Edge and Belle

Chapter 4 (Edge): Put In My Place

There are certain moments in your life when you realize how many motherfucking swear words you know.

When Belle shut her front door in my face, I went through them all. Every. Single. One. Well, I'd wondered what the hell had happened when she left my home suddenly that night and then went no contact for two weeks. 

Her bullshit note seemed to be a lie, based on West and Piper sleeping soundly when I poked my head into the guest room to make sure they were OK. All of the unreturned calls, the ignored texts, the unanswered knocks on her front door when I knew damn well she was home now made sense.

I'd figured maybe Karen had said something to her, but she'd denied it when I asked her. She'd just smiled and shrugged, telling me single mothers were single for a reason and I'd walked away from her after that comment, pissed as hell. But I didn't realize -- never dreamed -- that Belle had overheard what I'd said to Karen.

Karen was a habit and had been around for about five years -- for the first three-and-a-half years as a good friend from the base, then for a year as a non-exclusive friend with benefits. From the moment I'd met Belle, Karen was immediately back to friend only. She'd taken it calmly, shrugging and saying we'd run our course as friends with benefits and agreeing it was time to go back to friends only. Karen had told me her only concern was that we'd lose our friendship since Belle was now in the picture, and most women couldn't handle a man having a good female friend. I'd assured her we wouldn't stop being friends; she'd been there for me when my father had died suddenly in a car accident three years ago, so I didn't want to lose her friendship. Her support during the darkest time of my life had meant a great deal to me. She was there to talk with whenever I'd needed to vent or just talk about the memories with.

She'd told me that I should watch for warning signs of jealousy, like Belle asking what Karen was to me, Belle trying to push Karen out of our circle of friends, Belle saying she felt uncomfortable around Karen. I'd made sure to continue inviting Karen to the get togethers at my house even once I began inviting Belle so they could meet each other and get used to one another. Karen did the shit duties during my parties, like grabbing drinks and refilling food bowls, so Belle could just hang with my friends without distraction. It worked out well, I thought, until Belle had asked me what Karen was to me when I walked her to her car one night after a party. I'd told her Karen was an old friend, hoping she'd drop it.

I wasn't going to put up with jealousy from Belle when there was nothing for her to be concerned about with Karen. I had no feelings for her beyond friendship, nothing more even when we had moved our friendship to one with a physical side.

"It seems like she's more," she'd pushed back at me, clearly on a fishing expedition.

"Not anymore," I'd told her shortly. "Don't worry about her."

Fortunately after that, Belle had dropped it and hadn't said another word about Karen or my past relationship with her. To me, there was no need to discuss a past that hadn't meant anything to me.

Looking back, I realized my mistake. I'd kept Karen around, putting Belle in a situation that was both uncomfortable and awkward. I wouldn't have wanted to be around a former lover of Belle's, even if they were just friends. I wouldn't have been comfortable with another man who knew Belle intimately being at her parties. And even worse, I'd hate it with everything in me if she talked to this other man about me -- about things she'd never talked to me about. It would have pissed me off to have overheard something like Belle had overheard.

After I realized I was still standing on Belle's porch, I turned and walked away, my mind sorting through ideas and plans.

Phase one began two days later. I knew West's baseball schedule, so I went to the complex where he played and looked around for the field with his team's colors. When I found them, I walked over to where the players were still milling around the bleachers, waiting for the coach to call them together for warm ups. I looked over at the concession stand not too far away and spied Belle and Piper standing in line.

West saw me and hustled over, his face angry.

"You can go." This was worlds apart from how he'd always greeted me before, like a happy puppy. He'd never once been rude, but things had changed drastically.

"I'd like to watch you play, West," I responded calmly.

Those eyes, so like his mom's, stared me down. "Go away. You made my mom cry. We don't want you here."

"West, I wanted to apologize --"

"We're not suitcases. Me and Piper, I mean. We're kids."

I wasn't going to insult him by pretending not to know what he was talking about. "I know you're not, West. I was wrong to say that, and I'm very sorry."

Before he could answer, I heard...happiness. Sheer, undiluted happiness that was like a punch in the gut.

"Eeeeeeeeedge!" Piper's sweet-as-hell voice was calling my name, and I looked to the left to see the little blonde pixie running toward me, pony tail bouncing. I looked a little past her and saw Belle stutter-step before regaining her composure and moving toward us, blank faced, neither happy nor unhappy, which was a huge clue in itself. Every emotion Belle felt always played out on her face.

"No, Pipe," West said to his little sister, a tone in his voice that stopped her in her tracks as she looked to the brother she adored. "Remember? He's not nice."

She turned to stare at me after her brother's cautionary words, her big brown eyes looking at me accusingly.

"West said we don't like you anymore," she said softly to me.

And I knew what weight West's words carried with his sister. "I'm sorry to hear that because I still like all of you."

Belle walked up behind her daughter and placed her hands protectively on Piper's shoulders."Piper, say goodbye to Edge. He has to get going."

The look in her eyes told me if I tried to object, she'd fuck me up.

I shot a look at West who was watching the three of us closely. "Good luck in your game, West. Remember to choke up on the bat."

He moved the bat to his shoulder and slid his hands as far down as they could go on the handle, all the way down to the knob.

Fuck you, Edge. The message was beyond clear. I'd just been put in my place by an eight-year-old boy.

I turned back to Belle and Piper. Belle was looking slightly away from me, while Piper was looking right at me, a sad look on that little face. West walked over to stand right by them.

"Bye, girls, West," I said quietly, and everything in me wanted to stay, especially when I saw Piper's little lip start to quiver, her precursor to crying. I'd seen her cry on two previous occasions and had been done in by her tears and her little sniffles as her mom worked to staunch her misery. I'd been ready to promise to buy Piper anything she wanted if she'd just stop crying. How did any parent handle their child crying? It was the saddest fucking thing in the world.

Belle handled it like a pro, though, and talked calmly and soothingly to her daughter until she coaxed a smile out of Piper and the crisis was averted.

I walked off, trying not to be too discouraged. I'd known there was a great deal of hurt to overcome -- hurt that I'd carelessly inflicted with my words and without thought. I'd known it wouldn't be easy. I'd known forgiveness wouldn't be instantaneous.

What I hadn't known was just how bad it would hurt.