My Best Friends Father

Bella's been in love with Alice's father for years. Alice's father just might return those feelings. Will Alice's plan to bring them together work? Watch as they find each other and discover that there are no limits in love. All human, AU, AR

Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight.

AN: Angela may be a little OOC, this is how I imagine her handling this type of situation. Forgiving and looking out for everyone else's best interest. Seemed very Angela. I hope it's not too far off.

Alright! Here is the next chapter for you all. Thank you so much for the reviews! I am so sorry that I have not been able to respond to the love you all have sent my way, but know that each and every review is like a wonderful hug and motivates me to write as fast as I can.

Chapter 19

BPOV

"Now that you know how I fell in love with Jasper, you tell me when you fell in love with Ben." I smirked at her.

"What?" Her face blushed bright red. "How did you…I mean, what makes you think that?"

APOV (Angela)

How could she possibly know that? I never even look at him at school.

We'd been careful to keep our coworkers from finding out that we were seeing one another. Keeping our relationship private during the few months that we'd been together.

Evidently we didn't do a good enough job. I wonder how many of my coworkers know that we were dating. I decided to just admit it and get it over with.

"Ben and I dated for a few months during the summer break and into the fall." Bella smiled and nodded, encouraging me to continue. "We ran into each other at the summer festival, in July. I was playing a game, trying to throw a ball and knock over the bottles. I was horrible." I grinned at her, laughing at the memory. "He was walking past and saw me. He knew me from school; I mean we used to eat lunch at the same time so of course we knew each other." I rolled my eyes at myself. Bella ate lunch with us too; she already knew that we knew one another.

"He asked if I'd like some tips for my aim. He showed me how to aim it just a little to the left and high and I knocked all three of the bottles over. I won a giraffe." That giraffe stayed on my bed during the day, as silly as it was, I liked having it there. Especially since Ben had helped me win it.

"After that we just wandered around and tried different games. At the end of the night, he asked me if I'd like to go with him to dinner sometime. I told him that I would love too and we made plans for that weekend. We spent most of the time together after that. Walking, or visiting different places around the city. He helped me with my yard one weekend. I cooked him dinner at his place and we cuddled on his couch and watched a movie together. It was wonderful, he was perfect." I sighed, smiling at the memory. I must have looked like a lovesick school girl to her.

"Why did you break up with him if you thought he was perfect?" She sounded puzzled.

I took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn't dig too deeply, or if she did, that she would understand. "He wants things that I can't give him."

"Things? What things? Was he pressuring you for sex?! Jasper! Ben needs to be to be taught some manners!"

"NO! No, it's nothing like that. Don't you dare touch him, Jasper." Jasper held his hands up and laughed.

Bella didn't let it go though. "Then what things?" She watched me, waiting for me to answer. What am I going to tell her? I know she won't think less of me if she knows.

"He wants kids." I waited to see how she took that. I watched as puzzlement then understanding crossed her face, and then finally sorrow. I was relieved there was no pity.

"And you can't have kids. I'm sorry, that must be hard for you. When did you find out? Could it be a mistake?" She sounded hopeful, but no, there was no mistake.

"Very few people know this, but I was engaged about four years ago. He seemed like a good man, and really he was. It's just that his priorities were set years before we ever met. We met at college and I fell hard for him. He was very charming, kind, and handsome. I didn't realize until the first time he took me home to meet his family that he was also very rich." The hollow ache I'd felt whenever I thought too long on all that I'd lost over the past three years took up residence in my chest.

"He came from an extremely wealthy family. And needless to say, they were less than pleased that he was seeing someone outside his social circle." Bella snorted, and I laughed.

"I know, you just don't think of people now a-days having such problems with social classes but they do, oh yes, they do. He proposed after we'd dated for about six months, to the horror of his family. I loved him and he loved me, so I though that there was nothing that we couldn't overcome."

"Evidently, his grandfather tried several times to talk him out of our engagement but James wouldn't budge. They finally talked him into at least having him ask me to do several tests to make sure that I would be able to have healthy children, thus carrying on the family line and name. I was very angry at first, but once I'd calmed down enough, I decided to go along with it and just get it over with. I think I was hoping this would help smooth things over with his family." I grimaced, remembering how hopeful I'd felt going into the whole thing. I could feel the sad smile cross my face. I rubbed my suddenly sweaty hands on my jeans and took a quick drink of my beer.

"I was scheduled to see the most prominent doctor in the state. It was all a bit overwhelming, I'll admit. She did several tests and took swabs to send to the lab looking for any abnormalities. Several weeks later I got a call asking me to come back into the office for the results. James couldn't get away from work, so I went by myself." I noticed that Bella was rubbing my arm from her seat; I wondered how long she'd been doing that.

"The doctor told me that I'd had some abnormal results on the tests and that they would like to repeat them to verify their accuracy. I immediately agreed and went through the exam again. This time when they called, I didn't even tell James I was going to the doctor. Looking back, I'm not sure why, it seems as if I would have wanted the man I love to be there beside me. Maybe I should have realized then that things weren't right." I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, suddenly feeling very cold; finally I pulled my arms to my chest.

"The doctor was very kind and patient when she told me that she had found cancer cells and that I would need to have more intensive tests done. They needed to find out the how far the cancer had spread. I will admit that I immediately found another doctor, wanting a second opinion. I know it was horrible of me, but I didn't trust that his family wouldn't try any means to stop us from being married. But the tests came back the same."

"They were not sure at the time how far it had spread, but they ended up taking my uterus and both ovaries. I had a complete hysterectomy at the age of 21. Of course I had to tell James about the cancer and the surgery. He was very concerned and supportive throughout my recovery and treatments. When I was finally cleared, having no further signs of the cancer in my body, I guess he felt it would be okay to give me the bad news. I mean, I was better now. I can't have kids, but at least I wasn't in treatment for cancer any longer." I paused in the telling of my past, seeing the worried expression on Bella's face. "It hasn't come back, by the way. I have to get checked every few months. They haven't found any indication." Bella nodded, knowing that what was coming was hard for me say.

"James told me that, now that I couldn't carry on his family line, despite his warm feeling for me." I laughed, sadly. "I loved him, or I thought I did at the time, and he ends things with 'I have very warm feelings for you Angela, but I have to be able to meet the expectations of carrying on my family name. And despite how wonderful a woman you are, you're no longer everything I need in a wife.'" Bella gasped at the harsh words he'd said to me. "Warm feelings for me and I'm no longer everything he needs in a wife. A wonderful endorsement, wouldn't you say?" I laughed a bitter laugh, but sighed, I had worked hard not to be bitter and for the most part I thought I did a pretty good job, but every so often it would creep back in. "I can look back now and say that I'm glad I didn't marry him, but then I was broken." I could see Jasper was angry, clenching and unclenching his fists. Bella sat stunned in her seat, tears in her eyes.

I laughed, surprised at the sound. "Oh, you haven't heard the best part. James had told me he would cover all of my medical expenses, that as his fiancé it was his privilege. And I never saw even one until about three weeks after we'd ended our relationship, when I received a medical bill from the doctor's office. A week later another from the hospital, after that they just kept coming in. I'm still not sure what happened, maybe it was naïve of me, but I just couldn't see James doing that. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised given everything else that had happened."

"Did you contact the hospital, ask what was going on? Surly they knew something?" Bella was tapping her fork on the table, irritably.

"Oh, yes. They said that they had been contacted and told that the responsibility for the debt was to be transferred to me. They couldn't tell me who they spoke too. I don't know if they weren't allowed too or if they really didn't know. And before you ask Bella, no I never called James and asked him. I didn't want to have any more contact with him. Besides, that was something that was important enough that he would have dealt with himself. It may seem immature, but I just didn't want to face that kind of rejection again."

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that alone. How were you able to pay all those medical bills on a teacher's salary? If you don't mind me asking, that is?" Jasper asked, obviously looking at things from a practical standpoint.

"Well, actually I'm still paying on them. It will be several years before they'll be paid off." I grinned at Bella. "I know what your thinking, and no I won't take any money from you. These are my responsibility. Even if I have to continue to miss a few lunches here and there, I'll take care of this myself." When Bella's eyes flared, I knew I'd said too much.

"You have to miss lunch." She spoke softly, but her anger was obvious in the sparks shooting from her eyes.

I laughed, "Well! This sure has turned into a serious evening! And I was really looking forward to relaxing." Hoping to relieve some of the tension in the room. Jasper actually came to my rescue.

"Angela, thank you for tell us. We'll do everything in our power to help, just ask and we'll be there for you. And Bella, before you jump all over Angela, just plan on taking enough lunch for both of you. I'm sure you can persuade Angela here that there's just no way you can eat all three sandwiches all by yourself. She'll feel obligated to help you out." He said all this with a straight face, but ruined it by grinning at me.

"I can't believe Ben was so narrow minded though! I mean there are so many ways to have a family now, with adoption and foster care. Kids out there who really need homes, that he would let something like this come between you." I looked down as Bella continued her rant.

"Bella." I simply sighed softly. She looked at me for several seconds.

"You didn't tell him did you?" I shook my head, pressing my fingers too my temples.

"I really can't handle another rejection; I'm still paying for the last one. Literally." My laugh was forced. "It felt like James tore my heart out, and I'd already lost even the possibility of having children. Then Ben started talking about how he wanted to have kids to play football and go camping with. He told me he'd always wondered if they'd look more like him or his wife. It was like another piece of me died, and I'm missing so many pieces already. I couldn't give him the opportunity to reject me. To be put aside again because I'm not a complete woman." I ached, wishing for things I could never have.

Bella finally asked, "You do love him don't you? Ben, I mean?"

"Yes. What I feel for Ben is so different, so much…bigger than what I ever felt for James. It's on a completely different plane. With James, it was like he was a star in the sky, he lit up my life for the short time we were together, but I could survive without him. Ben is the sun, when I broke up with him, my world became dark. Life seems oppressive until I see him at school, and I can finally breathe again." I sighed, pressing my hand against my heart, as if that would help me draw a full breath. I looked back at Bella.

"He moved on quickly after we broke up, so I know his feelings weren't as invested as mine, and truthfully, I'm relieved. I couldn't stand to know that he was hurting as deeply as I am." I took a deep breath and explained.

"When I ended things with him, it was so hard to see him every day, knowing that I love him, but he deserves so much more than I can ever give him. Someday he'll fall in love and have a family with the perfect woman. That woman just wouldn't be me." And the very idea of that broke my heart a little more.

"The night that I was going to tell him of my past; and ask him if he could want me despite it, we'd been driving home from an early dinner and had driven past a park where a group of children were playing. We'd laughed at the antics of the kids, and he'd told me how much he was looking forward to having children of his own. I'd known I could never be what he needed. It had torn me up when I'd told him that things just wouldn't work between us." I felt a tear slide down my cheek, I swiped it away impatiently. Tears did nothing to help my situation.

"The thing he wants most I can never give him. Children. My ex-fiancé made it clear to me that I was no longer wife material. I don't know why I thought it would be any different with Ben; I should have realized he was going to want a family."

Bella finally asked softly, "But Angela, wouldn't Ben…" I cut her off, shaking my head at her.

"I would never take that away from Ben. I love him enough to want him to find someone who can give him everything. And again, that someone just isn't me." I noticed that Jasper had left the room at some point, giving Bella and I privacy.

Bella took a deep breath; I knew she was trying to find the right way to say what she was thinking. "There are so many different ways to have a family now. You could adopt, Angela. So many kids need homes."

I shrugged, "I'm sure he's not interested any longer. Like I said, he didn't seem all that concerned a few days after we stopped seeing each other. Laughing and talking to some of the other women. I can't compete with that Bella."

She shook her head, "Angela, I don't know what his feelings are, but I know that he's very aware of you. When you enter a room, it's as if he comes to attention. His gaze follows you. I think you're underestimating him. Especially if you truly love him. He could be your true love, and you'd never know. At least give him a chance to prove you wrong, that he won't reject you. I know it's hard, especially after what happened with James, but try to have some faith in him."

"I don't know Bella, I haven't spoken too him in weeks. I can't just walk up to him and…"

"No, but you need to tell him about your past, work up to that if you need to." Bella's face was lit up, wanting so badly for me to do this, for things to work out for Ben and I.

"I'll think about it. But that's the best I can offer right now." Bella grinned, knowing she'd won this round. She knew me well enough to know that it may take a few weeks but I'd end up talking to him.

I love him. Maybe there is a way this could work out after all.

AN: I apologize for any medical inconsistencies in the discovery, treatment or aftercare of Angela's cancer. I looked for information and spoke to two close friends who both went through similar things. I realize that this may not be how everything is actually done. I just wanted to get that out; cancer of any type is serious and heart-wrenching.

I'm still working on the next chapter, so it will be a few days until the next update, just to let everyone know.

Thank you to BobbyJo1975 for your email! I had a little writers block, but have worked that out now. Hope you like the ideas as they get posted.

What will happen when Angela tells Ben her secret? Review to find out…

Constructive criticism greatly appreciated. Please Review. ;)