Edge and Belle

Chapter 3 (Belle): Feed The Baggage

Edge stepped up onto my porch and came right over to me. Something stopped him from touching me because his hands made a move as if to grasp my upper arms -- and then he checked himself and let his hands drift down to his sides.

"Are you OK? What's been going on?"

"We're fine," I said coldly.

And then just like that, the concern became tinged with irritation. 

"So you're fine but for two weeks you couldn't call me or return any of my texts or, I don't know, maybe answer your door when I came over? I've been worried about you and West and Piper."

"Like...worried in the sense that you'd be concerned over some lost luggage?"

His brows furrowed in total confusion. "What?"

"Why are you really here, Edge?"

He looked even more confused at the impatience in my attitude and tone. "I just told you. I was worried about the three of you. I didn't know why you left my house that night -- West and Piper were sleeping when I peeked in at them, so your note made no sense. And then you fucking ghosted me for no reason."

For no reason...

"So that still doesn't explain why you're here two weeks later. I would think you'd have gotten the message when I didn't return your calls, text you back or answer my door when you stopped by."

Edge took a step toward me. "What happened, Belle? Did I do something?"

Did he do something? That was a really good question. Did making an honest comment about how he viewed my children and me -- behind my back to his former booty call, no less -- count as doing something?

"Does it matter why?"

His lips tightened in irritation. "Yeah, it matters. I thought you liked what we had going on."

No, Edge, I loved what we had going on up until the moment I realized you viewed me as a booty call with baggage. I was falling in love with you, you idiot! And I noticed you didn't say anything about you liking what we had going on.

I shrugged at him. "I guess you could say I just realized we weren't going anywhere. Why prolong the inevitable?"

I have absolutely no plans for a future with Belle. I mean, let's be real -- she's got two kids; she's nothing more than a booty call with baggage.

"Belle, please, talk to me. We were with each other for four months, so I don't get why you'd suddenly cut me out of your life, especially after the last month."

Don't pretend like you're the victim here, Edge. You were playing me, and worse -- you were playing my children!

"As much as I'd love to talk right now, I have to go in and feed the baggage."

For a moment, he looked startled. "What are you talking about? The baggage?"

"Yes, West and Piper. You may know them as my baggage."

"Belle --" he started to say, but I kept going, and my temper was on the rise.

"In fact, Disney's doing a movie about us. It's called Booty and the Baggage. I think it'll be a hit."

He looked stricken, remembering what he'd said, realizing that I'd heard it all.

"I heard you that night," I told him icily, "When you went to get your friend the printout, I went upstairs to check on the children and West was up. He wanted to say goodnight to you, and since I thought we could catch you in your study, he and I went down there. But we heard Karen insinuating you were going to marry me. And you said you had no plans for a future with me because I was just a booty call with baggage. You said that, and you said it to Karen and I overheard it and worse, West overheard it."

"Belle," he said.

"So thank you for letting Karen know the status of our relationship before you let me know. That meant a lot to me. But have no fear -- I've been letting my friends know the status of our relationship for the last two weeks, too."

"I didn't --"

"But most of all, thank you for letting me know that you thought of the two most precious people in the world to me as baggage, Edge. And West -- oh, he didn't know what booty call and baggage meant, but he knew it was bad. He liked you, Edge, and he thought you liked him. And when you asked to go to dinner with us that night -- and by the way, you asked to join us; I didn't suggest it -- I thought you knew what a huge step that was because I had told you I never dated after Frank left us, much less introduced a man to my children. You asked to come to West's games, you invited us over to swim. You, Edge, not me."

"Fuck," he said.

"Yeah, I know I was good for a fuck, but I stupidly thought that a man asking to be invited into my life and my children's lives knew what that meant to all of us and that it meant something to him, too."

"Please let me explain," he asked, his eyes pleading.

"There's nothing to explain --"

The front door opening interrupted us. "Mom?" West said, his eyes glancing over to Edge before returning to me. "Are you coming in soon?"

Whoa! The cut direct, as my historical romances referred to it.

"Yeah, sweetie, I'll be inside in just a minute. Please get your homework out and have it ready on the kitchen table. And ask Pipe to do the same, please."

And then, before he stepped back inside and shut the door, my little boy shot Edge the most savage look of loathing I'd ever seen on his little face -- and I'd fed this child mashed peas.

When the door shut, I turned back to Edge.

"So, as you can see, we're all just fine and dandy. Feel free to find another booty call with a clear conscience knowing we are done here. But just a suggestion -- this time find a woman without baggage or at least let her know up front that she's just a booty call with no future. And if you're still too much of a coward to deliver the message yourself, I'm sure Karen would be delighted to do your dirty work so she can have you all to herself again."

As I turned to go, his hand grasped my arm.

"Just wait a damn minute," he demanded. "We need to talk this out."

Honestly floored, I just looked at him. "Why would I waste another minute of my time on you? There's nothing to talk about, and there hasn't been since the moment I heard you call my children baggage. Say anything you want about me, but don't you dare say anything about my children!"

"I'm sorry, Belle," he said. "Don't go in yet. If you can't talk about it now, we'll talk about it later but I want to fix this."

"You can't fix calling my children baggage."

"I can. I will," he promised me, his look so determined I was shocked.

"Nope, you really can't because there's no way to pull those words out of my head. They're firmly rooted in there. You meant them. Don't even try to tell me otherwise."

His eyes narrowed on mine. "I'm not going to lie. Maybe I did think that at the time. I hadn't thought things through, hadn't realized just how deep I was in it with you. But two weeks without you has clarified a lot of things for me --"

"Like I wasn't as psycho possessive of you as Karen?" I asked sweetly.

"No. That I want you and West and Piper in my life. I want to explore what we had."

"Unfortunately, Edge, there's no going back at this point, not now that I know what you think of the three of us and that you chose to share it with Karen."

"Karen is not part of this --"

"She's very much a part of this. She's always been in my face about you, and you chose to tell her I was a no-future booty call with baggage."

"I'm going to make this right, Belle. I'm not going to give you up."

Shaking my head, I just looked at him. "You already did. Now I'm going inside, and as soon as that door closes, I'm never going to think of you again."

And I went inside.

And I shut the door.

But I couldn't keep that third promise, no matter how hard I tried.