck it up and have it in the house if it made him happy. "Momma, can I have him?" he asked.
"If he's the one you want, then sure." I smiled at his happy state.
He bounced up and down and Miss Sulpicia grabbed a Styrofoam cup filled with water. She carefully used the net and captured the fish. Masen held out his hands for his new pet and smiled. He started wildly talking to it. I went over to the counter to pay for the fish, but she would not accept the money.
"Oh dear, please don't worry about the cost. This one is on me." She smiled.
"Thank you." I smiled back at her.
"Take care of him," she called out to Masen.
"I promise, thank you." He gave her a toothy grin.
"Such a sweet boy," she sighed.
"Have a nice night," I told her.
"You too, sweetie," she smiled at me.
I got Masen in the car and then we were off. Home didn't seem like the place I really wanted to be at this moment. My gut was telling me that something bad was going to happen tonight—something worse than Marty going down the drain.
"So what are you going to name him?" I interrupted Masen in the middle of him telling the new fish about Marty.
"Lester." He smiled.
I laughed, "Where did that name come from?"
He shrugged and went back to talking to Lester. I smiled at him through the rearview mirror.
As soon as we stepped foot in the house, Edward was yelling at Tanya. "Masen, go upstairs and you can put Lester in Marty's old fish bowl."
"Okay," he said oblivious to all the yelling.
"Oh, come on Tanya. Stop pretending that you are such an angel. I know you killed your brother's fucking fish. Just admit it!"
I walked into the kitchen to see a bloodshot Edward and a hysterical Tanya. It seemed like Edward was struggling to stay upright.
"I swear! Why don't you ever listen to me? I am telling you the truth!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Cut the shit! You have always been so ungrateful!"
"Edward! What the hell are you doing?" I yelled.
"Oh come on Bella, how many fucking nights have you cried over her not being grateful for all the sacrifices we made for her. You know what I am fucking talking about."
"Well, I am sorry for being such a burden on you. I might as well just leave, because I can see that you love Masen a hell of a lot more than me. You can have your perfect family now that I'm gone!" she sobbed and stormed away.
"Tanya!" I called after her.
She ran out of the house. I chased after her, but she was already gone. I stormed back in the house trying to find my keys. It was dark out and anything could happen to her. "Let her go, Bella," he whispered behind me.
I turned around and slapped him across his face. "Leave me alone, Edward."
He stared at me in shock and I used that time to grab my keys and head out. I turned on the car and pulled out of the driveway. As I continued to driving down the black roads, Tanya's voicemail rang out in the silent car.
"Come on, Tanya." I begged, "Hi, this is Tanya. I'm not here right now, so leave your…" I snapped my phone shut.
I don't know how she got so far. It seemed like she had just left. Looking through the contacts in my phone, I finally found my parents number and dialed. On the second ring it was picked up and the sound of my mother's voice rang.
"Mom, Tanya ran away!" I frantically yelled.
"She…gone…I tried…stopping her…" I tried to say a full sentence, but it was becoming too difficult.
"Bella, calm down; now start from the beginning and tell me what happened." My mother spoke in such a soothing tone.
I pulled over on the side of the road, not wanting to risk an accident. Reaching over on the passenger seat, I grabbed a tissue to wipe the salty tears and snot.
"Earlier, Tanya accidentally bumped Marty's bowl and he went down the sink. I knew it was an accident, but Edward believed that she did it on purpose. He was being such a jackass, not only to Tanya, but to me. So, I told him to leave Tanya alone, and I took Masen to get a new fish. When I got back Edward was yelling at Tanya and accusing her of lying. She ran outside after saying she was sorry she was such a burden."
"Oh, dear," my mother sighed.
"That's not all. Edward told me to let her go and I hit him. I actually slapped him in the face. That isn't something I usually do. And I left and am trying to find Tanya," I cried.
"Bella, have you called her?" my mother asked.
"Yes, and it's going straight to voicemail. What if something happens to her?" I wept, my voice cracking at the end.
"Bella, please calm down. Let me go get your father so he can call the station and have them search for her. Call us if you find her."
"Mom wait!" I stopped her before she hung up.
"Yes," she waited for me to respond.
"If I find her, is it all right if we stay at your house tonight? I really don't want to be near Edward right now."
"I'll wait up for you and make sure everything is ready for you guys." My mother always knew how to calm me down.
"Thank you."
"Alright, well call back if you find anything."
"I promise." Then I clicked the end button.
I continued to call Tanya's phone as I zipped down the streets. It was a half hour later and I still couldn't reach her, nor did the on duty officers find her. This was a mother's worst fear— not knowing if her child is safe or where they are.
Another fifteen minutes, Tanya finally picked up her phone. "Mom," she croaked.
"Tanya, where are you? Are you alright?" I was relieved to hear her voice.
"Mom, I'm fine. Demetri picked me up at the park. I'm at his house."
"I'm coming to pick you up."
"No," she interrupted. "I'm going to stay over here tonight. I promise to come back home tomorrow. I just don't want to hear dad shout at me. You know I didn't mean to kill Marty?"
"I know you didn't. Masen and I will be at your Grandmother Renee's house. Call me when you get to school tomorrow?"
"I promise," she paused as if she was hesitant to say anything else. She gave in. "Mom, I love you."
"I love you too, Tannie." My heart warmed at the foreign words coming from her. She hung up and I quickly dialed my mother again, as I made a u-turn back home.
Ignoring Edward on the couch, I stormed up the stairs. I grabbed clothes and my necessities, stuffing them into a duffle bag. Edward rounded the corner into the bedroom and his eyes turned wild. "Where the fuck do you think you are going?"
"Masen and I are going to be staying with my mother for a few days." I spoke in a calm tone.
"You can't be serious. We have a small fight and you completely freaked out. This is nothing new, Bella."
I stopped packing and threw the bag on the bed, before turning to him. "Do you hear yourself?"
"Bella, she is doing this for attention."
"No, she isn't!" I interrupted, "She is acting like a teenager and she learned that from you!" My throat was killing me.
"You know what, screw you." He shook his head and walked out of the bathroom.
The tears rushed down my face as I cried. Tanya may get her physical traits from me, but her personality was all her father. Edward was the same way with his parents when I first met him. They didn't have a close relationship and he often rebelled against them to get attention. Now, he couldn't be any closer to his parents.
I finished shoving my things in my bag before running to Masen's room. I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw his tear stricken face and he was holding his teddy bear tightly. "Momma, are you and Daddy getting a divorce?"
My stomach dropped down to my feet, and I rushed over to him. "No, Mase, why would you think that?"
He sniffled and looked down. "Because, you and Daddy were fighting. Alec said that when parents fought they got a divorce."
I wrapped my arms around him. "No, we are not getting a divorce. Sometimes mommies and daddies fight. But well be okay," I sighed.
I pulled away from him and got off the bed. "You and I are going to spend a couple of days with Nana Renee. So go get your toothbrush and I am going to pack a couple of other things for you."
He scrambled off the bed and I finished getting his things together. When everything was ready, I walked downstairs to see Edward drinking another beer and sitting on the couch watching a basketball game.
"Say goodnight to your father." I nudged Masen.
Masen ran to his dad and hugged him. Edward whispered something in Masen's ear but I was too far away to hear exactly what it was. Masen bounced back over to me with his teddy bear and we walked out of the house. He hopped in the car. I reached inside my purse and tried to find my cell phone but I must have left it in the house.
"Be right back." I told him.
I walked up the steps and went inside. "How many days?"
I whipped around seeing Edward take another swig of his beer. "I don't know."
He let out a deep breath and ran his hands on his face. "Bella…I…"
My phone lit up on the counter next to him. Quickly picking it up I turned around and told him, "I'll text you when I get there," before I ran out of the house and into the car.
About forty-five minutes later we arrived at my parents house. I sent Edward a quick text and turned off my phone. There was nothing he could say to me right now. We both needed to calm down.
When my mother opened the door for me I collapsed in her arms and cried. My father took Masen upstairs as my mother held me and soothingly ran her hands up and down my back. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. It seemed like hours before I finally fell into a restless slumber.

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View
"Hey, Bella! Can you get me and Jacob another beer?" Edward called out from the family room.
"Be right there!" I answered him.
I let out the breath I was holding in. My sister and I were refilling the bowls of chips and dip. Handing her the bag of Doritos, I walked away and grabbed two beers. Edward's smile was lazy once he saw me; I could tell he was already tipsy and grabby. I handed him the beer bottle and gave Jake his.
"Thanks, babe." He smiled and kissed my cheek.
My lips formed a tight smile and I walked away. The past few weeks were hard on the whole family. I had stayed with my parents for the remainder of that first week, and made sure to call Edward every night. Tanya had come home with Masen and me. After a long, rigorous talk, Edward had admitted that he was wrong for accusing Tanya and kicking her out. He and I continued to talk after Tanya went to her room. He realized his anger toward Tanya was because he was the same way as a teenager. He didn't want her to be like him.
Things have gotten better, but you could still feel the tension, and I hated it. Edward and I had sex two nights ago and I felt so disconnected from him. It felt like our passionate flame had gone out.
Work was going well so far; I didn't have any problems aside from benching kids. Mrs. Weber wasn't talking to me about Masen although she placed a behavior chart on his desk. I just brushed that aside. If that made her happy then who was I to argue?
I heard a knock on the door bringing me out of my inner musings, "Bella!" my best friend called.
"Hi Rose, we're in the kitchen." Seconds later she strutted in with Emmett following closely behind her.
"Hi Bella," Emmett greeted.
"Hey, Em, Edward and Jake are watching the game—beer is in the fridge so make yourself at home."
Emmett grabbed a couple of beers and one of the bowls filled with corn chips. "Yo Ed! What's the score?" he boomed.
"So how is everything?" Rose asked.
"It's getting better, but there is still that hesitant boundary between us. I don't want to get in another fight like that and I think he feels the same way." I explained and grabbed Rose and I some beer.
"I say you two try family counseling." My sister knew how much I did not want to tell another person about my problems and have them tell me what I was doing wrong.
"I know Bella would never do that, and if she did, you know how much Edward would disagree. He couldn't stand the high school counselor talking to him about his anger issues." Rose choked out a laugh.
"Bella, it's time for the two of you to grow up. You aren't teenagers anymore." My sister put her hand on my shoulder.
"Thanks for the advice Vanessa, but I just…no." I shrugged and walked away.
I could hear Rose and my sister talking about Edward and me as I walked up the stairs. Masen was sitting in his room while his cousins and Rose's boys were playing video games. Instead of engaging with his cousins, Masen sat on his bed with Brownie reading The Diary of a WimpyKid.
"Do you guys need anything?" I asked.
"No, we're good," Riley said as his eyes focused on the screen. I hated video games. It was a present from my in-laws to Masen.
As I walked down the hall I heard a loud cheer from the boys and right after— of course— my son. "Can you guys tone it down? I'm trying to read here."
Yep, that's my boy.
I had a pep in my step as I went down the stairs. Edward was leaning against the wall and finishing up his beer. I jumped up on his back and wrapped my legs around his waist. He seemed surprise but pleased.
"Hello, beautiful girl." His voice sounded like honey.
Humming against his neck, I pulled away from him and walked into the kitchen. The oven timer went off at the same time the door bell rang. A high-pitched voice alerted me to Alice's arrival. She had promised to stop by tonight after her daughter Kate's ballet lesson. She had such a bubbly personality compared to her husband, Jasper. Alice was always so hyper whereas Jasper was calm. They really balanced each other out.
Kate walked into the kitchen behind her mother. She looked nothing like Alice. Alice had short brown hair and green eyes, and Kate had strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes like her father.
"Hi, Kate." I smiled at her and in return she brushed me off.
Alice rolled her eyes as her four year old daughter, Kate went upstairs. "I just love her attitude," she sighed.
"Just wait until she gets into high school," I huffed in annoyance. "So, how have you been? It seems like forever since I last saw you." My arms were wrapped tightly around her shoulders.
"Well, I have been good and busy as usual. Jasper is working on expanding his bar. And we have been doing some renovations to our kitchen."
Rose came out of the pantry with the margarita maker, "You mind?"
I shook my head, "Be my guest."
She plugged it in and added the ingredients. I wasn't tall enough to reach the glasses so I asked Edward if he could get them. As he was reaching up on the top shelf to grab the glasses, I stayed back and admired the dimples on his lower back and his perfect ass. I couldn't wait to get my hands on him later.
I pushed myself away from the wall and started rinsing off the glasses. Rose filled them up to the top and I happily took my drink. My sister came waltzing back into the kitchen with the muffin trays of frozen pizza dough.
I glanced at the clock and realized that it was already seven thirty. Time had flown by and the kids must be hungry by now. I set my glass down and opened the fridge, grabbing the shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, and black olives. The kids had decided earlier that they wanted mini pizzas tonight; making them was a lot cheaper than ordering in. Vanessa set the five muffin tins on the counter as I set the silver bowls filled with toppings across from them.
Vanessa and I spread the homemade pizza sauce on the frozen dough while Rose and Alice put the toppings on. I could only have two tins in the oven at a time, but it would only take twelve minutes to cook them.
Rose and Alice were in a deep conversation so I went to see if Edward or the guys needed anything. He sat on the chair with his feet elevated up and a nearly empty beer. They were all so entranced with the game that they didn't even notice me.
I bent down and whispered in his ear, "Need anything?"
His green eyes looked a bit hazy; if Edward wasn't drunk already, he would be soon. "You, on this couch," he whispered while licking his lips.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Later." I pecked his lips.
As I turned away, a hand smacked my ass and Edward was mumbling about perfect asses. I smiled and rolled my eyes at him. He was definitely drunk right now, and Edward was usually a horny drunk—unless something drove him to alcohol like Tanya.
Passing the door I saw the headlights and heard the roar of Demetri's engine. I walked halfway up the stairs, "Tanya, Demetri is here!"
"I'm coming!" she yelled back.
There was a loud rap on the door and not a second later Tanya had the door open and pulled him in. They ran up the stairs, but before Edward yelled for them to keep the door open.
The oven timer beeped and I grabbed the two tins and placed them on the stove. Vanessa handed me the next two and I put them in. Rose and Alice went to get the kids as I carefully placed each pizza on a platter.
Masen was the first one to come down the stairs, followed by a loud booming sound as the rest of the boys came barreling down after him. Kate, Tanya, and Demetri were the last ones to join everyone.
They each got two pizzas to start, and waited for the other ones to bake. Masen sat alone at the table, his side of ranch on the left, and his book on the right. How ironic was it that Edward and I who loved to party with our friends had a son who just wanted to read?
Another hour passed by and I was well on my way to getting drunk. My sister, being the responsible person she is, didn't drink. She had left an hour ago with her boys and a very drunken, handsy Jake. Alice and Jasper left a half hour after them, claiming that they had a big day tomorrow. Now it was just Rose and her family.
While Edward and Emmett were playing cards, Rose and I were gossiping and drinking margaritas. We were both so tipsy and loud that I was surprised the kids hadn't come down to see what the commotion was.
Rose was refilling my margarita glass when Masen came running down the stairs and toward me. "Momma!
I motioned to him with my hands to quiet down. "What, Mase?"
He gave Edward a quick glance before turning back to me. He stood on his tippy toes and whispered into my ear, "Tanya and Demetri were undressed and wrestling."
"Oh shit!" I hissed; that sobered me up quite a bit. Tanya really did want to give her father a heart attack. I just thank the lord that Masen told me and not Edward.
"Are you sure that's what they were doing?" I asked hesitantly.
He nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, I'm sure. Momma, I think they were having," he paused to make sure Edward wasn't listening. "S-E-X," he whispered.
"Oh my god! Masen, why don't you go into my room and put on a movie? Rose, can you help him?"
She nodded her head while she snickered at the situation. Tanya was already skating on thin ice; it was almost as if she wanted Edward and I to know she really was having sex. I just hoped she used protection.
I trudged up the stairs; Edward and Emmett were too involved in their poker game to even notice that we were no longer downstairs. Rose led Masen into my bedroom while I went down to Tanya's. I could hear the feminine moans as I got closer to her room. Taking the last few steps to her room, I took a deep breath and then raised my hand to knock.
"Shit! I thought you said your parents wouldn't come upstairs." I heard Demetri hiss at her.
"They never usually do when they have friends over. Hurry up and get your clothes on." Tanya wasn't necessarily loud, but the kids' walls were thin.
"Tanya," I knocked and waited patiently.
"Come on, hurry." I could detect the nervousness in her tone.
Seconds later her head stuck out of the door and she tried to play the innocent card. "Tanya, can I come in?" I asked.
"Nope," she answered.
Ugh. "That wasn't really a question," I told her and pushed the door open.
She huffed and sat on her bed next to a flushed Demetri. I shut the door, staying near it just in case Edward or Emmett came barging into the room. "I can't believe you, Tanya. After everything that has happened in these past few weeks, you decide to have sex with your boyfriend. I'm not immune to your actions, but seriously, think with your head. Your father is downstairs along with Emmett; they have alcohol fueling their systems. What if they walked in here and saw what you two were doing?"
She rolled her eyes at the same time Demetri paled. "Well he didn't, alright?"
Taking a deep breath, I stood taller and got into mother mode. "Tanya, it's not about how he didn't, it's about that he could have. Think about your actions for once. It's bad enough Masen saw you two and I had to explain to him that you were wrestling, but we all know your brother is a lot smarter than that."
She stood up fast from the bed with wide eyes. "He saw us?"
"Yes." I paused. "You might want to lock your door, as you never know when someone might barge in. However, it doesn't matter. Tanya and Demetri, you will not be having sex in my house again. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am," Demetri automatically answered.
"Tanya?" She glowered at me before giving me a slight nod.
"Tanya, say goodnight to Demetri." Huffing away, she gave him a kiss and he left the room.
"This little conversation doesn't leave this room. Do you understand me, young lady?" I crossed my arms across my chest.
"Yes, Mother." The way she said it was as if she was mocking me, and not taking the situation seriously.
Turning around, I walked out of her bedroom and into mine. Rose was sitting with Masen on my bed watching some cartoon show. I joined them on the bed for the remainder of the show, before Masen decided he wanted to go back into his room.
Rose and I walked down the stairs, whispering about Tanya and Demetri. I didn't have much control over Tanya. Technically she was free to do what she wanted since she was eighteen, but she was still living at home.
We went into the kitchen and she helped me with the large pile of dishes. I washed while she dried. Conversation flowed freely between us. I didn't know what time it was by the time we were finishing up the last few dishes, but I knew I was tired.
Edward strutted into the kitchen with a lazy grin. Ignoring him, I wiped down the empty sink. I could feel the heat emanating from his body and his breath caressing my neck. Suddenly, his hands were squeezing my breasts and he ground his erection into my lower back. Instantly I turned around with a sharp gasp. "What the hell are you doing?" I hissed.
Rose snickered at us. Not only did we have guests over, but our children could come down the stairs at any second. Edward didn't seem to mind as he continued to grind his body into mine, "You're so fucking hot," he growled into my ear.
"Edward stop, we have company," I said in a hushed tone.
"It's just Rose and Emmett," he said in between the delightful kisses he placed on my neck.
As hard as it was to pull away from him, I finally did. Turning my head, I noticed Rose was fighting a very handsy Emmett. "Okay, it's time to go." She turned toward me and giggled. "Bella, thanks for this wonderful party, but I think it is best to leave now." She motioned to a pouting Emmett.
"Thanks for coming," I said with laughter as she dodged Emmett's hands.
Rose went to the stairs and called the boys. Placing my hand in Edward's, I could feel his body start to calm down. Her boys came down and said a short goodbye before they left. The second the door shut, Edward attacked me with kisses.
It was so hard to reason with him. I knew where this kissing was going to lead to and it was something I didn't want my children to witness. Edward's lips were rough and raw against mine. His fingers clutched my ass; he pulled me up into his arms, and pushed my back against the door.
Finally pulling away from his lips, I moved away from him trying to catch my breath. "Edward, wait."
"I don't want to fucking wait. I need you right now," he groaned.
"We can't do this down here. Masen or Tanya could walk in on us any minute," I tried to reason.
He finally pulled away from me and let me down. His facial expression showed that he was hurt. "Do you not want to have sex with me, Bella?"
I let out a small chuckle which seemed to have saddened him more. "Of course, I want to have sex with you. But I don't want our kids to see what you are doing to me. Masen already got an eyeful earlier," I slipped.
"What the hell does that mean?" Edward's body stood rigid.
"Nothing, just the kids had this show on earlier—forget it. Let's just go upstairs. I will tuck in Masen and meet you back in the bedroom." I kissed his lips hoping that he would forget the Masen comment.
His eyes were fierce against mine. "You have five minutes before I come after you, Mrs. Cullen." He licked his lips.
I ran up the stairs with him quickly following me. The house could be cleaned tomorrow. Walking into Masen's room, I noticed he was already passed out on the bed with his teddy bear and Percy Jackson book. Brownie was lightly snoring by the end of his bed. I kissed his forehead and practically ran into my room.
The sight in my bedroom made me slightly disappointed. Edward was already passed out in the middle of the bed with his shirt off and pants halfway down his legs. I guess I couldn't be too upset with him. With the amount of alcohol he consumed tonight, I was surprised he didn't pass out sooner. He would sure be sorry tomorrow for the horrible headache he would have.
I walked into the bathroom, taking a couple aspirin and brushing my teeth—I hated waking up with the taste of alcohol and morning breath mixed together. When I was dressed for bed, I returned to the bedroom. Pulling off Edward's jeans, I moved his heavy body to his side of the bed so I could get in. Edward pulled me against his body before I finally fell into a deep slumber.

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View
The dirt clusters cracked underneath my sneakers. The loud sound of the drill mixed with Edward and Jake's equally loud banter, didn't give them any indication that someone was here. It was such a beautiful day out today, spring was here and the sun was bright and warm. I called in sick today to pay Edward a visit at work, in my new white sundress.
Jake came around the corner of the truck and finally noticed me with a smirk. "Cullen, you have a visitor!" he called to Edward.
Edward, covered in black grease, rolled from underneath the car. He had his back to me. "Who is it?" he asked Jake.
"Why don't you turn around?" I asked.
His head whirled around and a crooked smile appeared on his face. He stood up and walked over to me, bending down to give me a quick kiss.
"Edward, you can take the earlier lunch break. I can handle this by myself. Have fun." Jake winked and disappeared in the garage again.
"So, not that I don't love that you're here, but what's with the surprise visit?" he smiled and his eyes shined.
"Well, I noticed that I haven't visited you at work for a long time and spring has sprung." I twirled around in the white dress slowly and bit my bottom lip.
A deep groan emanated from his chest. Edward pulled me quickly into his office. He stripped off his blue jumper and scrubbed the grease off his hands and face at the small sink in the corner. His office was a nice size with a shower in the back. It rarely got used, but I was hoping to change that today.
Edward plopped down in the plush leather chair behind his desk and pulled me onto his lap. I straddled his waist, I could feel his throbbing hard-on against my heat. I decided to go sans underwear; it would be his little surprise.
His arms wrapped around my waist and drifted down to my ass. "No panty line?" His eyebrows rose in surprise, "You wearing a g-string?" he asked.
I bit my lip knowing that it drove him crazy and shook my head. He groaned, bucking his erection against my bare pussy.
"Let me see, baby," he demanded, his voice dripping with sex.
I slowly stood up and turned around. I bent over his desk—the wood was cold against my skin— and leisurely pulled up my dress. The sight of my bare ass had him out of his seat with his hands spreading my legs open. "You're so fucking sexy."
He stepped out of his boxers and placed his hands on my ass cheeks. Edward slowly ground his hardened length against my ass, causing me to moan in anticipation. My dress was bunched up around my chest, making the sides of my breasts visible.
Edward lined himself up at my entrance and unhurriedly slid inside. His arms ran up my back and clutched my breasts. Turning my head to the right side, our lips caught in a passionate kiss. He gradually picked up the pace. The sound of my ass smacking his pelvis turned me on more.
"Your pussy is so tight!" he grunted as he pulled my hair into a tight grip. "Fuck, this feels so good!"
"Right there…Yes…Edward…" I panted.
His body set mine on fire. I knew the first round was going to be fast and soon I was sent over the edge. He followed quickly behind me before he collapsed on top of me.
I kissed his lips roughly; his forehead was sweaty against mine. He pulled back, seizing my body as I straddled his lap. I lifted the dress over my head, and we were both fully naked. As I grasped handfuls of his damp bronze hair, his fingers traced the black ink on my hip. His eyes stared deeply into mine, showing how much he loved me.
I knew this time would be slower with passionate, loving touches. It wouldn't be an animalistic fuck. Bringing my right hand down, I took hold of his hardened member and brought it to my opening. Little by little…inch by inch…until finally he was fully inside of me.
Edward caught my loud moan in a kiss. Our tongues massaged one another as they fought for dominance. I set the pace this time; it was slow and filled with soft caresses. My walls squeezed his cock as I moved up. I circled my hips every time I came down on his cock.
My lips moved away from his and down his jaw, sucking on the skin where his neck met his shoulder. It was one of his weaknesses, and made his hips buck into mine. His tongue licked across my collarbone when my lips left his neck.
His hands held my hips in a fierce grip as he guided me above him. I didn't want this feeling to end. I hummed into his kiss. His arms wrapped around my back holding me to his body.
My moans got louder and Edward held me above him as he thrust up. Sweat dripped from his forehead and his abs contracted. "Fuck baby, I'm almost there. I want you to come first." he pleaded.
I started rubbing my clit. The small surge of pleasure turned into a giant wave when we both came together. His warm seed covered my walls and spilled out onto our sweaty thighs.
We kissed until we were breathless. My forehead stayed connected to his as he whispered my favorite words. "I love you, Bella."
A big smile graced my lips. "I love you too, Edward."
We stayed in the same position for at least another thirty minutes. As I massaged his scalp, he peppered my neck and collarbone in small butterfly kisses. Knowing we couldn't stay in that chair forever, we got up and took a quick shower.
It was short and sweet with small kisses. I put my dress on and made sure I was presentable for my children. Edward slipped on another clean uniform, even though we both know it would be covered in grease within seconds.
"So, what time will you and Masen get home tonight?" he asked me.
"I don't know. The fair starts at six and ends at nine. It depends on when Masen wants to leave." I glided over to him, "You could always join us?" I used the full pout.
He laughed and engulfed me in his arms. "While you are at your elementary school for their spring festival, I will be out drinking a beer and watching the game with Emmett. No offence, but I prefer the beer and game."
"Fine, Rose and I will go by ourselves. You have fun watching your game. But you have to promise that you are going to come to the next school event." I sighed.
"Scouts honor." He saluted.
"Alright, well I have to go pick up Mase. See you tonight." I gave him a quick peck.
"Thanks for stopping by." He kissed my neck.
He walked me out, opening the door to my Jeep and helped me in. One last kiss to his lips and then I was off. Within fifteen minutes I was at Forks Elementary School. They still had two minutes before they were released, and I hoped Masen would come straight to the car instead of wandering around.
I sat there for ten minutes after the bell rang before I finally got out of the car to find Masen. Seeing some of his classmates, I asked them if they had seen him. They rushed off without a word. I took the dreaded steps toward Mrs. Weber's class and, sure enough, there he was, horsing around with Mrs. Weber's daughter.
"Masen," I called. His head whipped around and he came running toward me.
I was thankful that Mrs. Weber was already talking to another parent, so she wasn't able to talk to me. "Masen, what happened to you meeting me at the kindergarten loop right after you were released?"
He put his head down and pouted. "I wanted to ask Angela for her number so she could babysit me instead of Tanya."
Great, just what I needed, Angela to babysit Masen and give her mother the inside scoop on our family.
"I don't think that is such a great idea, Mase. Plus, your sister babysits you when your father and I go out." I explained.
"Why? She would at least play games with me. Tanya just sits me in front of a TV."
I noticed Mrs. Weber and Angela looking at us. I leaned down and quietly whispered, "Masen, the answer is no. Now let's go."
"Fine," he pouted and walked right beside me.
We arrived at the spring fair a few minutes early. I was thankful that I was an employee at the school. The line of cars snaked through the neighborhood.
Masen and I walked up to the front entrance, by the office. There was a small line forming to get into the gate. The PTA table was set up with school shirts, water bottles, and a wristband for unlimited games. I was so relieved that they were doing unlimited games this year, in the previous years we had to pay twenty dollars for ten tickets, and when the kids ran out of tickets they had to buy more. It was ridiculous.
I bought the five dollar bracelet and we walked inside. I had made sure Masen had eaten, beforehand. The last time we came they had promised to have all this food and instead they had slushies.
I sent Rose a quick text wondering where she was. She quickly replied that she was waiting for Ben to finish rock climbing. Masen and I walked over to that activity and met up with Rose and Ben. She wasn't in a very joyous mood, considering that this little festival geared for adults.
As the first ten minutes passed by, more families joined with their kids. They had a dance party in the amphitheater, laser tag, rock climbing, and activities for each grade level. The third grade activity was to toss plastic rings and get them onto liter soda bottles. If they got two rings on, the child won a bottle of their choice.
Masen was running around like crazy. Rose and I were chasing after him constantly, since Ben was fine on his own. While it was driving me insane, asking people if they saw Masen, Masen thought it was hysterical.
I finally found him with, Sam. Sam's mother, Emily, was such a hard person to read. She was quiet just like Sam, but she held her head up like she was superior to us. I didn't really talk negatively about her, because I knew Masen and Sam were good friends, and I didn't want to jeopardize their friendship.
Rose and I sat down at the table while we waited for the boys to be done with laser tag. "So, where is Tanya tonight?"
I rolled my eyes at her, "She has the house to herself, what do you think she will be doing? It doesn't matter if I told not to have Demetri over. She is still going to do it."
The woman next to us looked at me with an appalled expression while she fixed her daughter's bow. I bet her daughter won't be that innocent when she gets in high school. "I live with three boys. I enjoy that Ben is still innocent and not into girls. Riley, on the other hand, is becoming girl crazy. Emmett already gave Riley a box of condoms for his birthday," she laughed.
"Momma, what's a condom?" I guess Rose was a little loud.
The mother looked at us with an ashamed expression. "Alright, it's time to go."
"Sorry!" Rose called after her with a laugh.
"Well, she has to learn about sex sometime." She rolled her eyes.
"She is going to have an interesting talk with that little girl later," I guffawed.
The boys came out of laser tag with big smiles on their face. Even though Rose and I were bored to tears here, we were both pleased that the boys were having fun. Masen and Ben split from us again to play some of the games; Masen came back with a liter of Sprite, and candy that I was going to throw away. He would never eat it.
Finally, after an hour and a half Masen and Ben joined us. Masen wanted me to follow after him so I did. When we got to the kindergarten fishing pole activity we ran into Angela. I don't really know why she was here, but whatever.
She came walking over to me and I noticed that her mother hung back with some other teachers. "Hi," she smiled.
Masen jumped up, "What are you doing here?" he asked.
She laughed at him and then pulled out her phone. "I just wanted to show you a picture of Masen I took a couple weeks ago in class."
She pulled up the picture of him with two big stickers on his face for Newton Outfitter's. "I told him let's take a picture of you and show it to your mother," she laughed.
I was slightly bothered that she was taking pictures of my son, but I wasn't going to say anything now. So instead I settled for, "Well, that's Masen. He will do anything for attention, that's why he's my last child," I laughed.
She gave me a timid smile, before heading over to her mother. "Why the hell is she taking a picture of your son?" Rose whispered.
"I don't know. She wanted to show me a picture of Masen horsing around in class. I wonder if Mrs. Weber asked her to take the picture so I would be embarrassed by Masen's behavior and ground him."
"What a bitch," Rose huffed.
It was Masen's turns at the fishing game and he won a yo-yo. He seemed happy enough with it, and then when he saw Angela I knew we were in trouble. He had that look in his eyes that he was going to do something that he knew he shouldn't.
He ran after her before I could grab his arm. I chased after him, Angela wasn't looking and Masen took the yo-yo and chucked it at her leg. She turned around and laughed at him, "I'm going to get you back." At the same time I repeated "No…no…"
Masen pouted at me and sighed in frustration. I just wanted to go home; I didn't want to be here under Mrs. Weber's scrutiny. She gave me a look of disapproval and I pulled on Masen's arm as we walked away. That was just what I needed, her to talk to me about my parenting skills again.
Rose was in hysterics when we met up with her. She couldn't get over the fact that my son chucked a yo-yo at his teacher's daughter. I didn't think it was very funny; in fact I was beyond furious. Masen could tell and so he stayed silent.
"Well, we're going to head home." Masen didn't seem very happy about that, but I wasn't very happy with him at the moment.
"Alright, I'll talk to you later."
I gave her a quick hug and Masen and I left. The car ride home was silent; Masen sat in the center seat looking out the side window.
When we arrived home I told Masen to get ready for bed. The lights were off and Tanya came down the stairs in a tiny nightgown. I knew Demetri was gone since his car was no longer here. "Did you having the house to yourself?" I asked her, already knowing the answer.
"Yes," she smiled and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, before disappearing up the stairs.
Looking at the clock on the oven, I knew Edward would be home any minute. I was tired and I just wanted to go to bed. My feet dragged me up the stairs. First I went into Masen's room to tuck him in, and then I went into my room.
I changed into my fleece pajama set and brushed my teeth. Getting into bed, I heard the roar of Edward's truck. It wasn't long before he joined me in our room. Stumbling over to me, he gave me a sloppy kiss. He disappeared into the bathroom and I could tell he was slightly drunk. I reached over to my left and grabbed the lotion on the nightstand.
Edward came out a few seconds later in his boxers leaning against the door with a lazy grin that quickly disappeared when he saw my pajamas. He rushed over, "No…No…No… fleece pajamas mean no sex," he pouted.
I had to laugh at his expression. He looked like a little kid that just got a piece of candy taken away from him. "I'm tired tonight," I whined.
"Just give me five minutes," he pleaded and moved to take off my top.
"Nope," I kissed his cheek.
I got underneath the comforter and listened to him plead. He got on top of me and assaulted my neck with kisses. "Come on, baby. You know you want to," he whispered into my ear huskily.
"I'm tired." I tried to roll over, but his body was blocking me.
"Come on baby, I won't be able to sleep unless I get my fix with you."
"Shut-up Edward, you know very well that isn't true." I laughed at him.
"As my wife, it is your responsibility to make sure your husband's needs are fulfilled. Well, they aren't right now." He ground his erection into me.
"That is the biggest load of bullshit." I slapped his chest playfully.
"Please, I won't be able to sleep with blue balls."
I continued to ignore him. "I love you, Bella."
"I would do anything you would ask me to."
"Ugh, fine!" I rolled on top of him.
My lips almost touched his when he stopped me. "No wait. I don't want you to have sex with me if you don't want to."
"Shut up, will you?" I brought my lips to his and he gave a fist pump in the air.
"I'm going to have sex!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.
I pressed my hand against his mouth to quiet him down. "Shh… You have to be quiet," I laughed.
He rolled us over so I was on the bottom and began to peel off our clothing. All I can say was that we didn't get much sleep. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View
I sighed in annoyance as Mrs. Weber came over to me and directed me into her classroom. This was one of those days that just kept getting worse and worse. First, my alarm didn't go off, and if we weren't already late enough, I had a flat tire. Thankfully, Edward knew how to change a tire within minutes. Then I forgot to pack Masen his lunch, and so he was stuck eating the school lunch which he hated.
If that wasn't so bad, I had a kid puke on my shoes this morning. Another kid was holding his breath until he passed out and collapsed on the asphalt. He had blood gushing out of his nose. I didn't deal well with that much blood. Then to top it off, the sixth graders had a food fight.
I didn't want to talk to her or anyone for that matter; all I wanted to do was take a nice, relaxing bath. Walking into her classroom with heavy feet, I noticed Masen cleaning out his desk.
"Masen and Angela, can you please go out to the pod?" she asked, and they quickly left.
"Please sit down, Mrs. Cullen." She motioned to the chair in front of her desk. As if I hadn't been in here before.
"As we all know, Masen is a little bit out spoken," she paused, removing her black glasses. "However, there is a time and a place for that."
"I agree," I told her.
"Yes, well. Lately, Masen has been talking when he shouldn't. Quite frankly, it gets annoying. He has a behavior chart on his desk and I constantly have to tell him to make a mark next to 'talking out loud.'"
"It can't only be Masen, though," I defended him.
She shook her head, "No, but Masen can be quite obnoxious. It's hard not to notice him above all the other students calling out."
"So, let me get this straight. You think my child is obnoxious?"
She nodded her head. "At times when I am trying to teach, he speaks out."
"Did you ever think that he is bored in your class?" I asked.
"Mrs. Cullen, that is not the point. The fact of the matter is that he is calling out when he shouldn't and trying to be a class clown. I know you clearly don't care about him acting like that, since my daughter showed you the picture of him with the stickers on his face. You brushed it aside like it was nothing. So, I decided to put him in detention Monday during recess."
"Why does he have to be in detention? So, he was goofing around, what kid doesn't do that from time to time?" I rolled my eyes.
"I don't know why I even try to bother, Mrs. Cullen. I should know better than to talk someone who doesn't act like an adult. If you would like a few parenting books I can give them to you. I'm sure they would help."
"I don't understand what you have against me and my family. I don't need fucking parenting books; they're a bunch of bullshit. There is nothing wrong with my son." I stood up from the table. "By the way, I don't appreciate your daughter taking pictures of my son without my permission."
I walked out into the pod to see Masen clutching his eye and Angela with a guilty face. "What happened, Mase?"
"I threw an eraser at her and she threw it back and it hit my eye."
I bent down carefully examining his red eye. There would probably be some slight bruising, but other than that he was fine.
Mrs. Weber opened her door and looked at the three of us. I stood up and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "First your daughter snaps pictures of my son and then she throws an eraser at his eye. You might also want to look into those parenting skills."
She looked appalled. Grabbing Masen's hand, I rushed us out of there. I couldn't wait for the next couple of months to pass. I was sick of that woman. It never mattered if another kid did the same thing Masen did. Masen would always be the one at fault.
When we got home, Masen went upstairs to do his homework while I went to the fridge to grab a beer. I prayed that Tanya wouldn't be a brat when she came home. It would be extremely hard not to rant at her.
Knowing that I had to start making dinner soon, I searched in the fridge for something to make. Chicken strips and French fries sounded simple enough, so I pulled out eight pieces of chicken breasts.
I mixed the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and paprika in big bowl before adding the chicken. Covering it up, I placed it in the fridge to marinate for thirty minutes. I washed my hands and the four potatoes. Slicing the potatoes up nice and thin, I added olive oil, salt, and pepper. It was impossible to keep my hands clean, so I stuck them in the oily bowl and made sure the potatoes were covered in oil.
Washing my hands for the third time, I grabbed a cookie sheet and poured the fries on it. The oven was already on, but I wasn't going to put them in until I put the chicken in. I still had ten minutes left for the chicken, so I decided to try to make my sister's honey mustard sauce recipe. Grabbing a small bowl, I added mayo, a little bit of honey, and Dijon mustard. I give it a little stir before placing it in the fridge.
The chicken was done marinating, so I pulled it out of the fridge. I mixed together some crushed corn flakes and panko in another bowl. I carefully coated each piece of chicken and placed them on another cookie sheet. When I was done, I placed both the chicken and fries in the oven, setting the timer for ten minutes.
Masen brought his finished homework downstairs just as Tanya and Edward came home. Masen fed his fish, and Tanya walked in with a surprisingly happy attitude. Edward, on the other hand, needed to take a quick shower before he had dinner. His hair and face were covered in grease. I was all for a greaser boy, but I didn't want it all over my house—or my face when he kisses me.
He bent down to give me a kiss, but I pushed him away and pointed up the stairs. "Nope, shower first and then a kiss."
"I'm not that bad," he laughed and trudged up the stairs.
The timer beeped and I pulled out the chicken and fries. I made sure the chicken was cooked through and set the hot trays on top of the oven. Masen helped set the table, while I served everyone. Grabbing Edward a beer and another one for me, we all sat at the table.
"It's smells delicious, Babe," Edward complimented before digging in.
I must say that it was quite delicious, especially with the honey mustard sauce. My sister's recipe was one of my favorites. The kids and Edward seemed to enjoy it as well. I had never made chicken with this kind of breading. I usually made it with mayonnaise and breadcrumbs, but I think I will make it like this from now on.
When dinner was finished, Tanya and Masen decided to do the dishes. This was one of those rare times where there weren't any leftovers, so Edward and I went into the family room with our beers. We sat at opposite end of the sofa, with my feet in his lap.
As we watched "Impractical Jokers"—one of my favorite shows— he gave me a foot and calf massage. His hands were miracle workers, the gesture made me aroused.
The kids joined us when the second episode came on and I cuddled against Edward's chest. I knew I would have to talk to Edward about Mrs. Weber, but it was so peaceful in our house that I didn't want to ruin the mood.
Finally when nine thirty came rolling around, I knew Masen had to get upstairs and into bed, or else it would be a pain to wake him up in the morning. Edward carried a half asleep Masen up the stairs, while I folded up the blankets and turned off the lights.
After I gave Masen a kiss goodnight, I joined Edward in our room. He was already in bed watching to the news. I went into the bathroom and did my nightly routine before joining him in the bed.
Placing a kiss on his naked chest, I felt his arms engulfed my body. I knew I was going to have to tell him sooner or later about Mrs. Weber, so I decided to get it over with.
"So, I have to something I need to talk to you about."
His head rose up. "Really? Please, tell me it has nothing to do with Tanya?"
I lightly chuckled. "No, I promise it has nothing to do with her." It seemed to put him at ease.
"Mrs. Weber pulled me into her classroom again to talk about Masen."
As I stared into his green orbs, I traced random patterns on his chest. "What did he do now?" He groaned.
"Apparently, he talks a little bit too much in class. She said he was obnoxious."
"And? What about all of the other kids in her class?"
"That was my point. She wouldn't hear it. She was trying to either talk me into or get me to buy a parenting book. And when I went to get Masen, he was clutching his eye. Her daughter threw an eraser and it hit his eye. I don't care if he threw it first; she is an adult and knows better. Mrs. Weber came out and I told her I didn't like that her daughter was taking pictures of Masen and insinuated that she doesn't know how to parent either." I was running out of breath.
He choked out a laugh at the end. "What did the bitch say to that?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I was already gone before she could respond."
"I wish I was there to see the look on her face."
"It was priceless." I laughed, recalling the image of her face.
His hand ran up and down my back. "Have you thought about talking to the principal yet?"
"No, I think we just need to get through this year and ignore it."
"That's probably for the best," he grinned.
Breathing deeply, I turned my attention back to the television and waited for sleep to overtake me.
~AHDN~AHDN~AHDN~AHDN~AHDN~
There were tantalizing kisses placed on my collarbone as I stirred from my sleep. My eyes opened on their own accord, and my fingers clung to his hair. A smile was plastered on my face, and Edward had a lustful look on his. His green eyes were darkening, filled with love and passion. I ran the pads of my fingers down his smooth, silky back.
He pulled down my panties and pushed my top off. I kicked his boxers off of him. We were naked and bare against each other. I rolled myself on top of him, grinding my pussy against his hard length. His hands gripped my hips, effectively holding me against him.
I grabbed hold of his cock and lined him at my entrance. His eyes radiated hunger and need. I slowly slid down his length. Our loud moans mixed together. Edward wasn't in the mood for slow. It was fast and animalistic.
I sucked on his sensitive pink nipples as I rode him, and his fingers dug into my hips moving me up and down his cock. I swiveled my hips against him. The sound of skin slapping skin turned me on. "Damn, you look so fucking sexy riding my cock. Your tits are so perfect bouncing up and down."
Edward pulled one of my pert nipples into his mouth; he swirled his tongue along the areola and bit down lightly. "You like that, Baby," he grunted.
I could feel the tingles shooting down my body and making my toes curl. Bringing my hand down, I cupped his balls and gently massaged them. "Fucking shit…Baby, do that again!"
I tugged on his testicles a little harder. He sat up and flipped me around so my back was against his chest. Grabbing hold of his cock, he lined himself at my entrance and thrust inside. He leaned against the headboard while I bounced up and down on him. His hands clutched my breasts with my hands squeezing his.
I could feel the familiar flickers of pleasure started to overcome my body and my stomach coiled. "Edward, please, Baby. I'm so close."
His right hand drifted down my stomach and stopped when he got to my bundle of nerves. He rubbed my clit vigorously. "Shit! Yes!" I chanted.
I continued to swivel my hips as the burst of warmth encircled me. Edward continued to thrust inside of me, his balls slapped against my pussy. "Fuck! Fuck!" he moaned as four warm spurts came inside of me. He continued to thrust wildly until the rush of pleasure was done.
Waking up this way was a great way to start a Saturday. Edward kissed my shoulder blades as he tried to calm his breathing down. "Thanks for the morning wake up call," I smiled.
His damp hair was matted against his forehead. "I could go for another round." He motioned with his semi hard on.
Turning around so I was facing him, I slapped his chest. "You, Mr. Cullen, are insatiable" I mumbled against his lips.
"As if you aren't?" he asked. Bringing his hand down my body, his fingers were coated in my juices.
Right when he went to line himself at my entrance for the second round, there was a pounding on our door and twisting of the locked knob. "Momma! Dad! Why is your door not opening?"
"Damn, cock blocker," Edward groaned.
I shoved his chest playfully, "That cock blocker is your son."
"Momma! I'm hungry! Are you awake yet?" Dang, that boy was loud in the mornings.
"Momma, wake up!" he screamed.
I quickly put on one of Edward's shirts—it covered me to mid-thigh. I opened the door a smidge and saw Masen standing there with his hair looking like a rat nest and Brownie by his side. "Mase, I will be down in a couple of minutes."
"Okay, hurry please. I am starving." He emphasized his point by rubbing his stomach.
I shut the door and went into the bathroom; I quickly brushed my teeth and used the restroom. Walking into the closet, I pulled out my aqua terry cloth robe and wrapped it around my body. It made me a little more presentable for my children.
When I walked out of the closet, Edward was getting out of bed and slipping on a pair of boxers. He went into the bathroom, while I walked down the stairs to my starving child. Masen was already outside making sure Brownie was going to the restroom.
I decided to make Mexican-style eggs for breakfast. Cutting some tortillas into strips, I threw them in a hot skillet.
Masen came inside with Brownie and his eyes shone when he saw I was one of his favorites. I cracked the eggs and mixed it with the milk and taco seasoning before pouring it into the pan of oil and tortillas.
Edward strutted towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He pecked the skin right below my ear. I turned my head and met his lips in a chaste kiss. While I finished cooking breakfast, Edward grabbed the salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
As I was serving everyone a portion, Tanya joined us with a happy smile on her face. "Oh, I love Mexican style eggs!"
Edward and I gave each other a quick look of disbelief. There was usually a motive with Tanya when she was kind and happy. She took her place and started eating away. "So, Mom, Dad," she paused, "I was wondering."
Edward took a bite of eggs, "No," he interrupted.
"But I didn't get to say what it was." She looked sad.
"Tanya, I can tell that I won't like what you have to say already." He continued to eat his eggs without giving her a chance to explain.
"Mom?" she pleaded, widening her big brown eyes.
I raised my eyebrow at her, letting her know to continue. Bouncing in her chair, she gave me a bright smile. "Okay, as you know prom is coming up. Well, Demetri's parents rented us—along with the other popular kids— the top floor of some hotel in Seattle. I was wondering if it…"
"Absolutely not!" Edward threw his fork down on his plate.
"Oh, come on. What's the big deal? I'm eighteen," she grumbled.
I sensed that this conversation was already going downhill. "The big deal is you are not going to spend the night getting drunk and having sex!"
"Masen, can you go in the other room for me?" I asked.
"Why? I already know what S-E-X is" he whispered. "Remember when Rose and everyone came over?"
Tanya pushed her chair back and stood up. "That was you!"
"What?" Edward yelled at the same time.
"I knew Mom didn't decide to come upstairs and check up on me on her own accord," she mumbled.
"You were having sex in my house?"
"Will everyone just shut the fuck up?" Their constant yelling back and forth was driving me crazy. All three of them looked at me with shock written across their faces.
"Masen, go upstairs please." He quickly scrambled away.
"Tanya, yes your brother told me. He happened to walk in on you. We already had that talk." She huffed and looked away.
"Edward, yes Tanya was having sex. I didn't tell you because I knew you would react this way. She is eighteen and legal, so if she wants to go to a hotel for prom then let her go."
"Thanks, Mom, you're the best." She kissed my cheek and skipped up the stairs.
"Bella, you can't be serious?"
"Shut-up and eat your damn breakfast," I snapped and continued to finish mine.
He didn't say anything else. I think it was the overall shock of information that kept him quiet. I didn't want to deal with any of that shit again. This was my Saturday; it was a day of relaxation. I will be damned if I let them ruin it.

A Hard Day's Night

Bella's Point of View
Rose and I gathered up the children to go up to the playground. Watching from across the playground I noticed Masen sitting all by himself at one of the red tables. His legs swung back and forth as he picked at his lunch. I felt so bad for him; his best friend, Sam, had moved to California.
Last Friday after school, I didn't think anything of it when I saw Sam's mother Emily waiting for him by the classroom. He usually went to daycare, but I thought maybe she got the day off. On Monday, Sam didn't show up; the same for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and now Friday. It turns out that Emily had gotten a job at a prestigious high school in California and they moved over the weekend.
The most difficult thing for Masen was not being able to say goodbye to Sam. They had known each other since kindergarten. Sam would follow Masen everywhere; he barely spoke which was great for Masen since he could talk your ear off.
Not that Emily and I were friends, but I wished she would have warned me about the move beforehand. Masen definitely wasn't handling the absence of his friend very well. He was acting out at home and in the classroom It was really hard to get mad at him when he was going through all of this. I didn't want him to be by himself; I wanted him to have fun.
"Bella, I can watch them. Do you want to stay with Masen?" Rose came toward me.
"Are you sure?" I asked, I didn't want to make her watch all the rascals by herself.
"Go, Bella." She smiled and then drew her attention back to the children. "All right, everyone in a single file line."
Walking over to Masen, I couldn't help but notice his untouched food. I sat down beside him and ran my fingers through his unruly hair, "You okay, Mase?"
He shook his head without a word. "Honey, I know it's hard to lose your best friend, but I am sure you have other friends."
"But they're not Sam," he pouted, and tears welled up in his brown eyes.
I wrapped my arms around him, "Oh, Mase, honey, it's going to be okay."
He stayed quiet and I opened a bag of his Ritz crackers with cheddar cheese. Handing him one of the crackers, I took another one for myself. He looked at the cracker a couple of seconds before he finally took a bite. I sat with him until he finished his lunch, and then we went up to the playground.
I watched as he tried to play handball with the other kids, but he wasn't enjoying it. He went over to the far right corner pushing the tether ball back and forth.
"Poor Masen. I have never seen him look so sad before." Rose came over to me.
I sighed, "I don't know what to do. All he does is mope around at home and try to get attention. He has tantrums over the stupidest things."
"It's still fresh. I'm sure in two weeks or less he will be back to his hyper self."
"I sure hope so," I mumbled and looked back at Masen.
The bell rang shortly after that and Masen trod slowly toward his line. I went over to him and pulled him aside. I kissed his the top of his head. "Put a smile on that face." He tried not to but the grin won over and he gave me a hug. I knew he would be alright the remainder of the day as I went back with Rose toward the cafeteria.
When the day was over, Mrs. Weber pulled me aside. She wanted to let me know Masen had a hard time today. He didn't want to leave the classroom or have free time because Sam wasn't there. She was actually nice for once and said she understood why he was acting this way. I was pleased I didn't have to talk to her again about my parenting skills—I might've had to clock her.
We arrived home at the same time as Tanya, but she would be leaving soon since she had to cheer at a basketball game. Quickly grabbing the bread, butter, and two cheese slices, I made her a grilled cheese sandwich to go.
Tanya came downstairs in her short green and yellow cheerleading uniform. Her hair was in a tight ponytail on the top of her head. She looked beautiful.
"Thanks, Mom," she kissed my cheek as she took her sandwich and headed out the door.
I rinsed the dirty pan and put away the food before looking to see where Masen was. My heart ached for him, as I watched him sitting on the couch with Brownie in his lap. He stared at the black screen on the television, his eyes slightly teary. I missed seeing him with a big grin on his face.
The front door opened and the black boats squeaking against the tile alerted me of Edward's presence. I walked away from Masen to find Edward right behind me. Glancing up and down his body, I noticed he was showered and clean for once, with a beer in his hand.
He leaned down and gave me a chaste kiss on my lips. "How's he doing?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "He's sad. He doesn't want to interact with the other kids. I sent Emily a text asking her for her new phone number earlier, so Masen could call Sam. A few seconds later I got a text saying that the phone number doesn't exist anymore."
Edward's eyebrows raised in disbelief. "What do you mean the number doesn't exist anymore? Does she not want anyone to contact her or Sam?"
"I don't know. I feel bad for both boys. Sam was really Masen's only friend. Yes, Masen talks to just about anyone, but Sam and he were neck and neck with each other. I wonder how Sam was dealing with all of this. He is such a quiet kid— oh— Mrs. Weber mentioned that I guess Sam was taking medicine for his anxiety attacks."
"Mrs. Weber? Since when have you two been friends?" He choked a laugh.
"We're definitely not friends, but she wanted to let me know that Masen has been very down. She also mentioned to me that she understood why he was acting this way. We will never be friends" I emphasized the last part.
"Whatever you say," he licked his lips, sporting a grin.
I shoved his chest playfully, and laughed when he lost his balance stumbling back a bit. "So, what would you like me to make for dinner tonight?"
He held a mischievous smile on his face. "You?"
"Edward," I warned.
"Alright, alright, joking aside. I don't really know, did you ask Masen what he wanted to eat?"
Shaking my head, "No," I paused and suddenly I thought of an idea. "Hey, it's been a while since it was just the three of us. Why don't we take Masen out to eat and see that zoo movie? He told me he wanted to see it a few weeks ago."
He kissed my cheek. "I think that is a great idea."
While I went over to ask Masen if he would like to go out to eat and see the movie, Edward was finished up his beer. Entering the family room, I noticed that Masen was still in the same position, except this time he was talking to Brownie.
"You and Lester are my only friends now. Sam used to be my friend, but not anymore. He left me; I guess I talked too much. You don't mind that I talk a lot do you?" Brownie stared at him.
I could feel the tears start to pour down my face. Sam moving away had nothing to do with him; I thought that I had established that point a few nights ago, but apparently not. Walking over to him, I pulled Masen into my arms.
"Masen, Sam didn't leave you because you talked too much," I told him as I rocked him back and forth.
"Then why doesn't he call me?" he cried.
That was a question I didn't have an answer for, but I truly wished I did. "I don't know, buddy."
His head dropped and I held him tighter. We were silent until Edward joined us. "Hey are we going to go? We Bought a Zoo starts at seven thirty. If we want to eat dinner beforehand we have to leave now."
With a big grin on his face, Masen jumped up, almost knocking Brownie over. "You're taking me to the zoo movie?"
"Would you like to go out to dinner and see that movie?" I asked him, already knowing what his answer would be.
"Really?" he asked with a hopeful expression.
"Yes, Mase. Go get your shoes on and then we will go." Edward told him, buttoning up his black and grey checkered flannel shirt.
After putting Brownie in the kitchen, I put the baby gate up so she wouldn't wander around the house. Masen came barreling down the stairs in his Nike shoes and matching flannel shirt. My two boys looked the same.
"Ready to go?" Edward asked.
Masen nodded his head and we piled into Edward's truck. Masen wanted pizza tonight, so we were going to the local pizza joint.
I don't know what it is with men, but they all speed like little demons. There was a tight parking space in front, and of course Edward got his truck to fit. I had to close my eyes as he backed into it.
Since it was packed inside, Masen and I grabbed a table while Edward went up to the counter to order. We found a secluded table in the corner near the arcade games. Edward walked over to us five minutes later with the plastic number.
"They said it would be about fifteen minutes," he said, sitting down in the chair across from Masen and me.
"That's not a long wait at all," I noted.
He shook his head and put his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans.
Masen sat with us reading one of his books. He was totally oblivious to the fact that his father was playing footsie with me. I gave Edward a stern look and he continued to grin at me.
He pulled his foot away when the waiter came with two bottles of Heineken and a small Sprite. Edward graciously took his beer; I swear sometimes I wondered who he loved more beer or me. He drank at least two beers a night.
As I went to take a sip of my beer, Edward's foot started creeping up my leg again. I gave him the look and in turn received a crooked grin. "Edward, stop," I whispered.
"I don't know what you are talking about." He played the innocent card.
"You know, Dad, if you want to kiss Momma, you can. I see you kiss each other all the time at home," Masen told Edward without looking up from his book.
"See, wifey, he doesn't mind if I give you a kiss. Why don't you come over here and give me a little sugar?" He leaned back in the booth.
Chuckling at his last statement I leaned across the table and gave him a chaste kiss. The large cheese pizza with sausage and olives arrived minutes later. Edward served Masen and me first before grabbing himself a slice. Masen gave us each a side of ranch—pizza with ranch was the best.
Masen seemed like he was happy as he and Edward diverged in a couple of jokes with one another. He was my little ray of sunshine; it hurt me to see that he was sad, so I was happy to see him crack that smile.
Edward ate half the pizza while Masen and I shared the other half. It was an enjoyable dinner with conversation flowing freely. The movie theater was right across the street, so we walked over.
Masen and I waited for Edward as he paid for the tickets. Looking over at Edward, I couldn't help but notice a woman with big platinum blonde hair admiring his backside. It wasn't hard to blame her. He did have an incredible ass, but that ass was mine to ogle at, not hers. My eyes glared daggers at her head.
Edward swaggered over to us with a knowing smirk. "I still got it, babe," he whispered in my ear with a smirk.
Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he kissed my cheek. We walked inside and over to the concession stand. Masen wanted popcorn with extra butter, M&M candies, and a Coca-Cola icy. Edward and I were going splurge and let him get what he wanted. I was partly full from dinner, but I would definitely be eating some movie popcorn.
The theater was packed, since it was really the only place for kids to hang out. Thankfully, there weren't that many people planning on seeing We Bought a Zoo, because I didn't want to deal with those kids.
Masen wanted to sit in the center of the back row; we walked up the stairs and Masen and Edward decided that they wanted me to sit in between them. Masen swung his legs back and forth—poor kid inherited my height—hopefully, some day he will get a growth spurt.
The previews came on shortly after we took our seats. Edward put his arm around the back of my chair, and I slowly cuddled into him. Masen wasn't too enthusiastic with the previews; I have to admit I wasn't that fond of them either.
Twenty minutes into the film I squirmed at the feeling of a hand on my thigh. Snapping my head, I looked at Edward's face. He was acting like he was oblivious to what his hand was doing, but I knew better. I threw Masen a quick glance, pleased that he was into the movie, and went to smack Edward's hand off my thigh.
"What?" he asked, shaking his hand.
"Stop it, you horny old man," I hissed.
He looked taken aback, but I knew better. "Horny old man? I am not an old man! Come on, I'll show you. Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes." He looked so serious.
"You have got to be kidding me." I nudged my head toward Masen.
"You know Momma and Dad, it's not polite to talk during a movie," Masen hushed, interrupting us.
"Sorry," we both apologized and looked back toward the screen.
"It's your fault for calling me a horny old man," Edward pouted a few seconds later.
Rolling my eyes at him, I pinched the skin of his arm making him screech like a little girl. "That'll teach you to keep your hands to yourself."
"What the fuck?" he hissed at me.
Masen popped a piece of popcorn in his mouth and shook his head at us. "Kids these days," he sighed.
I couldn't help but laugh at Masen. He was too adorable for his own good. That's probably why he got away with so much.
During the remainder of the movie, Edward kept his mouth shut and hands to himself—beside the arm cradling my shoulder. Overall, the movie was very sweet and endearing. Masen was very happy with the movie. Edward on the other hand, fell asleep with a dribble of drool pooling down his shirt.
At the same time the lights came on, Edward snored loudly waking himself up. "The hell?" he whispered, wiping the drool of his chin.
"Morning, sunshine." I giggled.
"Very funny, Bella," he scowled and stood up.
As soon as the crisp cool air flitted against my skin, I shuddered. Edward pulled me into his warm body as we walked across the deserted street.
He put the key into the ignition and I quickly turned on the warm air. It took Masen ten minutes before he fell asleep and his quiet snores filled the silence.
When we arrived home, Edward held a sleeping Masen while I unlocked the front door. Edward took him straight up to his room and tucked him in. I let Brownie out to use the restroom. Opening the door to let her back in, she rushed past me and up the stairs. She always slept on Masen's bed.
I kept the outside lights on for Tanya. I wasn't sure how long she would be out. It was a Friday night, after all. Dragging my heavy feet up the stairs, I walked into the bedroom.
Edward came out of the bathroom wearing his boxers and long white socks. It was hard not to ogle the defined planes of his stomach. His smirk and wink brought me out of my inner musings.
"I knew you couldn't resist me." He was acting like a soap opera actor. One second he was standing by the bathroom door and the next he was up in the air and landing on the bed. He rolled onto his side, one hand supporting his head, the other running along the comforter.
"Would you like to come join me on this big bed? I'm feeling a bit lonely right now." I didn't know what was up with him, but it surely cracked me the hell up.
"What..?" He interrupted me, "Mr. Cullen is waiting for you." He lifted his right bushy brow.
"Oh, no please don't talk in third person." I groaned. He usually did this when he was trying to get me to have sex with him.
He rolled over to my side of the bed with a glimmering smile. "Come on, Mrs. Cullen, let's do a little horizontal tango on this comfortable bed."
"Edward," I giggled.
He rolled over a little too fast, landing hard on the carpet flooring. "Shit! That fucking hurt."
I rushed over to him to make sure he was okay. He quickly stood up with a flushed face. I could tell he was a little embarrassed. Walking into the bathroom, I stripped off my jeans and t-shirt.
Before leaving the bathroom, I quickly brushed my teeth and used the toilet. Strutting into the bedroom, Edward looked like he was asleep, but I couldn't be sure. I cuddled into the bed and turned off the light. Not a second later Edward rolled on top of me and pulled the comforter over our heads.
"Mr. Edward Junior has arrived and would like to come and play with Miss Bella's bundle of nerves." He attached his lips to my neck and ground his hard length against my warm heat. I definitely would not be getting any sleep tonight.