This Is Who I Am

Chapter Ten

Edward's P.O.V

"Where were you this morning? I was surprised not to see you here." I balance my phone between my shoulder and ear and go through my mail. I throw them behind my back as all I read is bills, bills, bills and more bills. Ahhh, life of an adult.

"I know, I'm sorry I didn't want to wake you up. A family emergency came up and I had to come home," Bella says and I can tell by the tone of her voice that it's something serious.

I drop all the bills on the table and take my phone in my hand. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She sniffs and I hear her turn away from the phone to blow her nose. "It's just that my father is really sick."

"From what?"

"We don't know, he was fine a few days ago. Mom said he was good last night, that he even drank a few beers and then this morning he woke up with really bad chest pains."

"Take him to the hospital. I know Dr.-"

"We are already with a doctor he trusts," Bella says and chuckles afterwards. "He won't let anyone treat him if it isn't Dr. Fitzgerald."

I smile. "Well, I hope everything turns out fine and your father gets better. Right now I'm on my way to my mother's house." I grab my car keys from where they hang on the wall and walk out of my apartment.

"Wait, what?" I'm not surprised she's shocked, last night I decided I want to remember and now I'm heading back to my mother's house. "Can I ask why?"

"Yes," I answer as I walk to my car. "I told you this before, Bella, no secrets between us."

"Okay." Pause. "Why?"

I shrug, unlocking my car. "I need my mother to trust me and not suspect anything while I try to get information. It's gonna be a lot harder if she thinks I'm still pissed about yesterday."

"Yes, that was yesterday. So you're secretly plotting against your mother, Edward?" I smile to myself and turn the ignition, which causes the engine to roar back to life. "You know it's not gonna end well."

I laugh. "It's not plotting against her. I'm simply taking precautions so she doesn't become an obstacle when it comes to me coming to terms with my long lost memory. And that's all she's been pretty much since I woke up, an obstacle."

"And you think she's going to believe you when you tell her you're okay with it just after a couple of hours?"

"I have a way with words. Trust me, I got it covered." I'm not feeling as confident about my plan now that Bella is questioning it. She's right about one thing and it's that my mother probably won't believe me so easily. But then again, I have never lied to her and it'll be easier for her to believe me. "This is what I got to do, Bella. I need to know what happened to my father."

And Ava.

Bella sighs on the other side of the line. "Yes, I understand. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

I frown. "More like you should call me if you need anything. You're the one with the sick father, after all."

"And you're the one with the missing one, we all got issues," she states with humor in her voice.

Just hearing her lighten up makes my smile grow bigger. Fuck, she's got me eating out of her fucking hand.

"I love you," I tell her.

It takes a moment for her to say it back, but she does and that's all I care about.

"I love you, Edward."