Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended. ©2023

This was my entry in the Era Contest.

Thank you to my family who encouraged me to share a piece of my life on this platform.

Also, thank you to my beta, Mel C.

ConTroL

March 5, 1989

My cheeks felt rubbed raw as my teeth chattered. I flexed my fingers, that burned from the below zero wind chill. The sky was sunny and clear as it radiated off the sparkling snow and the ice crystals that hung from the surrounding buildings.

The harsh, biting, Chicago wind battered my face with each step as my boots crushed upon the slippery frozen canvas. "Whoa." My hands flew from the inside of my pockets, with the small white bag in my right hand, as I tried to balance myself. I stood still and looked around to see if it made more sense to hike through the small mountains of shoveled snow that covered the grass or take my chances on the thin glaze of black ice on the sidewalk.

Edward was half a block away, waiting for me in the car. I decided snow on the bottom of my pants was better than falling on my ass.

I tucked my mouth down into the high collar of my coat to at least trying to avoid the strong gust of wind. I knew I was close to my destination because I heard the booming base thumping from Edward's car, Eric B and Rakim, "Microphone Fiend"—one of his favorites. Ever since Edward, Jasper, and Emmett flew out to The Spectrum in Philadelphia on September 4, 1988, the album came out last year in 1988, for the East Coast Hip Hop concert, that was the only tape he played in the car.

Although I was just a matter of steps away, I stopped and caught my breath because it felt like I was trying to climb up Mount Everest. Edward must have noticed me standing there because that was when I heard him call out to me. "Bella, sweetheart, are you all right?" Before I could respond, he started to trudge through the mounds of snow in his distressed Levi jeans, beige and brown puffer coat, and his gold Timberland boots, that looked like what construction workers wore to work, and met me where I stood. He pressed his hand against one of my cheeks. "You're freezing." He bent down and picked me up bridal style and walked back to his midnight blue, 1979 Oldsmobile Ninety-eight Regency, that he saved up from working his part-time job, after school.

After he opened the passenger door and gently set me down in the light-blue plush seats, I immediately felt pins and needles throbbing from the blasting heat coming from the vents. Before I could lean forward to turn it down, Edward had already made it around to his door and back inside the car and had turned it on low. He blew into his hands and rubbed them together, as he scanned my face with a wrinkled brow. He leaned over the console. "Come here, baby." Edward softly put his warmed hands on my face, rubbing and massaging. "I'm so sorry." He kissed my forehead. "I told you I could have gone in to get it." He had always been so protective of me, from the beginning, even when we were just friends.

"No." I shook my head. "I think you going in to buy a pregnancy test would have brought even more attention to you than me."

The petite lady with the salt and pepper who rang me up had already looked at me suspiciously. She may have taken Edward to a back room to interrogate him had he gone in. Older people were just so nosey, even when you weren't their child.

"We don't know anyone around here, so who would have cared?" He shrugged his shoulders.

Edward and I met at one of the local high school hangouts called, Jones, a mom-and-pop a hole-in-the-wall, before our first period class. We played our favorite arcade game, Galaga, for a little while before we snuggled in the booth tucked away in the corner.

Although it was early, we still ordered pizza puffs with cheese fries for breakfast. Mrs. Jones wasn't surprised to see us at that time of the day because that was where we'd meet up anytime, we needed to have serious conversations before class.

So, in this same booth we'd sat in many times before, is where I told Edward my period was eight days late. I'd held out because I had initially figured I was late due to stressing over midterms and hearing back from the colleges we had applied to. But being late was highly unusual for me and I knew it was time to speak up.

We weren't irresponsible—I was on the pill and he used condoms. We'd dated for six months before we took that next step, but we were in love before we had sex the first time. He was my first and I was his.

But I guess what was meant to be would be—even when you took precautions. I tried not to worry because I knew that wouldn't help matters any but that was easier said than done.

I leaned in for a quick peck on Edward's lips as I finally began to feel warm. "No worries, baby, I made it back in one piece." I flashed a toothy grin.

"Yeah, I know but you wouldn't have had to walk so damn far if we went to one of the Walgreens near us," he fussed.

Edward had driven at least thirty minutes away from our usual neighborhood stores.

"True." I nodded in agreement. "But you know too many snooping people know us and it would have gotten back to your parents or mine before we even knew the results." I bit my bottom lip. "What if I am pregnant? What are we going to do?" My gaze turned watery.

It seemed like I was all over the place with my emotions lately. I wasn't sure if that was an indication or not. But that could happen with PMS, too, right?

"Shhhh." Edward pulled me into a tight hug. "Let's not jump to conclusions until we get the results, okay?" He pulled back enough to look me in the eyes. "But if you are, we will figure it out."

I slowly nodded as a lone tear ran down my face. "Do you—would you want—"

He cut me off, wiping the tear away with his thumb. "Of course, I would want our baby." His expression softened. "Bella, I love you, and if there is a little one in there-" he put his hand on my stomach- "he or she was made in love." More tears fell while I chuckled with relief. He leaned his forehead against mine. "Isabella Marie Cromwell, I love you so fucking much and nothing or nobody will ever change that." He gently grabbed my face kissing both my eyes, my nose, and finally my lips. "Now, no more what-ifs until we know for certain, okay?" Edward pleaded.

"Okay." I smiled.

"So, we're still on to go to Alice's?"

"Yes." I cleared my throat and wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. "Her parents don't get home from work until after seven, so we have plenty of time."

"Cool." He gave me one last kiss on the forehead and turned to put his seatbelt on. "You all good now? Can I turn the heat back up?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I winked at him.

Moments later Edward pulled out of the sandwiched spot he squeezed into that was closest to Perry's Corner Drug Store.

The music played softly in the background as I watched different people scurrying through the snow, getting on and off of the buses, more than likely trying to get home and out of the frigid weather.

Edward reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers, like he normally did, rubbing small circles. The continuous pattern relaxed me as my mind wandered to several different scenarios of how this could play out if I was actually pregnant and how our parents could respond. Our parents would probably throw question after question our way and tell us we were too young for such a heavy responsibility but I knew no matter what the outcome, fear and all, Edward and I had each other and we'd get through it… together.

Once Edward parked in front of Alice's house, I jumped out and headed toward the front door. I walked up a few steps but by that fourth step my foot slipped, and I reached out for the side banister. "Shit," I mumbled.

"Be careful," Edward said from behind me.

"Finally," Alice said after she flung the door open and rolled her eyes.

She must've been standing in the picture window because I hadn't rang the doorbell yet.

I walked past her through the front door, into the warmth of the living room with the egg white walls, royal blue velvet couch, and burnt orange pillows and chairs to accent. While Alice played it safe with more of the pastel colors in her bedroom and bathroom, Mrs. Brandon decorated the rest with bolder colors. I immediately walked over to the brick fireplace that engulfed the entire wall. "Allie, you know we had to drive to a different neighborhood so no one would recognize us, right?"

"Exactly." Edward huffed behind as he removed his Chicago Bears, blue and orange knitted beanie.

"I know." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I've been a ball of nerves since you told me this morning."

"You good, shorty." Edward winked. "Is Jasper here?"

"No." Alice shook her head. "I didn't think Bella wanted an audience."

"Thanks." I halfway smiled. She thought she was nervous, but I was the one that had to take the pregnancy test. I had been jittery all day as if I had a caffeine rush.

"Do you need any water, Tarino, or Mello Yellow—something to drink first?" Alice asked.

I already needed to relieve myself, but I was stalling.

"Yeah, I could use some water," I replied as I shook my navy blue goose coat off my arms.

"Okay, cool." She turned toward Edward. "Would you like water, a snack—anything?"

"Nah, I'm straight." He waved her off while he threw his coat across the same chair as mine.

Once Alice left the living room and headed to the kitchen, my eyes instantly connected with Edward's. His demeanor was pure confidence like it had always been from the day we met, in our high school sophomore year, but I stood there twisting a string of my cocoa and caramel-colored hair with my fingers.

It was one thing to tell him my period was late, but I was minutes away from finding out if I was pregnant or not. This definitely wasn't planned. I mean, we'd talked about getting married and having a family one day, but that was years from now. We were in our senior year headed to college. And now this one test, if it turned blue, could change our lives, dramatically.

He closed the gap between us. "C'mere, baby girl." He embraced me and I inhaled that special Edward smell—a mix of laundry detergent, cedarwood, and something that was just him. I buried my face into his chest as he kissed my hair. "I'm right here with you. No matter what that test says, I'm with you."

I slowly nodded with my face still buried, afraid a sob would come out if I spoke.

"Okay, Izzy," Alice called me by the childhood nickname that she'd given me years ago. "Here's your water." She handed me the glass as Edward and I broke apart. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask, so if you are…" She trailed off, as her eyes bounced between Edward and me.

"We're keeping it," we said in unison.

Edward and I had already talked about it at length, and we both agreed under no uncertain terms would we terminate the pregnancy.

"Good." She chuckled nervously.

I swallowed thickly and drank the water. Part of me thought about waiting it out to see if my menses would come later in the month but then the other part of me just knew. Why prolong the inevitable? If I was, I'd face the music from my parents, whatever that entailed.

As if I was a science project, Alice watched me swallow the liquid down until it was gone.

She was my best-friend—more like a sister to me than my biological one—but she had been riding my last nerve all day. From our first period class together when I told her, all the way through lunch, with the concerned looks and the what ifs. I knew she meant well, but it had become too damn much.

"Allie, would you please stop it?" I chuckled, handing her the glass. "You've had me jumpy all day."

Edward snorted.

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry." Alice held her hands up in surrender. "You know I love you all, but this just doesn't affect the two of you. It affects all of us."

"How is that?" Edward asked with a probing gaze.

"Because we're family, Edward." She rubbed her forehead. "I've known Izzy since I was nine years old, and that could be my niece or nephew she's carrying in there." She pointed to my stomach. "You know we're a tight-knit group. There's no way Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, or I wouldn't help you all."

That was just like Alice to say that. We met when we were in the third grade. The Brandons were new to the Grove Heights subdivision, and on the first day of school, spunky Alice introduced herself, with Mrs. Brandon standing next to her, as Mary Alice Brandon before she engulfed me into a hug. Even then, I thought she was the cutest girl I'd seen with bright, huge hazel eyes and long dark brown hair. How could I not hug her back? Then she told me that she and I would be best friends, forever. And we'd been attached at the hip ever since.

I released an appreciative sigh and hugged her. When I looked over her shoulder, I saw Edward's expression soften.

"Thanks, Allie." Edward smiled.

Alice kissed me on the cheek before she stepped back. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, hurry, Izzy." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "We're losing time standing around talking." She exhaled nervously.

I reached into my coat pocket pulled out the white bag, and started for the stairs leading toward the bathroom.

"Um, should I come with you or—" Edward trailed off.

I turned around on the stairs. "I think I can handle peeing in a cup. But while we're waiting, will you sit with me?"

"Of course," he answered without hesitation.

Refusing to stretch this out any longer than I already had I went into the restroom, read the instructions for the hundredth time since I bought the test, and handled my business.

I wrapped Kleenex around the small cup and set it on the floor, laying it on the other side of the sink so I couldn't see the results.

I glanced at my Swatch Watch that read five-fifteen. These were going to be the longest ten minutes of my life.

Shit.

I sat on the toilet seat, almost willing the chemical mixing with my urine to remain clear. I'd stayed in a daze longer than I thought because the knock on the door startled me. "Who…" I rolled my eyes at myself. "Who is it?"

"It's me, baby," Edward replied.

"Come in."

Seconds later, he opened, closed, and locked the door behind himself.

He scanned the bathroom until his eyes landed on me. "Is everything okay? I couldn't wait any longer for you to come back down."

"Yeah." I nodded. "We have another"—my eyes flicked down to my watch again— "eight minutes before we get the results."

Edward closed the space between us and crouched down in front of me. "Do you want to go back downstairs and wait or stay in here?"

"Let's stay in here." I ran my fingers through his reddish-brown, unruly hair that I loved so much.

He stood up, leaned down, and picked me up from the toilet seat, I instantly wrapped my legs around his waist, and he sat down on the edge of the pink bathtub.

Two of Alice's favorite colors were pink and gray. I laughed when she told me she had her parents looking high and low for a pink tub. But since they never could find what she wanted, they had one custom-made for her. With Alice being the only child, she mostly got everything she asked for.

It was so pink in the restroom; I wasn't sure if I had started feeling queasy from the explosion of pink or if it was my nerves.

I laid my head on his shoulder and played with the hair on the nape of his neck, as he rubbed small, hypnotizing circles on my back.

The quiet between us was peaceful. I listened to his heartbeat—the rhythm of it soothed me, as usual. Whenever Edward held me, he was the calm to my storm.

I must have dozed off quickly—it seemed like I couldn't get enough sleep lately—because Edward began speaking softly to draw my attention.

"Bella." He squeezed my hips. "I've been thinking."

"Okay." I cleared my throat.

"You know since Eric's been away in the Army, his room is empty. Plus, he said he's not coming back when he gets out. He's going to stay in Germany for a while. You can take his room during the summer before we leave… if you need to."

Eric was Edward's older brother. He'd graduated from high school a year before us. I wasn't surprised when he announced he had enlisted. He had always talked about traveling and experiencing different cultures.

I guess I wasn't the only one concerned about my parents' reaction to the news.

"Do you think your parents would be okay with that?"

He leaned back and looked me in the eyes. "Sweetheart, you know how my parents feel about you. Yes, they would let you stay with us, for as long as you wanted to."

I loved his parents, and I knew they loved me. I had more of a mother-daughter connection with Mrs. Cullen than I had with my own mother.

"That may have to be what I do, if that will be an option."

He cupped both sides of my face. "My parents will be surprised and maybe even disappointed a little bit, but I know they will support us."

"It's not your parents I have the biggest concern about." I exhaled.

"I know, but we will get through this… together. We're both eighteen years old. You could easily move out now if you wanted or needed to." He frowned.

"That's true, but I'm sure dear old mother would make sure I was cut off financially."

"Who cares? You know you'd be taken care of anyway. I have my savings, and Mom and Dad wouldn't let you go without." He brushed the loose hairs on my face behind my ear.

I tried to work a part-time job when I was sixteen, but when my father noticed it had begun to interfere with my homework, he immediately told me to quit.

It seemed like Edward had already worked out everything in his mind. Although his parents would be more accepting than mine, I wasn't completely convinced they'd be as welcoming as Edward thought.

"Listen to me for a second, please." I took a deep cleansing breath. "Sweetie, you have great parents that actually listen to you but even with all of that, you can't tell me they won't be angry with the both of us. We have full ride scholarships at Columbia and there is a very strong possibility we're going to have to let them go." My eyes teared up at the thought of that.

"You're right. My parents won't be too happy with either one of us. We'll have to give them time to process all of it, just like you and I will need that time. But I don't see them allowing you to be stressed out living with your parents, especially your mother." I shook my head and was about to speak but he cut me off. "I let you talk. Now hear me out. We can check with Columbia to see if they have dorms for couples with children or even if we can live off-campus and if not, we can look at Michigan State since we both have scholarships there too."

I had forgotten about Michigan State since Columbia was our first choice. I wanted to be as far away from home as possible. All of the colleges we'd applied to were out of state.

We had both worked hard from our freshmen year to our senior year so we could be awarded scholarships. In Edward's case, it was not that his parents couldn't afford to send him, but instead that he had pulled nothing but A's since he'd been in school.

In my case, it boiled down to if my parents would help me.

He continued. "If Michigan State doesn't have on-campus dorms for couples with kids then we can find a two-bedroom apartment. An apartment in Michigan would be much cheaper than New York and we'd probably get some kind of student discount too." Edward looked at me with a lopsided smile. "I'll find a part-time job to help out with the daily expenses and to save up for the baby."

"Sounds like you've given this a lot of thought, huh?" I gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Yeah, I have." He leaned his forehead on mine. "Things will be harder, but we can do this. We won't be the first college freshmen with a child, and I know we won't be the last." He kissed my nose. "Do you think it's time to check the test yet?"

I looked at my watch and noticed we had past the ten-minute wait. "Uh-huh."

I scooted off his lap and we stared at each other momentarily. He leaned down and gently kissed me on the lips. "Let's see. All this worrying and planning could've been for nothing. Where is it?"

"Over there." I jerked my head. "On the other side of the sink. I didn't want to see it because I knew I'd watch it the whole time."

I was grateful home pregnancy tests had evolved because not too long ago the wait was forty-five minutes to an hour long.

"Makes sense." He shrugged his shoulders. "Do you want to get it, or do you want me to get it?"

I scrunched my nose. "I'll get it, Edward."

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "There isn't a part of you that my mouth hasn't been on. I think I can pick that up."

"Whatever boy." I laughed. "Move so I can get it."

"All right, all right." He gestured with his hand. "You get it then."

I leaned down picked up the small container that was still wrapped in its white cocoon and turned around to face Edward. "I want us to see it together, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed.

I exhaled, loudly. "On the count of three." We silently consented. "One… two… three…" I quickly removed the covering and we stared at the bright blue color from the clear glass vial.

March 16, 1989

"Hi, Edward." Mom smiled from my bedroom doorway.

"Hi, Mrs. Cromwell." Edward paused, turning his attention from Above the Law, one of our favorite movies. "How are you doing?"

"I'm great." A fake smile plastered across her face. "How's the family doing?"

Her behavior was odd, but I had to let it play out.

"Oh, Mom and Dad are doing well, and Eric is enjoying his small leave in Germany."

"Ah, how nice." Her phony smile turned into a leer when her gaze set on me. "Isabella, I felt that now was an opportune time to have this conversation since Edward was here and your father wasn't."

"Okay." I dragged the word out, blinking slowly.

I hadn't noticed the black planner in her hand until she opened it. "Per my calendar, your menstrual cycle is close to three weeks late." She hadn't looked up from her book yet, but she turned a few pages. "It always comes around the same time, like clockwork, but it's late and I'd like to know why." She finally raised her head and looked me directly in the eyes, pursing her lips as she glared at me.

"Wait—" I jerked my head back baffled at what she had just said. "Hold on." I stood up from my position on the floor and leaned against my bed, and Edward stood with me. "How do you know when my period comes? And why do you have your calendar book in your hand?"

I felt my body heat rise.

"Isabella, please." She waved a dismissive hand at me. "Since the day of your first period, I've documented it."

"Why?" I frowned.

"Because I am your mother and it's part of my job to keep up with things like that. Why would you ask me such a dumb question?" She rolled her eyes.

"Mother, I am not twelve years old anymore. You have no right to do that." I inched closer to her.

Edward touched my arm, which helped to calm me down.

"I have every right to know what's going on in my house and especially with my child." Mom raised one eyebrow.

"Is that so?" I challenged.

She squinted her eyes.

"Baby, please don't," Edward whispered from behind me.

"No." I spun around to him. "We were in here minding our own business and—"

Mom interrupted. "I came to find out why I haven't seen any used pads in the wastebasket in your bathroom."

I quickly swung back around to face her. "You what?" I wrinkled my nose and curled my lips.

"You heard me." She nodded nonchalantly. "I've been going into your bathroom every month for years." She smirked. "And I also know where you keep your birth control pills, so I've also checked to make sure you're taking those too. Which has me a little puzzled because you're up-to-date with those." She hesitated, as if she was thinking. "Unless you knew I had been checking them and you weren't really taking them. Which brings me back to my original question. Why are you late?" She gave an expectant look.

My eyes blinked rapidly, trying to process the many boundaries my mother had been crossing for years.

I mentally replayed the times I'd come into my room throughout the years and seen small things slightly out of place or how my room just felt off at times. But I dismissed the thought of thinking my brother James came in to grab something. But it made sense now. I wasn't crazy. She'd been coming into my room for God only knows how long and spying on me instead of having a real conversation with me.

I pushed my shoulders back and my chest jutted out. In light of this new information, with her lack of communication and invading my privacy, keeping a tab on me, I felt like I didn't have to answer her question. So, in defiance, I held her gaze, refusing to be the first to break eye contact.

"Okay, Edward, since Isabella is being bull-headed and not answering my question" –she crossed her arms still looking at me—"you answer it then."

This woman was crazy. She always pulled the old divide and conquer routine. She tried it so many times with my older brother, James. But we quickly grew accustomed to it and decided to stick together, no matter the consequences.

I guess she thought I hadn't shared my childhood with Edward. I knew he wouldn't tell her, but I was pissed, and I wanted her to know she wasn't running a damn thing, especially not this.

"Edward. Don't. Say. A. Word," I said through clenched teeth.

She stepped closer into my personal space. "You spiteful little b…" She stopped when she heard Edward gasp beside me.

Arguing with Chelsea Kathleen Cromwell was nothing new to me. It was sad to say, but it had become the norm in our household. You either did what she wanted, or you had to deal with the repercussions.

Chelsea hadn't realized that none of the five of her children wanted to be around her. James, the brother closest to me in age and the one only that had the same father as me, chose to go to the University of Southern California. He too wanted to be as far away as he could away from our parents. Although Dad damn near threatened him to go to school somewhere in Illinois James stuck to his guns and got the hell out of dodge.

James and Dad have a very strained relationship, but that was another story for another day.

Edward had only heard about the disagreements I had with my mother, but this was the first time he had actually witnessed one.

She stepped back and adjusted her red Donna Karan jacket, and she turned her head to gather her wits, clearing her throat.

You see, Mommy Dearest liked to put on airs. She could do it as easily as she breathed.

I smirked, waiting for her eyes to meet mine, daring her to finish what she really wanted to say in front of Edward.

"Isabella and Edward." Her eyes were hard as she looked between the two of us. "Answer me right now. I will not continue this with you all." She lifted her arm to check her watch.

I glanced at the alarm clock on my nightstand and saw that my dad would be home in another twenty minutes or so. Ah, she was trying to finish this before he got home.

Edward ran his hands through his hair. He wasn't used to drama. The Cullens had good relationships with both of their sons. They weren't perfect, but their family dynamic was much better than ours. They were down-to-earth people who weren't caught up in appearances like my parents.

I didn't want to put him through any more of my mother's theatrics because it could definitely get worse.

I reached out beside me grabbed Edward's hand and squeezed it. He returned the gesture, and we silently agreed to tell her.

I sighed dejectedly. "I'm pregnant." Edward released my hand and pulled me into his side, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"You're what?" She laughed with an edge.

"You heard me," I postured.

"I was right." She pointed her index finger at me. "You weren't taking your pills."

"I did take them—never missed one."

"You're lying."

"I have no reason to lie," I argued.

"You've been lying. You didn't even tell me you were late. Just so happened I looked at my calendar for something else and realized I hadn't marked it as usual."

"Do you hear yourself right now, Mom? You've been digging through the garbage, for years, to find my bloody pads. That's disgusting," I muttered.

"You are mine and your father's responsibility. We had every right to know!"

"Had it ever crossed your mind to have a conversation with me instead of sneaking behind my back?" I shook my head in disbelief. "I mean, come on, Mom, you've done your share of mess to me, but this…" I cringed.

"Why waste time with a conversation when I could easily check for myself?" She shrugged.

"Because you were in my private space."

"Your private space?" She sneered. "You get privacy when you get your own place."

"Perfect." I glanced over at Edward. "That will be happening sooner than later."

"Excuse me?" Mom stepped closer. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"My parents know everything. We all decided it would be best if Bella moved into Eric's old bedroom," Edward intervened.

"You talked… you all decided." Her voice faded. "His mother knew before I did." Her nostrils flared.

"Yes." I nodded curtly.

"How fucking dare you, Isabella?" She threw her datebook down on the floor and pointed to her chest. "I am your mother and you told her before you told me. Then he has the nerve to tell me the four of you all have discussed this and never included me and your father? Have the two of you lost your damn minds? You're only eighteen years old; you aren't mature enough to make decisions like that," she taunted.

I opened my mouth to respond but Edward beat me to it. "I mean no disrespect, Mrs. Cromwell, but we are more than capable of making such a decision, not to mention we talked extensively with my parents and Dr. Jefferson." She narrowed her eyes at him, but he continued. "We've already confirmed our acceptance with Michigan State, and they assisted us with finding a nice, affordable off-campus two-bedroom apartment."

Her eyes darted between the two of us as a quick disgusted snort filled the room. "You've been quite the busy one haven't you, Mr. Cullen? It's all a moot point because Isabella is not having this baby."

"The hell I'm not," I said matter-of-factly.

"No. You. Are. Not," she said with flat lips.

I had a fluttery feeling in my chest, and I knew my blood pressure was rising, but I had to think of the baby. This wasn't good for either of us. As much as she thought she was in control, my mother wasn't. So, there was no need for me to get myself worked up over nothing.

I took a cleansing breath, exuding calm and focus. "Mom, I will be having our baby." I laid my hand on my stomach. "I do not need your opinion nor your permission. In the eyes of the law, I am an adult. The decision isn't yours to make." I flipped my hair back with a satisfied grin.

My mother looked everywhere in the room, except at me. This was one of her telltale signs when she knew she didn't have control of the situation. Sometimes when she realized she wasn't going to get her way she'd back down but then other times she'd be relentless until she got exactly what she wanted.

Then a gleam appeared in her eyes. "This will kill your father. You know he has a bad heart. You're his only daughter. He wanted so much more for you than this."

Like she really cared about my future. She took no part in helping me plan for college. Never even asked what I wanted to be when I grew up like most parents did with their children.

"Don't try to guilt trip me, Mom, by using Dad. That may have worked in the past but there is no way I would sacrifice our child for Dad, or anyone else for that matter. You should be ashamed of yourself." I shook my head because I knew she wasn't.

"You're not ready to take care of a child. How are you all going to do that while still going to school? Wait a minute." She held her index finger up and cocked her head to the side. "So, when you walk across the stage in May, you'll be pregnant. When you go to prom, you'll be pregnant." She chuckled. "What a fond memory to share with your little bastard child, Isabella," she said with disdain.

The harsh breaths I exhaled echoed loudly in my ears. I immediately took deep breaths to calm myself down again. My doctor told me during my first visit, that confirmed I was in fact pregnant, my blood pressure was slightly elevated, but he said he'd keep an eye on it for now.

Dr. Jefferson had known me since I was ten years old when I'd come to appointments with my mother. The summer I graduated from eighth grade, right before freshmen year started, my mother set an appointment for me to start taking birth control pills. I was kind of shy at first because having sex with a boy back then hadn't even crossed my mind. But I was being forced to go because my mother didn't want me to get pregnant and embarrass the family. Although had she taken the time to ask me, she would've known I hadn't even kissed a boy, much less had sex.

When Dr. Jefferson sensed my apprehension about being there in the first place, so he used fewer medical terms and made it feel more like an easy conversation than the typical uptight doctor's appointment. By the time I walked out, I felt like he was someone I could confide in if I needed to.

During my first prenatal visit, he assured me that just because I'd used my mother's health insurance that did not give her the right to know why I was there and what happened. Dr. Jefferson added a note to my medical record that no information could be shared with anyone except for me. He also informed all of his staff because he knew how tenacious my mother could be.

Edward's head jerked back, and his arm dropped from around my waist. "Hold the fuck on." He stepped in front of me. "You will not speak to Bella like that or our child. I am the baby's father." He patted his open palm against his chest. "He or she is not a bastard. Mrs. Cromwell, since Bella and I have been dating, you've done and said a lot of cruel things, but this is where it ends. I will not stand here and allow you to be so vicious toward her or your grandchild."

Her mouth fell open in shock because Edward had never spoken to her like that before. If the situation wasn't so serious, I would've laughed.

Her face was red as she looked Edward up and down. "You're right. You don't have to stand here and listen. You can get the hell out of my house and don't come back, little boy." She laughed bitterly. "I don't know who you think you're talking to, but I won't tolerate being disrespected, let alone in my house."

Edward turned around to me. "You ready, baby?"

"Why are you asking her if she's ready? You're the only one leaving," my mother spat.

"No, Mother, he's not the only one leaving. I'm going with him." I stepped around Edward and looked my mother directly in the eyes. "You have a lot of nerve. Have you forgotten you had Paul at fifteen years old? Or how old were you when you had Carmen and Sam?" I cocked my head to the side. I knew exactly how old she was when she had my older siblings, but I wanted to snap her back to reality. "Where are their fathers? As a matter of fact, who are their fathers?" I saw the tension climb up her jaw, but I continued. "You've hidden your first three children from your friends and co-workers in Chicago for years. They think you only have two kids, but you actually have five. The first three grew up in Indiana. You lied to me and James for most of our lives about why grandma raised our brothers and sister instead of you. Then we had to find out the truth from Uncle Benjamin after Grandma died since you clowned so bad at her funeral because you were afraid some of your pretentious cronies would figure out the truth."

She stepped forward with her hands at her side, with her fists clenching and unclenching. "You ungrateful little bitch." She growled. "You have no right to bring any of that up, much less try to judge me. What happened in my past is not your or James' business. Benjamin had no right to tell you anything."

"But you have a right to stand here and call my child a bastard? Knowing full well that Edward is the father. You have a right to come into my personal space and go through my things?" I pointed at her with tight eyes.

"This is my house!" She dramatically opened her arms wide. "I can do what I damn well please. There isn't a room in this house I don't have access to."

"That's part of the problem. You think you're supposed to have access to everyone else's skeletons, but you keep yours under lock and key." I tsked. "How hypocritical of you, Mother." I smiled disparagingly.

"Isabella, have you forgotten I am the parent, and you are the child? I don't owe any of my children an explanation."

"Had you told the truth about what really happened, James and I wouldn't have been wondering for years why Paul, Carmen, and Sam treated us the way they did."

"I don't care about all of that." She waved her hands in the air. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Sam: that shit is old and all of you all need to get the hell over it." She laughed arrogantly. "Now, moving on to the matter at hand. While you were over at the Cullens' house planning, did you think about how you're going to look being a young mother? What will people think? What will they say about you and Edward?" She folded her arms across her chest.

"We don't care what people will think or say. The only thing that matters is what we think," Edward spoke up.

"Why are you even still here, Edward?" She sighed heavily.

"He's here because I'm still here. If he has to go, then I'm going with him."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere. I'm going to call a few clinics tomorrow so you can get that thing taken care of. Your father will never have to know."

"Mrs. Cromwell, how many times do we have to tell you that Bella is having our child?" Edward's posture was stiff, and his lips were pinched together.

"Exactly," I agreed. "And you're not fooling anyone by mentioning Dad. The only person you're concerned about is you. You don't want to tarnish your precious reputation with your co-workers and stuck-up ass friends. Which is exactly why none of them know about your first three children. But you know what, Mother, you're safe. When I leave this house, I'm not coming back. You won't see me or your grandchild."

"Mark my words" –she put one hand on her hip and waved the other in the air—"you're going to need me long before I need you. If you have that baby against my wishes and you leave, I'm going to have the locks changed so you won't have a home to come back to."

"You can call the locksmith first thing in the morning then. When I leave tonight, I'll make sure to leave my key," I snapped back. "This has never been a home for me anyway."

"I can't believe how foolish the both of you are. You cannot raise a child and go to school full time. Edward, you'll only be able to go to school part-time, which means you will probably lose your scholarship. And you…" She paused and looked at me. "You'll never graduate. You'll have to drop out so you can raise his baby." She curled her lips and looked Edward up and down.

I was done with her saying mean, nasty things about us and our baby.

"Was that your reason for leaving your first three children? Were they an inconvenience to you? Is that why Grandma adopted them at three, one in a half, and seven months old, and raised them in Gary instead of you?"

Before I knew it, she was in my face with a raised hand. I grabbed it without a second thought and flung it back. Her eyes grew wide and she tried again with the same hand.

"Shit," I heard Edward say under his breath, as he got in between us, making me release her.

"Move, Edward." She pushed him and he accidentally bumped into me.

"Baby, are you okay?" He slightly turned his head as he checked on me.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Get the hell out of my way, you little bastard," Mom roared.

"I'm not doing that Mrs. Cromwell." He moved with her as she kept trying to get around him. "Bella, get your coat on, now. We'll get your other stuff later."

I shook my head, but I knew he didn't see me. Luckily, I had laid my coat on my bed instead of hanging it up in the closet downstairs.

"Where do you think you're going, Isabella? You're not leaving this house. Edward if you don't move, I'm going to call the police."

"Go right ahead, so we can tell them how you tried to attack a pregnant woman."

In seconds I threw on my coat and boots along with my other accessories. "Ready," I said from behind Edward.

"If she kept her mouth shut then I wouldn't want to knock her in it. Little girl, don't you dare leave this house," my mother commanded. Edward still continued to block her from getting to me, but she kept spouting her hateful words. "You make me sick. You had to go and get pregnant just so you could embarrass me, you dumb twat."

"Contrary to your misguided belief, Mother, not everything is not about you." I scoffed.

Mom finally stopped and looked at Edward. "Do you…" she jabbed him in the chest "…think she's worth you missing out on going to New York? Just think about it. She could go to the clinic and get it taken care of and you could still go to Columbia without her. You'd probably find someone else more suitable for you. I'd always thought you settled when you started dating her."

Chelsea was the most uncaring, ruthless, woman I had ever laid my eyes on. I had the emotional scars as proof. She was pure evil.

I threw my gloves off and charged toward her, but Edward was quick to grab me. "No, Bella, remember what the doctor said."

That made me pause.

She smirked.

Hot tears slid down my cheeks, not because I was hurt but because I couldn't get to her the way I wanted. She stood there with a triumphant grin like she tore me down—as if Edward would actually leave me. She didn't know the connection we had. We were in sync. He was my soulmate, and I was his. But when you're heartless and emotionally unavailable, you don't know how to think outside of your own little box.

Mother thinks she struck a chord in me and I will give into her will. Little did she know, I had grieved for not having a loving mother years ago. I'd been in survival mode for years. I just had to hold on until I graduated from high school and when I left, I'd intended to never come back, not for summer breaks or holidays. I wanted nothing more to do with her or Chicago. Nothing.

What she didn't know was I had one thing in my arsenal that would shut her down. It would be the final nail in her coffin.

Edward pulled me out of my thoughts. "Yes, Mrs. Cromwell, Bella, my Bella and our child are worth it. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for either one of them." He shook his head. "She's the sweetest, most beautiful girl I've ever met. How could you not love her?"

I smiled and rubbed his back.

"Love!" She mocked. "She's easy to not love. I tolerate her—"

I cut her off. "Because I'm not James, Edward. That's why she doesn't love me. You're right. You've never loved me, and you've reminded me of that fact every day. You see, I'm not her favorite—James is. And it didn't help me any that I look exactly like the mother-in-law she hated." I slowly paced behind Edward. "Out of all five of her children, I am the only one that doesn't look like her."

She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Mother, you didn't know that I overheard you on the phone with Tanya telling her you weren't going to help me go to college like you did James. That I would have to figure it out for myself. I heard you tell her you weren't going to waste your time or money on me. How if Dad wanted to foot the whole bill, he could." She covered her mouth with her hand. "Yeah, you didn't know I knew, huh? You said I wasn't smart enough. I was hopeless. You went on and on about how the best thing I could do was lie on my back and pray that a rich man who was foolish enough to be with me would marry me."

Her face turned white, so I kept talking. "You'd do anything for your youngest son, right? Do you think we haven't noticed how you perk up when he calls? Or how you take up most of the time talking to him so Dad and I can barely get a word in?" I held up my index finger, pausing. "But have you taken the time to realize that James has not been home in months—four months to be exact?" I grinned. "Do you want to know why he hasn't been home, Mother?"

She sighed heavily. "He's been, um—busy?" It came out more like a question.

"Busy for four months?" I wiggled my eyebrows. "Him not coming home for spring break like he usually does didn't seem strange to you?"

"He said he was busy. I believed him. Now leave shit alone, Isabella." She stomped her foot.

I knew I was slowly waking up the sleeping bear. Chelsea had always tried to play it cool in front of others. Her face was inscrutable—it revealed no hint of her inner war. You'd miss the slight twitch of her right eyebrow if you didn't know to look.

"Oh, he was busy all right. Getting busy with Kate," I said with a gleam in my eye. Edward chuckled. "The same girl you called a gold-digging whore, the one who would never be good enough for your son. Even when James asked you what you thought about her, you lied to his face. But what you didn't bet on was Sam and Carmen telling him what you really thought of her, did you?" I rocked back on my heels. "That's the real reason why he hasn't been home."

"You lying slut!" There was the grizzly. She tried to go around Edward but he held her back. "Shut your deceitful mouth right now. He would never—"

"Choose Kate over you?" I finished for her. "Yeah…" I nodded "…he did. Sam called James and told him everything because he was tired of your manipulating ways. How you couldn't stand when he'd bring Kate over here on the weekends he'd come home, how when you met Kate's family over the winter break, you couldn't stand Kate's prissy ass mother. Your golden boy knows everything now." I waved my hand with finality.

Her gaze was intense—unblinking. "I hate you, Isabella, and I wish I would've gone to the clinic myself, years ago, as my first mind told me to, instead of telling your father I was pregnant. I didn't want any more children after your brother. He was my pride and joy, not you." She waved her hand, unconcerned.

Edward flinched at her heinous words, and I had to admit that stung, but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that. That was one of the things I despised about her—when she knew you were down, she'd pounce like a lion to his prey.

"Chelsea." I paused to look her in the eyes, as she bared her teeth at me for calling her by her first name. She hated it but she'd provoked it. "That's the same pride and joy you haven't cut the apron strings from. That's the same pride and joy you've obsessively wished was your husband instead of your son." I chuckled. "Even your little snobby friends have admitted to that."

She screeched and pulled on her hair. "Move, Edward. Get the hell out of the way." She pushed and shoved him but to no avail. "When I get my hands on you, I'm going to kill you and that…"

"That's enough!" Edward yelled, as he grabbed her by both arms, making her stop.

Her posture stiffened but she wasn't deterred. "Get the fuck out of the way, right now damnit."

"No," he said with certainty.

She squinted her eyes. "All right, have it your way." She stepped back and stormed out of the room.

Edward turned around to me. "Grab your bag and let's get the hell out of here."

I reached for my backpack that sat in the corner and we finally headed out of my bedroom, with Edward ahead of me.

Just as we had made our way out to the hallway, he'd abruptly stopped in front of me causing me to run into the back of him.

"Edward, you can go." My mother hissed, pointing her revolver at us from where she stood at the other end of the hallway. She took slow measured steps toward us until she stood on the landing.

The black and off-white 32 magnum she held in her hand was a birthday gift from my dad. He had given that to her when I was thirteen years old because she kept begging him for one. Of course, he caved, like he always did when it came to her.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Mrs. Cromwell?" Edward quickly turned his head to make sure I stayed behind him. "Put that gun away before someone gets hurt."

My heart raced so fast I felt pain in my chest.

"That's the point, dumb ass. We can do this one of two ways: you can leave or you can stand there like a bumbling idiot and get shot too. You choose, but either way, Isabella is going to die tonight." She slowly moved closer to us, standing near the landing. "I'm not going to ask you again, Edward." She planted her feet wide apart, holding the gun with a two-handed grip and her index finger on the trigger. She took lessons at the shooting range, so I knew she was a good shot. "Where's all that mouth now, Isabella? Talk your shit now," she goaded.

One would have thought I would have been scared shitless, but I was the complete opposite. I'd questioned God, Source, and the universe many times throughout my life wondering how in the hell I ended up with her as a mother. Was karma getting me back for something I did in a former life or what? But this… to actually pull a gun on your own child? This was next-level shit, even for her.

"You're crazy!" I yelled out.

"Bella, please be quiet." Edward shook his head.

"That's right, Bella, listen to your boyfriend and shut the hell up." She glared.

"No. This is ridiculous. You can't make me stay here," I insisted.

"Don't you get it, you stupid little girl—I always get what I want one way or another. This is how it's going to go. You and I are going to the clinic tomorrow morning, Isabella. Edward, you're going to leave my house and keep your mouth shut about what happened here tonight and never speak of it again. Now—"

"Fuck you!" I interrupted. "I'm not going."

"Oh yes, the hell you are. Either you go or I'll take care of it for you myself!" Spit built up in the corners of her mouth.

"Go to hell!"

"Chelsea!" My father and I yelled at the same time. I heard my father's footsteps running up the stairs. "What the hell are you doing?" He stood in front of her, blocking her gun.

"No, Marcus, I'm tired of your daughter. She's been trying to tell me what she will and won't do all night. I've had enough of her."

"I don't care what she did or said; that doesn't warrant you to shoot our daughter." He attempted to reach for the gun.

"I said no." She jerked the gun back and tightened her hold.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Izzy, tell me what happened, baby." He turned around and walked toward me.

"Keep your damn mouth closed, Isabella," Mom threatened.

I was beginning to get hot in my heavy coat and felt nauseated. It had been hours since I'd eaten some crackers, which was about the only thing I could keep down at the moment. I wanted to watch another movie cuddled up with Edward, but first, we had to get out of here.

I was sick of her secrets, including the ones she tried to keep from my dad. He was going to find out one way or another that he was going to be a grandfather. At least he'd hear it from me.

"I'm preg—" I was instantly cut off by the reverberating gunfire that filled the room. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Edward reached for me first, but it seemed like something was pulling him back from ever getting to me. Then Dad tried to tackle Mom, but she managed to move around him with a sinister expression on her face. He fell against the railing but gained his bearings and leaped in front of her. I saw all of their mouths moving but I couldn't hear anything. My heart pounded so loudly in my ears that it blocked out everything else. All of a sudden Edward stood in front of me. Then everything went black.