People started showing up at exactly two o clock and within the hour it was in full swing. Mike was mostly following his dad around, shaking hands and nodding enthusiastically to whatever old men were saying. I felt kind of stupid wearing the odd corsage on my wrist but Mike had such a cute struggle to get it on that it seemed worth while to sport it. Plus, it made Sue over the moon to see me with an actual male partner. "Having a good time?" Mike asked as he held onto my hand tightly, a whiteclaw in his other. "The shrimp's amazeballs." He offered me one right from his hand and I had to politely decline, remembering all of the hands he had just touched.

"Are you campaigning?" I blurted out, suddenly not in control of my own mouth anymore. Was I being used? Had this all been an elaborate way to get himself in front of my dad?

"What? Uh," he spluttered. "What do you mean?" I raised my eyebrows in response because he had already gave me an answer. He took a deep breath and looked around before stepping closer to me. "Okay, yes. But it's not what you think! I really have always like you, and you only come around annually... so I figured I should shoot my shot in person, and then yeah your dad's bbq seemed like a good place to drop my hat for deputy-"

"Yeah right." I scoffed, arms folded. "My dad would chew off his left leg before you took over Leah's position." I laughed to ease the tension my words caused and took a sip of his drink; it was the truth, though. Leah was my dad's favorite sheriff and favorite daughter all in one.

Mike had a questioning look on his face. "You mean you don't know?"

"What?" I felt like the odd man out.

"Um, well maybe it's just a rumor then, but your dad plans to run for mayor next election." Maybe my eyes bugged out of my head or something, because it surely felt like it. Charlie Swan for Mayor? That seemed so stupid that I couldn't even wrap my head around the idea. "My dad still runs the country club and he said Charlie approached him about possibly donating. I mean, I don't know- you really don't come around that often." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, most likely not knowing what else to say.

The concept of my dad running for any position of office was just... odd. He didn't particularly like talking to people, especially politicians, so where in the hell did this idea come from? I looked around and spotted my dad and Sue talking to Mayor Dan at that moment, a pretty smile on my stepmother's mouth as she chatted animatedly. Was she the driving force?

"So- is this..." I gestured between us and he filled in the gaps.

"No! Jesus, Bella, no." He seemed appalled by the insinuation. But men always lied. "I told you, I really like you. You're super hot and you like Whiteclaws, so, you know." He shrugged.

"Wow your standards have really sky-rocketed since high school." I rolled my eyes and took another drink. Mike smiled and pulled me a little closer, but I held back. "If you planned on me playing into my dad's ear about you then you're sorely mistaken. You were better off cozing up to Seth." We both laughed at that, seeing as Seth was the cockiest mother fucker alive and would have eaten up all of Mike's praise.

"I was actually hoping you would use me for my body and possibly get me pregnant." Mike said nonchalantly with another sip. "I get a promotion and a chick and I become a Swan. Win-win."

I couldn't help the ugly laughter that spewed from my mouth at the thought of all that. He was a genuinely funny guy, too bad he hadn't matured fast enough... I might've stayed for a guy like this. "Leah can be the only pregnant sheriff in this town." And we laughed again, this time inches away from each other's face. "Plus, I'd have to marry you if I got you pregnant. You know small town rules." It was true- most young couples in Avila made rash sexual decisions and ended up grimly married to one another until they died, or divorced.

"I'd marry you in a heartbeat." The serious way he said it took me aback. I wasn't even sure what I expected him to say, but it wasn't that. In my silence, he got nervous and started stumbling. "I mean, I, uh, I know you were just joking and we don't know each other that good-" I leaned forward and planted one of the sloppiest kisses on his open mouth, to which he happily reciprocated. I felt his hand immediately go towards my chest so I slapped it away before he made it. Some things never change. "Wow." He said through a grin. "You're not a small town girl anymore huh?"

"You still are, though." I chided in return and went to grab another beer, Mike hot on my heels.

We spent the next hour talking and teasing one another, stealing kisses every now and then when no one was looking. I knew Mike wasn't my soulmate and this could never be serious, but boy could he kiss! We were sitting at the patio table with two City Chamber members and Mike was chatting their ear off when Sue tapped my urgently, a perplexed look on her face.

"Isabella, it seems you have- erm, you have guests." She gestured behind her and sure enough in the doorway Edward stood in khakis and a button down (the most informal I had ever seen him), holding a sleeping Tony on his shoulder.

We made eye contact immediately and the look on his face was unreadable. What the fuck are you doing here?

"I wasn't aware you invited anybody else, I could have had one of the spare rooms made up." She passed a weary look to Mike as absentmindedly squeezed my shoulder, still engrossed in conversation. "You should lay the baby in your room until Marta can make up the spare room- go." She all but pried me away from Mike, who called to me playfully but who I could not spare a second look to. As we walked towards him, my knees grew weaker and all of the alcohol I had through out the day caught up to me. "I'll have a room ready for you both later, but for now Isabella's will have to do." Sue said apologetically. I had to contain an eye roll- lay out the red fucking carpet, my stepmom smells money.

"Thank you M'am, but I have a room at the Hilton." Edward gave her one of those dashing smiles that I was so fond of. He even pulled out the M'am card, which was a panty dropper for old ladies in small towns.

"Nonsense! The baby is tired and you can't miss the festivities! Go." She ushered us both upstairs and went back to the soiré, leaving us to climb the creaking old stairs in silence.

Given this house was one hundred times nicer than the dump I lived in, I was still extremely mortified that he was stepping into the past version of my self's safe space. What was he even doing here? I had plans to bring just Tony with me for the weekend, not his rich asshole father! Tony would never judge me for my humble upbringing or my embarrassing family and their dysfunctional existence. Tony's unconventional placement in my life would fit in more than anything- this family was blended as fuck, what was a little more color?

He laid Tony down on the bed and turned away, so I crept forward and tucked my angel under the covers and put a soft pillow under his head. I leaned in and put a small kiss on his forehead before re-tucking him in and stepping back, an unsure smile on my face. It had been the plan to bring Tony along with me befor me before his jerk of a father killed our dreams- so why were they here now? Before I had the chance to confront him, he groped me severely and pinned me to the door. I gasped at the sudden severity of his look and shrivelded further into the door when he flexed his grip on either side of my thighs.

"Are you seeing him?" Edward never looked so handsome and feral at the same damn time. My eyes couldn't leave his lips, which looked more like home than ever before. What kind of cruel game was God trying to play on my life? "Answer me, Isabella." He squeezed harder and instead of crying out for help or asking him to stop, I let out a little moan.

I fucking moaned.

I wanted to slap myself for making that stupid little noise in front of him. How old was I again? Were we horny teens dry humping one another after prom?

Who was I anymore? Where was that sweet little country bumpkin from a minute ago? I wanted to say yes just to piss him off more, even though he really had no right to be pissed off in the first place, but instead I shook my head. He smirked like the cocky bastard he was and dove right in, moving his lips against mine before plunging his tongue right into my mouth.

We made out for what felt like hours, groping and touching one another as if we only had seconds to spare. His touch was electrifying, as it always was, and everywhere his hand went left me on fire. He pulled away at last, and my warmth was suddenly drenched in ice cold space. "Keep your hands to yourself out there. You couldn't live with yourself if he got hurt." I was too winded to say anything intelligent in response, so he took off out of the room and down the stairs without another word.

Holy fuck.

Holy fuck.

*

I wasn't sure how I expected people to react over Tony, but I certainly didn't think they'd be so... welcoming.

Maybe I thought he'd be an outcast like I was when I was younger? But seriously, he was a social butterfly. "Mom! How-how-how cool is t-this?" Tony exclaimed loudly from the jungle gym, which was expertly put on the side of the house for the soiree. Once I can downstairs with Tony in tow, Mike kind of took a step back from me and gave me some space without me asking. Plus, Tony had already started calling me 'Mom' out loud, so... there was that. "Mom, look!" He called the hundredth time, showing me how he could jump from one step to the next. I smiled and waved my approval m, a small hangover already forming at the back of my skull.

"Bella's a mom? That's an odd sentence." Leah plopped down next to me with a very unladylike stance. She clicked at her Apple Watch with a huff and leaned back. "The kid's cute."

I gave her a smile/grimace and nodded in agreeement. "He gets it from my side of the family."

Leah chortled. "Yeah I saw the dad- total hottie."

I almost blushed just thinking about that man. "So what's the story? Unless you've kept a five year secret, I'm assuming it's more complicated."

My first instinct was to snap at her, or tell her to fuck off and mind her own business and possibly insult her lame husband. But giving her the benefit of the doubt, I explained. "It's weird, but um, Tony got really attached to me when I met him. Then I was introduced to his father and we sort of just clicked... so uh, we get together through out the week and I get to spend quality time with Tony and it sort of helps him too."

Leah wrinkled her nose. "So are you and the dad banging?" I sucked in a short gasp at her crudeness and before I could act indignant (as if i hadn't thought of many different ways we would have sex) she pursed her lips and waved her hand dismissively. "Kidding. If you two were banging I doubt you would've been locking lips with frat boy Mike." My cheeks colored at her accusations, but yeah they were true. "How does he feel about the kid calling you mom? And the mom?"

I squirmed in the whicker chair, not liking how foolish saying all of this out loud made me feel. "Leah, shut up." I muttered. I wasn't poking my nose in her marital business so she could do the same for me. "No one told Tony to call me that, he just kind of started to do it himself. Me and his dad aren't dating either, and never will." I licked my lips and thought of our kiss from earlier. "And he's never met his mom. She took off when he was a baby." Leah's beady little gerbil eyes scattered at that. My stepsister was a massively mean bitch but she sure did have a soft spot for abandoned kids.

I thought she was going to say "like you?" but that never came. "What a bitch." She muttered in disdain.

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

Leah got up and and approaching the monkey bars without another word for me. "Hey! Mini bro!" How dare she refer to Tony as 'mini bro'! "I bet I can beat you at the monkey bars." Tony looked over at me for approval to talk to the stranger, and when I reluctantly nodded he met my stepsister at the apex of the jungle gym. "I used to beat kids up here all the time." She reminisced sweetly, as if that was the time of her life.

It probably was.

Tony quirked an eyebrow at her. "I p-pushed An-An-An-Anastasia off the s-slide once." He bragged with earnest and when I called out a motherly "hey!" Leah raised a hand to shut me up. And when Leah folded her arms, so did he. "Plus, I'm t-the only k-k-kid that c-c-can do the m-m-m-monkey bars at m-my old s-school."

Leah scoffed. "Yeah well I was top of the academy in monkey bars. In the rain."

Tony wasn't the least bit impressed. "Dad-dad-daddy says St Mary's Aca-aca-academy is s-a-stupid and w-worse t-than hell." I had to bite down on my fist to stop from interrupting their pissing contest.

"Police Academy dum-dum." Leah looked like she wanted to laugh when Tony's eyes got big.

He looked her up and down, possibly confused by her squarish sundress and when he didn't see a gun or shiny badge, he wasn't convinced. "Girls can't be cops."

I covered my laughter with my hand, too busy being eternally satisfied by Leah's indignant look to school Tony on sexism or using the world 'hell'. If I or any other person on the planet had said any of this, we most likely would've been punched in the face. "Bro, I have a damn police car, do you?"

"Prove it." Tony shot back.

"Dude, it's outside!" She held up her patrol keys.

"Sh-show me then." He mirrored her hand on her hip and I saw her struggle not to strangle him. "I-if you're r-really a c-cop, w-where's the g-gun?" Before I could yell at Leah not to, she pushed her cardigan back and flashed her shoulder strapped weapon. Tony's eyes lit up instantly, but I was fuming. Guns were not some thing you showed kids for the hell of it! Didn't she have two kids of her own, didn't she know this? "I-if I w-win, I g-get to use it!"

"Tony!" I screeched. Where was this gun obsession coming from? Were all boys like this?

"Chill." Leah snapped at me before turning back to Tony. "One car ride."

"With n-no s-s-s-seatbelts." Tony interjected.

"Seatbelts but you can touch the siren." Leah crossed her arms again and waited on Tony's response. Didn't she know who his father was? He could sell ice to the Eskimos.

"No s-s-seatbelts, two-two-two sirens, a-nd I t-touch the g-gun." My eyes widened at the brazen voice he was using. I only ever really saw the baby side of him, not this miniature grown man before me. He came out of nowhere.

"Yes seatbelts, one siren, and I'll let you take a picture of it." Leah offered one last time and with some heavy thought, Tony finally agreed.

Great, I was raising a fast talking scammer.

Soon Seth's wife Amy even joined in on the gab and showed Tony her badge. Everyone in my fucking family was a cop, and then there was me, the hotel concierge.

Sue sat down daintily next to me and took a small sip of her iced tea, her brimmed sun hat blocked her facial expression from me. Was she confused or upset? Or both? Did this make any kind of sense at all to her? "Are you happy?" I blanched in my seat and let several beats go by before clearing my throat. Well that was a loaded fucking question! I had expected a similar interrogation to Leah's regarding the how, when, where, why of the circumstance. But to ask me if I was happy? I didn't even have a smart response to that.

Of course I was happy. But how did I communicate that with a woman I half liked, half despised? "I am." I wiped at an invisible stain on my romper and stared intently at Amy and Leah playing around with Tony. I could only see half of my stepmoms fave but she nodded at me.

"Does the boy like seafood?" Her voice was a little far off as if she was thinking about a million and one things, but only said that. I nodded one response and she turned to me with a smile. "Good, he'll love what's for dinner then."

Having a guest for dinner was going to be different for sure, but how would the less sensitive like my dad and Seth react all of this? It was odd and unconventional but I guess you could say that about all of the Swans.

Sue reached over and patted my knee with a hum, the way I had seen her do with Leah a million times since childhood.

The knee pat? That was the universal loving gesture and it had only taken me twenty four years to achieve it.