Secrets & Lies

Chapter Twenty

Bella

Jaime and Noah are in the living room watching cartoons when I walk out the following morning. Edward was gone by the time I woke up, but he left a note saying he left early in the morning so the boys wouldn't wake up and realize he spent the night in my bedroom. Rita walks into the living room at the same time I do and all three heads turn to me.

"Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Rita asked. "Do you want me to make you something to eat?"

I nod with a small smile. "Please, Rita. Thank you."

Rita walks back to the kitchen, leaving me with the boys. I take the remote from the coffee table and turn the volume off and sit in front of them.

"How are you guys doing?" I ask, taking each of their hands. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Mom, why did grandma leave?" Noah asked.

I swallow, hard. I knew I would have to explain what happened last night, but I had hoped I could put it off until later when I knew what I wanted to say.

"She... she needed to go back to Jacksonville, Noah."

"But Edward was really mad at her," Jaime said. "She said mean things to you and Edward told her to leave, I heard it."

"Baby-"

"Why would grandma say mean things to you, Mom?" Noah asked. "You were really upset. You broke things."

Tears spill down my cheeks. I wipe them away and shrug, looking down at their little hands.

"Grandma did say some hurtful things to me and why is something you shouldn't worry about, okay? It doesn't matter now."

Jaime leans forward. "I'm happy Edward told her to leave. I hope she doesn't come back."

"Don't say that, James," I say sternly. "She's your grandmother and she loves you two so much. She just doesn't know how to show it."

"But you don't show it by being mean to someone. You can't hurt people you love, Ma," he said. "That's what daddy did, and now grandma. Why are people so mean?"

I shake my head slowly, completely at a loss of words. "I don't know, baby. It's just... what people do. But I'm glad that you two understand that you should never treat a person badly, no matter how angry you are at them."

Jaime looks down at our joined hands. "You were happy again and she came and she broke you. I don't like that. I don't like seeing you cry, Ma."

"Hey." I kneel in front of him and take his face between my hands. "I'm not broken, okay? I'm right here, baby, and I'm not going anywhere. We're fighters, remember? And I got the two most wonderful boys by my side. I don't need anything else."

"And Edward and Lucy," Noah says. "They also make you happy."

I chuckle, wiping my tears away. "That's true. And we don't need anyone else."

I pull both my boys into a tight hug and kiss each of their heads. "Oh, I love you two so much. So, so much."

"Love you, Mom," they say at the same time.

I spent that morning curled up on the couch with my boys, drinking my tea, and enjoying some cartoons before getting our day started. I messaged with Edward here and there. He took Lucy to his parents' house and was going to have dinner with them. We've been so caught up with each other and the kids, I completely forgot he had parents he needed to see.

Fortunately, Alice had not said a thing to his parents about finding us in bed together and I was relieved. The fewer people knew about it, the better. We already had press coming out at unconventional times, we didn't need our business all over the news and conspiracy theories floating around us.