Fanfiction Based On Characters From Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series

Rated M for Mature Content

Loving Arrangements

By Zoelis9

Summary:

Sequel to Living Arrangements. About the new challanges Bella

and Edward will face now that they have everything they have ever wanted.

~*~

Chapter 1: The Move

Bella POV
“Alright, so are you guys going to be okay until I get back?” Edward asked
Emmett, Rose, and I, as he grabbed his coat.
“Yeah, we‟ll be great,” Emmett nodded. “We‟re almost done with the packing
anyway, and the movers will be coming by later tonight. You should be back

from work by then.”
Edward walked over to me and gave me a kiss.
“I‟ll see you after work. Call me around lunchtime, alright?”
“I do every day,” I smiled, as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He gently

placed his hand on my stomach.
I was only three months along, and I wasn‟t really showing yet. But Edward
always acted as if he could actually see the baby.
“Don‟t do any heavy lifting today, do you hear me? That‟s why Emmett‟s here,”
he warned seriously.
“I know, I know,” I whined. “I‟ll be very careful. I‟ll only do packing, and I
won‟t go up any ladders.”
“That‟s my girl,” he smiled. “I‟ll be home by 5, and then we can officially move
everything into the new house. Are you excited?”
I nodded happily. I was thrilled that we were finally moving in. When we came
back from New Zealand, another couple had attempted to put in a higher bid,
but Edward put a stop to that. I never asked how much we ended up paying for

the house, but Edward assured me that we could more than afford it.
Honestly, I didn‟t care how much we paid for it. I was just overjoyed that it was

ours. The past week, Rose and Alice had been helping me decorate it and
furnish it with whatever we didn‟t already have. We even had a space cleared

for the piano. The nursery wasn‟t done yet, but I wanted to wait until Edward
could help me with it. That was something I wanted us to do together.
Ever since we returned from our honeymoon, there had been rumors around
Edward‟s firm that he was considered being made partner. This would be an

amazing feat, considering he had been with the firm a little over a year and
wasn‟t even 28. (His birthday would be next week.)
So, ever since he told me this, I had been encouraging him to put in more
hours in order to push that rumor into a reality. He acted as if he wanted to

spend more time at home, but I knew being made partner would be a dream
come true for him. He had racked up quite a reputation, and he was starting to
work with very important clients. Sure, I would love for him to spend more

time with me, but I would rather see him get what he wanted. He was still
home by 5 or 6 every night, and perfected balancing out both aspects of his life.
As for me, I was still writing my column, and a big fashion magazine had
sought me out to write a monthly segment about relationships. I don‟t know

why I was suddenly the expert, but they were willing to pay me $4 a word,
which was a lot considering what I would usually be offered. I was fine with
whatever, as long as it meant continuing to work at home. Especially with the

baby coming, I had to stay put.
As I was packing away the books, Rose came over to help me get the ones on

the high shelves. I knew that Edward had had a talk with both Rosalie and
Emmett about making sure I avoided dangerous situations. He had only

become increasingly protective since I became pregnant. And for the longest
time, he would send his babysitters to come over and check on me during the

day. I always joked that he had paid Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper to keep
an eye on me.
“So, why aren‟t Alice and Jasper over here helping you?” Rosalie asked

curiously. “It feels like I haven‟t seen them in forever.”
“Well, Alice is busy with the baby and everything. Plus, I know Jasper has been

working really hard lately. I guess they‟ve been running kind of short the past
few months.”
“Oh,” Rosalie gasped. “I had no idea. Do they need help?”
I shook my head. “We offered, and they refused. They will not take money

from family or friends. But Jasper is working part-time for Edward now. He
got him a job in accounting or something.”
“I feel terrible,” Rosalie whispered. “I mean, how bad is it?”
“It‟s not too horrible. It‟s just that the baby brings up a lot of expenses, and
Alice‟s shopping addiction doesn‟t help. Jasper had to cut her off last week.

Their credit card is hidden somewhere in their house, because he doesn‟t want
her to rack up more charges.”

“That Alice!”
“I know,” I laughed. “But she‟s not that bad. It‟s just the fact that raising a baby

costs money, and they make just enough to do that. They are both adjusting to
making sacrifices right now.”
“Well, I work with Alice. Maybe I can give her some of my overtime, and I can
take the baby for those extra hours while she works. Then she doesn‟t have to

pay extra to the babysitter.”
I put my hand on Rose‟s shoulder. “That would be a really nice thing to do,

Rose. Just make sure you suggest it delicately.”
“Of course,” she nodded. “Besides, I think I should start getting used to babies.
It won‟t be too much longer before Emmett and I start trying.”
I looked at her in shock. “Seriously? You and Emmett are going to try?”
Rose nodded excitedly as I gave her a hug. “That‟s fantastic!”
“I know. We‟ve been talking about it for a while, and the idea is growing on us.
Next month we are going to officially start the process.”
“Oh my God! Rose, what if our babies grow up to be friends? Wouldn‟t that be
amazing?”
“How could they not be?” she laughed. “They are going to be friends whether

they like it or not.”
Suddenly, Emmett came in holding a huge heavy box.
“Hey, a little help here?” he groaned. “This weighs a ton.”
“Sorry,” I shrugged playfully. “No heavy objects, remember?”
He rolled his eyes and Rose hurried over to help him. I sighed. I really wished I
could be of more use to them, but I knew I had to be extra careful now. I was

clumsy enough already, and I couldn‟t risk putting my baby in danger. I
decided to go into the spare room/office to go pack things up in there.
I laughed to myself when I entered the room. It was still that pale blue color I

had painted it when I first moved in. I remembered the short period of time
when I had stayed in that room. That time before Edward and I finally

admitted our feelings for each other. At that time, I was still pretending that I
wasn‟t in love with him. Now, over a year later, I was moving out, going into a

place where Edward and I would be starting a family together.
I sighed and went over to the desk to clean out the drawers. The top one was

mine, where I kept all of my stuff, and the bottom was Edward‟s. I opened his
first, to put them into a safe box. But when I can across a certain cluster of
files, I stopped.

Inside, were a bunch of clippings from the newspaper. When I looked at them
closely, tears almost ran to my eyes.
He had cut out every one of my columns. Everything I ever wrote, he saved.
Even back when we first met, and I was writing those obituaries and wedding

announcements, he kept those as well.
Then I came across our own wedding announcement that had a picture of us,

along with the details of our fake wedding. He had it laminated and placed
prominently in the folder.
I wanted to call him right then. I wanted to cry on the phone and confront him
about how hopelessly touched that I was that he had kept these all this time.
But instead, I closed the folders and put them in the box. I didn‟t want him to

know that I had seen these. This was something personal that he did, because
he loved me. If he would have wanted me to know about it, he would have

showed me his collection of my work.
I smiled and packed away everything in that room. It was little things like that

which reminded me that Edward really did love me and care for me with all of
his heart, and motivated me to move on with my life with him and our baby.

~*~

Edward POV
That night, the movers had taken almost everything over to our new place.

Bella and I decided to stay the night there for the first time, now that the bed
was set up.
While we were clearing up the apartment before we left, one of the movers
came back in to take one of the last boxes. But when Bella came out of the

kitchen, he stopped.
“Hey, Bella, right?” he said with a grin. I didn‟t like the way he was looking at
her.
“Um…yeah,” she hesitantly replied. “Do I know you?”
“Oh, it‟s Mike,” he explained. “I don‟t know if you remember, but I helped you

move in here, like a little over a year ago.”
I looked at Bella, as we remembered at the same time. He gave him his number

when she first moved in. I had been the tiniest bit jealous of him, because he
could be so forward with Bella and I could not. But now, this was just funny.
“Oh yeah,” Bella remembered. “Mike. H-How are you?”
“Good, good,” he nodded. “You never called me.”
Bella started blushing.
“Well, um, things were really busy, and I never really got around to it.”

“Oh,” he said, taking that as an answer. “So, looks like you‟re moving back out.
Are you moving for work or something? How have things been for you lately?”
He eyed me, thinking that I was still just her roommate. This would be fun.
“Actually,” Bella started guiltily. “I kind of got married a few months ago. I‟m

moving into a house with my husband. We‟re expecting a baby.”
Mike‟s eyes went wide. “Oh, wow. That was uh…quick. Where‟s the lucky guy?”
I walked over smugly and put my arm around Bella.
“That would be me,” I smirked. “We got together not long after you made your

last delivery here.”
He was almost speechless. “Well, uh, I guess, congratulations…on the wedding
and the baby and uh everything.”
I nodded and smiled, while Bella gave me a kiss on the cheek. Mike turned
around quickly and finished moving the rest of the boxes.
“Wow,” Bella laughed. “What a difference a little over a year makes.”
“Yeah,” I smiled rubbing her stomach. “So, are you ready to go?”
She sighed and took a final look around, as did I. This was so strange, saying
goodbye to a place that held so many memories. I suddenly took her hand.
I walked her over to where the bookshelf used to be. “Look, this is where I first

realized how amazing you were, when you were telling me how you had read
most of my books. I thought you were so beautiful, even after you had just

survived a fire.”
She laughed and walked me over to where the piano was. “And this is where I

first knew I was in love with you, when you played me that song for the first
time.”
We kept that up for a while, reminiscing in each room of the apartment. Each
one held a memory, one that we both cherished. I smirked and led her into our
old bedroom.
“Well, I guess I don‟t have to tell you what went down in here,” I joked, as she
punched me in the arm. We walked together out towards the balcony.
“This is where I told you that I was pregnant,” she sighed, looking out over the
city. “I have to admit, I‟m going to miss this place, Edward. We‟ve had a lot of

moments here.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist. “Yeah, I know. But think about all the

new memories we‟ll have in our new house. We are going to get to watch our
kids grow up there, running around in the backyard, and having nice family
dinners in that beautiful dining room. We‟ll have nice evenings in front of the

fireplace, you reading a book, while I play piano and little Bella plays with her
dolls.”
“I still think it‟s going to be a boy,” she pointed out and she ran her fingers
through my hair. “But I get what you‟re saying. Sometimes you have to leave

things behind in order to move forward.”
“Right,” I agreed, placing a kiss on her hand. “So Mrs. Cullen, are you ready to

move forward with me?”
She put her arms around my neck and hugged me close.
“Absolutely,” she nodded. “Let‟s go.”
We walked out of our apartment easier than I thought we would. I thought it
would be very emotional for Bella, saying goodbye to this place that got us

started. But, I understood why she wasn‟t upset.
You see, we may have been closing the door to that part of our life, but it was

only to open a new one. A door of new hopes, new opportunities, and new
people that would change our lives forever.
And as long as I had Bella by my side, I was willing to walk through that door
in a heartbeat.

~*~

Chapter 2: The Return

Bella POV
A couple weeks later, everything had been fully settled in the new house. It was
a beautiful place, and I was completely in love with it. It was practically my
dream home.
I was especially excited because it was Friday night, and I was planning a
surprise birthday party for Edward. He was turning 28 tomorrow, and we were

throwing a huge birthday celebration for him tonight.
It seemed as if the whole city was going to be there. Everyone wanted to go to a

party that celebrated Edward. Apparently, he had helped a lot of people in
Seattle, and everyone wanted to show their appreciation.
When Edward got home that night, he saw that I was already dressed up in a
black dress, and putting on earrings.
“Wow,” he smiled when he entered our bedroom. “You look nice.”
“You‟re home,” I greeted happily, giving him a kiss. “We‟re going out tonight to
celebrate. I laid out your suit on the bed.”
He looked at my dress and eyed me curiously.

“This is awfully fancy for a night out with our friends. Where are we going
exactly?”
I knew he was getting suspicious, and to be honest, I wasn‟t good at lying or
keeping secrets. But I knew the one way to get him to stop asking questions.
I slowly walked up to him and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. I
placed a soft kiss beneath his ear and trailed my lips down to underneath his

collar.
“How about you just get dressed and leave the questions for later,” I whispered

softly. “And maybe if you‟re a good boy and do what I say, I‟ll reward you
later.”
“Mmm,” he mumbled, leaning down to kiss me. “You are an evil woman,

Isabella Cullen, an evil woman.”
“Well, I learned by now that the only way to get my way is to work my magic.”
He gave me another kiss and went to get dressed. As he was in the bathroom, I
looked at myself in the dresser mirror. No doubt I would start to really show

soon. Right now, if you looked really closely, you could see the beginning of a
small bump. But really only I could tell. The dress I was wearing covered it
proficiently. I tried to imagine what I would look like in a few months. I

shuddered at the thought.
“Edward…” I called to him, through the bathroom door. “Are you still going to

love me when I‟m fat?”
I heard him laugh loudly and come out the door. He had his pants and shirt

on, as he was starting to do his tie.
“Bella, don‟t be ridiculous,” he simply chuckled.
“Seriously Edward,” I said, taking the tie from his hands, tying it myself. “I‟m
going to look like a watermelon on a vine. You don‟t want some fat woman as
your wife.”
“Bella, you won‟t be fat. You‟ll be beautiful. You have a child growing inside
you. What could be more gorgeous than that?”
“I don‟t know?” I shrugged. “Heidi Klum?”
“Well,” he laughed. “I must admit that Heidi Klum isn‟t too bad looking. But

she‟s got nothing on you.”
He gently touched his hand to my stomach. He did that a lot lately. Then, he

gave me a small kiss on the forehead.
“Come on, beautiful,” he grinned, grabbing his jacket. “I don‟t know what you
have planned, but let‟s get it over with.”
“Okay,” I said in my perky voice.

As we were driving, Edward was getting more and more anxious to find out
where we were going. Not only that, but he despised my driving. I actually

went the speed limit, unlike he did.
“Jesus Christ, Bella!” he groaned. “I think the toddler on the side walk just

passed us.”
“Sorry Edward,” I shrugged. “I‟m just not used to driving. We are a one-car

household and you are the only one who uses it.”
“Well, if you weren‟t such a baby and let me buy you a new car, maybe then

you could get some practice.”
“Edward, I work all day when I‟m at home. I have no reason to drive anywhere
when you‟re at work. Why do I need a car? I just wait until you come home to

do errands anyway.”
“Yeah, but with the baby coming, you might want to have a car to drive, just in

case. It would be a smart thing to do…”
“Sorry Edward, we are not discussing this tonight,” I said confidently. “Tonight

is about you, and I will not let you change that.”
“Okay, okay,” he agreed. “But can I have my birthday wish now?”
“That depends on what it is,” I smirked.
“Can you please, please, please, tell me where we‟re going?”
“Humor me, please,” I smirked, echoing his famous words.
He laughed at me and looked anxiously out of the window.
“Okay, I thought of something else I want for my birthday,” he smiled. “I want

you to please, for the love of God, drive faster!”
I looked at my watch. We were actually running kind of late. I hesitated, but

pushed my foot harder on the gas pedal. Now we were moving.
“I love you, Bella,” he said, now that we were going faster.
“I know. You better,” I laughed.
When we arrived at the place, I took Edward‟s hand and led him to the door.
On the other side, tons of people were waiting to surprise him. I put my hands

on his shoulders before straightening his tie. I knew he was aware of what was
waiting for him.
“Okay, when we go in there, I want you to act surprised,” I pleaded. “These
people love you, alright?”
“Yes, Bella,” he smiled, giving me a kiss. “Anything for you.”
“Alright,” I nodded, taking his hand. “Let‟s do this.”
As we walked into the room, everyone was overjoyed and yelled, “Surprise!”

Edward laughed and pretended to be in shock, before winking at me and
giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“How was that?” he asked, referring to his performance.
“Almost perfect,” I smiled, keeping a secret of my own. “But, um, why don‟t

you go look in that corner over there. Some people want to say hello.”
He looked at me, confused. I led him over to the other side of the room, where

two people were standing, waiting for us. When Edward saw who they were, he
was completely taken aback.
“Mom? Dad?” he grinned. “What are you doing here?”
He was so happy in that moment. We hadn‟t seen Carlisle and Esme since the
wedding, and I knew both he and Alice were missing them. Edward gave his

mother a big hug as well as his father. And the two of them greeted me with
equal excitement.
“So, how is our favorite daughter-in-law?” Carlisle asked, placing a kiss on my
cheek.
“She‟s doing pretty fantastic,” I answered back, unable to stop smiling.
“Wait, I still don‟t get it,” Edward stuttered. “What are you guys doing here? I
hope you didn‟t fly all the way here just for my birthday party. That must have

cost you quite a bit.”
“Relax, Edward,” Esme laughed. “Carlisle had a conference in LA, and we

racked up some frequent flyer miles, so we decided to make a quick pit stop in
Seattle. It is your birthday after all.”
“This is amazing,” he grinned. “Does Alice know you‟re here?”
“Of course,” Carlisle nodded. “In fact, I think she and your friends are making

their way over here right now.”
After that, Edward and I made our way through so many people, all of them
congratulating him and telling him how much they respected him. I was so

proud of Edward. He really did touch the lives of every person he met.
In the middle of the party, everyone prompted him to make a speech. He

sighed and made his way to the front of the room. He acted shy, but I knew he
was the most confident man in the room.
“Well,” he started. “I guess I should start by thanking all of you for coming
here tonight. I truly wasn‟t expecting any of this, and I appreciate that you all

took the time to come out here and celebrate with me. I feel good knowing that
so many people are there for me. I really do thank all of you for your presence
here tonight. Secondly, I would like to thank my family and friends who have

taken the time to come out here. My friends, Emmett and Rose, my sister Alice

and her husband Jasper, my niece Marie, and my parents, who are here all the
way from Alaska.”
Everyone clapped at their mention. Then, Edward‟s eyes met mine.
“Finally, I‟m sure many of you have had the pleasure of meeting my beautiful

wife, Bella. Apparently, she is the mastermind behind tonight‟s festivities.”
The crowd chuckled and looked towards me. I started to blush.
“Anyway,” he continued. “I hate to embarrass her, because she hates attention.
But, I just want to say that I owe everything to that woman right there. In all of

my 28 years, I have never been so happy, and that‟s all due to her. As many of
you know, we are expecting our first child, and starting a family and a new life
with her is the greatest birthday gift I could ever ask for. Bella, I love you.”
He winked at me and I smiled back. He was so getting lucky tonight.
“So, in conclusion…” he sighed, carrying on. “Thank you all so much for

coming. I hope you all are enjoying yourselves. I really do appreciate every one
of you.”
“To Edward,” Emmett prompted, raising his glass.
“To Edward!” The guests echoed, responding to the toast. Then, everyone
cheered.
Edward made his way back to me and gave me a kiss.
“How did I do?” he whispered in my ear. I replied by giving him a hug.
“Perfectly,” I breathed.
The rest of the night went pretty smoothly. I met a lot of Edward‟s coworkers,

who I had heard so much about. I had collaborated with Edward‟s boss in
order to make sure the people from the firm were invited. However, I regretted

this later when I saw Edward from across the room chatting with Victoria.
It‟s not that I didn‟t trust Edward. I just didn‟t trust her. Edward had told me
about her plot to seduce him before we were married, and how she suddenly

had a change of heart and sent him back to me. I guess I could appreciate her
sudden epiphany, but I still couldn‟t forget the fact that she was attracted to

my husband.
I was pretending to listen to Alice talk about shoes or something, while I was

watching the two of them interact. They seemed like they were having a very
serious conversation. Edward looked upset and worried, while Victoria looked

concerned. She gently put her hand on his shoulder while telling him
something. He nodded in agreement. Then, they both looked in my direction,
making me jump.

I pretended I wasn‟t staring and went back to my conversation with Alice. All
the while, I was wondering what they were talking about. It was obviously

about me. I took a deep breath as I saw the two of them approaching.
“Bella,” Edward said, gesturing towards her. “You remember Victoria?”
I nodded politely and gave a hesitant smile. “Yes, I do.”
Alice knew all about this woman and suddenly disappeared.
“Bella,” Victoria started softly. “I understand that I‟m not your favorite person
in the world. I‟m sure Edward has told you all about what I did.”
I nodded silently. Edward put his arm around my waist. Victoria continued.
“I just wanted to formally apologize for my behavior. It was completely
malicious and inappropriate. I also want you to know that thanks to Edward,

who recommended me to a good doctor, I have been going to a psychiatrist
twice a week, and it‟s really helping me. I‟ve realized my wrongdoings and I‟m

trying to better my life.”
“Wow,” I breathed, taking in her words. “I appreciate your apology and I

accept it. Edward told me a little about how you were feeling, and I understand
that you have been having some trouble. As long as you agree not to do it
again, there are no hard feelings.”
“Thank you,” she smiled. I was surprised. The look on her face was genuine.
“And you have my word that I will not mess with you or Edward again.”
I was appreciative, but I still felt they were hiding something from me.
“So, now that everything is cleared up, do you guys want to tell me what you

were talking about over there? It looked serious.”
Edward sighed and tightened his grip around me.
“Bella, I‟d rather not get into that tonight. Let‟s just enjoy ourselves. I‟ll tell you
about it later.”
I pulled away. “No, Edward. If this concerns me, I want to know. What could it

possibly be?”
“Bella…” he started, trying to argue. I wasn‟t having it.
“Edward, if you don‟t tell me, I am going to stress about it all night. That
wouldn‟t be good for the baby, would it?”
He looked stumped. “But if I tell you, you will stress anyway. Please Bella, let‟s
just forget it for tonight.”
“No,” I stated forcefully. Being pregnant had made me more confident. I
wasn‟t afraid to tell Edward what to do right now. “Tell me.”
He sighed and looked at Victoria. “Let‟s tell her outside. If she freaks out, I

want to be close to the car.”

She nodded, which worried me. Could it really be that bad?
When we reached the front of the building, the two of them looked at me

seriously.
“Okay, Bella,” Edward breathed. “I just want to tell you that you have nothing

to worry about. This doesn‟t mean too much, and whatever you decide is
completely up to you. I won‟t push you on anything.”
“Edward, just tell me,” I pleaded. This was unbearable.
“Alright,” he sighed. “Well, Victoria is representing a new client in court next

month. He name is Leah. She‟s 23, and from Forks.”
I looked at him with alarm. I could see the direction this was going. Victoria
interjected.
“Bella, Leah was in a similar situation as you were. It‟s just that, she wasn‟t as
lucky. Your ex-boyfriend, Jake, hurt her too, only worse.”
I was trying to control my breathing. That name rang through my ears. I swore
I would never hear it again.
“How bad?” I was able to choke out. I looked at Victoria instead of Edward. I
knew my husband‟s eyes would show as much pain as mine were.
“A couple broken bones and a cracked rib,” she replied regretfully. “She‟s

taking him to court, hoping to get him locked up for even longer.”
I breathed heavily. “So, what does this have to do with me, exactly?”
Victoria gently placed her hand on top of mine.
“You see, in order really get the jury to see how maniacal he really is, they need

to see more. They need to know that Leah wasn‟t the only one he hurt. The
police have your case on file. They have the pictures of your injuries a full

report on the night of…of that incident.”
I could see that she was going about this as delicately as possible.
“Bella,” she said softly. “We were wondering if you‟d be willing to testify before

the court about everything. We want to know if you‟d be willing to tell your
story, in hopes that he won‟t ever hurt another woman again.”
I listened carefully. Was this really happening?

~*~

Chapter 3: The List

Edward POV
I knew it was a bad idea to tell Bella about this tonight. She was having such a

good time, laughing and socializing with all of our friends. She looked so
beautiful too. Pregnancy was a good look for Bella. She was glowing all the
time.
So it pained me to have to tell her about Jake‟s trial, at a time when she was so
happy. I had felt the same way as her, thinking that I wouldn‟t have to see that

guy ever again. But now Victoria wanted her to go to court, to testify in front of
Jake and the jury.
As Victoria was explaining the details to Bella, I was focusing on keeping her
calm. I didn‟t want her to get to overwhelmed. It wasn‟t good for her or the
baby.
“Bella?” I whispered, when Victoria was through. “Are you alright?”
I could tell her breathing was controlled and her bottom lip was quivering.
“I…I think so,” she nodded. “I‟m just trying to think.”
“Bella, you don‟t have to decide anything tonight,” Victoria assured. “I was

telling Edward that the two of you should take some time to think about it.
Especially in your condition, seeing Jake again could be very…intense. I

wouldn‟t want you to jump into this without giving it some deep
consideration.”
Bella nodded silently. I knew that she was at a loss for words.
“Love, why don‟t we go back inside and put this off until tomorrow,” I
whispered in her ear. “You were having such a good time at the party. I don‟t

want this to ruin our night.”
“Yeah Bella,” Victoria agreed. “I don‟t need an answer until next week. Sleep

on it for a while.”
Bella bit her lip and looked away from me.
“Yes, let‟s go back inside,” she said softly. “I don‟t want to talk about this

tonight.”
“Of course,” I nodded. I kissed her head. “Let‟s go.”
We walked back into the party, and she appeared to be back to normal. I knew
better though. I could see the worry behind her eyes. Every laugh and smile

was fake.
About an hour later, Rose approached me with a similar concern.

“Hey Edward,” she said quietly. “Is Bella alright? She started the night so
happy, but I was just talking to her and she seems so…distant. Is everything

okay?”
Leave it to Rose to notice. She was pretty much Bella‟s best friend. Alice was

more like a sister to her, and she was always off in her own world. But Rose
would always know when something was up with Bella.
Over the past couple of months, Rose and I had become close friends. She was
almost like my ally. She would help me when it came to issues concerning my

wife and my sister. I really valued her insight. And lately, she had been keeping
me updated with some things that were going on with Alice.
“Well, let‟s just say that the last person we wanted in our lives has suddenly

popped up again,” I explained. I looked at her seriously, and she got the hint.
“Jake?” she breathed. I nodded in reply. “Oh God, is he out?”
“Not exactly. But he‟s going to court and they want Bella to testify.”
“Crap,” she said worriedly. “Is she going to do it?”
I shrugged, unable to speak. This was going to be hard on Bella right now. This
is the last thing I wanted her to go through at this time. Rosalie could sense
how tense I was and gave me a hug.
“It‟s going to be okay, Edward,” she assured. “You‟ll know how to calm Bella
down. She trusts you.”
“I hope so,” I sighed. “We just need to get through this.”
“You will,” she nodded. “I‟m just afraid she won‟t take this very well.”
Rose was right. Bella wasn't taking this well. She hardly looked at me the
whole night.
On the drive home, Bella was silent. She was starting to worry me. I thought
she would have at least brought it up to say what she was thinking. She didn‟t
say a word until we got home.
“I knew I shouldn‟t have said anything,” I muttered, as we entered the house.
“I knew this would ruin your evening.”
Bella glared at me and yelled. “Edward, will you please stop treating me like a
child! I‟m a big girl. You don‟t have to tiptoe around me!”
“Bella, just let me be here for you,” I said. “I want to help you through this. I
know this is hard and…”
“Don‟t pretend you know what I‟m feeling,” she interrupted. “I am so tired of
people freaking out over my reactions and acting as if I were made of glass.”
“I know you can handle yourself, Bella. I just want to help you. Please, just talk

to me. Let me know what‟s going through you head.”

“I don‟t want you to know Edward! I don‟t want to talk about it! I just want you
and everybody else to leave me the hell alone.”
“Who is everybody else?” I asked curiously.
“Um, how about Rose and Emmett and Alice and Jasper? Apparently, you had

to tell them, and all night I was hearing ‘We’re here for you’ and „Do what you
think is right’ and ‘Don’t stress about it too much’. Why did you have to tell

them? Now they‟re all on my case!”
“I‟m sorry, Bella,” I said regretfully. “I only told Rose. I didn‟t think she

would…”
“That‟s right Edward! You didn‟t think. You had to go and tell your best buddy
Rosalie. You didn‟t think about how now everyone is walking on eggshells

around me and everyone thinks I‟m an oversensitive nutcase.”
“They don‟t think that Bella,” I insisted. “They are your friends. They love you.

I love you. We just want to be sure that you‟re okay.”
“Well, tell your people that I‟m better than okay. Tell them I am

fanfreakintastic!” She shouted.
She stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to our bedroom. She had
turned from upset to angry in a split second. I was used to that now. The

pregnancy was giving her mood swings like no other.
I was wise to how to handle Bella when she was like this. I gave her a five

minute breathing period. I went to the kitchen and made her a cup of tea and a
peanut butter sandwich. She was always craving peanut butter now, and the

tea settled her down.
I went upstairs to find her sobbing on the bed, still in her dress.
“Bella,” I cautiously called. She looked towards me and I saw the makeup
running from her eyes. “Oh Bella…”
“I‟m sorry Edward,” she cried. “I didn‟t mean to yell at you. It‟s not your fault.”
Once again, her split-second personality took over. I felt bad for her. I'm sure it
had been difficult going from one mood to another in almost no time at all.
I placed the tea and sandwich on the end table and helped Bella up off the bed.
I led her to our bathroom and lifted her up so she could sit on the counter.

Gently, I slipped her shoes off of her feet and let her hair down from the
complicated up-do it was in. I took a wet washcloth and gently cleaned the

makeup from around her eyes, reminding me of the night of our fake wedding,
where I did the exact same thing.
Then, I took her back into the bedroom and pulled out one of my t-shirts.

Slowly, I unzipped her dress and helped her out of it before letting her slip into

my shirt. I drew back the covers and helped her back into bed. I kissed her on
the forehead and touched my hand to her stomach.
“We don‟t have to talk about it tonight, okay?” I whispered into her hair. “Take
it easy. I made you your favorite.”
“I saw that,” she smiled. “Thank you. It‟s perfect.”
“How about I bring up a movie or something? We can lie here in bed and relax

tonight. And we can stay in bed all day tomorrow if you want.”
“But it‟s your birthday tomorrow,” she said, running her hand through my

hair. “And your parents are coming over for dinner.”
“That‟s not until the evening. And they‟d understand if you weren‟t up for it. .”
“No, I‟ll be fine,” she breathed, looking into my eyes. “You‟re too good to me,

Edward. I don‟t deserve you.”
I smirked. “Here I was thinking it was the other way around.”
I gave her a kiss and went downstairs to go grab a movie. By the time I got
back, she was fast asleep.
Yes, Bella was more fragile now that she was pregnant. Her emotions ran high
and she was ticked off way more easily. But I was okay with that, because at
the end of the day, she was still my Bella. That‟s the way it would always be.

~*~

Bella POV
When I woke up the next morning, Edward was holding me tighter than usual.
I noticed that he was already awake, looking at me worriedly. I moaned into

his chest.
“What time is it?” I tiredly asked.
“Noon,” he answered. “I thought I‟d let you sleep in.”
“Wow, I was really out,” I laughed. “I guess I was really exhausted from all the
drama last night.”
He nodded, still looking concerned.
“Edward, what‟s wrong?”
He looked away from me. “You were talking in your sleep. You were having a
nightmare.”
“I was?” I replied, surprised by this. “What was I saying?”
Edward sighed, unable to look me in the eyes. “It sounded like the night Jake

came back. It sounded like you were afraid he was going to take you away.
Then you kept calling my name, begging me to save you. And then you said…”

He trailed off. He couldn‟t finish. Whatever he wasn‟t telling me must have
been the worst part.
“What did I say, Edward? What is it?” I asked persistently. “I need to know.”
He exhaled, trying to control his breathing.
“You said, ‘don’t take my baby’,” he replied, shakily.
I stared at him. I knew I had a nightmare, but I didn‟t think it was that terrible.

I do remember having that dream at one point though. It was horrifying.
“Edward,” I breathed, looking up at the ceiling. “I have to do it. I have to

testify.”
His head snapped in my direction. “What?”
“I‟ve been thinking about it, and I have to. It‟s the only way. If I don‟t, I‟ll just

be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. At least this way, I‟ll know
I‟ve done everything possible to keep him out of my life.”
“Bella, you need to think about this,” Edward insisted. “You have a while to
consider the options.”
“There is no other option, Edward,” I pointed out. “It‟s not just about me
anymore. It‟s about the other girls, and you, and our baby. There are other
people out there that Jake can hurt besides me. I want to make sure he doesn‟t

get the chance to.”
Edward held my hands tightly in his.
“Are you sure about this, Bella?” he breathed nervously.
“Are you going to be there for me when I go?”
He kissed me on the forehead.
“Bella, no matter what you decide, I‟ll support you. I‟ll be here for you always.

Just be sure it‟s what you want to do.”
“It is,” I nodded. “This is what‟s best for all of us.”
“Alright,” he sighed, touching my belly. “But I need you to tell me if it gets to

be too much. The memories that will be brought back might send you into
panic. I‟ve seen it in the courtroom before, especially with cases like this. If you

don‟t feel right physically, I need you to let me know.”
“I‟ll be fine Edward,” I insisted. “Now, call Victoria. This is my final decision.”
He sighed and reached for the phone. He dialed Victoria‟s number and handed
the phone to me.
“You tell her,” he said. “You know what to say better than I do. I think she said
she was working today, so you‟ll probably get a secretary.”
I nodded and took the phone from his hands.

“Hello?” a woman‟s voice answered.
“Hi, this is Bella Cullen,” I replied. “I was calling to speak to…”
“Mrs. Cullen?” the voice realized. “This is Jessica.”
“Oh,” I said, jumping at the sound of Edward‟s secretary. He had forced her to

call me Mrs. Cullen ever since we were married. “I didn‟t know you worked for
Victoria as well.”
“Only on weekends,” she explained. “I‟ll put you right through.”
Jessica had been super-friendly to me for a while now. My act of forgiveness

from months ago still held a very strong place in her heart.
Eventually, I was put through to Victoria.
“Hello Bella,” he voice answered. “I wasn‟t expecting your call so soon.”
“Well, I‟ve been thinking about it,” I explained. “And I really feel that this is
something I should do. I think it would be best to just face him and say the

truth.”
“I‟m glad you feel that way, Bella,” Victoria said sincerely. “I think this will

really benefit Leah‟s case. And I think it would be good closure for you as well.
I know you are anxious to move on to your life with Edward and the new baby,
and I think this will help with that.”
“I do too,” I agreed. “I just can‟t keep looking over my shoulder for the rest of
my life.”
“I understand completely. You know, I don‟t really talk about this, but I was in
a similar situation at one point in my life. It‟s one of the things that made me

so…unstable. If I had the opportunity to do what you are doing, I think I would
have recovered a whole lot easier.”
“Oh, I had no idea that…”
“It‟s okay, Bella. We all have our baggage. Anyway, I‟ll give you a call with the
details next week.”
“Alright,” I nodded. “And thank you, Victoria. I know we‟ve had moments, but
I appreciate you being so understanding through this.”
“Don‟t mention it. But next time you come down to the firm, stop in and say
hello. Maybe we could do lunch sometime.”
“I think I‟d like that,” I smiled. “Thanks.”
“Talk to you later, Bella. Tell Edward I said hello and happy birthday. I hope

you guys can still enjoy it.”
“I‟ll be sure to. Goodbye, Victoria.”
“Goodbye, Bella.”

I hung up the phone.
“You alright?” Edward asked. I knew he wouldn‟t stop being worried until after

the whole thing was over. When it came to me, he was quite the worrier.
“Yeah, I‟m fine,” I assured, giving him a soft kiss. “That woman isn‟t too bad,

Edward. It was good of you to get her some help.”
“Well, everyone deserves a second chance,” he grinned. “Besides, I kind of

owed her. She was the one that helped me realized that I needed to marry you
right away. I needed to make you mine as soon as possible.”
“Hmm,” I moaned, as he pulled me tighter into his chest. “I remember that
night.”
“One of the best nights of my life,” he whispered into my hair.
“Just one of them?” I laughed. “It wasn‟t the best?”
“Well, let‟s just say I have a list…”
“A list? I want to hear it!”
“No you don‟t,” he groaned. “Besides, you were there for all of them.”
“Pleaaasssee…” I whined, looking into his eyes.
“Fine.”
He started tracing patterns on my stomach with his fingers.
“Well, the first was the night I met you. Then, it was the first night we slept
together. Then…”
“Wait, you just skipped a major one!” I defended. “You skipped Rosalie and
Emmett‟s wedding to jump to the night we had sex?”
“That‟s not what I said. I said the first night we slept together. Remember,
when we were watching the movie on the couch and you fell asleep in my

arms?”
“Oh,” I smiled. “That made the list?”
“Of course. Anyway, after that is the night of Emmett and Rosalie‟s wedding,

when we finally admitted that we needed each other. Then it was the first time
I told you I loved you. Remember that?”
I nodded, as he continued to touch my stomach.
“Then after that, is the first time we had sex. That really was a good night…”
He trailed off, as if he were fantasizing about it. I punched him the shoulder.
“Continue…” I prompted.
“Oh yeah. Well, then there were a lot of moments, when you met my family
and I met yours. And then there was Christmas…”

“Christmas?”
“Yeah, that was just a beautiful night. That was when I decided that I wanted

to marry you. My parents gave me the ring and I asked your dad for
permission, and I played Silent Night on the piano and you cried.”
“Hm,” I laughed to myself. “I guess that night was special.”
“And of course there was the night where I actually asked you to marry me,

and you said yes. That might be number one. But then there was also the night
we ran off to Vegas and had our secret wedding. And then…”
“The night I told you I was pregnant,” I finished for him. “I know that‟s pretty
high up on my list.”
“Mine too,” he nodded. “After that there was the night of our fake wedding,

which I loved purely because of the drama alone. And then there was our first
night in New Zealand…”
“Oh, I remember that!” I laughed. “We were good that night.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “I miss it there. It was so beautiful.”
“We can always go back one day. Maybe we could bring little Eddie.”
“Little Eddie?” he echoed. “Please don‟t tell me you are referring to our child.”
“I‟m just saying…”
“It‟s not a boy, Bella. I just know it‟s not.”
“And I just know it is. I swear that it‟s a little Edward. I can just feel it.”
He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. “Whatever you say, Bella.
Whatever you say…”
Edward got up and made his way to the shower. As he closed the door behind
him, I heard him murmur, “I still think it‟s a girl.”
He was impossible sometimes.

~*~

Chapter 4: The Song

Edward POV
That night, my parents were to join us for dinner. They were going back to

Alaska the next morning, and they still hadn‟t seen the new house.
Bella and I were both very excited to have them over. For some reason, it
seemed as if they loved my wife more than they loved me. But I guess I could

see why. It was hard not to love Bella.
When they rang the doorbell, Bella basically ran to go greet them.

“Carlisle, Esme!” she squealed, as she greeted them with a hug. “Welcome to
our home!”

“Bella,” Esme laughed. “It‟s great to see you again. We hardly got a chance to
speak last night. Things were so busy.”
Bella nodded, hoping the reason why wouldn‟t come up at dinner.
“Come on,” she said excitedly, taking her hand. “Let me give you a tour.

Carlisle, are you coming?”
“Maybe later, Bella,” he smiled. “I have to have a word with Edward.”
Bella and Esme went up the stairs, while I greeted my dad by shaking his hand.
“I‟m glad you could come over tonight, dad,” I said happily. “I‟m cooking
dinner right now. Do you want to talk in the kitchen?”
He nodded and followed me.
“This is a nice home, son,” he said, surveying the place. “I think you two will be

happy here.”
I went back to the stove, managing the pots and pans. “Well, Bella absolutely

adores the place. I do too. It will be a nice place to raise a family and
everything.”
“And it seems as if Bella‟s still not allowed to cook,” he laughed. “You‟re still

taking over that duty?”
“It was one of the conditions of our marriage,” I replied jokingly. “Trust me,

it‟s better for everyone‟s health and safety if I do the cooking.”
He laughed, but then his face went serious.
“So, I suppose you know what I want to talk to you about?”
“I think I have an idea,” I said, reaching for the plates in the cupboard. “Does it

have to do with a certain sister of mine?”
“I talked to her last night. I have a feeling their situation is worse than they‟re
letting on.”
I sighed. “Dad, if I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell Bella or
our other friends. Alice doesn‟t want them know.”
“What is it?”
“Alice lost her job two days ago. Things have been tight with them for a while

anyway, but this is really going to make things tough.”
He sighed. “Why did she lose her job?”
“Layoffs. They had to cut people left and right. You remember Rosalie? She
was spared, but she told me about Alice. I‟m not even supposed to know.”
“How bad is their money situation?” Carlisle asked worriedly.

“I think they have enough saved up to get by for now, maybe that will last them
a month. But it‟s not going to get any easier. Jasper took up a second job at my

firm, but I don‟t know how much that is going to help. I offered to loan them
some money, but they won‟t take it.”
“Edward, keep your money. You have a family to worry about now. Esme and I
can help them out…”
“Dad, I can afford it. That‟s not the problem. They won‟t accept it.”
He sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a checkbook.
“Edward, do me a favor,” he said, writing a check. “Talk to Alice alone. Use
those lawyer skills and find a way to get her to accept this. I don‟t want you
lending her money. Let me do this for her and my granddaughter. Promise me

you‟ll get her to take the check.”
I hesitantly took it from his hands. “I‟ll do my best, dad. But you know Alice…”
“I know. But I think you can get her to consider it. And you know I would do
the same for you. In fact I would prefer it be that way. I like Bella a whole lot

more than I like Jasper.”
“You just don‟t like him because he knocked your daughter up out of wedlock,”
I pointed out. “But you have to admit he‟s a good guy. He‟s working his ass off

to support his family right now.”
“I know,” Carlisle nodded. “And you should know that I am really proud of

you, Edward. You‟ve really made something out of your life. You have a great
career, a kid on the way, a beautiful house, and a wonderful wife.”
“Hm,” I smirked. “She really is wonderful, isn‟t she?”
He patted me on the back. “Yeah, Edward. You found a good one there.”
The rest of the dinner went smoothly. We talked about everything that had
been going on in our lives and about the new baby on the way.
“Bella showed me the nursery,” Esme said, as she took a sip of wine. “When

are you two going to paint it?”
“Well, that‟s been one of the disputes we‟ve been having,” I laughed. “You see,

if it‟s a girl, we are going to do yellow, and if it‟s a boy we want blue. The thing
is, Bella refuses to find out the sex of the baby. So, we either have to wait until

the baby is born, suck it up and find out the sex, or just settle on a gender
neutral color.”
“We don‟t have to settle,” Bella said smugly. “We can just paint it blue, since I
already know we‟re having a boy.”
“Please Bella, we both know it‟s a girl,” I replied, as if it were a fact.

“How could either of you be so sure?” Carlisle laughed. “Listen, I‟ve been
practicing medicine for years, and I know there is no possible way to know

until you get the sonogram at five months. Trust me, we were both positive
that Edward was going to be a girl. We even had a name picked out.”
Bella almost spit out her drink. “Oh, please tell me what it was. Judy?
Alexandra? Jane?”
“No, it was Alice,” Esme giggled. “We just saved it for the next kid.”
I looked down at the table, embarrassed. Bella would never let me live this

down. God forbid she told Emmett.
“Wow,” Bella smiled teasingly. “That is good to know.”
“Thanks mom,” I nodded sarcastically.

~*~

Bella POV
After dinner, we sadly said goodbye to Edward‟s parents. It was sad to see
them go, especially since they had become family to me. But they were

planning another trip down here in the coming months, so hopefully I would
see them soon.
I followed Edward upstairs and we started to get ready for bed. I had climbed
in, ready to have some birthday sex with Edward, when I remembered
something.
“Hey!” I jumped. “It‟s your birthday! I still haven‟t given you your gift.”
“Well, I thought that‟s what we were about to do…”
“Shut it!” I laughed, putting my hand over his mouth. “Now, wait here until I
call you down.”
“Yes ma‟am,” he mumbled under my palm.
I jumped out of bed and carefully hurried down the stairs. I was cautious in
everything I did now, trying to cancel out my clumsy nature. I was determined

to make it through the pregnancy without a single major injury.
I moved my gift to the proper place and covered it with a sheet.
“Edward, my love…” I called dramatically. “It‟s ready!”
He came down the stairs and met me in our huge family room. He eyed the

corner where the piano was placed and saw the item next to it that was
covered.
“What is that?” he asked, pointing to it.
“It‟s your gift, Edward,” I smiled. “Go on, see what it is.”

I looked at me and slowly made his way over. Hesitantly, he removed the sheet
and gasped when he saw what it revealed.
“Bella…” he breathed. “It‟s beautiful.”
I smiled happily. I had searched every antique store in the greater Seattle area

to find the perfect new piano bench for our new house. The old one had been
somewhat damaged in the move, and it wasn‟t that special anyway. Edward

had been using an ordinary chair whenever he had played.
“Where did you get this?” he said in shock, as he looked over every particular

detail. “It‟s exquisite.”
I had to admit, I did a damn fine job with that thing. The detailing was
flawless. It cost me quite a bit of money, but I had been saving it for a while.
“It was quite an adventure finding it, but when I saw it, I knew it was perfect. I
just couldn‟t have you sitting in that chair forever. It wasn‟t right.”
“Bella, this looks terribly expensive,” he said guiltily. “It‟s too much to spend
on me.”
I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Edward, you are the most talented person on the face of this Earth. You
deserve the best. In fact, you deserve more than this. It wasn‟t as much as

you‟re thinking. I just saw it and I thought it suited you perfectly.”
He gave me a light kiss on the lips.
“You know me so well, my love,” he whispered.
“Oh,” I jumped, remembering something else. “You still haven‟t seen the best

part.”
I opened the lid to the piano bench, revealing two things.
The first, was an engraving on the inside.
To my dear husband, Edward
May you keep playing the music that makes me fall in love with you
more and more each day.
Your loving wife,
Bella
“Bella…” Edward breathed again. “I…I…”
“There‟s more,” I interrupted, glad he was touched by the gesture. Look in that
folder.
I pointed to a file that was lying inside the bench. He picked it up hesitantly.
When he opened it, his eyes went wide.

“Bella, you didn‟t…”
“I hope you don‟t mind,” I said, cutting him off. “I sent your song to my friend

who‟s in the business, and I asked her about getting it published. She loved it
and about a week ago she sent me this, the printed version of your song, and a

letter that states that your song is officially yours. Congratulations Edward.
You‟re a published composer.”
He stood there like a statue for a few seconds, staring at the papers. I was
starting to worry. Was this too forward for him? Maybe he didn‟t want his song

to be published. Maybe it was just a private thing that he didn‟t want the world
to see.
Edward suddenly turned around and stormed out of the house into the back

yard. I watched him as he sat on a chair, his back facing me, staring into space.
I felt tears pool in my eyes.
After about a minute, I followed him outside and stood behind him, feeling like
the stupidest person alive.
“Edward, I‟m sorry,” I said, as I started to cry. “I shouldn‟t have done this. I
thought you‟d be happy, but I guess I was wrong. I should have just left it
alone. I just thought that maybe you would…”
“Stop Bella,” Edward stated, his voice as shaky as my own. He turned around,
revealing his face. I was shocked to see his eyes red and a tear on his cheek.
This was new to me. I had never seen Edward cry. Yes, I saw him come close
when he proposed, and at our wedding, and when I told him I was pregnant,

but I had never seen a tear actually fall from his face.
“Edward, are you alright?” I asked worriedly. “Did it really upset you that

badly?”
He laughed when I said that. It was like music to my ears. He stood up and
wiped the tears from my face with his thumbs.
“Bella, I‟m not upset,” he smiled. “I…I…I‟m speechless. Really, there are no
words to express what‟s going through my head right now.”
“So, you‟re not mad?” I clarified. “You like the gift.”
He laughed again and kissed me passionately. He embraced me in his arms so

tightly, I never wanted him to let go.
“Yes, you ridiculous woman, I love the gift. Love isn‟t even a good enough

word. I…I appreciate it more than you will ever know, Bella. It means so much
to me that you did this. Ever since I was a child I dreamed of this. I dreamed of
being a composer. And now, you‟ve made that happen. You are incredible

Isabella Cullen. I love you.”

I was crying again, but this time out of happiness. I couldn‟t believe I had
made him so happy. I could only kiss him again.
“You know what the best part about this is?” he asked, holding my face in his
hands.
“What?” I breathed.
“This song is about my love for you. This song is everything I feel for you,

expressed through music.”
“It was the song that made me fall in love with you,” I choked out,

remembering the first night I heard him play it.
“Yes it was,” he laughed. “Yes it was.”
“Edward?” I said, still crying into his chest. “Will you play it for me? Will you

please play me my song?”
He picked up my hand and kissed it. “Of course, Bella.”
He led me to the piano and I sat next to him on his new bench. Ever so softly,
Edward‟s fingers began to dance around the keys.
At that moment, nothing else married. I forgot about Jake, the trial, and all
that other crap that we would have to deal with in the coming months. All that
mattered was that I was with Edward, the love of my life, and that I was

carrying his child within me.
“Edward…” I whispered, as he continued to play.
“Yes, Bella?”
“Does this night make the list?”
He stopped playing for a second and kissed me passionately.
“Absolutely,” he murmured, with his lips against mine. With one hand, he

continued playing the song.

~*~

Chapter 5: The Meeting

Edward POV
A few days later, I decided it would be a good idea to take Alice out for coffee

and try to convince her to take Carlisle‟s check. I knew it would not be easy and
she would most likely turn it down, but I promised my father I would try.
I met her at a café during my lunch break. Bella couldn‟t know about this. I

hated keeping secrets from her, but I had to respect Alice‟s discretion when it

came to an issue like this. I didn‟t want to make this harder on Alice than it
already was.
As I was sitting, waiting for Alice, I smiled when I saw her walk in the coffee
shop with Marie. I loved seeing my niece. No matter what Bella said, I was

convinced that we were having a girl, so having Marie around was helpful to
our parenting skills.
Of course, being Alice‟s daughter, she was always dressed in the most
fashionable outfits, mostly in pink. I had to admit that the baby always looked

adorable, even if a lot of the fashions she sported were more than unnecessary.
I was going to ask why Alice had Marie, when she had a babysitter. But then I
remembered that Alice wasn‟t working anymore, so she didn‟t need a

babysitter, and probably couldn‟t afford one.
“Hi, Edward,” Alice greeted, as she took a seat at the table. She automatically

handed me the baby, knowing I would want to hold her.
“Hey sis,” I said, taking the baby from her. “Hey baby girl. How‟s my favorite

niece in the world doing today?”
“She‟s a little crabby,” Alice answered, looking exhausted. “She was finally
napping on the way over here, and then she woke up as soon as I took her out

of the car seat.”
“Oh, your mommy is just being a whiner,” I said to the baby, sitting her on my

lap. “You are the perfect baby, aren‟t you?”
Alice laughed and rolled her eyes. “So, Edward, what‟s going on?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why am I here?”
“Can‟t a guy just grab a cup of coffee with his sister? Is that so strange?”
“For you? Yes,” Alice laughed. “You never take a lunch break, unless it‟s to
meet with Bella. Don‟t get me wrong, I‟m glad to be here, but this is very unlike

you. Something must be up.”
I sighed. Alice was too smart for her own good. I knew I couldn‟t play it out any

longer.
“Rose told me about your job,” I said simply.
Alice stared at me angrily.
“You know, I don‟t like this new friendship you have going on with Rosalie. I‟m

starting to think it‟s just a way for you two to trade information.”
“Alice, I‟m your brother. She told me because I have the right to know.”
“You don‟t have the right to know anything, Edward,” Alice defended. “You are

just going to blow this out of proportion.”

“I promise I won‟t,” I said calmly.
“Whatever! I know what‟s going to happen. You probably told Bella, and Rose

will tell Emmett, and now everybody will know about sad poor pathetic Alice,
and everyone will start feeling sorry for me and…”
“I‟m not telling Bella,” I interrupted. “I mean, not unless you want me to. You
know, she has a lot of friends in the publishing industry, and I‟m sure she can

find you something. Maybe something in fashion. I know…”
“Stop Edward,” she sighed. “Please, don‟t tell Bella. I know she has her own

crap to worry about right now.”
I nodded. “Listen, Rose isn‟t telling Emmett either. This is our secret and no
one else has to know. When you find something else, you can just tell everyone

you changed careers. No one will ask any questions.”
“You promise you won‟t tell anybody?”
“I promise. Except, I did tell one other person. And you are going to hate me
for doing it, but I only told him because I love you and he does too, and we

want to make sure…”
“You told dad?!” she almost yelled. “Are you crazy?”
“I had to Alice,” I defended. “And before you go into this whole rant about how

you don‟t need me and you don‟t need dad and you are a big girl who can make
it on her own, I want you to really think about this. You have a daughter now,

Alice. Think about Marie. You need to put away your pride for two seconds and
consider what this means for her.”
Alice sighed and looked at her daughter. I knew that would bring her to her
senses.
“What are you offering?” she said after a long moment of silence. “I‟m not
taking you money, not when you have a baby on the way.”
“Fine,” I said simply. “I‟ve offered before, even though you turned it down, and

that offer is still standing. I can afford to lend you the money.”
“I know, but I‟m not taking it,” she said decidedly. “My position stands on

that.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “But when dad was here, he left this for you.”
I took the check out of my jacket and slid it towards her on the table. She
slowly peeked at it and her eyes went wide when she saw the amount.
“Wow,” she gasped, staring at the check. “I really wish I could say that I
couldn‟t accept this, but it‟s becoming increasingly difficult.”
“Just take the money, Alice,” I insisted. “They want you to have it. If you don‟t

take it, they‟ll be disappointed.”

She sighed and looked at me sincerely.
“Do I really have a choice, Edward?”
I shrugged. “I don‟t know. You tell me. How bad is the situation?”
“Well, it definitely could be better. And this check could definitely get us back

on our feet.”
“Then take it,” I repeated. “Please, Alice. I‟m worried about you. I‟m worried

about Jasper and Marie. Just do this for your family, please. Pay them back
whenever you have the money to do so. You know they won‟t pressure you.”
“I don‟t know. I just feel so selfish, taking their money…”
“Well, do it for me,” I interrupted. “I mean, I have enough to worry about with
Bella and the baby and making partner. The last thing I need is to worry about

you too.”
“You have a point there,” she nodded. “Okay, for you, I‟ll talk it over with

Jasper. I‟ll take the check.”
I gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you Alice. I feel much better now.”
“No, thank you, Edward,” she smiled. “You‟re a good brother when you want to
be.”
I looked down at Marie. “Well, I don‟t have just you to worry about anymore.

And if you still need work, I‟m sure I can find something at the firm. I mean, I
got Jasper a job. Maybe I can get you something too…”
“Don‟t waste your time, Edward,” she insisted. “I‟m sure after a while,
something will turn up.”
“I‟m sure too,” I nodded. “Just remember that I‟m always here for you. If you
need anything…”
“I know,” she smiled. “Thanks.”

~*~

Bella POV
That day, I went down to Edward‟s law firm to go meet with Victoria and Leah.
We thought it would be best that I talk to Leah, and find out what her story

was. It could be a healing experience for both of us. Not only that, but Victoria
could explain to me exactly what testifying in court would involve.
I had to admit I was nervous. Edward offered to come with me, but I didn‟t
want to tear him away from his work. I told myself I could handle it, but the

closer I came to the office door, the shakier I became.
I hesitantly knocked a few times before Victoria appeared with a sympathetic
smile on her face.

“Bella,” she greeted, as she opened the door. “I‟m glad you could make it.”
I nodded and quietly went inside.
I look towards the desk and saw a woman sitting in front of it. She looked
young, maybe a few years younger than myself, and very beautiful. She had

long black hair that was tied into a ponytail down her back and big brown eyes
that were slightly touched with eyeliner.
“Bella, this is Leah,” Victoria introduced. The woman‟s head turned towards
me.
“Hello,” I nervously whispered when her eyes met mine. We both knew why we
were here and what we had in common.
She slowly got up from her chair and approached me. I wondered what she was

doing. Did she hate me already? Had Jake told her bad things about me?
Then, she surprised me by throwing her arms around my neck and embracing

me into a hug. I could hear her sobbing and I couldn‟t help but hug her back.
“Bella, I am so happy to see you,” she cried into my shoulder. “You have no

idea what this means to me.”
I patted her back, unable to speak. This woman had gone through worse than I
had. She walked away with more serious injuries. No doubt she was more

damaged on the inside as well. I felt a rush of sympathy for her and
understanding. She was probably the only person in the world who knew

exactly what I had been through. She was the only one who could understand.
I couldn‟t say a word. I just held her tight and cried as well. There were no

words to be said. We both knew what the other was thinking.
After our emotional meeting, we all sat down and talked. Leah told me her

story, which moved me to tears once again, mostly because it was very similar
to mine.
She and Jake were in love and they moved in together. At first he was a kind

and gentle man, until the relationship started getting serious. Then, he started
getting possessive and started controlling her every action. The aggressiveness

slowly started getting physical to the point where it was hard to notice the
transition.
I was in awe of everything she said. It was exactly like my own situation with
him. There was only one point it was different: she didn‟t get out fast enough.
Leah told me about how afraid she was to leave because she had no money and
no family. She had no choice but to stay with him until she could find a way
out. Unfortunately, she stayed too long. On the night she finally decided to

leave, Jake came home early to find her packing her bags. He was furious.

Then she started to describe how he hurt her physically. I had to stop her
halfway through. I couldn‟t let her finish. It was so vivid, so terrifying. I

couldn‟t believe he had been so cruel.
“I‟m sorry if this brought back bad memories for you,” she said softly. “I know

our situation is very complicated when it comes to our emotions. I just want
you to know how grateful I am that you are here. It‟s so comforting to know

that someone finally understands how I feel.”
I nodded and took her hand. “I know exactly what you mean.”
Victoria could sense that I was getting pretty worked up about this.
“Bella, do you want me to call Edward down here. I know he went out with his
sister for lunch, but he should be back by now.”
I shook my head. “No, I‟ll stop by his office when we‟re done. I‟m fine, really.”
“Victoria tells me you‟re having a baby,” Leah smiled. “That‟s really wonderful.

It‟s good to know you have moved on.”
“Well, that‟s mostly due to my husband, Edward,” I explained. “He‟s amazing.

I‟m sure Victoria has told you all about how he saved me that night. He‟s
actually saved me in more ways than one.”
Leah smiled at what I said. I think in some ways it gave her hope.
We went on to discuss the details of me appearing in court.
“So, you‟ll only have to appear for one day of the trial,” Victoria explained.

“We‟re going to call you to the stand and I‟m going to ask you a few questions.
Then, if they want, Jake‟s defense may want to cross-examine you.”
“Should I be worried about that?” I asked with concern.
“I don‟t think so. As long as you tell the truth, we should be fine.”
“So, it‟s just the one appearance, right? And what about the restraining order?”
After the last incident with Jake, Edward made sure that I had placed a proper
restraining order on Jake so he could never legally be near me. I wondered if

attending his trial would violate that.
“Well, for circumstances like this, those kind of things are taken care of,”

Victoria assured. “And like I said, there will be plenty of time to back out if you
get scared…”
“I won‟t back out,” I interrupted. I looked at the woman next to me. “Now that
I‟ve met Leah, I have to do this.
Suddenly, we were interrupted by a knock on the door. I smiled when I saw
Edward subtly peeking his head in.
“Hey,” he said when he saw me. “I was just checking to make sure you were

alright. I hope I‟m not interrupting.”

“Not at all,” Victoria said, putting some files away. “In fact, I think I‟ve gone
over just about everything, unless either of you have any questions…”
I shook my head. “I think I‟m good. Thank you so much though.”
I looked over at Leah.
“You have no idea how amazing it was to meet you,” I smiled appreciatively.
She replied with a hug.
“We‟ll keep in touch, okay? Maybe we can hang out before the trial and
everything.”
“I would like that,” I nodded.
We said our goodbyes and Edward led me out of the office.
“So, I take it everything went okay?” he asked happily.
“It was intense, but it was really good for me. It‟s good to know there‟s
someone out there who has been through the same thing.”
He kissed my head as we went into his office. “You are a very brave woman,
you know.”
“I‟m not that brave, Edward. I‟m just trying to do the right thing.”
He sat down at his desk and I joined him, sitting in his lap with my arms
around his neck.
“So, changing the subject…” I prompted. “Victoria mentioned something about
you going to lunch with Alice today. That‟s new.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I just thought it would be nice to catch up with her. She is
my sister.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “There‟s something you‟re not telling me.”
Something was up. He never went to lunch with Alice. He never took a lunch

break at all unless it was to spend time with me.
Edward chuckled and placed a kiss on my nose.
“Bella, stop playing detective. I just thought it would be nice to take her out to

lunch for a change.”
“Alright,” I sighed. “If that‟s the story you want to stick to, you go ahead and do

that.”
I snuggled up close to him on the chair. He probably should have been

working, but at that moment, I didn‟t care. I just wanted to be with him for a
while.
Unfortunately, after the third phone call he got, I decided it would be best to
let him get some work done. I kissed him goodbye and left the office, still
thinking about my meeting with Leah.

I was doing the right thing. It wasn‟t just about me anymore. There were so
many people involved. Most importantly, I had to do this for my baby. He or

she deserved a mother that wasn‟t living in fear. I had to do whatever I could to
put the past behind me and move on with my life.

~*~

Chapter 6: The Trial

Edward POV
One month later, Bella‟s court date had finally arrived. I, for one, was more
nervous than my wife.
She had taken to this much more calmly than I had expected. For the last
month, I had been preparing her for what she was about to go through. I

explained what it would be like to the best of my ability. I tried to keep her in a
stress free state during the days, and we avoided talking too much about it
when we were around other people.
We decided it would be best if only I came with her to court that day. Our
friends wanted to come also, for support, but Bella didn‟t feel comfortable with

that. She needed me there and that was it.
I was grateful that so far Bella‟s pregnancy was going pretty well. Her mood

swings were a little off, but other than that she was perfect. Even the morning
sickness was at a minimum. She was starting to show now and a small bump

was mildly obvious.
Today, however, Bella made great efforts to hide that bump as much as
possible. She wore an outfit that downplayed her pregnancy, because she

didn‟t want it to be obvious to Jake. She didn‟t want him to know she was
pregnant unless it was brought up.
Before we left the house, I saw her nervously examining herself in the mirror,
checking her hair and makeup.
“Bella,” I said, walking into our bedroom. “You alright?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “What do you think? Do I look okay?”
“You look beautiful,” I smirked.
“I mean, do I look appropriate for court? I‟m starting to get a little nervous.”
I sighed and wrapped my arms around her assuringly.
“You look perfect, Bella,” I whispered. “And it‟s going to be okay. I promise.
Victoria‟s a good lawyer and she‟ll make sure you don‟t get too uncomfortable.”
“And you‟ll be there the whole time?” she asked, looking up at me.

“Of course. I‟ll be sitting there the whole time. And it‟s not too late to back out.
I‟ll support you either way.”
“No,” she assured. “I‟m doing this. I have to.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “Are you ready to go?”
She took my hand and gave a tired smile.
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
I placed a kiss on her forehead and we headed out the door.
When we reached the courthouse, we sat in the car for a while before going in.

Bella checked her messages, and listened to a voicemail from Charlie. He was
calling to check up on her, making sure she was okay.
“How freaked out do you think he is?” she asked hesitantly.
I sighed and put my arm around her.
“It‟s okay, Bella. He‟s just worried about you. We all are.”
“Well, I don‟t want you to be,” she whined. “I‟m okay. I promise. If things get
to be too much, I‟ll find a way to let you know. But knowing that everyone is

freaking out just makes me even more nervous about this. So please, for my
sake, calm down and let me do this.”
I placed a kiss on her head.
“Alright,” I nodded. “I‟ll stop questioning you and worrying about you. I know
you are strong enough to do this. I have so much faith in you, and you are

making me very proud by showing this much courage. I know you can do this.
I believe in you.”
“Thank you,” she said, placing a hand on my cheek. “I believe in me too.”
When we walked into the courtroom, I quickly surveyed the room. Jake wasn‟t

there yet. They probably brought him in when the trial started, since he was
the one in custody. I sighed in relief. I couldn‟t handle him looking at her,
throwing Bella off her game. She had to stay focused.
I held on to Bella‟s hand tightly as we walked in. I knew I was possibly more
nervous than she was right now. I was worrying about her constantly.
“How are you feeling?” she asked me, squeezing my hand tighter
“Shouldn‟t I be asking you that?” I almost laughed.
“Well, everyone has been so focused on me being okay, that I realized how
hard this could be for you. I mean, the situation is very…”
“Uncomfortable,” I finished for her. “It‟s going to be more painful than
awkward. I‟ll admit it won‟t be easy hearing you talk about…that stuff.”
She looked at me sympathetically and gave me a kiss.

“I‟m sorry,” she stated simply. “I‟ve been so wrapped up in how I‟ve been
dealing with this, that I didn‟t even think about what you must be going

through.”
“It‟s alright,” I whispered. “You are going through something ten times more

difficult than I am. And I‟ll be fine, I promise. As long as you‟re okay, I‟m okay.
But remember if you feel funny physically, find a way to let me know.”
She nodded and looked towards the front.
“Well, we should go check in with Victoria.”
I agreed and followed her to the front, where Victoria and Leah were standing.
I liked Leah. Bella and I had invited her for dinner one night a few weeks
before, and I appreciated her story. I was even feeling better about Victoria.

She had been so kind to Bella, and my feelings of resentment towards her had
vanished. In fact, she was actually becoming a good friend to my wife, and I

had to respect her for that.
“Hey Bella, Edward,” Victoria greeted as we approached. She looked

particularly at Bella. “No second thoughts?”
“Not yet,” Bella sighed.
“Who the judge?” I asked, knowing that I had encountered almost every judge

in the city.
“Banner,” she replied. I took a sigh of relief. He was usually pretty sympathetic

to these kinds of situations. Plus, we knew each other well. He would surely
recognize Bella‟s name, especially if he saw me sitting in the back.
“Is that good?” Bella asked.
“It‟s not bad,” I assured. “I‟ll think it will work to your advantage.”
“What about you?” she asked Victoria. “Edward says he always gets a little
nervous before a trial.”
“Is that so, Cullen?” Victoria giggled, I gave her a stern look and she stopped.

“Yeah, Bella. That never goes away. But I do feel confident. We have a good
case going here, and I think we‟ll be fine.”
The bailiff came in and my breath hitched.
“The trial will commence shortly,” he announced. “May all observers and

witnesses please take their seats?”
“Ready?” I whispered into Bella‟s ear. She took a deep breath and nodded.
“Yeah, I think so.”
After Bella and I took our seats, we jumped at the sound of the door opening.
We both know who was coming. Bella stiffened in her seat and I gently put one

arm around her and one hand on her stomach.

There he was. Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit with his hair in a ponytail,
his hands cuffed. Seeing him brought back memories of wanting to kill him. I

had to focus on my breathing and Bella. That‟s all that I could think about.
“It‟s okay,” Bella whispered, knowing what I was feeling. “I‟m fine.”
I nodded. I was somewhat relieved that Jake hadn‟t noticed her yet. I knew he
would have to see her eventually, but it still made me jumpy.
The judge came in a few minutes later. We sat there for quite a while, listening
intently to the case…at least, we were pretending to. I could tell that we were

both zoning out, waiting anxiously for Bella‟s name to be called. I just sat
there, rubbing the palm of her hand with my thumb. We both kept staring at
Jacob, who had yet to see us.
Suddenly, Victoria‟s voice made us jump.
“I‟d like to call to the stand, Mrs. Isabella Cullen,” she said, looking over notes.
I snapped my head towards Jacob and watched him mouth the words, “Who?”
I squeezed Bella‟s hand before she stood up and made her way to the stand. I

saw Jacob‟s eyes go wide when he saw her approach. I knew he couldn‟t tell
that she was pregnant, but I was sure he was making correct assumptions
about her name.
“For the record, during the time in question, Mrs. Cullen‟s maiden name was
Swan,” Victoria clarified.
Jacob remembered the name now. I could tell by the look on his face. He
immediately turned his head and saw me. He shot me a glare, which I ignored,

intently focusing on Bella as she was being sworn in.
I was amazed by her confidence. Her eyes hardly went to Jake, even though I

knew he was staring at her. And she took the stand gracefully, sitting with a
calm attitude and courage.
“Mrs. Cullen, how long have you known Jacob Black?” Victoria asked,

beginning the questioning.
“I met Jacob when I was eighteen, about seven or eight years ago.”
Her voice was controlled, not shaky at all. I was impressed.
“And what was your relationship with the defendant?”
“We were friends my senior year in high school. Then, we went to the same
college and started dating around my second year.”
“You lived with him for a period of time, correct?”
“Yes, after I graduated, we got a small apartment. We lived together for about
three years.”
“When you first met Jacob, how would you describe his behavior?”

“At first, I thought he was a great guy. When we were friends, he was very kind,
very supportive. He was really great until we moved in together.”
“What changed?”
“He became very possessive and controlling. Everything I did was monitored. I

couldn‟t leave the house, and if I did, I would return home and be questioned
about everything. Where did I go? Who did I see? He always asked me if I was

cheating on him.”
“When did the aggressiveness become physical?”
“Um, I guess it started about a year after I moved in. When we fought, he
would grip onto my arms very tightly, sometimes holding me by the shoulders.
I would get bruises on my arms.”
Victoria presented two photos from when she was living with Jacob. If you
looked closely, you could see the bruises.
“I present this as Exhibit C,” she announced. “Mrs. Cullen, when did you
finally decide to end the relationship?”
“Well, one night I came home from work late, and we got into another fight.
He said words I had never heard him say to me before. He said some things
that still give me nightmares. Then he took me by my shoulders and slammed

me against the wall. I guess for me that was the last straw. I hardly packed up
anything and left in a cab. I went to go live with my friend, Alice.”
“And that was not the last time you saw the defendant, correct?”
“No, last December, he was in Seattle. My husband…well, he was my boyfriend

at the time, knew he was in town and warned me. I didn‟t know he would come
and find me.”
“Would you mind describing your encounter with Mr. Black?” Victoria asked
cautiously.
Bella took a deep breath. Her voice was not so calm anymore. She was biting

on her lip, trying not to cry.
“Well, he found out where Edward and I lived…”
“For the record…” Victoria interrupted, facing the judge. “She is speaking of
Edward Cullen, her husband. They were still dating and living together at the

time in question.” She looked back at Bella. “Please continue.”
“Yeah, um, I guess he did some investigating and found our apartment and our

spare key and broke in. I was home, and when I came into the living room, I
saw him standing there. It was…terrifying. I thought it was Edward coming
home early, instead I found Jake, the one person I never wanted to see again.”
I saw tears starting to form in her eyes.

“Anyway, when I saw him, I of course told him to leave, but he wouldn‟t. He
started talking about taking me back to Forks. When I started to defend

myself, he slapped me and pushed me against the wall again. He hit me
another time after that. It‟s kind of a blur from there. I just remember him

yelling, and holding me to the wall tightly. I thought he was going to hurt me in
the worse way possible.”
“What happened next?”
“Edward,” Bella answered simply. “He had called a couple times and Jacob

answered the phone. He ran back to the apartment and rescued me. There‟s no
better way to put it. He hit Jacob and got him away, and then he made sure I
was alright. He brought police with him. If he hadn‟t have shown up…I don‟t

even want to think what could have happened.”
She glanced at me and our eyes met. I nodded towards her, silently telling her

it was okay. She gave me a weak smile.
“These pictures are from the police report, and we present this as the next

exhibit as well as the report itself and a copy of the restraining order that was
filed shortly after,” Victoria announced. “Bella…I mean, Mrs. Cullen, why don‟t
you tell us your injuries from this encounter.”
“Well, I was badly bruised up and down my arms and shoulders and had a
black eye from the two times he hit me. I also suffered a minor concussion

from when he slammed me against the wall. I had to stay overnight in the
hospital.”
After a few more questions, Victoria thanked Bella and finished her part. Then
came the inevitable question.
“Would the defense like to cross-examine the witness?”
Jacob‟s lawyer stood up. “Yes, your honor.”
I became nervous. Victoria and I had discussed this with Bella and had gone

over some expected questions. I knew she would do fine, but I was still
restless. I knew how attorneys were and they could certainly be ruthless.
“Mrs. Cullen,” the lawyer said, almost condescendingly. “If Mr. Black had been
physically aggressive for about two or three years, why did it take you so long

to finally get out?”
“I‟ll be honest, at first I didn‟t notice,” Bella answered. “His words were already

aggressive. The abuse wasn‟t just physical. So when it did get that way, he
would accompany his actions with hurtful words. I hardly noticed the physical
pain at the time. It took me a while to realize that it had gone so far. Not only

that, but I didn‟t have much at the time. I didn‟t have much money, and I was
worried about imposing on my friends. I thought I didn‟t have a choice.”
“Did you ever feel your life was in danger?”

“Well, when we were living together, not exactly. I didn‟t think he was capable
of it. I still thought he was just going through a phase, and after a while he

would return to the Jake I used to care about. But that day last December,
when he broke into my apartment, I certainly feared for my life. I saw that he

had completely transformed and there was no going back.”
“Mrs. Cullen, is it true that your father is a police chief?”
“Yes,” she nodded, before Victoria could object.
“So, it would be safe to say that you were properly trained in areas of self

defense?”
“Well, it‟s probably not fair to assume, but I had some training,” she admitted.
“Therefore, when Mr. Black allegedly attacked you, why were you unable to

defend yourself?”
I looked at Victoria, but I knew there was nothing she could do. It was a fair

question.
“Firstly,” Bella answered. “Jacob was about 200 pounds of muscle, while I was

about 115 pounds of skin and bone. Compared to him, I was weak. There was
no possible way to defend myself. And to be accurate, I did try to push him
away several times, but obviously that didn‟t do much except make him

angrier. Not only that, but I was completely terrified. I have never been so
scared in my entire life. I could hardly think straight, let alone remember

anything I learned as a teenager.”
Bella was amazing. She knew exactly what to say. The attorney threw out a

bunch of questions like those. She hit every one out of the park. I was so proud
of her. Then he started getting personal.
“How long had you known your new boyfriend before you moved in with him?”
Now, I had no idea what this had to do with anything, and before Bella could
answer, Victoria jumped from her seat.
“Objection your honor!” she proclaimed. “How is this in anyway relevant?”
“I am just trying to analyze the character of the witness,” the lawyer smugly

stated.
The judge looked at him scoldingly.
“I‟m sorry, but I find these questions in no way relevant to this case.
Remember, this case is about another woman. This young lady is just giving us

additional information. There is no need to dive into the aspects of her
personal life. Objection sustained.”
I sighed in relief. We had nothing to be ashamed of, but the lawyer would turn

it into something it wasn‟t.

“Alright, I have one last question,” the lawyer stated. “Why are you choosing to
do this now? Why are you helping a woman‟s case that has nothing to do with

you? What is your motive?”
Bella sighed. “In the short time I have known Leah, I have found that we have

a lot in common. We share the same emotional state. We know what it‟s like to
be hurt both physically and emotionally by that man. I want to help her to

move on. I need to move on. I can‟t keep living my life thinking that I‟ll be
attacked again. I can‟t worry that my child will be the next victim.”
“The defense was not aware you had children,” the lawyer said with confusion.
Jake must have told him a lot about Bella.
Victoria was about to object, but Bella shot her a look.
“No, it‟s okay,” Bella assured her. “I want to say this.”
She looked towards Jake.
“I‟m having a baby in five months. I‟m starting a family. I have a wonderful
husband that has helped me move on from these terrible things that have

happened to me. I am happy. And I want to be this happy for the rest of my
life. Unless I get closure from this, unless I do everything I can to ensure the
safety of my family, I can never fully be content. That is why I‟m here. I‟m here

for Leah. I‟m here for my husband, and my baby, and my friends. But most of
all, I am here for myself. Jake almost ruined my life. I was lucky enough to find

someone to put it back together. Now, I am going to move on completely.
Whether or not the jury decides in our favor, at least I know I have done

everything in my power to put an end to this.”
Everyone was silent. Bella said those words with so much conviction, that it

moved every person in that courtroom. Her words were spoken out of anger,
sadness, and strength. But most of all, she spoke with hope.
“No further questions your honor,” the lawyer stated, looking defeated.
“You may step down, Mrs. Cullen,” the judge said to her, sympathetically. “The
court will now take a ten minute recess.”
He banged the gavel and Bella came running to me, throwing her arms around
my neck.
“I am so proud of you, Bella,” I said as she buried her head in my neck. “You
were perfect. I can‟t even explain to you how great you were.”
“I love you, Edward,” she said, trying not to cry. “I did this for us.”
“I know,” I nodded. “Thank you.”
Victoria came up to us next, also telling Bella what a good job she did. She told

us we were free to go, and that the trial would go on for a few more days. She
was to call us when the jury made their decision.

I saw Bella look towards the front. They were re-cuffing Jake, about to take
him away. He was still looking at us strangely. It was almost as if he was angry,

but sorry at the same time. Maybe he was angry at himself.
“Goodbye Jake,” Bella mouthed to him in a whisper.
Jake saw her and nodded, before he walked out of the courtroom. He was
gone.
Now, all we had to do was wait for that call.

~*~

Chapter 7: The Announcement

Bella POV
A couple days after the trial, Edward and I decided to go out to dinner with our

friends to try to get our minds off of it. I was relieved my part was over, but
now we were just waiting for the results.
I‟ll admit, I was proud of myself for what I did. Edward made sure I was. He

told me how great I did and how perfectly I handled each question. I wouldn‟t
have been able to do it without his help. He prepared me so much for it that I

knew what I was going to say before the question was even asked.
Before we left the house, the phone rang. Edward and I both looked at each

other, knowing who it was and what the call was regarding.
“I‟ll answer it,” I insisted, as Edward reached for the phone. “I want to hear it

for myself.”
He nodded and handed me the phone. I took it hesitantly. With one deep
breath, I pressed the green button.
“Hello?” I answered nervously.
“Bella,” the voice said back. “It‟s me, Victoria.”
“I thought so,” I sighed. “Are you calling to tell me?”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “Bella, we won. Leah won the case.”
My heart fluttered. Edward pulled a chair under me and I took a seat.
“You did?”
“Yes, Bella. We did it. Jake‟s staying in prison, for quite a while.”
Then came the inevitable question.
“How long?” I asked, feeling Edward‟s hands gently rubbing my shoulders.
“Fifteen years, Bella. Fifteen! And it could end up being longer, because he has
another case against him coming up in the winter. It‟s not for abuse, but like

identity theft or something. But the point is, he‟s gone. He‟ll be in there for
longer that we had thought.”
I felt a tear rolling down my cheek.
“Victoria, I don‟t know how I can thank you for this,” I sobbed. “You‟ve given

me my life back.”
“Well, we couldn‟t have done it without you, Bella,” said happily. “The jury was

so touched by your story.”
“I‟m sure Leah is just thrilled,” I smiled, thinking about her.
“Yeah, she is just ecstatic. Bella, I am so happy for you and Edward. Now you
can put this all behind you.”
I looked behind me at my husband. He could tell that it was good news.
“You have no idea,” I nodded. Then I looked at the time. We were running late.
“Victoria, would you like to join us and our friends for dinner tonight? We can

celebrate.”
“Well, actually I have a date tonight,” she laughed. “But maybe tomorrow

night? I would love to celebrate with you.”
“That sounds great, Victoria. I‟ll see you then.”
“Alright, Bella. Goodbye.”
“Thanks again,” I said, before hanging up the phone.
I turned around to face Edward. I knew there were tears in my eyes, and he

was looking at me hopefully.
“So?” he prompted, taking my hands.
I smiled and pulled my hands away, throwing my arms around his neck. I cried
into his shirt as he pulled me closer.
“Fifteen years, Edward,” I cried. “He‟s gone for fifteen years or more! We did
it.”
He exhaled in relief as he gently stroked my hair.
“Bella, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met,” he breathed. “You
have no idea how I‟m feeling right now.”
“I know what you mean,” I laughed through my tears. “I love you, Edward.
Thank you so much for being with me through this.”
“I love you too, Bella. I love you and I love our daughter. I love our family.”
“It‟s a boy,” I mumbled under my breath, loud enough for him to hear. “Stop

doing that.”

He laughed and put his hand on my stomach. “Either way, I love you and this
baby. And I can‟t wait until she comes out and I can tell her all about how

amazing her mommy is.”
“You mean he,” I argued.
“This isn‟t going to end, is it?” Edward laughed.
“Not until the baby comes out,” I replied smugly. “But nice try.”
“Well, the point is, this baby is going to have the best mother in the universe.
You really would do anything to protect your family, wouldn‟t you Bella?”
“I would,” I nodded. “But I know you would too. And I couldn‟t have done this
if it wasn‟t for your support.”
He gave me a soft kiss and squeezed my hand.
“Alright, let‟s go and celebrate with the people we love.”
As we were driving in the car, I noticed that Edward had not been driving as

fast as he usually would. He was still going over the speed limit, but he wasn‟t
zooming through the traffic at his normal rate.
“Wow, Edward,” I gasped mockingly. “Are you feeling alright? You‟re only
going ten over!”
“Very funny, Bella,” he laughed. “I can always speed up if you want me to.”
“No, I like this better. I can actually see what‟s going on outside the window.
I‟m just wondering what‟s prompted this sudden change.”
He shrugged. “Well, you‟re getting farther along in the pregnancy, and it‟s
probably not good to be so reckless right now. It could throw your body into

shock.”
“Is that so?” I said sarcastically. “You know, I can handle your speed. I think I

could take it.”
“I might have to take you up on that tonight,” he smirked. “But as far as
driving is concerned, I think I‟ll tone it down a notch.”
I smacked him on the shoulder playfully. “What am I going to do with you,
Edward?”
He raised an eyebrow. “We can discuss that later.”
I laughed when I noticed him slow down even more, just to spite me. I was

glad to have to old Edward back. He was more playful and happy now. Ever
since we found out about the trial, he had been very cautious about everything

he said, and was very nervous and tense. I knew why that was, but I missed
how he used to be. Now he was back.
When we arrived at the restaurant, our friends were already there. Alice and

Jasper had brought Marie, of course. I had noticed that lately, they hadn‟t been

using a sitter as much. When we would go out, they would always bring her
with them. I didn‟t mind at all. In fact, I enjoyed having the baby around. I just

found Alice and Jasper‟s behavior to be very suspicious in the last month and a
half.
I decided to forget about those suspicions for tonight. I wanted to celebrate
with my friends and my husband. I had this feeling, like I was free. I didn‟t

have to keep Jake in the back of my mind anymore.
When I announced the news to my friends, they were ecstatic. They all knew

how stressful this whole situation had been for both me and Edward over the
past month. I know they wanted us back. We had been so caught up in the
whole thing, that it was affecting our friendships.
“Well, now that this is all behind us, we can start planning your baby shower!”
Alice squealed excitedly. “Rose and I have been waiting until the trial was

over.”
I sighed, thinking about party games and people touching my belly for five

hours.
“There‟s no way I‟m getting out of this, is there?”
“Nope,” Alice said, shaking her head. “How about next month?”
“I guess that‟s fine,” I agreed. “And you can have it at the house. There‟s more
room there. But, I have ground rules.”
“Name them, and we may or may not accept,” Rose replied.
“Alright, no games,” I said simply. “No searching for safety pins in rice or

bringing baby pictures.”
“Fine,” Alice nodded. I was surprised, I expected her to put up more of a fight.

“Next?”
“I must approve the guest list and the menu. No cutesy finger sandwiches.”
“We‟ll give you full control over the guest list and the menu will be negotiated,”
“Deal,” I nodded, holding out my hand. Alice and Rose shook it decidedly.
“So, who else do you want me to invite? I was just going to reuse the list from

your bridal shower, but is there anyone else you want added.”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking about it. “I‟d like to invite Leah and Victoria. And I

think my friend Angela is moving back into town.”
“Oh,” Alice said confusedly. “I mean, I understand Leah and Angela, but why

would you want to invite that skank Victoria, after everything she did to you?”
“Alice,” I sighed. “Everything she‟s done for me in the past month outweighs
everything that happened back in March. She‟s changed, hasn‟t she Edward?”
I looked toward my husband.

“Yeah, I guess she has been really great to you all this time. I mean, I know
she‟s going to therapy and everything, and she hasn‟t tried anything with me

since that one night. I have to appreciate how comforting she‟s been to Bella all
of this time. She‟s lonely, you know. That‟s why she was like that.”
“Well,” I decided, leaning back in my chair. “I‟m going to be her friend. Maybe
if people were a little more forgiving, she‟d be better off.”
“Does that mean we have to be nice to her?” Alice asked disappointedly.
“Yes, Alice,” Rose snapped. “I think that‟s very nice of you, Bella. And I will

make sure that she feels comfortable when she hangs out with us.”
“Thank you, Rose,” I smiled. “And Alice, keep that old saying in your mind. If
you don‟t have anything nice to say…”
“I know, I know,” she laughed, shaking her head. “What can I do when I‟m up
against two stubborn pregnant women?”
Suddenly, everyone went silent. All heads turned to Rose.
“Thanks Alice,” she muttered under her breath. “I was going to wait and make

a formal announcement.”
“You‟re pregnant?” I asked excitedly.
“Rose, is that true?” Edward echoed.
Rosalie smiled and took Emmett‟s hand. His face was wearing a stupid grin
that he had since he arrived.
“We‟re three weeks along,” Rose announced happily. “I found out yesterday. I
was going to wait until later to tell you because tonight was your night for

announcements and…”
“You‟re having a baby!” I squealed excitedly. “Rose, that‟s…that‟s…”
Damn pregnancy hormones. I couldn‟t even finish the sentence without
bursting into tears. I had to give her a huge hug, unable to speak correctly.
“I‟m such a mess,” I stuttered. “We‟re pregnant at the same time.”
“I know,” she laughed. “Remember when we thought that was going to happen
when you were the only one pregnant?”
“Yeah,” I nodded tearfully. “I‟m so happy for you!”
She laughed and moved out of my embrace, moving to Edward.
“You did it Rosie,” he grinned. “I told you it would happen, didn‟t I?”
“Thank you so much, Edward,” she said, almost crying. “If it wasn‟t for you, I

would have given up. And you‟re right. I will make a great mother.”
“Told you so,” he laughed, patting her on the back.

I looked at them in confusion. Did Rosalie have doubts at one point? Did
Edward help her through that? I knew that they were becoming close friends,

but I didn‟t know she was calling him when she felt so upset. I thought that
was my job.
On the way home, I decided to ask him about Rose.
“So, Edward, what was with that whole Rosalie thing?” I asked casually.
“What Rosalie thing? She‟s pregnant. Isn‟t that great?”
“Yeah, it‟s fantastic,” I said. “But, she said something like if it wasn‟t for you,

she would have given up. What was that about?”
He sighed, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Bella, a couple weeks ago, Rose called me in tears, talking about how scared

she was about trying to have a baby. She felt like she was going to fail and
conceiving, and if she did have a baby, she would be a bad mother. It‟s very

common for women to feel that way.”
“Oh,” I said, looking down. “Don‟t take this the wrong way, but, why did she

call you? I mean, I thought I was her best friend.”
“I thought you were Alice‟s best friend,” he joked.
“You know Alice is more like a sister than a friend,” I pointed out. “But Rose

and I have had this bond. I always thought I was the one she could call when
things were tough on her. And now suddenly, you‟re her new best friend.”
“Bella,” he laughed. “I know you‟re not implying what I think you‟re implying,
but I just want to clarify that nothing out of the ordinary is going on between

me and Rose. It‟s just that lately, we‟ve become closer; that‟s all. It started out
with this whole deal with Alice, and then when it came to Rose‟s issues, she

was too afraid to come to you because she thought it would be uncomfortable.
Imagine how you would feel, talking to a pregnant woman about doubts of
motherhood. She was too afraid to talk to the others, so she came to me.”
“First of all,” I started. “What deal with Alice? I know she‟s having money
problems, but Rose didn‟t tell you that.”
“It‟s nothing Bella,” he said, realizing something had slipped. “Alice will talk to
you about it later.”
“Why is it I don‟t believe you?” I smirked. “And I guess I understand the whole
Rose thing. I‟m just surprised. I hope I didn‟t give you the wrong impression

that I was jealous or something. I‟m glad that you two are friends now.”
“Thanks Bells,” he smiled. “You know, most of the time we talk about you
anyway. We talk about how amazing you are and how much we love you. She

cares about you, Bella. She looks out for you almost as I do.”

“Hm,” I muttered, touching his shoulder. “No one looks after me as much as
you do.”
“That‟s for sure,” he grinned. “So, are you excited about your baby shower?”
“Yes and no,” I replied contemplatively. “Alice was acting suspiciously

cooperative tonight. I have a feeling she‟s planning some horrific surprise. You
wouldn‟t happen to know anything about it, would you?”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“Edward Anthony Cullen, you tell me right now or I‟ll…”
“What?” he asked seductively. “Are you going to punish me?”
“You are an asshole,” I spat back, trying not to laugh. “And you just blew it for
tonight, mister.”
“Is that so?” he laughed, obviously not taking my threat seriously.
He knew me too well. My pregnancy was making me crazy in that department.

I wanted him every minute of the day.
After a few moments of silence, I exhaled in defeat.
“Fine,” I sighed. “I was bluffing.”
“I knew it,” he smirked. “But just so you know, want you more than you want
me.”
“Ha,” I laughed. “Do you feel like proving that, Mr. Cullen?”
He smiled and placed a kiss on my nose.
“That‟s exactly what I plan to do... Mrs. Cullen.”

~*~

Chapter 8: The Appointment

Edward POV
One month later, it was time for Bella‟s five-month doctors‟ appointment and

sonogram. I tried to convince her right then to let us find out the sex of the
baby, but she refused. I thought that maybe she would want to put the whole

dispute to rest, but I secretly thought she was enjoying it.
As Bella lied on the bed in the hospital room, waiting for our doctor to arrive, I

noticed her staring at her now obvious baby bump, gently touching it with her
fingertips.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked, noticing her contemplative face.

“Nothing,” she sighed. “I‟m just trying to think about what our baby is going to
look like. I think he‟ll have your hair and eyes, but maybe he‟ll still look a little

like me.”
“Well, I think she is going to look just like her mother. Even if she has all of my

features, she‟ll still be as beautiful as you.”
“It‟s a boy, Edward,” she said in a sing song voice.
“No, it‟s a girl, Bella,” I sang back. “You know, if you just sucked it up and
found out the sex today, we wouldn‟t have to keep this up.”
“I want to be surprised,” she reasoned. “Anyway, have you thought of any
names yet?”
“I want you to name the baby,” I decided out loud. “You are the one doing all

the work, you should get to name it whatever you want.”
“Don‟t you at least want a say in it? It‟s your kid too.”
“Well, I‟m not the one passing it through a very painful area,” I laughed.
“Besides, I trust you not to name it anything ridiculous.”
“Hm,” she said to herself. “You know, I‟ve had some names picked out for a
while now.”
“Really? What are they?”
“Please,” she scoffed. “This is too much fun. You are going to have to wait to
find out.”
“Beellaa,” I groaned. “You are so evil.”
“Hey, that‟s the mother of your child you‟re speaking to,” she grinned smugly.
Suddenly, the door opened and the doctor came in.
“Edward, Bella, it‟s great to see you again,” she smiled, looking at her chart.

“How‟ve you been?”
“Pretty great, Dr. Cope,” Bella nodded. “What about you?”
“Keeping busy as always. Edward, I talked to your father the other day. Our

chief of medicine is retiring and we‟re trying to convince Dr. Cullen into
relocating to Seattle and taking over his position.”
“Really?” I asked, unaware of this. “How long has this been going on?”
“Oh, I just talked to him yesterday. I probably shouldn‟t have said anything.

But maybe you could talk some sense into him. Then maybe grandma and
grandpa could be closer to the little one.”
“That would be so great, Edward,” Bella said excitedly. “You have to talk him
into it. Then maybe he and Esme could live close to us, and they could be near
their grandchild and…”

“Bella, calm down,” I laughed. “I‟ll talk to him about it. But we can‟t ask him to
move here just for us.”
“I know,” she smiled. “I just like the idea of it.”
“I think we all would,” Dr. Cope agreed. “So, mom, how are you doing?”
“Great,” Bella answered confidently. “The pregnancy has gotten much easier
now. My back‟s a little sore and I‟m still a little sensitive to some foods, but

other than that I feel fine.”
“That‟s always good to hear,” the doctor agreed. “Usually by now the morning

sickness dies down and your back will hurt a little more because of the extra
weight. But there are some exercises that you can do to relieve that tension,
and Edward can help you with those too.”
“Speaking of that,” I interrupted. “How much longer will it be safe for us
to…you know…”
“Edward!” Bella scolded while blushing. But then I saw her think about it and
turn to the doctor. “Actually, that‟s a good question. Will it still be okay for us

to do…that, even now that I‟m getting bigger?”
“Don‟t be embarrassed,” the doctor laughed. “That‟s a perfectly normal
question to ask. As long as you guys are careful and aware of what you are

doing, it should be fine. But don‟t push it if it gets too uncomfortable.”
We nodded in agreement, and I snuck a wink to Bella.
“So, has the baby started kicking yet?” she asked Bella, as she started to apply
the gel to her stomach.
“No, not yet. Why? Should it be kicking? Does that mean there‟s something
wrong?”
“No, not at all. It will probably start any day now though. So, watch out for it.
I‟m sure you won‟t be able to miss it.”
Bella nodded and watched as the doctor started to work the machine.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound filled the room and her eyes went wide.
“That‟s the baby‟s heartbeat?” she asked in shock.
“Yes, yes it is,” the doctor replied. “Didn‟t you hear it at your last
appointment?”
“Yeah, but this time seems different. It‟s like it‟s suddenly hitting me.”
“Well, that‟s normal, Bella. You see, this time, there‟s evidence of your

pregnancy, just when you look down at your stomach. It makes things a lot
more real now that you are showing and have had all this time to bond with
your child.”
“That makes sense,” I agreed, as Bella grabbed hold of my hand.

“And…” the doctor continued. “Last time, the shape of the baby wasn‟t so
obvious. But now…look at that.”
She pointed to the screen, where the shape of our baby‟s head was very
prominent and obvious.
“Oh my God,” Bella gasped when she saw it. “That‟s our baby?”
I kissed her hand, speechless.
“That‟s our baby, Bella,” I breathed, staring at the screen.
The doctor spent a while showing us the different parts of the baby. She

showed us its hands, feet, arms, legs, and nose. I laughed and thought of
Emmett when it appeared that the baby‟s fingers were positioned in Emmett‟s
signature “rock on” gesture.
“My brother is going to flip over that,” Bella laughed, reading my mind. I
thought it was cool how she always referred to Emmett as her brother, even

though it wasn‟t true biologically. But, since they had known each other since
childhood, I guess it made sense.
“So, do you want to know the sex?” Dr. Cope asked.
“Absolutely not,” Bella said smugly, shaking her head. “Edward does, but I‟m
not having it.”
“Way to take charge,” she laughed. “You are going to be a great mother.”
“Can we have a picture of this?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off the image

of my child. “I know our friends and parents would love to see one.”
“Of course,” she nodded. “We‟ll get that printed off for you right away.”
“Thank you,” Bella smiled. “I am just so amazed by this. You have no idea.”
I looked at my beautiful pregnant wife and her glowing face. I had never seen

her so happy before. I knew then that she was meant to be a mother. It was one
of her callings in life. She would love that baby with all of her heart and would
do anything for the sake of his or her happiness.
“What?” Bella asked, when she caught me staring at her. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I breathed, squeezing her hand. “It‟s perfect.”

~*~

Bella POV
The next week, my baby shower came around. I had convinced Alice to have it
coincide with my birthday, that way I wouldn‟t have to suffer all of the

attention in two equally painful situations.
Alice was upset that we didn‟t find out the sex of the baby, because she wanted
the party to have a color theme to it. I knew she wanted me to have a girl, so

she could buy even more little dresses in addition to the ones she bought for
Marie. But I wasn‟t going to spoil the fun just so she could go shopping.
Other than that, I gave Alice a lot of freedom when it came to the baby shower.
I knew she was going through some stuff, and that throwing me this party

would definitely cheer her up. I didn‟t know exactly what was going on with
her, but I think it had something to do with being unhappy at work. She was

always talking about going on interviews at new places. When I asked her why,
she just told me that it was time for a change. I didn‟t push it further than that.
As I helped Alice set up for the party, Edward was busy working on the
nursery. We had compromised and decided to do the room in a periwinkle
blue. That way, if it was a boy, the color would be appropriate, but it was still

light and feminine enough for a girl‟s room. Jasper was assisting him with this
task, while I helped Alice in the kitchen.
“So, has your father told you about the job he was offered here in Seattle?” I
asked her, as I was pulling out the dishes.
“Yeah, I talked to him the other day. It would be so great if they just sucked it
up and moved, but I think they are both hesitant to do so. I think they‟re
working on the pros and cons right now.”
“Let me guess, Esme doesn‟t want to leave the house you guys grew up in, but
at the same time, she wants to be closer to her grandchildren?”
“Pretty much,” Alice nodded. “I mean, I would love it if they could live here. I
know my mom would love to watch Marie during the day, and that would save

Jasper and I a lot of money on a sitter. I would still pay her, but I know she
wouldn‟t accept too much. And this is a great opportunity for dad too. Chief of

Medicine! That‟s a big deal, you know.”
“I‟m sure,” I agreed. “I would love to have my parents live so close to me. I
miss Charlie a lot. I mean, I miss my mom too, but I don‟t worry about her too

much. She has Phil. But my dad is all alone out there in Phoenix.”
“You really care about your dad, don‟t you?” Alice smiled.
“Yeah,” I nodded, trying not to cry. “And I miss him a lot. He‟s a great dad, but
more than that, he‟s a good friend. You know, when I suspected that Edward

was going to propose, I admit that at first, I was kind of scared. But my dad
talked me through it, and I realized that I knew what I really wanted. Charlie

has always been good like that.”
“Well, I love your dad,” Alice grinned. “And he gets along really well with my
parents. Do you know that my dad and him are planning a fishing expedition

next spring? And our moms talk to each other on the phone at least once a
week. Isn‟t that crazy?”

“It is,” I laughed. “I can‟t wait for Christmas, when everyone is over here
together.”
“Me neither,” a voice said from behind me, making me jump in surprise.
Edward arms wrapped around my waist, causing my heart to flutter.
“You scared me,” I breathed. “I wasn‟t expecting…oh my God!”
My hand flew to my stomach, marveled about what I just felt.
“Bella,” Edward said worriedly. “Are you okay?”
“Edward, the baby,” I gasped, grabbing his hand and placing it on my stomach.

“Do you feel that?”
“Bella, I…oh,” he breathed, feeling the same thing. “Is that…? Is the baby…?”
“Edward, the baby is kicking!” I said, ecstatic. “It‟s moving, Edward. Our baby

is moving!”
“That‟s…that‟s the most amazing thing I‟ve ever felt,” he gaped, almost

speechless. “That‟s our baby.”
“Ooh, let me feel!” Alice squealed, putting her hand on the bump. “Yep, it‟s

kicking alright! I remember that feeling.”
I laughed, still in shock. I knew the doctor told me to expect it, but I was still
completely amazed. It made everything so real. I could know see and feel the

evidence of my child. I was 120% positive that it was my baby in there. It was
my baby, the one that Edward and I made together. It was the baby that was a

part of me and a part of him. And I could feel it.
I turned into Edward and grinned into his chest. He held me firmly in his

arms.
“I love you, Bella,” he smiled, always knowing the appropriate moment to say

such words.
“I love you too, Edward,” I sniffled. “I‟m so happy.”
“I know, Bells. I know.”
“Well,” Alice laughed. “Why don‟t you two go and get changed. Bella, the
guests will be arriving in an hour. And Edward, you and Jasper are going to

pick up Bella‟s present.”
“Okay,” he nodded, putting his arm around me. “Let‟s get ready.”
“What is it you guys are picking up for me?” I asked suspiciously, as we
entered our bedroom. “You know how much I hate gifts.”
“It‟s your birthday, Bella. You‟ll see.”
“When are you going to learn how much I despise surprises?”

“When are you going to realize that you always end up loving my surprises?”
A few hours later, I had twenty women surrounding me, grabbing at my belly

and making predictions about the sex of the baby. I was in hell.
There were some good points of the evening though. For instance, we gained a

whole bunch of free crap. We now had a changing table, a diaper genie, and
about 50 sets of onesies. And Alice, who was now an experienced mother, gave

us the best presents of all: diapers.
Also, I got to see my old friend Angela, whose job was the one I had taken over

because she had moved to New Mexico for an anchor job. I was happy to hear
that she was offered another job here in Seattle, and was most likely moving
back.
I had all of my friends there, and I was grateful that so many of them came,
even though I wasn‟t fond of parties at all. Everyone fawned over the sonogram

and complimented the new house. Everything went really well. My excitement
for the birth was only growing.
After everyone had left, Rose and I started to clean up. Suddenly, I heard a car
pull up and Alice came running into the room.
“Alright, Bella,” she smiled. “It‟s time for you to see Edward‟s present!”
“What?” I asked, confused.
“Come on,” Rose squealed, grabbing my hand. She took me to the door.
As soon as I got there, the doorbell rang.
I looked to both sides of me, and saw Alice and Rose standing there with huge

grins on their faces. I was scared.
“Go on, Bella,” Rose laughed. “Open the door.”
I exhaled and slowly put my hand on the doorknob. When I opened it, and saw
the figure standing in front of me, I gasped.
“Dad!”

~*~

Chapter 9: The Perfection

Edward POV
During Bella‟s baby shower/birthday party, Jasper and I left to go pick up
Bella‟s presents. I headed to the airport to go pick up Charlie, while Jasper

departed to go pick up the other surprise I had for her.
When I reached the airport, I quickly caught sight of Charlie leaving the gate,

bags in hand. I waved him down instantly, and he looked pleased to see me. I

had actually kept in touch with Charlie ever since the wedding. I didn‟t see him
so much as my father-in-law, but more as a good friend.
“Edward!” he greeted excitedly, as he shook my hand.
“Charlie,” I laughed. “It‟s great to see you, sir”
“Still calling me that, huh,” he smirked. “Sir is a little formal, don‟t you think?”
“Sorry, si…I mean, Charlie,” I nodded. I helped him out by taking one of his

bags. “So, how was your flight?”
“Long,” he sighed. “A lot of turbulence with the storm. It‟s pouring pretty bad

out there, isn‟t it?”
“Well, it is Seattle,” I pointed out, as we made our way towards the car. “But it
has been pretty bad the past couple of days.”
“I‟m sure Bella is just loving that,” he laughed sarcastically.
“Oh, totally,” I joked. We both knew Bella hated the rain.
“So, how is she?” he asked, as we got into the car. “Everything going alright
with her and the baby?”
“Yeah,” I smiled. “Everything‟s going really smoothly. We‟ve been really
fortunate.”
“How did the sonogram go last week? Renee mentioned something about it.”
“Great,” I nodded. “Do you want to see a picture of your grandchild?”
“Absolutely.”
I reached for my wallet and pulled out a copy I had made and handed it to him.
“There she is.”
“She?” he asked, staring at the picture. “It‟s a girl?”
I laughed. “Well, we don‟t know for sure. But I‟m convinced it is. Bella thinks

it‟s a boy, though.”
“Hm,” he muttered, trying not to smile so widely. “It seems like just yesterday I
was looking at Bella‟s sonogram picture.”
“Time goes by fast, huh?” I said, as we drove off.
“You have no idea, Edward. Just wait, before you know it, you‟ll have a couple

more kids, then some grandkids, then you‟ll retire…all that good stuff.”
“Speaking of that, how is that retirement idea coming along?” I asked.
“You haven‟t told Bella yet, have you?”
“Nope. My lips have been sealed. I wouldn‟t want to ruin the surprise.”
“I don‟t know for sure yet, Edward,” he insisted. “I just know that it‟s probably
the best time to get out.”

“But, when you do, you will be considering Seattle, correct?” I smirked.
“Only if you and Bella are okay with it,”
“I know I am,” I nodded. “And I‟m positive Bella will be on board. Besides, I
just found out that my parents are considering a move to. It would be so great

to have the whole family together.”
“Yeah, I talked to Carlisle about that,” he said. “I think he‟s going to take the

job. Chief of Medicine is a big deal.”
“Says the Chief of Police…” I pointed out.
“Well, hopefully not for much longer. We‟ll see how Bella feels.”
“She‟ll be thrilled,” I insisted.
“Well, enough about that,” he coughed. “How are you doing, Edward? Are you

freaking out yet?”
“What do you mean,” I laughed, trying to act calm. “I‟m great.”
“No you‟re not. I can tell. I was the same way 26 years ago.”
“Excuse me?”
“You‟ve got it bad. You‟re starting to get terrified.”
“Well, terrified isn‟t the exact word. It‟s more like nervousness,” I admitted.
“It‟s stupid. I know everything is going to be fine but…”
“But you don‟t know,” Charlie finished.
“Yeah. I guess that‟s the terrifying part. I don‟t know what‟s going to happen.

What if something goes wrong? And even if the birth goes fine, I still have a
whole lifetime of worrying about this kid. What if it doesn‟t like me? What if it

gets into trouble? What if she runs off to Europe with her boyfriend Spike
when she‟s seventeen?”
Charlie‟s laugh filled the car.
“Well, Edward, there‟s not much you can do about that. Did Bella ever tell you
the story about when she came home wasted on prom night?”
“Yeah, and you gave her a breathalyzer,” I remembered.
“Right. Now, when she was a baby, I would pray that something like that

would never happen. I prayed she would always stay the same little girl who
played with Barbies and thought boys and alcohol were gross. But she didn‟t.

She grew up. And at first, I hated the thought of it. But now, look at her. She is
a strong beautiful woman, who made good choices, married a great guy, and is

now ready to have a little one of her own. Suddenly, prom night doesn‟t seem
like that big of a deal.”
“But you do miss her,” I pointed out.

“That‟s true. But, I would rather miss her than have her miss out on all the
happiness she has right now. Kids grow up. They get older and independent

and they make choices without your help. Your job is to be there when they‟re
growing up, so they make the right choices when you‟re not there.”
I sighed, keeping my eyes on the road. I hadn‟t told Bella about how nervous I
was. I knew that would just freak her out more. But I was glad Charlie was able

to calm me down.
“So, you think I‟ll do okay at this dad thing?” I asked, with a slight smile.
“Eh, you‟ll kick ass at it,” he chuckled. “But the worrying won‟t go away. I
promise you that.”
“Good to know,” I nodded.
A few minutes later, we were back at the house, ready to surprise Bella. I had
called Jasper and he told me he would be delivering Bella‟s other present in

about an hour. That would be plenty of time.
“So, this is the new house,” I told Charlie as we walked towards the doorstep. I

realized he had not seen it yet.
“It‟s nice,” he said, looking up at it. “Perfect for you guys.”
“Well, how about you ring that doorbell?” I prompted with a smile.
He shrugged and pushed the button. Within seconds, the door flew open
revealing Bella, Alice, and Rose on the other side.
When Bella saw her father standing there, her eyes went wide. Instantly, she
threw her arms around his neck, embracing him in a hug.
“Dad!” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”
“I‟m your birthday present,” he laughed, hugging her back. “Edward flew me

out here for a week.”
“A week!” she squealed. “Dad, this is amazing.”
She suddenly turned her head and looked at me. Letting go of her dad she

moved towards me and started showering me with hugs and kisses.
“Edward, thank you so much,” she said, trying not to cry. “This is the best gift

you could have ever given me.”
“I know,” I smiled. I absolutely loved seeing her this happy. “I would do

anything to put a smile like that on your face. But there is something else…”
“What?” she asked, surprised. “What else did you do?”
I was lucky that it had stopped raining for a while. I looked down the street
and saw it approaching.
“There it is,” I said with a grin.

“Why is Jasper in that car?” Bella asked with confusion.
Jasper pulled up into the driveway.
“Because, my dear wife,” I explained, putting my arm around her. “This is your
other birthday present.”
She looked at me in shock.
“Edward Anthony Cullen! You did not buy me a car!”
I shrugged and looked at her innocently.
“Please don‟t kill me,” I pleaded. “Let me explain myself. I just wanted to get

you something safe and spacious for the kids. I mean, for now it‟s only one kid,
but if we have more later, there‟ll be enough room for them in here. This way,
we‟ll have another vehicle and things will be so much easier.”
“But I told you I didn‟t want you to buy me a car,” she argued, staring at it
intently. I could tell she liked it. She just didn‟t want to admit it.
“Well, you don‟t have a choice. Besides, it‟s not for you. It‟s for the kids. Please,
just take it and make me feel better.”
Bella looked at me, trying to think about how she should react.
“Bella Swan, I didn‟t teach you to be ungrateful,” Charlie interjected. “Now,
you‟re husband has just given you a very smart and thoughtful gift. He

probably spent a lot of money on it and now you‟re making him feel bad. Now,
maybe you should thank him and tell him how much you appreciate the gift.”
“But Dad…”
“Isabella…” he started, looking at her sternly. He didn‟t have to finish. He used

her full name, and that was enough.
Bella gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you Edward,” she whispered. “I didn‟t want you to feel like I don‟t
appreciate this. I just don‟t want you spending money on me.”
“But Bella, this isn‟t just about you…”
“I know,” she nodded. “And I really do love the car. I‟m just being stubborn.
Sometimes I need you to keep me grounded. But thank you for the gift. I love

it. Really.”
I smiled and assured her it was okay. I looked at Charlie and silently thanked

him. It was good to know that he would be an ally for me sometimes. With
Bella, I needed all the help I could get.

~*~

Bella POV
I couldn‟t believe that Edward did this for me. I couldn‟t believe he flew out my

father for my birthday present. He knew that would be the best possible gift he
could get me, and he knew exactly how much I would appreciate it. I could

almost forgive him for the whole car fiasco.
I hadn‟t seen Charlie since the “wedding” and I had really missed him,

especially with the baby coming. Growing up, Charlie was my best friend. I
could always talk to him about anything, and I trusted him with my life. Before

Edward, he was the only man I could trust.
After our friends left, the three of us sat around the kitchen table catching up,
when Charlie decided to break some news of his own.
“So, Bella,” he began. “This has been in the works for a while now, but I‟ve kind
of been considering something the past couple of months.”
“Oh really?” I asked, as I rested my hand on my stomach. “What‟s that?”
“Well,” he sighed. “I‟ve qualified for early retirement, and I think I might go for

it.”
“Retirement?” I echoed, surprised. “But dad, the force has been your life. What
are you going to do without it?”
“Bella, the force was never my life,” he smiled. “It‟s just been my livelihood.
But, I‟m getting old, and I don‟t want to be stuck behind a desk for the rest of

my career. And remember that time I was injured in the line of duty? I‟m too
old for that to happen to me again.”
“Oh God, don‟t remind me!” I groaned, remembering that terrifying day.
“Wait, you were injured?” Edward interjected.
“Yep,” Charlie replied proudly. “Shot in the leg, about ten years ago. Only kept
me away from the job for about two months.”
“Let‟s not talk about it,” I interrupted. I could never understand how Charlie

could take such pride in such a horrifying experience.
“Oh, Bella‟s just a little sensitive about the whole thing,” he chuckled. “She was

only sixteen at the time. It was kind of traumatizing for her. You know how
kids are.”
“Well, I think anyone in that situation would be traumatized,” I defended.
“Anyways, I think it‟s great that you‟re retiring. That means I can worry about

you a little less. I‟m just concerned about how you‟ll be spending your free
time.”
“Well, Bells, that‟s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What?”

“Well, a couple weeks ago, this real estate agent called me, saying that the
original owners of my house were expressing interest in buying it back.

Apparently, it holds a lot of sentimental value or some crap like that. Anyway,
of course, they didn‟t think I would just pick up and move without some sort of

incentive. So…they offered me some money…a lot of money. A lot more than
the house is worth.”
“Wow,” I gaped, thinking about it. “Well, are you going to take it?”
“Times are tough, Bella,” he sighed. “The economy is bad, and an offer like this

doesn‟t come around every day. Then, Edward suggested something, and I am
willing to consider it, as long as you approve.”
I looked at my husband, and then back at my father.
“Dad, are you talking about what I think you‟re talking about?” I asked
excitedly.
“Now Bella, you know I am the last person that wants to intrude on you or
your life, especially now that it‟s up and running. I mean, you‟re married and

have a kid on the way. You‟re a grownup now. But, I‟ve been alone in Phoenix
for a long time. And Edward‟s told me that being away from family is getting
harder for you. So, if it‟s something you‟re okay with, I wouldn‟t mind finding a

place in Seattle, so I could be closer to my daughter and my grandkid…but only
if it‟s okay with you.”
I looked at him, absolutely thrilled.
“Dad, are you kidding me? I would love it if you moved closer to us! That

would be fantastic!”
“Really?” he asked, surprised. “I thought you would be hesitant to the idea.”
“No! Not at all! I love the idea!” I bounced. “I want nothing more than for you
to…oh, there it goes again,” I laughed. “Dad, the baby‟s kicking.”
He smiled and looked at my stomach.
“You‟re getting bigger,” he chuckled. “And the baby‟s moving and everything?”
“Yeah,” I nodded happily. “Come here and say hello to the baby.”
Charlie hesitantly got up from his seat and gently touched his hand to my
stomach. I knew this was weird for him. But once he felt that baby kick, he let

out a laugh. Knowing he wouldn‟t come out and talk to the baby, I decided to
help him out.
“Baby, that‟s your grandpa,” I whispered, talking to my stomach. “He‟s going
to be around a lot more now. That makes mommy very happy.”
Charlie and Edward both laughed at what I was saying. I talked to the baby a

lot now, and I had even gotten Edward to start as well. I wanted the baby to
come out recognizing the voices of the people that loved him…or her.

The baby continued to kick.
“I think the baby‟s excited about you moving here,” I smiled, looking at my

dad. “I think we all are.”
“Yeah, I guess I‟m pretty excited too,” Charlie nodded. “And I heard Ed‟s

parents might me making a move too.”
“Well, we‟ll see,” Edward said. “If my father knows what‟s good for his career,

he‟ll do it.”
“This is so great,” I marveled. “That means that it‟s possible for everyone to be

together. Everything would be perfect. Then I‟ll have my baby and Rose will
have her baby, and the whole group will just continue to grow. I love this!”
I was so excited. Everything was going perfectly. I couldn‟t imagine life getting

any better. My pregnancy was perfect. My husband was perfect. My family and
friends…perfect. My house, my job, my entire life was perfection. The word

was starting to lose meaning. Everything was going so well, and I had never
been so happy in my life. There are those moments where you just know things

couldn‟t get any better.
Unfortunately, that was the problem. Sometimes, when things seem too good
to be true, they usually are. And then, when something goes wrong, things

around you come crashing down. And even though it might not happen to you,
it can happen to someone you love.
That‟s what happened a month later. Someone I loved was hurt. And there was
nothing I could do about it.

~*~

Chapter 10: The Tragedy

Bella POV
One month later…
It was a normal Saturday afternoon. It was pouring outside again. There was a

huge storm, so we were stuck inside. I was getting started on my next article,
while Edward was lazily playing on the piano. I was now six months along, and

I was feeling closer and closer to my baby every day. Charlie was getting ready
to make the big move, while Carlisle and Esme were still thinking about it.
Alice was still looking for a change in career, and I still felt like something was

being hidden from me.
Other than that, everything was fine. Life was fine.
Then there was a phone call.
“I‟ll get it!” Edward called from the living room.

It was too late anyway. I had already lost my focus. I decided to get up and join
him. Maybe listening to him play would channel my creative energy.
However, when I entered the living room, I saw he was still on the phone, his
face pale. He was staring into space, and when his eyes met mine, he pursed

his lips and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Damn it,” he breathed to the person on the other line. “Is there anything I can

do?….Yeah, I‟ll tell her….Okay, we‟ll talk to you later….And you know if you
need anything….Yeah, I know you know….Bye.”
He hung up the phone and looked at me gravely.
“Edward, is everything alright?” I asked worriedly. “Who was that on the
phone?”
“It was Emmett,” he answered simply, his eyes not meeting mine again.
“Is he alright? What‟s going on?”
“Sit down, Bella,” Edward ordered softly. I obeyed.
He sat down next to me, taking my hand in his.
“Bella, there was an accident.”
“An accident?”
“Yes. Rose and Emmett were on their way to the doctors. Something

happened…he was fuzzy on the details. It was raining so the roads were….
Anyway, another car slammed into them, totaled their car pretty bad.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped. “Are they alright? What about Rosalie and the baby?”
“Bella…” he sighed painfully. “Emmett and Rose are alright.”
He stared at me. I felt the tears pool in my eyes as I realized the implications of
his words. I squeezed his hand and asked a question I already knew the answer

to.
“The baby?” I shakily prompted.
Edward looked down and shook his head, answering my question.
The only word to describe my emotions at that moment is agony.
I could hardly think, hardly speak. I didn‟t know what to do or say. Nothing

was right. All I could do is throw myself into Edward‟s arms and weep. He
embraced me tightly as I cried.
I wept for Rose and the child she would never know. I wept for Emmett, who
couldn‟t be the father he wanted to be. I wept for all the pain and suffering that

they would go through.
“But, she was so happy,” I sobbed into Edward‟s chest. “We were going to be
moms at the same time. She wanted a girl. She picked out names!”

“I know, I know,” Edward whispered. He sounded as shaken as I was. “This is
horrible. No one expected this to happen. I guess her body went into a lot of

shock with the accident. The baby couldn‟t handle it.”
I realized then why Edward had been so protective of me. He didn‟t want the

same thing to happen. Poor Rose couldn‟t control her body, though. She had
no way of saving it.
“Oh God, Edward. I can‟t imagine what she‟s feeling. What if it was…?”
“Us?” he nodded, finishing for me. “I know. I don‟t even want to think about

it.”
“They must be devastated. That would kill me.”
“I know. Me too.”
“How are they?” I asked, hardly able to speak. “I mean, I know she can‟t be
well, but do you think she‟ll bounce back from this?”
“I don‟t know, Bella,” he answered honestly. “When I talked to Emmett, he was
obviously upset, but I think he was more concerned about Rosalie. She‟s not

well, Bella. She doesn‟t want anyone to visit her in the hospital. I guess we‟ll go
see them when they‟re home, but she probably won‟t be up for conversation.
Emmett said she was too devastated to even cry. She just screamed.”
I buried my head into Edward‟s shoulder, keeping one arm around my
stomach. The thought of losing my child was unbearable.
“Bella,” Edward continued. “Did I ever tell you about the time Esme lost her
baby?”
“What?” I asked, lifting my head. “No. You never told me that.”
“We don‟t usually talk about it. But, I think you should know so maybe you

could get an idea of what Rosalie might be going through. Do you want to hear
about it? Or is it too much?”
I took a deep breath and nodded.
“Yes, Edward. I want to know.”
He put his arm around me as we lied on the couch. One hand stroked my hair,

as the other rested on my stomach.
“Okay,” he sighed. “When I was ten years old and Alice was eight or nine, Esme

found out she was pregnant again. It was a surprise, and they thought they
were done having kids, but she was excited nonetheless. We all were. Alice

wanted a sister, of course, so she could dress her up and play princess. And I
wanted a brother, like all boys do, because I already had a sister and she was a
pain in the ass.”

I couldn‟t help but bite my lip to avoid a smile. Edward knew exactly how to
talk to me in harsh situations. But I knew the story would turn worse.
“So, the whole family started preparing for this baby. Carlisle started the
nursery, Esme started knitting baby clothes, all that stuff. But then, when

Esme was about four months along, something went wrong. I never really
knew what it was. I was too young for them to properly explain it to me. But, I

remember Carlisle explaining to me that I wasn‟t going to have another
brother or sister anymore.”
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “Poor Esme.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “She took it pretty badly. I don‟t know all the details, but I
can tell you that I didn‟t see her at all for about a month.”
“A month?”
“Yeah, she just locked herself in her room and cried. When she finally came

out, she didn‟t speak, she didn‟t eat, she was just…there. It took about a year
before she started becoming herself again. But before that, it was hard to even

see her. Eventually, she moved on, but it wasn‟t easy. I felt like I lost my
mother for that year. It was hard on the whole family.”
I rested my head on his shoulder.
“That‟s terrible, Edward. I‟m sorry. Why have you never told me that before?”
“I didn‟t want to scare you,” he admitted. “Trust me, I feel that our baby is

going to be great. I just didn‟t want you to worry that something could happen.
You have no reason to. I just wanted to tell you this now, because it‟s not going

to be easy seeing your friend like that. I just want to give you some warning.”
“What can we do?” I asked looking up at him.
“Not much, Bella. Next week, we‟ll go visit her, and if she wants us to be there
for her, we will. If not, we‟ll just give her some space.”
I nodded. I didn‟t say anything else. I just closed my eyes and let Edward hold

me in his arms.

One week later…
“Okay, so just be careful today, alright,” Edward warned, as we were driving.

“Rose is still in a very delicate state, and we don‟t want to upset her even
more.”
“I know,” I nodded. “I just want to be sure that she‟s okay. I won‟t push her
further than that.”
Edward took my hand and rubbed my palm with his thumb, as if he were

trying to calm me down. He always did little things like that subconsciously,

like it was programmed in his DNA. I don‟t know what I would have done
without him.
When we reached Emmett and Rose‟s apartment, we noticed Alice and
Jasper‟s car in the parking lot. We knew they were visiting that day too.
We softly knocked on the door three times before Emmett opened it. He
looked tired. I could just imagine how much sleep the two of them were losing.
“Emmett,” I sighed, embracing him in a big hug. “Emmett, I‟m so sorry.”
“I know, Bella,” he whispered. “Right now I‟m just worried about Rosalie.”
“How is she?”
He shook his head.
“She just sits there in our bedroom in the dark. She won‟t talk to me. She won‟t

eat or sleep. I‟ve never seen her like this. She‟s used to be so cheerful and
lighthearted. And now she‟s…”
He couldn‟t finish. He didn‟t know the right words. I put my hand on his
shoulder and comforted him the best I could.
Suddenly, we heard a noise and saw Alice and Jasper coming out of the
bedroom.
“Edward, Bella, you‟re here,” Alice said softly, looking visibly upset.
“Yeah, we got here just now,” Edward replied. “How‟d it go?”
“Not a word,” Alice answered, looking down. “We tried, but she didn‟t speak at

all. She was just staring into space.”
“Where‟s Marie?” I asked.
“We thought it would be best not to bring her today,” Jasper explained. “It
might be too hard.”
“Yeah, actually guys, I wanted to talk to you about that,” Emmett said, turning
to me and Edward. “Bella, I‟m really sorry, but Rose can‟t exactly see you right
now. I told her you guys were coming over and she told me she just couldn‟t.

I‟m sure you could understand why…”
Emmett looked down at my obvious stomach.
“Oh,” I said, a little surprised and hurt. “Well, I guess I could see why that
would be…difficult for her. We‟ll let you guys be then. Call us when she‟s

ready.”
We started to turn towards the door when he stopped us.
“Actually,” he said, looking confused. “I don‟t know why, but she wants to talk
to Edward.”
“Edward?” I echoed. “Why?”

Emmett shrugged, and his face turned angry. “I don‟t know. He‟s the only
person she‟ll talk to right now. She won‟t even talk to her goddamn husband,

but she wants to talk to him!”
He slammed his fist on the table. All I could do was hug him again.
“Don‟t worry, Emmett. She‟ll come around,” I whispered.
I looked back at my husband, who looked sympathetic towards his friend. I

knew he didn‟t want to be in that position. But I could understand why he was.
Secretly, I was jealous though. But not in the way you would think. I just

wished that Rose could talk to me.
“Edward, go,” Emmett whispered, almost harshly.
“Are you sure, Emmett? I can wait…” Edward insisted.
“No. She wants to talk to you. At least that‟s something.”
Edward nodded started to walk towards the room. When he passed me, he put

his hand on my stomach and kissed me on the forehead.
“I love you, Bella,” he whispered. I nodded and gave him a half-hearted smile.
After he went into the room, Emmett looked towards me.
“Why him?” he asked, his eyes empty. “I‟m trying so hard, and she just won‟t
talk to me. I want to know what she‟s feeling. I want to know what I can do.

But she won‟t budge. Now she‟s finally ready to talk, and it‟s not even to me.
It‟s to Edward. What the hell is so special about Edward?”
I bit my lip and squeezed Emmett‟s hand.
“He understands, Emmett,” I explained. “Edward is just good like that. Look,

this isn‟t ideal for me either. I honestly don‟t like that he is her shoulder to cry
on right now. But, at least she‟ll be opening up. At least she can talk to

someone.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, putting his face in his hands. “But why can‟t that someone
be me?”
I didn‟t know what to tell him. Nothing could comfort him right now. I looked
towards the door of the room where Rosalie was, knowing that at that moment

she was talking to Edward, confiding in my husband about what she was
feeling. I wondered what she was saying, what was going through her mind.
I felt the baby move within me, and I sighed with relief. I hated myself for
thinking this, but I couldn‟t help it.
I was glad it wasn‟t me.

~*~

Chapter 11: The Visit

Edward POV
I knew this was coming. I knew she wouldn‟t want to talk to Bella. I knew she

would want to talk to me. And of course, I knew Emmett wouldn‟t like that.
You see, Bella was fine with my newfound friendship with Rosalie, but Emmett
wasn‟t as accepting. He didn‟t like the fact that Rose always called me when

she got scared or nervous. He didn‟t like that she would confide in me more
than she confided in him. But he just didn‟t understand. Rose was too afraid to

talk to Emmett. She wanted him to think that she was strong and brave. She
didn‟t want him to see her weak.
When I opened the door to the bedroom, I automatically noticed how dark it
was. The lights were off and the curtains were closed. Rosalie was sitting up in
bed, under the covers, staring at the wall.
When she heard the door open, and saw me standing there, her head turned
towards me and her eyes locked with mine.
“Shut the door,” her scratchy voice whispered. I nodded and did so.
I remained stationary in the doorway, waiting for her to speak again. I sure as

hell didn‟t know what to say.
“Edward…” she whimpered. I could hear from her voice that she was crying.

Emmett had mentioned to us earlier that she had yet to cry.
“Edward, why is this happening to me? Why is this…” she broke down. All I
could her were sobs.
Quickly, I ran up next to her and embraced her tightly. She continued to cry
into my shoulder.
“Oh Rosie,” I sighed, rubbing her back. I was the only one she let call her that.
“Rosie, it‟s okay to cry. Please, let it out.”
She nodded and kept weeping. She cried for at least ten minutes without
saying anything else. When she finally regained composure, she was ready to
talk.
“How about we let in some light, okay?” I asked. She nodded in response.
I stood up from the chair next to the bed and I drew the curtains. The room

was suddenly filled with light, and I could finally see the broken woman in
front of me.
Rosalie looked terrible. Her golden hair was tangled and disarrayed. Her
empty eyes were surrounded by dark circles, and her face was as pale as the

white sheets on the bed.

“Rose, have you eaten or slept in the last week?” I asked, taking her hand. She
shook her head.
“No, I‟ve hardly left this bed.”
“Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you some food?”
“Maybe after we talk,” she agreed. “Then, maybe.”
“Fair enough,” I nodded. “Let me ask you something. Why me? Why do you

want to talk to me?”
“You know why, Edward,” she sighed. “You are the only one who won‟t bull

shit me. You are the only one who knows what to say.”
“That‟s a lot of pressure,” I smirked, squeezing her hand. “How about you just
talk, okay? You tell me what you‟re feeling, so I have some idea.”
Rosalie sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
“The accident,” she started. “It wasn‟t that bad. The car hit us from the side,

my side, but we were okay. The airbags went off though, and I panicked. You
know those panic attacks I told you I used to have as a teenager? I had one of

those. I was so scared, and of course, I was mostly thinking about the baby. I
can‟t remember much after that, just that I was unconscious. When I woke up,
the first words out of the doctor‟s mouth were, „I‟m so sorry‟. I knew right then

what it was.”
“I hate when people say that,” I interjected. “It never makes anything better.”
“Tell me about it,” she breathed, rolling her eyes. “That‟s all I‟ve heard the past
week. Everyone. My dad, my mom, Emmett, Alice, Jasper. Everyone. You are

the first person not to say that you were sorry, even though I know that you
are. That‟s why I chose to talk to you.”
I nodded, knowing what she meant.
“Keep going,” I prompted.
She sighed, now looking at me.
“I didn‟t cry. I didn‟t know how. I never cry, Edward. Never. I especially didn‟t
want to cry in front of Emmett. I couldn‟t make it harder for him than it

already was. He lost something too. The truth is, I don‟t know what to feel or
why I‟m feeling it. I mean, I didn‟t even know this kid. I never got a chance to.”
“Yes you did, Rosie,” I said softly. “I saw you when you were pregnant. You
already loved that child. Bella told me you picked out baby names. She didn‟t

tell me what they were though.”
“I didn‟t tell anyone,” she admitted. “I didn‟t tell them because, get this, I
didn‟t want to jinx it.”

She scoffed at the irony. I saw in her eyes just how much pain she was in right
now.
“Christine,” she said quietly. “Christine for a girl and Eli for a boy. Those were
the names.”
“Those are beautiful names,” I replied, still holding her hand. “You know Rose,
you‟ll be a great mom someday. This isn‟t the end.”
I saw another tear run down her face.
“Emmett says we can try again. He says if we want, we can try to get pregnant

again right away. I didn‟t say anything, because he seems so set on it, but…”
“You‟re not ready,” I stated as fact. “Rose, you are not ready for that. I‟m sorry,
but I can tell by just looking at you. Am I wrong?”
She shook her head no.
“No Edward, I‟m not ready. I am so obviously not. But I know that the second I

show signs of recovering, he‟ll think I am.”
“That‟s why you have to speak up,” I insisted. “Rosie, you have to communicate

with Emmett. He‟s here to help you too. Listen, you know I‟ll always be here
for you. After Bella, you are like my best friend. And I know lately, I have been
here for you a lot. You can always talk to me, Rose. But I‟m not your husband.

You‟re husband in there really and truly loves you and wants to make this
better.”
“But Edward,” she said sincerely. “Emmett just doesn‟t understand. And you
cannot sit here and tell me that he does. All he cares about right now is how

I‟m feeling, which is great. But he isn‟t as upset about the baby. I know he was
looking forward to it, and it hurt him too, but not on the same level as it hurt

me. You cannot tell me that I‟m wrong.”
She wasn‟t wrong. I knew Emmett. Rosalie was his world. He was more upset
about her wellbeing than he was over the loss of the child. Rose carried that

baby, and nothing could replace that hole in her heart. And Emmett never
really could read her the right way. I knew he couldn‟t ever really understand

how she was feeling or how to even talk to her.
“You‟re right, Rosalie,” I nodded. “He‟ll pretend he understands, but he

doesn‟t. Hell, I can‟t even understand. I can‟t imagine what you‟re going
through right now. And if you want me to be honest with you, I will. You will

never fully be over this, Rosie. It will be one of those things that will always be
in the back of your mind. But you can move on. It‟s just that, it won‟t happen
overnight. You are going to need some time to grieve. You are going to need

some time to hate the world for doing this to you. Don‟t rush that time, but
make sure you don‟t shut the world out completely. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, it does,” she breathed. “Damn Edward, why do you have to be so
smart?”
I chuckled and kissed her hand.
“I‟m not that smart Rosie,” I replied. “I just come off that way.”
“I just don‟t know if I‟ll ever be able to talk to Emmett,” she said, shaking her
head. “Did I tell you the accident was partially his fault?”
I looked up at her in surprise. “No, you didn‟t say that.”
“Yeah, I told him to slow down, because the roads were wet and it was hard to

see from the storm, but he didn‟t listen. He was going too fast, because he
didn‟t want to be late. The car that slammed into us was going too fast as well.
I know I can‟t blame him, but I want to. I want to blame someone so I can have

some idea about why this happened to me.”
She was crying again. There was nothing I could say. I didn‟t know that

Emmett was partly at fault for this. That changed everything. All I could do
was embrace Rosalie tightly and let her know I was there.
We stayed in that room and talked for hours. I let her get everything out, until
there was nothing left to say.
After a while, we agreed that it was probably time for me to get going. I had

been there for quite a while and Emmett had taken Bella home. It was hard
leaving Rosalie. I knew she still wouldn‟t be okay, even after our conversation.
“Will you come back?” Rose asked, as I put my coat back on.
“Of course,” I nodded. “How about I come back tomorrow, and maybe a few

days this week I‟ll stop by after work? Does that sound okay?”
“That would be great,” she smiled. It almost made me jump. It was the first full

smile I had seen from her.
“Maybe, one day I could bring Bella…” I prompted.
The smile fell.
“Edward, I can‟t,” she said, shaking her head. “I‟m sorry. You know how much
I love her, but it‟s just too hard. I don‟t want to resent her, but I‟m afraid if I

see her…”
“It‟s okay,” I interrupted. “I understand. I can see why that would be difficult.”
“Is she upset with me, you know, for not wanting to see her?”
I shrugged.
“I think she‟s just disappointed mostly. She wants to be here for you too. And I
don‟t think she fully understands right now. I‟ll be sure to talk to her about it.”

“Well, tell her I‟m sorry. Tell her I love her, but I just can‟t. Maybe, if I just
have some time, I will be able to see her soon.”
I smiled and gave Rose a kiss on the forehead.
“Don‟t rush things, Rosie. Remember what I said? You need to take time to

grieve. Don‟t force yourself to feel better, or else things will just get worse.”
She nodded.
“Thank you Edward,” she whispered. “Really, thank you for everything. You‟re
such a great friend to me. That‟s what I need right now.”
“Of course,” I said, squeezing her hand. “And you can call me whenever you
want, okay. If things aren‟t feeling right, I‟m open 24/7.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “Thanks.”

~*~

Bella POV
I was pacing. I was pacing up and down the floors of our bedroom, waiting for
Edward to get home. He had been gone for a long time. It was getting late

already, and he still hadn‟t returned.
I had no idea Emmett was so put off by the idea that Edward and Rosalie were

such good friends. Up until now, I hadn‟t minded. But part of me resented it
now. I mean, I understood that she was going through something terrible, but
why did she have to confide in my husband? Why couldn‟t she talk to Emmett,

or even me?
I had to stop myself from becoming angry. What was I supposed to do? Yell at

Edward for helping out our friend? That would be super bitchy. But I couldn‟t
help feeling a little pissed off. At least I could blame it on the pregnancy.
Finally, I heard a car pull up in the driveway. I looked out the window and saw
that Edward was finally home. I sat on the bed and concentrated on my
breathing, trying to stay calm.
When Edward came up the stairs, he entered hesitantly, as if he knew he was
in trouble.
“Hey,” he greeted softly, as he gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry I‟m back so
late.”
“It‟s okay,” I lied. “How is she?”
“She‟s been better, that‟s for sure. Seeing her was tough. It brought back a lot

of memories from when Esme went through it. Maybe I‟ll have her call Rosalie
so they could talk. It‟s possible that will make her feel more okay about what‟s
going on.”

I nodded, too afraid to speak. I was too afraid I would go off and start yelling at
him for no reason. Unfortunately, Edward was very observant and noticed

right off the bat.
“Bella, are you alright? Is this whole thing getting you upset? I know it must be

a little weird, considering the place we are now. But the baby will be fine,
okay? I don‟t want you worrying about that.”
“That‟s not it, Edward,” I mumbled, looking at the ground.
“But something is upsetting you?”
I thought quickly about what I could say to disguise my concerns.
“Actually, I‟m kind of worried about Emmett,” I said not looking at him. “I
mean, he‟s pretty upset as it is. And it‟s hurting even more knowing that his

own wife won‟t talk to him. I think he‟s a little jealous of you.”
“Well, I guess I could see why, but he‟s worrying for the wrong reasons. He

shouldn‟t be worried about me; he should be worried about Rosalie. She‟s
heartbroken.”
“Yeah, but I still don‟t understand,” I admitted. “Why does she want to talk to
you? I mean, God forbid, if it were me, I wouldn‟t want to talk to Emmett or
Jasper. I would only want you.”
“Well, the situation is more complicated than that,” he said, shaking his head.
“To be honest, I think she‟s a little upset with Emmett right now. She wanted

to talk to me because for some reason, she likes what I have to say.”
“Wait, she‟s upset with Emmett? Why? It wasn‟t his fault.”
“Not completely,” he stated simply.
I couldn‟t process what I was hearing.
“Edward, what are you talking about?”
He sighed and sat down next to me.
“I guess while Emmett was driving, Rose warned him about the roads and he

didn‟t listen. It was the other guy‟s fault to, but I guess Rose resents him for
somewhat causing the accident.”
“Oh,” I said in shock. “That‟s terrible. For both of them.”
“I know,” he nodded. “I mean, it wasn‟t Emmett‟s fault. She knows that too.

But in that situation, you want to blame anyone or anything. She‟s kind of
afraid to talk to him.”
That changed everything. I kind of understood now.
“Well, I suppose that makes sense.”

“And Bella, Rose wanted you to know that she‟s sorry she can‟t talk to you right
now. She loves you, but it‟s just hard for her.”
“But Edward, you‟re expecting a baby too. And Alice and Jasper have a baby,
but she saw them.”
“That‟s different Bella. We don‟t have the evidence hanging from our
stomachs. Her pregnancy was taken away from her, so you could just imagine

how hard it would be to see someone with that gift.”
“Yeah,” I said disappointedly. “I guess I understand.”
Edward put his arms around me and kissed my forehead.
“What else is bothering you, Bella? I know that‟s not everything.”
I blushed.
“It‟s stupid, and I‟m afraid if I tell you, you‟ll get mad.”
“Just tell me,” he insisted. “We promised we would always talk about what was

on our minds.”
“Well,” I sighed. “I mean, I don‟t want it to seem like I don‟t trust you, because

you know I do. But I guess it just bothers me that Rose wants you.”
“Rose doesn‟t want me,” he chuckled.
“Maybe not in the sexual sense, but she does want you in the emotional sense.

And I know she‟s going through something terrible, and this sounds selfish
and stupid, but I almost feel territorial. I don‟t want anyone trying to steal my

husband.”
Edward sighed and held me closer to him. I could tell he was frustrated.
“Bella, I‟m yours. I have always been yours. Since the first time I laid eyes on
you, I knew I could never be anyone else‟s. I‟m not going anywhere. But, if this

does really make you uncomfortable, then I can call Rose up right now and tell
her that I won‟t be going over there. I‟ll keep my distance from her until we can
both go and see her together.”
Suddenly, I felt criminally guilty.
“That‟s stupid, Edward,” I sighed. “I can‟t let you do that. Rose needs

somebody right now. And I realize that you‟re the only one she can talk to. I
don‟t want to be one of those wives. I trust you and I trust her. But you can see

why I‟d be uncomfortable with it.”
“Yeah, I can,” he nodded, rubbing my back. “And I don‟t like that you are

uncomfortable. I‟ll just call her and explain the situation.”
“No, Edward,” I protested. “I can‟t let you do that. I would feel even worse if
you did. I think I‟ll just feel better when she finally decides to talk to me. I

think that‟s what it‟s really about. I feel so…helpless.”

“I know you do, Bells. But try to keep your mind off it. Think about our little
baby. Think about how lucky we are to be having a child of our own. You are

going to be a mother soon. How could you feel helpless?”
I smiled softly and placed a kiss on Edward‟s neck.
“I love you,” I whispered, closing my eyes.
“I love you too, Bella,” he replied. “Don‟t ever worry about that.”

~*~

Chapter 12: The Dinner

Bella POV
It seemed as if ever since I got pregnant, time had been going faster. It was
already Thanksgiving, and I was going on 7 months pregnant. I was practically

a whale.
I had to say I was excited about the holiday. Charlie was pretty much settled in
the city, and Carlisle and Esme were coming down to visit. Hopefully, they

would soon be making the big decision on whether or not it was a good idea to
move. Victoria was also coming, as well as Leah and her mom. The usual cast

of characters would be here for dinner as well. Alice and Jasper were bringing
Marie, and even Emmett was going to show up. However, one person would be

missing…Rose.
It had been about a month since she had lost the baby, and things weren‟t

getting better. Part of me felt guilty about that. After I had told Edward that
the situation was making me uncomfortable, he cut down his visits with her to
once a week, even though I insisted that I would be okay. He didn‟t listen. He

didn‟t want me to feel bad.
What‟s worse, was that this didn‟t help my situation with Rosalie either.

Edward hadn‟t told her that I didn‟t want him to see her, but he did say that he
wanted to avoid making me uncomfortable and that he thought it was best that

she talk to Emmett. Apparently, she took it pretty hard, considering Edward
was the only one she trusted enough to talk to. I was starting to wish that I had

kept my mouth shut.
I desperately wished she would talk to me, but I wanted to give her some
space. I knew that if it was me, I would be too devastated to talk to anyone,

especially my friend that was pregnant.
I thought about this as Alice and I started preparing dinner. No one else had

arrived yet, but she had come early to help me cook, knowing that being
pregnant it would be difficult and I was a bad cook regardless.

“So, where is Edward this morning?” Alice asked as she started on the stuffing.
“I thought him cooking on major holidays was a condition of your marriage.”
“It is,” I nodded. “But he went to the airport to go pick up his parents, and I
wanted to try this whole thing again. He‟s been working really hard, trying to

make partner, and I feel like I‟ve been kind of a bitch lately with the whole
Rose thing.”
“Oh yeah,” Alice said quietly, looking back down. “I actually talked to her the
other day.”
I stopped what I was doing and looked at my friend.
“What? You talked to her? I thought she wasn‟t talking to anyone besides
Edward.”
“Well, she wanted to talk to me about some stuff. I mean, it wasn‟t an in depth
conversation or anything. She didn‟t mention the baby. But I guess it‟s a start.”
“Yeah,” I softly agreed. I was trying not to cry. “This sucks.”
“Are you alright, Bella?” Alice asked, pulling me into a hug. “I know this is

hard for you.”
I couldn‟t hold the tears anymore. Damn pregnancy hormones.
“It just seems like no one wants to talk to me anymore. I mean, I only have

Edward, which is great, but I miss my friends. You and Jasper are having
issues that I don‟t know about, and Emmett is all caught up in the Rose thing. I

feel kind of alone.”
“You are not alone,” Alice assured. “I‟m here. I‟m sorry I haven‟t been talking

to you, but I didn‟t want you to worry. I love you and I never wanted you to
think that you didn‟t have me here for you.”
“I‟m sorry, Alice. You‟re business is your business. I‟m just a mess right now.”
“No, I should tell you what‟s been going on. It‟s been too long.”
I led her to the kitchen table where we both took a seat.
“Bella,” she sighed. “I‟ve been out of work for months. I was laid off back in
June.”
“What?” I said in shock. “You‟re not working.”
“No,” she said shaking her head. “It‟s been rough. I haven‟t been going on

interviews because I wasn‟t happy at my job. I went because I had no job at all.
And it‟s hard to find work right now.”
“Alice,” I started, still surprised that I hadn‟t known this. “Why didn‟t you tell
me?”
“I don‟t know,” she shrugged. “I was embarrassed. And you were so happy with

the baby, and then you were so stressed because of the trial. The timing was

never right. I didn‟t want you to feel sorry for me. I didn‟t want you to think
any less of me.”
I sighed and embraced Alice in a tight hug.
“Alice, I would never think any less of you. But I am worried about you. How

are you guys doing for money?”
“We‟re getting by,” she assured. “Jasper has been working two jobs. I‟ve been

staying with Marie instead of paying a sitter. I‟ve majorly cut back on my
shopping addiction. I haven‟t gone to the mall in months. The only clothes I

buy are for Marie, and that‟s only because she‟s growing out of them. And my
parents leant us some money, so we‟ve been getting by on that for a while.”
“Do you need more?” I asked instantly. “How much do you need? Name the

amount. You know I‟ll give it to you in a heartbeat.”
“No, Bella, it‟s fine,” she laughed. “Besides, Edward already offered. Actually, I

think I might be getting my old job back.”
“You are? Do they do that?”
“Well, that‟s why Rose called me. She‟s quitting and suggesting they give the
position to me,” Alice replied guiltily.
“She‟s quitting her job?” I clarified. “But her career was everything.”
“Yeah, but she told them she wouldn‟t be able to go back. She isn‟t in the right
state. They gave her time off, but she just couldn‟t see herself going back. I feel

terrible for taking her job, but she‟s going to quit anyway and I have a family to
think about.”
“Alice you shouldn‟t feel guilty. It‟s what Rose wants. I just wish I could talk to
her.”
“I know you do, Bells,” Alice sighed sympathetically. “Just give it some time.
She‟ll come around.”
“I hope so,” I nodded sadly.
I heard my phone ringing and I picked it up after seeing it was Edward.
“Hello?” I answered, trying to sound happier.
“Bella? Are you okay?” Edward‟s worried voice said from the other end.
“I‟m alright. I‟ve just been talking to Alice and thinking about Rose. Alice told

me about her job.”
“I‟m glad she finally did. I didn‟t like keeping that from you. It‟s just that she

made me promise…”
“I understand, Edward,” I smiled. “I‟m kind of glad you didn‟t tell me then.”

“Okay, well, I just picked up my parents and I‟m on my way home. Do you
need me to pick up anything.”
“Actually, yeah. We need cranberry sauce.”
“From the can or the real stuff?”
“From the can, of course,” I laughed.
“Alright, whatever your heart desires. How are we on peanut butter?”
I laughed. I was still always craving peanut butter and he knew it. I opened the
cupboard and was surprised to see we were running low.
“We need more,” I replied, rubbing my stomach. “Your son wants some.”
“You mean my daughter?” he joked. “I‟ll be home in 20.”
“Okay, see you then.”
I was about to hang up, but suddenly, I realized I was forgetting something
important.
“Hey Edward,” I said quickly, hoping her hadn‟t hung up.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” he chuckled. “See you soon.”
I hung up the phone and smiled to myself. I was very lucky to be so happy.

After hearing about Alice‟s problems and Rose‟s problems, my life seemed
pretty great. I had a wonderful husband, who put me before anything. We had

a beautiful house, good careers, and a healthy baby on the way.
“Bella, are you alright?” Alice asked, seeing my contemplative state.
“Yeah,” I grinned, feeling the baby move under my hand. “I‟m perfect.”

~*~

Edward POV
When we got back to the house, my parents immediately ran to Bella. They
hadn‟t stopped asking about her since I picked them up from the airport. I felt

bad for Alice, who was second on their list now. But then again, once they saw
little Marie crawling around, they ditched both of them and ran straight to

their granddaughter.
I found Bella in the kitchen, and decided to take over for her.
“Honey, why don‟t you go rest? You shouldn‟t be working so hard. I‟ll take it
from here.”
“Are you sure? I want you to enjoy the holiday.”

“I won‟t enjoy the holiday, if you‟re in here slaving away. Go talk to my
parents. They‟ve been dying to see you.”
“I want to stay with you,” she pouted cutely, holding my hand.
“Well, I can‟t argue with that,” I chuckled, pulling out a chair. “Sit down, and

you can watch me while I cook.”
“I‟ll watch you do anything,” she said, winking at me before taking a seat.
“So, you had a talk with Alice?” I clarified as I started cooking.
“Yeah, I did. It was good for me. Sometimes I feel like people don‟t want to talk

to me.”
“I talk to you all the time,” I pointed out. “You‟re my best friend.”
“I know, but sometimes I need girls to talk to. That‟s what Rose was for.”
I noticed her sudden change in tone. I felt bad for Bella. I knew she felt guilty
that I had cut Rose off from talking to me too often, and it was hard for me to

do. But, I didn‟t want Bella feeling uncomfortable. Her feelings would always
come first.
“Bella, let‟s try not to think about that today,” I sighed. “We‟ll have the whole
family over, and I want you to be happy. Think about it. In a little over two
months, our baby will be here. Isn‟t that exciting?”
“Yeah, it is,” she smiled. “He keeps kicking. You‟re little boy is quite active.”
“You mean, my little girl. My little mini-Bella.”
“You‟re full of it,” she laughed.
“No, you are.”
“Shut up.”
“You shut up.”
We went on bantering for quite a while. She was adorable when she was
stubborn. It made me fall in love with her even more. I was excited for dinner
that night.
“It‟s raining again tonight,” Bella sighed, looking out the window. “I‟ve lived
here for a while now, and I‟m still not used to it. I can‟t imagine how my dad‟s

going to handle it.”
“It‟ll grow on him,” I assured.
“I just hope he won‟t get too lonely out here. I mean, what is he going to do all
day?”
“He‟s a big boy, Bella. He‟ll be okay. Besides, if my parents move here, he‟ll
have some friends. You know he‟s welcome in our home whenever he wants.”

Bella stood up and gave me a kiss.
“You are so great, Edward. I couldn‟t ask for a better husband.”
“Well, I couldn‟t ask for a better wife,” I said, kissing her back.
“Hey, break it up, lovebirds,” Jasper laughed, entering the kitchen. “Bells,

Charlie‟s here.”
“I‟ll be right out,” she nodded. She turned to me and placed a small kiss under

my ear. “We‟ll finish this later.”
I smirked and gave her a tight squeeze, before letting her go out into the living

room.
A few hours later, we were all sitting around our huge dining room table,
getting ready to eat.
“Shouldn‟t we wait for Emmett?” Esme asked curiously.
“He said he might be a little late and to start without us,” Alice explained. “He

said he‟s trying to convince Rose to come along. But I have a feeling that‟s a
lost cause.”
We all nodded silently, trying not to think about the tragedy. I looked around
the table and smiled. We had a big group this year.
A few new people were added to the table. We had of course, little Marie, who

was looking more and more like Jasper by the day, which I knew ticked off my
sister. She was beautiful though, and I hoped that she would be good friends

with my child. Then, there was Victoria, who I would never have believed
would be so welcome in our home. Everyone was nice to her, even Alice, and I

knew Bella was becoming good friends with her too. I was actually respecting
Victoria more. She was a good lawyer, and even though we were both

competing for partner, she had been surprisingly civil and friendly throughout
the whole process…but not too friendly.
Then there was Leah, who brought along her mother, Sue. I noticed that Sue

was really hitting it off with Charlie, and I knew Bella saw a potential match
there. Maybe Charlie wouldn‟t be so lonely after all.
All in all, I was quite content. I had my family, my friends, and my beautiful
wife all in one place. And this time next year, there would be a baby at the table

too. I couldn‟t wait.
We had all joined hands to say grace, when we heard a knock at the door.
“I‟ll get it,” I announced, getting up from the table.
I hurried to the door, and when I opened it, I was surprised to see what was on
the other side. There was Emmett, completely soaked from the rain outside,

his eyes red, and his face pale.

“Emmett?” I said, looking at him standing there stoically. “Emmett, are you
alright?”
He looked up from the ground which he had been so intently staring at, and
his eyes met mine with complete sadness and confusion.
“She‟s gone,” he croaked out in a raspy voice, before dropping to the ground in
devastation.

~*~

Chapter 13: The Call

Bella POV
When I heard the doorbell ring, Edward got up from the table to get it. I heard
the door open, but it was silent for a while before I also got up to see what was

going on.
I was shocked to see Edward standing at the door, with Emmett on the other
side, on the ground at the doorstep. He was soaking wet, and it seemed as if he

were sobbing. Edward‟s face looked to be in shock.
“Emmett!” I shouted, running to the door. “Get inside, it‟s pouring out there!”
Edward and I helped him up and led him inside. The rest of the table started to
come, trying to see what all the commotion was about, but Edward shooed

them away.
“Everyone just stay in the dining room,” he ordered, obviously in stress. “We‟ll

take care of this.”
“Let‟s get him upstairs,” I suggested.
Edward nodded in agreement and led Emmett up to our room.
“What do you mean, she‟s gone?” Edward asked, once Emmett sat down on the
bed, still shaking.
“Gone?” I echoed. “Rose is gone?”
“She left me,” Emmett said, his voice cracking. “I was trying to convince her to

come with me to dinner, but she refused. So, we had this huge argument and I
left, really angry. She told me she couldn‟t even look at me.”
“Emmett, she‟s not well,” I said, my hands on his shoulders. “She needs help.”
“Well, it‟s too late now!” Emmett shouted. “I came back, because I didn‟t want
her to spend Thanksgiving alone. And when I got back, her stuff was gone. She

left!”
“She just picked up and left?” Edward said, almost angrily. “What did you say

to her to make her leave?”

“Edward,” I scolded. “You are not taking anyone‟s side on this. You cannot just
assume that it‟s Emmett‟s fault.”
“Yeah,” Emmett yelled. “It‟s not my fault that my own wife would rather talk to
her friend‟s husband than talk to me! Obviously, you weren‟t much help to her,

were you? Because now, she‟s gone! I can‟t believe she did this to me.”
“She didn‟t do this to you,” Edward retaliated. “Can‟t you see she‟s not thinking

clearly? I told her to talk to you. She just never listened. She didn‟t want to talk
to you, and now I can see why. The second she does, she finds the need to

leave!”
“Stop it!” I yelled, holding them away from each other. “You two have to stop
shouting and fighting with each other. This is nobody‟s fault. We have to think

about Rosalie. Did she leave a note or anything?”
“Yeah, it said that she was sorry and she loved me. She said that she might go

to her parents‟ house, but she doesn‟t know when or if she can ever come
back.”
“Damn,” Edward whispered, shaking his head. “I was afraid of this.”
“What can we do?” I asked, worried about both Rose and Emmett.
“I don‟t know,” Edward sighed.
“Okay, well, go downstairs and take care of everyone down there. Make sure
they‟re entertained. I‟ll stay with Emmett for a while.”
Edward nodded and headed down the stairs, while I took a seat next to
Emmet, who was leaned over with his head in his hands.
“Why did this have to happen?” he asked sadly. “We were so happy. Everything
was perfect.”
“Yeah, but after something like that happens, things change.”
“I tried to help her, Bella. I really did. All I wanted was for her to talk to me.”
“But think about what she went through. She lost a child.”
“So did I, Bella,” he said simply. “I tried really hard, you know. I thought she
was starting to come around. Last week, we actually were together for the first

time since the incident.”
“Really? Rose was ready for that?”
“Apparently no,” he replied, shaking his head. “Afterwards, she just was just
silent again. I think it made things worse.”
“Emmett, you should have known that she wasn‟t up for that.”
“I know I should have known. But it‟s so hard. She was the one that came to
me. She told me that‟s what she wanted. Besides, why is everyone blaming this

on me? First Edward, now you.”

“No one is blaming you, Emmett,” I assured. “And you have to go easy on
Edward. He‟s there for Rosalie because he was too young to help his own

mother when it happened to her. He told me a while ago that he felt like this
was making up for that.”
“I didn‟t know that happened to Esme,” Emmett said in contemplation.
“Yeah, and it was hard on the whole family. But they got through it. You and

Rose will work this out eventually. You have to try, though.”
“I know, Bella,” Emmett sighed. “But I‟ve already been trying so hard. And

now it‟s too late. She‟s gone.”
I embraced Emmett in a hug, feeling so much pity for him. It was a horrible
situation, one of which no one could choose sides.
“I don‟t know if I can go back home, Bella,” he whispered. “It‟s just too hard to
be there.”
“You can stay as long as you want. You shouldn‟t be alone right now.”
“Thank you,” he nodded. “Why don‟t you go down stairs to your company? I‟m

going to try to get some sleep.”
“Alright,” I said. “You can have the room down the hall. You know where
everything is.”
I patted him on the back and went back down stairs, where all of our guests
were waiting anxiously at the table.
“How is he?” Alice asked, with a sleeping Marie in her lap.
“Not great,” I replied sadly. “He‟s pretty shaken up.”
“Should we leave?” Victoria asked.
“No, please don‟t. Enjoy the dinner. I‟ll be out in a moment. I have to talk to

Edward. Did you see where he went?”
“He‟s in the kitchen, taking a phone call,” Carlisle answered.
“Thanks,”
I waddled towards the kitchen, and as I neared the door, I hear Edward‟s
strained voice on the other side. I opened the door slightly and listened to what

he was saying.
“Please, don‟t do this to him,” Edward pleaded to the person on the other end.

“I think you should come home…. Rose, I don‟t think that‟s a good idea….No,
because Bella wouldn‟t be okay with it. I‟m not going to sneak out of the house

to talk to you…. I have to tell her you called. She‟s my wife. I‟m not going to lie
to her…. I know it‟s hard, but you have to come back…. Rose, I can‟t talk to
you. I wish I could, but Bella….”
I stopped him by taking the phone from his hands.

“Rosalie, he‟s on his way,” I told her, Edward looking at me in shock. “He‟ll be
right there.”
I didn‟t wait for her response. I hung up the phone and put it back on the hook.
Edward looked surprised.
“Bella, I don‟t have to go. She wants to talk, but I know you don‟t feel
comfortable…”
“Go, Edward,” I insisted, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I‟m afraid of
what will happen if you don‟t.”
“But, I know how you feel about it, and…”
“Edward, I really honestly don‟t have a problem with it right now. I understand
why she needs to talk to you, and you have to go.”
He sighed and kissed me on my forehead.
“You‟re an incredible woman, Isabella,” he whispered. “I only want to do what

will make you happy.”
“This will make me happy. She‟s like my best friend. I‟m just so worried about

her. This isn‟t the Rose I know. I miss her so much, and I want her to come
back.”
“But she might not want to come back, Bella,”
“I know. But that could be for the best. She might need some time away. That‟s
why you need to go down and talk to her. You‟ll know what the right thing is

for her to do. I trust you.”
“Come with me,” he said, taking my hand. “Please, I need you to come with

me.”
“But she doesn‟t want to talk to me, Edward.”
“You can wait in the car. But I need you to be there, Bella. You‟re my strength.”
I sighed and looked into his deep green eyes.
“Okay,” I nodded. “I‟ll tell everyone that we‟re running an errand. And I‟ll tell

them not to let Emmett know we‟re gone. He‟ll figure it out.”
“Let‟s go,” Edward said taking my hand.
About ten minutes later, we were parked outside a local coffee shop, where
Rose had asked Edward to meet her. I could tell that he was nervous about

going inside. He was afraid he would tell her the wrong advice, or making the
situation worse. I knew that was impossible.
“Edward,” I said, putting my hand on his. “If Rose has to go, I want to give her
some money. Write her a check or something. I‟ll feel much better if I know
she‟s okay.”

“I will,” he nodded, squeezing my hand. “I love you very much, Bella. I realize
just how lucky we both are to have each other, and to be having our happy

family here with us soon.”
“I love you too, Edward,” I nodded, leaning in to give him a kiss. “And I want

to thank you for being so considerate of my feelings, even though you probably
shouldn‟t have. I feel like I‟ve let my friend down this past month. Yet, you still

respected my wishes and refused to lie to me. That‟s why I know you are such a
great guy, and why everyone trusts you so much.”
Edward smiled at me lightly and kissed my hand.
“I won‟t be long,” he whispered.
“Take your time,” I replied. “And tell her that I love her, and I‟m sorry.”
He nodded and slowly got out of the car. I watched him as he approached the
door, taking another look at me before stepping inside.
He was in there for about 15 minutes. I was somewhat nervous, but more
anxious. I was worried about my friend.
As I waited for Edward, I had a small conversation with my baby. I went on
about how much I loved him or her, and how they would have the best daddy
in the world. I told the baby about all the people who would care for it once it

was born, and how I had already loved it more than anything in the world.
Finally, I saw Edward come out of the building, running quickly inside the car

because of the rain. He sat in the front seat and looked at me.
“So?” I started nervously, as he shut the door behind him. “Is she going

home?”

~*~

Chapter 14: The Light

Edward POV
When I walked into the coffee shop, I noticed it was relatively quiet. After all, it

was Thanksgiving. There was a young couple there, who looked like they were
in college. They probably were away from their families, and were now

cuddling over cappuccinos and sharing a chocolate chip cookie. They were the
only ones there besides me and one other person.
I looked towards the corner of the café, and then I saw her. Her head was

down, staring at the table, and her blond hair was covered by a grey hat. Next
to her, was a small suitcase.
I went over and sat across from her. She didn‟t even look up. It was quiet for a
few seconds before she spoke.

“I didn‟t think you would come,” she whispered, still not looking at me.
“I wasn‟t going to,” I admitted. “But Bella insisted.”
“Why do you hate me all of a sudden? Why are you so angry with me?”
“I don‟t hate you, Rosalie. You know I love you. You‟re like a sister to me. It‟s

just that I‟ve been trying so hard to get you to see the light, but it‟s just not
happening. And now you‟re starting to hurt people by your actions.”
“That‟s not what I want.”
“I know it‟s not. But that‟s what‟s happening. I can‟t see to see my wife cry,

because she lost her best friend. I can‟t stand to see my friend on my doorstep
in the rain, heartbroken, because his wife left him.”
“He was really that upset?”
“He was devastated.” I nodded. “I‟ve never seen him like that.”
I knew this was hard for her to hear, but she needed to hear it. It was the only

way she would know all the damage that was being done.
“I‟m sorry, Edward,” she croaked. “But I can‟t stay here. I can‟t even look at my

own husband. And I tried. I even slept with him, because I thought it would
make me feel better. I thought that maybe it would bring us closer.”
“That was a bad idea, Rose.”
“I know. It was. It just freaked me out even more.” She finally looked up, and
she appeared worse than I had ever seen her. There were dark circles under

her eyes, and her face was paler than before.
“Rosie,” I sighed. “This is so hard for me to see you like this. We all just want

you to get better.”
“But I‟m not getting better Edward!” She almost shouted, causing the young

couple to look over at us.
“Rose, calm down…”
“No,” she cried. “I can‟t. Do you know why I had to leave today? Do you know

why I have to get out of here?”
“Tell me,” I whispered.
“After my fight with Emmett, he left me alone. I was just sitting there, thinking
about how I screwed up everything in my life. And I couldn‟t even blame him

for the loss of the baby, because it‟s my fault. I had to screw that up too by
having that stupid panic attack.”
“Rose, it wasn‟t your fault…”
“Let me finish!” she sobbed. “It was my fault. And now my husband hates me
because I‟m not emotionally available. Bella hates me because I won‟t talk to

her. And you hate me because Bella doesn‟t want you to talk to me. I have
nobody, Edward. I‟m all alone.”
“I don‟t hate you. Nobody hates you, Rose. You have to understand that.” I
grabbed her hands in mine and tried to get her to look me in the eyes but it

was no use.
“Edward, today, after the fight, I thought about doing something I never

thought I would do. I thought about ending my life. I went out onto the
balcony, I looked over the edge, and I wondered if anyone would care if I just

jumped off.”
I was horrified at what I heard. It was much worse than I had thought. Part of
me blamed myself for not being there for her. Yet part of me just wanted to

embrace her and make sure that she never thought those things again. She
continued.
“Right then, I knew I had to leave,” Rose said, looking back down at the table.
“I know feeling this way is not normal. I know that feeling this empty and

lifeless inside can‟t be alright.”
I looked at my friend and knew she was right. She needed help. She couldn‟t
stay here, at least not for now. She was severely depressed, especially when she

hit the point of being suicidal. Staying here wouldn‟t be good for her. It
wouldn‟t be good for anyone.
“Where are you going to go?” I asked, putting my arm around her.
“To LA, where my parents are. They want to help me too. I need to get away for

a while.”
“I understand,” I nodded.
“You always do.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my checkbook.
“I want to give you some money, Rose,” I said, as I started to write a check.
“No, please, don‟t do that. It‟s not appropriate.”
“Bella insists,” I said, ripping it out. “She wants you to have it.”
“Just that eager to get rid of me, huh?” Rose sighed.
“That‟s not it. She wants you to be okay. She‟s so worried about you, you know.

She doesn‟t like the idea of wandering around without any money.”
“But…”
“Take the check, Rosie,” I said sternly. I was dead serious, and she knew it. She
hesitantly took the check and put it in her purse. I knew she didn‟t have a
dollar in her pocket to travel.

“Thank you,” she whispered, wiping her eyes. “I actually have something for
her.”
Rose pulled out and envelope from her bag addressed to Bella.
“I want her to have this. Tell her to write to me. I hope that I‟ll be ready to talk

to her soon.”
“She hopes that too,” I nodded. “Listen, I‟ll talk to Carlisle, and he‟ll refer you

to the best psychiatrist in LA. He‟ll know what to do. And I‟m sure we‟ll get
that taken care of for you, so don‟t worry about the cost. Our only concern is

that you get better.”
“That‟s too much,” she said, shaking her head. “I can‟t accept that.”
“Please, Rosalie,” I pleaded. “Just do this for me, okay?”
Rose looked down and nodded her head, defeated.
“Thank you,” she said again. “I don‟t know what I would do without you guys.”
“Well, we all love you, and you need to realize that. Bella and I will keep in
touch, okay. Keep us updated on your progress.”
“I will,” she said quietly. “And Emmett…?”
“We‟ll take care of him,” I assured. “He won‟t be okay with this, but he needs to
be. You need some time away, and hopefully when you come back, you‟ll be

ready to start over with him again.”
Rose gave me another hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Edward, I don‟t know what to say. You‟ve just been so supportive this whole
time, and I don‟t know how I‟ll ever be able to repay you.”
“Don‟t mention it,” I said. “Just come back as the old Rose, please. That‟s all I
want from you. I want you to come back as you.”
“I‟ll try so hard,” she replied sincerely.
“Call someone when you arrive, alright?”
“Okay,” she agreed.
“I‟ll see you soon, Rose. You‟re going to be okay. This is good for you.”
“I know it is,” she sighed. “Goodbye Edward.”
“Goodbye Rosie.”
And with that, I got up from the table, and walked out. I hoped things would

work the right way. I prayed that soon, we would all get the old Rose back. She
was our friend, the one who always brightened everyone‟s day. She was kind,

funny, and understanding. That‟s who we wanted. Hopefully, that‟s who we
would get back, once she returned.

~*~

Bella POV
On the way back home, Edward told me about his conversation with Rose. It
was completely shocking to hear about her suicidal thoughts and how deeply

depressed she really was. I guess I could never understand that, and I prayed I
never would.
I waited until I got home to read the letter, while Edward went to go explain
things to Emmett. He didn‟t want me to be there, in case Emmett lost his

temper. He didn‟t want me to be stressed.
I sat on the bed and opened the envelope. I took a deep breath before looking
at the words, written in Rosalie‟s flawless penmanship.
Dear Bella,
I know this is strange. I haven’t talked to you in so long, and I admit that I

regret it. You’ve known for a long time that you are my best friend, and I
miss you so much. I miss talking to you every day, even if it’s about stupid

stuff. I miss having you in my life. I know that the choice I made was mine
alone. I know that you were willing to talk to me, and I was the one being the

stubborn bitch that wouldn’t let you. I’m sorry. I know that hurt you, but you
must understand that was never my intention. I love you so much, Bella. You
deserve the child you are carrying, and you deserve all the happiness that

comes with starting a family. I hope you never doubt that. I wanted that too.
I wanted that same glow that you have whenever you talk about the baby. I

wanted my husband to look at me like Edward looks at you whenever he
touches your stomach. I wanted your happiness, and I almost had it. But it

was taken away from me, and it was more painful than I could have ever
imagined. And I knew that seeing you that happy, seeing you have
everything I almost had, would just make me feel resentful and jealous. You

don’t deserve that Bella. You don’t deserve those feelings being thrown at you.
You haven’t done anything wrong. And I hope you know that once I am done

with this screwed up period of my life, I will be able to be in your world
again. I will be able to look at you and your family and feel happy for you.

But first, I need to deal with my crap. Hopefully, you’ll wait for me.
Hopefully, when I return, we can be friends like old times. Secondly, I want to

talk to you about Edward. I don’t want you to feel guilty about anything. I
understand completely where you are coming from, and I would feel the
same way in that situation. It was wrong of me to expect him to come to my

rescue like that. I’m sure you can understand just how helpful Edward is in
these kinds of traumatic situations, and I just thought that he could bring me

back to life. But I realize now that no one can do that but me. I know you
probably hate me right now for what I’ve put you, Emmett, and everyone else

through the past few months. I can admit that I pretty much hate myself

right now too. I just hope that soon we can put all of this behind us and move
forward. I love you, Bella. You’re my best friend. Please write to me while I’m

gone. I’m going to need a friend to get through this. Hopefully, one day I’ll
find the courage to call, and eventually, come back home. Thank you for

never giving up on me. If I don’t see you before the baby is born, tell that little
one that his Aunt Rose will be seeing him soon. And yes, I think it’s a boy too.
Wishing you all the happiness you deserve,
Rose
I felt tears run down my face as I read the letter. I missed my friend so much,
and I felt terrible for everything she had been through. I placed my hand on
my stomach and rubbed small circles there, until Edward entered the room.

When he saw me crying, he ran to my side and put his arm around me.
“Bella, what‟s wrong?” he asked worriedly.
“I miss Rose,” I cried. “I want her back.”
“I do too Bella,” he sighed. “We‟ll get her back eventually. She‟s taking one step

forward by going to California. She‟ll be alright.”
“We‟re so lucky, Edward,” I cried into his shoulder. “We‟re getting everything
she wanted.”
“I know, baby. We just have to be happy for ourselves, and not take anything
for granted.”
He sat there, holding me, for a good ten minutes before I realized what day it
was.
“Crap! Where is everyone? It‟s Thanksgiving!”
“It‟s okay. Alice took care of everything downstairs. Don‟t worry about it.”
“How‟s Emmett?” I asked, worriedly.
“Pissed,” Edward answered. “He pretty much hates me for letting her go, but
he‟ll come around. I explained to him the situation, and he‟s more upset than

he is angry.”
“Is it alright if he stays here for a while? I don‟t want him to be alone.”
“Of course.”
We fell asleep in each other‟s arms that night. We were both emotionally

exhausted from everything that had gone on that day. All we could do now was
hope for the best, and wait for everything to work itself out. But for now, we

could be happy that Rose was finally starting to see the light.

~*~

Chapter 15: The Date

Edward POV
About a week later, Emmett was still living in our house, and I was starting to

see why men were so infamous for being difficult to live with.
I mean, maybe it had something to do with the way I was raised, but I was
always taught to be somewhat tidy and respectful, especially when staying in

another person‟s home. But Emmett, he had little boundaries, and I think it
was driving Bella insane.
Now, for her sake, I was as patient as possible with our new housemate. I
ignored the fact that he left his stuff all over the house and blasted music from

the top of the stereo. I looked the other way when he‟d set his beer can on my
piano without a coaster. I even put up with the fact that he‟d use some
silverware and put it back in the drawer. Instead of lecturing him, I

remembered that he was going through a hard time, and insistently washed
every fork, spoon, and knife before Bella or I used it.

I was trying to make things as easy as possible for Bella at this time. She was in
the final stage of her pregnancy and the baby was due in less than a couple

months. I made sure that Bella was resting most of the time, and I took up
chores such as cooking, grocery shopping, and cleaning to make things easier

for her.
Unfortunately, I also had to really crack down at work as well. They were
coming close to naming a partner, and the decision would be made within the

next two or three months. I was taking on extra cases, and sometimes, I was
forced to bring my work home with me. Regardless, I made sure to be home by

6 o‟clock every night. I refused to be one of those workaholic husbands that
ignored their responsibilities at home.
However, between my work schedule, my home duties, and having Emmett as
our house guest, this left little time for me and Bella to be alone. After all the
drama that had been occurring over the past few months, it was hard for us to

really get some quality time in before the baby came. I was planning to make
up for this somehow in the near future, but one after returning home one

Friday evening, I realized that it had to happen sooner than later.
I walked through the front door after a long day of work, and I was

immediately put off by the amount of noise blasting through the house.
There was some classic rock music bursting through the speakers, probably on

max volume, and Emmett had his video game system hooked up and was
playing some game while shouting at the screen. The game, might I mention,
was as loud as it could get as well. There was an empty pizza box on the coffee

table and beer cans scattered throughout the living room.

“Emmett!” I shouted over the music. I tripped over his dirty laundry on the
way to the couch. “Emmett!”
He couldn‟t hear me over all the noise. I went to the stereo and turned down
the music.
“Emmett!”
His head turned around and he laughed when he saw me.
“Oh, hey Edward. What‟s up?”
“Nothing,” I said, trying to be cool about it. “Where‟s Bella?”
Emmett continued playing his game as he spoke.
“Oh, she went upstairs complaining about some headache.”
I wanted to yell at him, asking him whether he knew how to act around a

pregnant woman. But that would open up a whole other can of worms.
“Is she alright?” I asked worriedly.
“Probably,” he nodded. “She‟s been kind of pissy today. You know how
pregnant women are.”
“Yeah…” I said, looking at him with disbelief. “I‟m going to go check on her.”
I went up the stairs hurriedly, knowing Bella would not be happy. Sure
enough, I found her on the bed, her head under a pillow, chanting words

quietly.
“He‟s like a brother to you. He‟s going through a hard time. He‟s like a brother

to you. He‟s going through a hard time…” she said over and over again.
“Bella?”
As soon as she heard my voice, she threw the pillow off her head and ran
towards me.
“Edward, you‟re home!” she screeched, throwing her arms around my neck.
“Please, don‟t let me kill him. I am seriously this close.”
“Yeah, I take it the noise is a little much?”
“Arggh! I can‟t take being locked up in this house anymore!” she whined.
“Today, I had my peanut butter craving, so I went into the pantry to find some.

Not only had he eaten it all, but he put the empty tub back in on the shelf. I
had to stop myself from stabbing him with a butcher knife.”
“It‟s getting pretty bad, isn‟t it?”
“I feel so claustrophobic here. I need a break from Emmett and this house. I

mean, once this baby is born we will be stuck in here all day anyway. I‟m going
crazy!”

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. I kissed Bella on the forehead and ran
towards the closet.
“Grab a bag and throw some stuff in it,” I said decidedly. “We‟re going away.”
“What?” Bella asked in shock. “Edward, I was just venting. We don‟t need to…”
“Yes we do. I‟ve been so busy with work and everything, and you need to get
out of this house. We‟re going away for the weekend, and we won‟t come back

until Sunday. We both need a break.”
“But, where will we go? What do I pack?”
“I don‟t know yet,” I said, throwing a pair of jeans into a bag. “Just pack some
stuff. Maybe a nice dress, so I can take you out to dinner.”
“So, wait, we‟re really getting out of here?”
“For the weekend? Yes.”
Bella squealed and gave me a huge kiss.
“I love you,” she whispered. “Thank you so so much.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy this while you can,” I sighed. “Because this might just

be our last big hurrah until the baby comes.”
“I‟ll get packing,” she nodded.
“Yeah, and I‟ll talk to Emmett. Maybe Alice and Jasper can come over and

keep him company while we‟re away.”
Bella was too excited to answer. She was already digging through the closet,

pulling out clothes.

~*~

Bella POV
Just an hour later, we were already on the road, ready to go. Edward was

taking me to a hotel near the beach, where we could relax for two days before
returning to the madness. I had never loved him more than in that moment.
He knew exactly when I needed rescuing.
It was almost eight o‟clock when we finally got to the hotel. It looked rather
expensive, but I knew money wasn‟t a huge issue anymore. Since I had

married Edward, I realized that it was easier to stop complaining and to just
let him pay.
Making our way up to the room, Edward carried my bag, even though it wasn‟t
that heavy. He refused to let me carry anything anymore.
“So, do you want to go out to dinner tonight or tomorrow night?” he asked, as
we reached the door.
“Um, how about tomorrow night? I‟d like to just take it easy for now.”

“Room service?”
“You know me well,” I smiled, as we walked in the door. I surveyed the room,

which was gorgeous, of course, and sat down on the bed.
“Nice digs, Mr. Cullen,” I teased. “Looks like you know just how to treat a lady,

don‟t you?”
“Only when she is the most beautiful woman in the world,” he grinned, sitting

next to me. “Listen, I want you to relax this weekend. We can do whatever you
want. If you want to go out and party it up, we can do that. If you want to stay

in and sleep all day, we can do that too. This is about you.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “This is about us. And there‟s only one thing I
want to do right now.”
I pulled his collar and kissed him deeply. He returned the affection, but I
noticed hesitance in his face.
“What?” I asked, concerned. “It‟s because I‟m too fat, isn‟t it? You don‟t want
to sleep with me?”
Edward laughed and kissed me again.
“You are ridiculous,” he chuckled. “You are beautiful and of course I want to
sleep with you. It‟s just that I realized that it‟s been a while, hasn‟t it?”
“Well, you‟ve been busy,” I shrugged. “It takes a lot of energy to take care of
me, Emmett, and work. Plus, there‟s been a lot of drama and what not.”
“Yeah, but, I don‟t want stuff like that to affect us,” he said disappointedly.
“When I married you, I promised that you would always come first. And I want

to apologize, if I sometimes don‟t keep that promise.”
“Edward,” I laughed, giving him a hug. “Don‟t be stupid. I know that I always

come first in your book. Everything you do is for me. If there‟s a problem, I‟ll
tell you.”
“Promise?” he asked, rubbing my stomach.
“I promise,” I smiled. “So, there is something you can do for me right now.”
“Oh really?” he laughed. “Now that, I can do.”
So, we ended up spending the remainder of Friday night getting
“reacquainted.”It was good for us to have some alone time and reconnect a bit.

The passion had never died down to begin with, but so much had been going
on, that it was good to have a reminder of what was really important in our

relationship.
The next day was spent on the beach. It was a fairly clear day for Washington.
There were a few clouds in the sky, but I could never expect the kind of sun we

had in Phoenix.

At the beach, Edward and I watched a family with some small children playing
in the sand. It was nice to know that soon that would be us. It did bring up

another question, however, that Edward was not afraid to ask.
“So, how many kids do you think we should have?” he asked, as we were sitting

by the shore.
“Can we work on this one first?” I smirked.
“Yeah, but haven‟t you thought about it? I mean, we have enough room for
quite a few. When you were younger, how many kids did you envision having?”
“I don‟t know,” I shrugged. “To be honest, I didn‟t envision having any. I didn‟t
see myself with even a husband, let alone children.”
“Hm, I guess things change,” Edward laughed.
“Yeah, I guess so. But, I want to see how this one goes first. Then, we can just
take it one at a time. A big family would be nice, but not too big. I could

probably stop at three.”
“Three,” he nodded. “That‟s a good number.”
“Well, it‟s not definite. If this one ends up hurting like hell, it‟s possible that
we‟ll stop at one.”
Edward laughed and helped me stand up. We went back to the room and

changed for dinner.
I had picked out a nice black dress to wear for my evening out. Luckily, Alice

had forced me to stock up on maternity clothes, so I was well prepared. The
dress was somewhat sexy for a maternity dress, but I wanted to look nice for

Edward, since he had been making such an effort thus far.
When I walked out of the bathroom, Edward‟s eyes went wide.
“What?” I asked worriedly. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” he smiled. “You just look beautiful.”
I blushed and gave his a kiss. It was amazing how he still looked at me that

way. He put his hand on the small of my back and led me to out the door.
When we reached the restaurant, they immediately led us to the nicest seat in

the place, right in front of the window, looking over the ocean.
“Edward, this is beautiful,” I whispered, as we took a seat. When I opened the

menu, my eyes went wide. “Oh, this is so expensive. We don‟t have to eat
here.”
“Don‟t be ridiculous,” he laughed. “My girls will have whatever they want.”
“Girls?” I smirked. “You still haven‟t given that up?”

“You can‟t deny the truth,” he shrugged. “And when you give birth to that kid,
and we see that it‟s a girl, I will be doing my happy brag dance.”
“Okay, first of all, I will be the one doing the happy brag dance,” I laughed.
“Mine is much better than yours anyway. Secondly, I‟m not the only one who

knows it‟s going to be a boy. Both my mom and Rose said…”
I stopped myself there. I had tried not to mention Rose‟s name lately,

especially with Emmett in the house. It was weird even bringing it up again.
Edward noticed my contemplation and took my hand from across the table.
“Hey,” he said softly, squeezing my fingers. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “It‟s just weird, not having her in my life anymore.”
“I know,” he sighed. “It‟s weird for all of us. Dealing with that the last few

months has been really hectic. Maybe for tonight, we should put that behind
us. Maybe we should think of happier things, like our baby. “
“I know, I just feel so guilty about it. I mean, after everything that happened
with her, I feel guilty for getting what she wanted.”
“Bella, don‟t you dare think that way. That‟s not what she wants. Our baby is
our baby. It has nothing to do with Rose and Emmett. We deserve to be happy
about it, and we will be. Please, don‟t take this out on yourself.”
His eyes pleaded with me. I nodded and gave him a soft smile.
“Let‟s talk about something else,” I suggested, taking up the menu. “How‟s the

quest for partner going?”
“Alright,” he nodded. “They want me to fly out next month to Chicago to meet

with the main executives, but I‟m a little nervous about leaving you so close to
your due date. So, I might try to postpone it or arrange another option.”
“Edward, that‟s stupid. Go. I‟ll be fine.”
“Bella, I don‟t want to leave you by yourself. What if you go into labor and I‟m
not there?”
“Then, we‟ll figure it out. You can fly back. It‟s not like the baby is born within
three minutes. Sometimes it takes days. You‟ll have plenty of time.”
“Bella, I…”
“Edward, we‟ll discuss this later,” I interrupted. “You‟re career is important to

me too. I won‟t let you give it up just to miss a couple hours of me screaming
and freaking out. Besides, knowing our luck, Emmett will still be living with us

and he could take me to the hospital.”
Edward burst out laughing at that one.
“Oh God, poor Emmett,” he chuckled. “I hope you know that I‟m trying really

hard to be patient with him, but he‟s making it increasingly difficult.”

“To be honest, the peanut butter was the last straw,” I laughed. “But, I keep
telling myself that he is basically separated from his wife. It can‟t be easy for

him.”
“That‟s true. I‟m sure he‟ll be better by Christmas, although it will be weird not

having her there…sorry, I forgot we weren‟t talking about it.”
“It‟s okay,” I assured. “I‟m having trouble too. But, on the plus side, my mom is

able to come out.”
“That‟s great. It‟s been a while. We haven‟t seen her since the wedding.”
“Yeah, she‟s excited too. It seems as if we‟ll have a full house.”
“Oh,” Edward remembered. “I think I might have convinced Esme to make the
big move out here.”
“Oh really?” I asked.
“Yeah, I went on this whole tangent about how much you would appreciate it if

she was there to help you with the baby. Plus, Alice could cut down on the
babysitters by paying Esme instead.”
“Your poor mom,” I laughed. “She‟s going to become a full time childcare
worker.”
“Trust me, she enjoys it,” he assured. “Esme has been waiting to have

grandchildren since Alice and I became old enough to breed.”
“That‟s disturbing.”
“Very,” he nodded.
The rest of our evening was great. It was romantic and comfortable, just like

the dates we had when we first started out. We laughed, we talked, and had a
perfect conversation in general. All in all, the night was good for us.
When we got back to the hotel, I suggested that we go for a walk on the beach.
It was beautiful outside, even though it was just a little windy.
Edward held me close and we walked through the sand. I rested my head on

his shoulder and he tightened his arm around mine.
“Thank you for tonight,” I said quietly. “I really had a good time.”
“I did too,” he smiled. “I missed this. It seems like we‟re so busy now, that it‟s
hard to just hang out and be us.”
“Well, we should try harder then, because, I really really enjoy just being with
you.”
Edward kissed me on the forehead and smiled.
“I enjoy just being with you too.”

“So, maybe we should reserve at least one night a month to just get away and
have a date. It‟s nice.”
“Even when the baby comes?”
“Especially when the baby comes,” I nodded. “You think I was going crazy

today? Emmett is basically practice for the baby. All he does is eat, sleep, and
make lots of noise. Trust me, when it‟s the real thing, I‟ll be going insane.”
“So, I‟ll have to come and rescue you sometimes then?”
“You know it,” I said, bringing him in for a kiss. “Thank you for a wonderful

weekend.”
“You‟re welcome, Bells,” he smiled. “Anytime.”

~*~

Chapter 16: The Holiday

Bella POV
A week before Christmas, I was getting the house ready for our visitors. Yes,

Emmett was still living at our house, and after a talk with Edward, he was
slowly becoming easier to live with. Edward pointed out to me that Rose had

probably kept him in line, and without her direction, he just went back to his
old ways.
Our house would be busy for the holidays. My mom would be coming on
Christmas Eve, as would Edward‟s parents. We pointed out to them that

moving out here would save them money, since they were visiting so often, and
Carlisle assured that a decision would be made by the end of their trip. My dad
would be joining us on Christmas Day, and he even asked permission to bring

Sue, who he had become well acquainted with since Thanksgiving. I was happy
that he had someone to keep him company while he was here.
I was working on my column one day, my last one before Christmas, when I
heard Edward come through the front door. It was only eleven in the morning,

so it was strange that he was home so early.
I turned off the computer, and Edward appeared in the doorway of the office.
“Hey,” I said happily, greeting him with a kiss. “What are you doing here so
early?”
“I have a surprise for you,” he smiled. “An early Christmas present, if you will.”
“Edward, I hate surprises,” I whined.
“You‟ll love this one. I promise.”
Edward took my hand and led me to the closed front door.

“Okay, open it,” he said, his hand on my back. “Trust me.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes before hesitantly opening the door. When I saw

who was on the other side, I screamed…literally. I screamed like a stupid
teenager.
“Mom!” I squealed, shocked to see Renee on my doorstep. I threw my arms
around her neck and gave her a huge hug.
“Bella!” she laughed. “Merry Christmas!”
“I wasn‟t expecting you for another week!”
“Well, Edward flew me out early to surprise you. He thought we should have
extra time together before I have to go back to Phoenix.”
“This is incredible!” I exclaimed excitedly. I turned around and hugged

Edward. “Thank you so much. I can‟t believe you did this.”
“Well, I knew how much you missed her. And I knew this would make you

smile.”
I gave him a big kiss and led my mom inside.
“Hey, Bells, I have to go back to work,” Edward said from the doorway. “I‟ll be
home before dinner.”
“Okay,” I nodded, giving him a hug. “Thank you again. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he smiled. “Now, go show your mom around the house.”
I went back to an excited Renee and led her to the living room.
“Sit down, mom,” I said, pointing to the couch. “Make yourself at home.”
“Oh Bella,” she gleamed. “I am so happy to be here. It feels like I haven‟t seen

you in forever.”
“It‟s been too long,” I agreed, sitting next to her. “I‟ve missed you so much.”
“I‟ve missed you too. And look at you. You look like you‟re ready to pop any
day.”
“I still have at least another month,” I laughed, patting my stomach. “Nine

months have never taken so long.”
“Well, you look beautiful,” she smiled. “Absolutely glowing. It‟s like I‟m

looking at a whole other person.”
“Thanks, mom.”
“It‟s been a while since the trial. I take it you put all that behind you.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “It was actually a pretty good experience for me. I‟m all good

now.”
“Well, you look happy,” my mom said with a big smile. “Are you happy?”

“Very,” I nodded. “Listen, I know you were hesitant when I first told you I was
getting married. I know you thought it was too soon, and it wasn‟t a good idea,

but…”
“Shh,” she said, taking me into a hug. “Forget all of that. That was me, not you.

This life suits you and I can see it. You have a great life now. You have a good
job, a baby on the way, and a gorgeous husband that worships the ground you

walk on. You deserve all of that.”
“Even though I‟m making you a grandma?” I smirked.
“Yeah, I guess I can forgive you for that. It will be worth it to have a little
grandchild that reminds me just of you.”
“Thanks mom,” I smiled.
“So, tell me about what‟s been going on. How are you and Edward?”
“I told you, we‟re good,”
“No, I mean, how are the two of you together? Everything‟s going good in the
romance department.”
“Mom…”I blushed.
“Now, Isabella, I don‟t want gory details. I just know that things are busy. I was
wondering if you guys are still strong.”
“Yeah, we‟re doing much better now,” I said. “I mean, there was this tough
couple of months where there was so much drama going on that it was hard to

really connect. But then we took some time to get reconnected and everything
was good again. He really makes an effort for me.”
“I can tell,” she nodded. “Just make sure you take some time every once and a
while. It will be difficult with the baby and everything.”
“I know. We‟re making a plan.”
“Good. And how is your friend, Rosalie? You were telling me about her
situation. Have you heard from her yet?”
“Um, we write letters to each other. Usually once or twice a week. She tells me
that the psychiatrist that Carlisle recommended is working miracles. I mean,

she‟s not really better, but she‟s improving. Hopefully, she‟ll be home soon.”
“And her husband?”
“Still living here,” I sighed. “We almost got him out about a week ago. He told
us he was ready to go home, but when he got there to an empty house, he fell

apart. He couldn‟t do it.”
“Well, it‟s so nice of you and Edward to take him in.”
“He‟s our friend,” I reasoned. “It‟s all we could do.”

“What about Alice? How‟s she?”
“Better,” I exhaled. “Much better. She took Rose‟s old job, so both she and

Jasper are working again. They‟re slowly getting back on their feet. I‟ve been
helping them out by taking Marie once or twice a week. It gives me good

practice for the baby.”
“Well, that‟s great. It looks like things are going well for the most part. Just a

little drama here and there.”
“Yeah, but that‟s life,” I shrugged. “Come on, let me show you the house.”
I got up off the couch and led my mom around the various rooms. The house
was still a little messy, because I hadn‟t had the time to clean, but my mom
loved the place regardless.
“Bella,” she started, as we walked back down the stairs. “I‟m proud of you, you
know.”
“You are?”
“Yeah, you‟ve made quite the life for yourself. I mean, when I was pregnant

with you, I wasn‟t as ready as you are right now. Don‟t get me wrong, you were
the best thing that ever happened to me, but I just never had the right skills to
be a mother.”
“That‟s ridiculous,” I laughed. “You were a great mom.”
“But I was scatterbrained and more focused in my career. I was never prepared

for anything. I mean, you were really the mom in our relationship.”
“So, you think I‟ll be a good mom to my kid?” I asked hesitantly.
Renee laughed and put her arm around me.
“Are you kidding? You‟ll be the best. You‟re nurturing and loving. You always

do the right thing. You‟ll be fine.”
“Thanks,” I smiled. “I mean, I know for sure that Edward will be a good father.
There‟s no doubt about that. I just hope I can be just as good of a parent.”
“Don‟t worry about it, Bella,” my mom assured. “You two will be the best
parents a kid could ask for.”
And I had to believe that she was right.

~*~

Edward POV
That Christmas was pretty great.
It was nice to have the whole family there again. And to think, that next time,
there would be an extra seat at the table. There was a good feeling in the air
again.

There was one person missing, of course. It was hard to see Emmett
celebrating the holiday without his wife. Almost everyone at the table was

paired off. Alice and Jasper, Bella and I, Charlie and Sue, Renee and Phil, and
Carlisle and Esme. It was like Noah‟s ark. I couldn‟t imagine being separated

from my other half. But, we made sure that he was as comfortable as possible,
and eventually, he was in good spirits.
The best part of the night was when Carlisle stood up to make a toast.
“Everyone, Esme and I would like to say something to you all. Now, I know

there‟s been a lot of talk about the Chief of Medicine job at the hospital here in
Seattle, and I admit that I have been hesitant to take it. That would be a big
change for the whole family, and leaving the house we‟ve lived in for so many

years would be more than difficult. But, after a lot of consideration and
discussion, we‟ve agreed that the offer is just too good to pass up. So, we‟ll be

moving here to Seattle next month.”
“Yes!” Bella exclaimed. “Finally!”
We all laughed at her excitement and celebrated the announcement. I was glad
to have them close by. The past year, I had discovered how important family
was to me. I realized that no one could happily live their life isolated and alone.
Bella was my family now. She and the baby were my life. I could never go back
from that. As horrible as it sounds, they completed me. I already loved that

baby with all my being, and I hadn‟t even met him or her yet.
After dinner, I cleaned up the dishes as everyone else gathered sat around and

conversed. As I as washing everything up in the kitchen, I heard Alice come in
and join me.
“Hey Alice…” I started, but I was interrupted by Alice throwing her arms
around my neck and giving me a hug.
“What is this for?” I asked, as I hugged her back.
“For being my brother,” she smiled. “I was just thinking today at dinner, how
weird this all is. We‟ve grown up so much, and we have our families now and

everything.”
“That‟s what happens, Alice,” I laughed. “What were you expecting?”
“I don‟t know. Maybe we‟d stay young forever. Things wouldn‟t change.”
“Things always change. People get married, babies are born. We get jobs…”
“We lose jobs,” she finished for me. “But things work out in the end.”
I was happy for Alice. Things were coming together for her too. She was finally
working again and they were getting back on their feet. She never gave up, and

that‟s why I loved her.
“Well, I should get back out there,” she said, backing away.

“Hey Al,” I said, stopping her.
“Yeah?”
“Some things might change, but I want you to know, you‟ll always be my sister,
and I‟ll always love you.”
She smiled and nodded her head.
“Ditto. Merry Christmas, Edward.”
“Merry Christmas, Alice.”
The rest of the day went by way too quickly. Gifts were exchanged, stories were

told, and jokes were shared. We all had a good time. Renee and Phil, Emmett,
and Carlisle and Esme were all staying at our house, and when they all finally
went to bed, I took Bella into the living room.
“What is it, Edward?” she yawned. “It‟s late. I wanna go to bed.”
“Christmas isn‟t over yet,” I laughed. “Sit down.”
I led her to the couch and she sat down hesitantly.
“What is all this about?”
I walked over and sat at my piano.
“I‟ve been working on something. It‟s your Christmas present.”
“You got me tons of lovely gifts, Edward,” she smiled. “You don‟t have to give

me anything else.”
“But this gift is special,” I winked, as I started touching some keys. “It‟s a

lullaby for the baby.”
I started playing the song I had practiced for so many months. The keys flowed

together as naturally as I could make them. I made it as soothing and light as I
possibly could. I wanted it to capture the happiness and love I felt when I

thought of my child.
When the song was over, Bella was staring at me. She was smiling
uncontrollably, as she rested her hand on her huge pregnant stomach.
“Edward, that was…”
She couldn‟t finish. She came up to me and threw her arms around my neck.
“So, I‟m guessing you liked it?” I laughed, as I held her close to me.
“I was beautiful,” she sniffled. “I loved it.”
“Well, I‟ve been working on it for a while. I hadn‟t found the perfect sound
until recently. I wanted our baby to be born into the world with its own theme

song.”

“Hm,” Bella giggled into my shoulder. “What did I do in my life to deserve a
husband as wonderful as you?
I tilted her head up with my chin and kissed her forehead.
“Bella, you are the most beautiful, loving, amazing woman in this world. I will

never in my life be worthy of your love. But I promise you I will try as hard as I
can every day of my existence to be the man you deserve. I give you my word

on that.”
She brought her lips to mine and gave me a long and passionate kiss. I could

feel the baby move within her and my hands went immediately to her stomach.
It was a habit now.
“Bella,” I mumbled under her lips. “I have to tell you something.”
“What‟s that?” she asked, continuing to kiss me.
“I have to go to Chicago next month.”
She slowly pulled away.
“Well, I was expecting that.”
“I tried to argue with them, but they won‟t budge. But they promise to fly me
back on the company jet immediately in case you go into labor.”
“It‟s okay, Edward,” she nodded. “Don‟t worry about me.”
“Yeah right,” I scoffed. “I‟ll be losing my mind. I can hardly be away from you
when you‟re not pregnant. Now, it will be impossible.”
“How long will you be gone for?”
“No more than three days,” I assured. “I‟m going to get back as soon as

humanly possible.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “I‟ll be alright. This is important to you…to us. This is

good for our family. You do what you need to do.”
“Thank you,” I said, kissing her again. “Merry Christmas, Bella.”
“Merry Christmas, Edward.”
“Merry Christmas, Baby Cullen,” I whispered again.
I laughed when I felt the baby kick once again beneath my hand.

~*~

Chapter 17: The Fear

Bella POV
“Okay, here is the number to my baby pager. You know my direct line, and

here is the number to the hotel I‟ll be staying at,” Edward rambled as he
handed me a piece of paper. “I want you to call me if you start getting anything
that resembles a contraction. I‟ll call you every chance I get.”
“Edward, relax. I‟ll be fine,” I laughed. “You are freaking out.”
“Well, I‟m leaving my almost nine months pregnant wife for a few days and

going to another state. Why wouldn‟t I be freaking out? She could only go into
labor while I‟m gone. I could only miss the birth of my child!”
I rolled my eyes as he went on and on. He had said about 40 times already that
he wasn‟t going, but I practically forced him.
You see, Edward had been especially nervous since the doctor put me on bed

rest until the baby was born. He said that too much movement would induce
labor. Therefore, Edward and I moved into the bedroom downstairs, and I

spent all of my time on the couch. I couldn‟t even go to the airport with
Edward.
“Honey, you have to chill, okay?” I said, embracing him in a hug. “I promise I‟ll
be fine. I‟ll call you the second something feels off. I‟m not going to let you ruin

this for yourself. You‟ve been dying to make partner for months. Besides, I‟ve
got Alice, Jasper, and Emmett staying here while you‟re gone. I‟m in very
capable hands.”
“I don‟t know…”Edward sighed. “You know what, I‟m not going.”
“Not this again!” I groaned.
“Sorry, I‟m not leaving you,” he said, putting down his bags.
“Edward Anthony Cullen, you pick up those bags right this second,” I ordered.

“Now, you are going to Chicago, and I am not taking no for an answer. If you
don‟t, then I am throwing your sorry ass out of this house.”
“But Bella…”
“No, come here,” I demanded. I planted a huge kiss on his lips and pushed him
off of me. “Now, good luck. You are going to kick ass. I love you more than

anything. Get your ass out of here!”
Edward chuckled and kissed me again.
“I‟ll miss you,” he whispered against my lips.
“I know, I‟ll miss you too.”
“I‟ll call you when I land.”

“Only if you want to.”
“Of course I‟ll want to.”
I gave him one more strong hug before letting him walk out the door.
Hearing him drive off made me already start to miss him. I had convinced

myself that I would be fine having him gone for three days. I had talked myself
into feeling good about it. But the truth was that I was more nervous than I

ever thought I would be.
“Hey Bella, are you okay?” Alice asked, as she led me back to the couch.
“Yeah, I‟m just a little freaked out.”
“That‟s understandable. You should have seen me the last few weeks of my
pregnancy. I was a mess. You‟re handling it a lot better than I thought. I

assumed you‟d be grasping on to Edward‟s ankles, begging him not to go.”
“I‟d be lying if I said I hadn‟t considered it,” I sighed. “But, this is important to

him. And if it‟s important to him, it‟s important to me. He wouldn‟t stop me
from pursuing my dreams, so I won‟t stop him.”
“You‟re a good wife, Bella,” Alice nodded. “A good friend too. I think that‟s why
you and Edward get along so well. You have that kind of relationship where
you can tell each other anything. And you would do anything to make the other

happy. That‟s just how you are.”
I nodded, uncomforted by her words. Alice smiled and put her arm around me.
“Come on Bella, this week will be fun,” she assured. “I‟m going to tell you all
the beauties of childbirth. For once, I can actually give you some pointers.”
“Uh-oh,” I sighed. “I remember you when Marie was born. Jasper was
hyperventilating while you were about to tear our heads off.”
“This is true. And to be honest, you got to see the better part. The real thing is
not as gorgeous as it‟s romanticized to be. A lot of it is kind of gross actually.
Not to mention it hurts like hell.”
“Thanks Alice. I feel much better now,” I said sarcastically.
“But…the point is it‟s all worth it. When you see your baby, it first hits you that

you are a mother. It‟s a feeling like no other. And all of a sudden, you forget
everything else. You forget the pain, you forget the worrying. All that matters is

that little life in your hands.”
“Really? It‟s that good?”
“It‟s much better.”
Alice picked up Marie, who was sitting on the floor, and handed her to me.
“See,” Alice smiled, as Marie‟s tiny arms clung around my neck. “How can

something so small and lovable be too scary?”

I laughed and placed a kiss on Marie‟s forehead. Alice was right. It would all be
worth it in the end.

~*~

Edward POV
“Hey stranger,” a voice said from behind as I was reading my book at the gate.
I turned around to see my coworker standing behind me with a big grin on her

face.
“Hey Vic,” I greeted with a smile. “I didn‟t know you were coming.”
“Yep. Apparently I‟m your big competition. It‟s down to just the two of us.”
Victoria took a seat next to me.
“Why am I not surprised?” I laughed. “So, what tricks do you have pulled up

your sleeve?”
“What makes you think I have any tricks?”
“Um, how about the last time we went on a business trip? If I recall, you
showed up at my door half naked and tried to sleep with me.”
“That was almost a year ago,” she defended. “You know more than anyone how
much I‟ve changed.”
“You know I‟m kidding,” I chuckled. “A lot‟s happened since then.”
“Tell me about it. I mean, within about a week, you‟re going to be a father.
How scary is that?”
“Oh God,” I replied, sinking my head into my hands. “Don‟t remind me.”
“What? I thought you were excited?”
“I‟m thrilled. But at the same time, I feel incredibly guilty right now. I mean,
Bella could go into labor any minute, and I‟m here in an airport. What kind of

husband does that make me?”
Victoria rolled her eyes.
“Edward, you are the most ridiculous human being I have ever met. You are a

great husband to Bella. I‟ve seen the way you stick by her, even in the worst
situations. I know how hard you work so you can provide for a family you don‟t

even have yet. And I know for a fact that the she is the main reason you are
going after this job. You want to make her proud.”
“I think that shrink is getting to you,” I teased. “Now you suddenly know
everything?”
“I do alright,” she laughed. “And for the record, just in case I get braggy later, I
want you to know that there‟s no one else I‟d rather be in competition with
than you. I know you‟ll put up a good fight.”

“Same,” I nodded. “And we can all still be friends after this, right?”
“Of course. Besides, I need your wife for dating advice. She proves to be quite

helpful.”
“That‟s what they all say,” I laughed.
Victoria smiled as they called us to board.
“It‟s gonna be alright, Edward,” she assured. “I‟ll make it my personal mission

to make sure that you get to see the birth of your child.”
“Thanks,” I sighed. “Because I‟m going to need all the help I can get.”

~*~

Bella POV
The next day was Edward‟s interview. I had talked to him about ten times since

I had said goodbye, and he was constantly sending me texts and emails, asking
me how I was feeling. I told him over and over again that I was fine. Nothing

was out of the ordinary besides some back pains.
Alice had left that Saturday morning for work to get some extra hours in. But

Jasper and Emmett were still at the house, playing video games in the living
room, where I was reading a book. I had learned to tone them out since they

had been there, and I was looking forward to getting some extra reading done
before the baby arrived.
As I turned the page, I heard the phone ring. I reached for it and froze when I

saw Rose‟s last name appear on the caller ID. I wasn‟t sure that she wanted to
speak to Emmett, so I got off the couch and waddled to the kitchen, neither of

the males noticing due to their trance.
When I reached the kitchen, I took a deep breath and stared at the phone. I

hadn‟t actually spoken to Rose since before she lost the baby. All of our
communication had been through letters, emails, or hearsay. Was she finally
ready to talk to me?
“Hello?” I answered hesitantly, waiting for a reply.
“Bella?” a familiar voice greeted. “Bella, is that you?”
“Rose?” I smiled.
“Yeah, it‟s me. I can‟t believe I‟m hearing your voice. It‟s been so long.”
“It has,” I breathed. “H-how are you?”
“Better. I‟m slowly getting better. I woke up this morning and decided it was

time to call you. I don‟t feel so strange about it anymore. In fact, it kind of
seems stupid that I have been avoiding you.”

“I understand why,” I nodded. “Don‟t feel stupid. I would have done the same
thing.”
“But…I miss you, Bella,” she sighed. “I feel guilty for shutting you out. I just
want to be best friends again.”
“We can do that.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You‟ve always been my best friend. I‟ve missed you too.”
“Oh,” she said, relieved. “Thank you. It means a lot. How‟s Emmett?”
“Emmett‟s…coping,” I said hesitantly. “He‟s still living here. He can‟t really go
home. Do you want to speak to him?”
“No,” she answered immediately. “Not yet. I mean, I‟m going to have to…soon.

Very soon. I‟m just making one phone call at a time, if you know what I mean.”
“I understand. So, you‟re feeling better?”
“Yeah, things have been coming together. My therapist is great. You‟ll have to
thank Edward.”
“Well, I‟d put him on, but he‟s in Chicago, interviewing for partner.”
“Bella, aren‟t you due any day now?”
“Well, sort of. Actually, I‟m not due until next week, so we have time. I

just…ah.”
“What?”
“My back is killing me. I shouldn‟t even be standing.”
I took at seat at the kitchen table. “Anyways, I‟m glad to hear you‟re feeling

better. You don‟t know how good it is to hear your voice.”
“I feel the same way, Bella. I‟m glad you‟re not mad at me. I feel like I need you

so much now. You see, something‟s happened.”
The baby was kicking me fiercely, almost to the point of pain. I just placed my
hand on my stomach and tried to concentrate of what Rose was saying.
“Oh really?” I said, squirming uncomfortably. “What‟s that?”
“Well, it‟s actually kind of big. And I can‟t decide whether it‟s a good thing or a

bad thing. I have to talk to Emmett first. But, do you remember…”
“Aghh!” I cried, as I sharp pain hit me. “Holy shit!”
“Bella, are you alright?” her voice said in panic.
“My God, this hurts!” I groaned.
“Bella! Bella!” she shouted. “It sounds like you‟re having contractions.”

“No! No, it couldn‟t be. It‟s just a little…oh God!”
“Bella, are you alone?”
“No…ah…Jasper and…damn…Emmett are here.”
“Well, tell them to wait until you‟re five minutes apart, then tell them to get

you to the hospital immediately.”
Suddenly, I felt something strange. I looked down on the floor and gasped.
“Bella? Bella, are you still there?”
“Um, I don‟t think we‟ll have to wait that long,” I breathed heavily.
“What?”
“I…I think my water just broke.”
There I was in the middle of the kitchen, all alone, with my husband halfway

across the country. The only people who could help me were two men, who at
the moment were completely engrossed in their video games.

~*~

Chapter 18: The Faith

Edward POV
“That was incredible!” Victoria gaped excitedly as we left the building. “I can‟t
believe you just did that!”
“Victoria, I‟d really rather not talk about it right now. I just want to get home.”
“But Edward, what you did in there…it was amazing.”
“I can only hope Bella feels the same way,” I sighed.
“Well, can I at least thank you for what you did?” she asked with a smile.
“Please?”
“Don‟t mention it,” I nodded. “Let‟s get the hell out of here.”
We pulled a cab and gave the driver directions to the hotel. I decided to turn

on my phone, after keeping it off for the beginning of the day.
“Who are you calling?” Victoria asked, still giddy from the earlier events.
“Who do you think?” I laughed. “Bella, of course. I should check up on her.”
When my phone came on, I was surprised to see there were 15 voicemails. I

only had my phone off for a few hours, so I was nervous to see what the
problem was. Before I could check my messages, however, I was receiving a
call from Emmett.
“Hello?” I answered hesitantly.

“Edward! I got him! Oh my God! You need to come home! Bella…stop Jasper!
That‟s not helping!...I‟m trying to talk to him!...Bella, calm down. We‟re getting

there!”
“Emmett!” I shouted, as I discovered what was going on. “What is it? Is it

Bella?”
“Her water broke about fifteen minutes ago. We‟re on our way to the hospital,

but there‟s traffic. We‟re getting there as fast as we…stop it Jasper!”
“Is she alright? Please tell me she‟s alright.”
“I think she‟s okay,” he said, out of breath. “She‟s just a little antsy. It‟s Jasper
that‟s freaking out. Remember when Marie was born? It‟s a flashback to that.
He‟s pissing Bella off pretty bad, and I think she just threatened to tear his

man parts off if he keeps this up.”
“Shit,” I muttered, as I wondered how I would get home on time. “Okay,

where‟s Alice?”
“At work. We‟re trying to get a hold of her, but she left her cell phone at the

house.”
“Alright,” I sighed, knowing that my calmness would be best. “Listen, when
you get to the hospital, don‟t leave her side, okay? I want you to call my

parents, her dad, and keep trying to get Alice. I am going to try to get home as
soon as I can.”
“I can do that,” he said decisively. “I think…ow…Bella wants to talk to you.”
“Okay, put her on. And Emmett…”
“Yeah?”
“Please, take good care of her. Make sure she gets through this okay. I‟m

trusting you.”
“I won‟t let you down, Edward. I promise I will do nothing less than you would
if you were here.”
“That‟s all I‟m asking. Now, put my wife on.”
“Edward?” a timid panicked voice said from the other end.
“Bella, are you alright?” I asked, relieved to hear her.
“I think I‟m okay. It just hurts…a lot. And I‟m worried.”
“I know, love,” I said calmly. “But promise me you‟ll stay calm, alright? I
promise everything will be okay. Emmett will take care of you. Jasper…well,

just ignore him.”
“But what if you don‟t get here in time? Edward, I don‟t know what I‟m going
to do if you‟re not here…”

“Bella, please don‟t worry about that. I will find a way to get to you. I promise.
Just focus on the baby. Everything will be fine. Do you trust me?”
“With my life,” she breathed.
“Good. I trust me too. And I know there is no way I can possibly miss this. I‟ll

call the National Guard if I have to.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “It trust you.”
“I have to go now, Bella. Stay strong…for me.”
“I will,” she said. “I love you.”
“I love you too. And I love that baby as well. More than anything.”
“Goodbye Edward,” she said shakily. “Hurry.”
“Goodbye Bella.”
When I hung up the phone, I leaned down and pinched the bridge of my nose.
I had to think of a way home. I had to. I promise Bella, and I promised myself.
“Edward,” I heard Victoria say. “What can I do?”
I sighed, as I thought of a plan.
“Okay, I think I know,” I said, not looking up. “I‟m going to drop you off at the
hotel. Here‟s my room key. I want you to get your stuff together, then go to my
room and grab my bags. I hardly unpacked, so you‟ll be okay. Check us both

out and catch the next flight to Seattle. You can drop off my stuff at the
hospital when you come visit.”
“What about you? How are you going to get home?”
“I don‟t know,” I admitted. “I‟ll just have to find a way.”
“Well, what if I told you I had connections?”
“Connections?”
“Let‟s just say, that back in the day, I met Larry from Chicago. He might just
own a helicopter company and he might just owe me a favor or two.”
“Are you serious right now?” I asked, dumbstruck. I knew she was from

Chicago, but I didn‟t imagine she‟s have those kind of connections.
Victoria handed me a business card.
“Just tell him Vicky sent you. That should get you in the air within a couple
minutes.”
She grinned, pretty satisfied with herself. I couldn‟t help but to giver her a hug.
“Thank you so much, Victoria. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“I‟m sure I don‟t,” she smiled. “But I owe you after today. Maybe now we could
call it even.”

“For sure,” I nodded.
The cab driver pulled up to the hotel, and Victoria got out, handing him a wad

of cash.
“Take this man wherever he needs to be as soon as humanly possible. It‟s an

emergency.”
I smiled at her thankfully. The driver was astonished by the amount of money

and nodded furiously.
“Sure thing, Miss,” he said.
“Good luck, daddy,” she winked, before shutting the door.
The cab sped up and flew down the highway, after I gave him the address.
Maybe there was hope after all.

~*~

Bella POV
“Oh my God!” I groaned, as another contraction hit. “Why does it hurt so
much?”
“I don‟t know,” Emmett whined. “I know nothing about this kind of stuff. I jut
assumed it was a quick and easy process.”
“Well, obviously, it‟s not!” I snapped.
Emmett was now pushing me in the wheelchair, with Jasper stumbling behind.
I wish we would have left him back at the house. He was a worse emotional

wreck than I was.
We wheeled up to the front desk, and the blonde perky receptionist greeted us

with a smile.
“Hello!” she greeted happily. “What can I help you with today?”
I looked down at my very obvious pregnant stomach, and I imagined that I
looked quite the mess. I was sweaty, out of breath, and looked like I was about
to pop.
“Actually I‟m here for a liposuction appointment,” I said sarcastically. “Can
you point me in the direction of the plastic surgeon‟s office.”
“Bella,” Emmett laughed nervously. “This is not the time to start pissing people
off.”
“Oh it‟s okay,” the woman giggled. “New mothers tend to get a little fiesty
before the birth.”
I was about to strangle her, but then I wondered if she had access to the drugs.
“So, which one of you is the father?” she asked, looking at Emmett and Jasper.

“Neither,” I answered.
“Oh, I see,” she nodded sympathetically.
“No. I mean, my husband is on his way. These are the uncles, so to speak. It‟s a
long story. But, I am expecting the father to be here before the delivery.”
“Alright,” the woman nodded.
She assigned me to a room and I awaited the arrival of the doctor. It was

worrying that I was here with the last to people I would have asked for, but I
was surprised at how supportive they were. I mean, Jasper was a mess, but he

went out and did errands for me, like calling my family and getting me ice
chips. Emmett was actually really supportive in the emotional sense. He never
left my side the entire time, and held my hand through each contraction.
Fortunately, the doctor informed me that I was only a few centimeters dilated.
I still had time. She was surprised when I told her that I wanted to drag this

out as long as possible, but when I explained the situation, she understood.
I was trying my best not to be nervous. I had faith in Edward, and I knew how

much being here meant to him. He would do anything possible to get to the
hospital in time.
While Jasper was off trying to get a hold of Alice, I sat in the hospital room

with Emmett. I looked at his face, and I saw something that was missing.
Happiness. He used to be so full of humor and life, and for quite some time, he

had seemed empty.
“Em?” I started. “How are you doing?”
“Shouldn‟t I be asking you that?”
“I‟m fine for a minute or two. I‟m just wondering how you are.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean. We both know you haven‟t been yourself
lately.”
“It‟s obvious why,” he said. “I miss her.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked. “I mean, we have time.”
“Do you really want to hear some sad guy talk about how much he misses his
wife?”
“No. But I want to hear my brother tell me what he‟s feeling. I want him to talk
to me.”
“I‟m not your brother, Bella,” he chucked.
“You might as well be,” I admitted. “I mean, we‟ve been tight since what…fifth
grade? We practically grew up together. I was the one who introduced you to

Rose in the first place.”

“That‟s true,” he nodded. “I always tell people you‟re my sister.”
“Then please, talk to me.”
Emmett sighed and looked away.
“The truth is, Bella, I don‟t know how to feel. Part of me is furious at her for

shutting me out, for leaving me just like that. Part of me is guilty that it was my
fault in the first place, and that I couldn‟t give her the comfort she needed. Part

of me misses her more than anything, while part of me is relieved that she‟s
getting help. I guess, I just want her to be happy. But I want me to be happy

too.”
“It‟s a complicated situation, Emmett,” I said sincerely. “And I think it‟s
probably best that she wants help. You know she loves you more than

anything, right?”
“I know,” he sighed. “And being here makes me think. What if we had the

baby? Would I make a good father? Will I ever have that chance again?”
“Do you want that chance again?”
Emmett nodded, not looking at me.
“Then, I think you will,” I smiled. “Emmett, you are only 28 years old. You
have time. And you have been so helpful to me today. You have a good soul,

and you would make an excellent father. I have no doubt.”
“You really think so?” he asked.
“I‟m positive.”
Emmett gave me a hug, and I suddenly felt another sharp pain.
“Holy crap!” I cried. “Here we go again!”
Suddenly, I heard the door swing open, and a determined and worried figure

was standing before me.
“Alice!” I exclaimed, half in happiness, half in pain.
“Bella!” she breathed, running to my side. “I am so sorry I didn‟t get here

sooner. Are you okay? Did the guys give you any crap? Tell me everything.”
I couldn‟t really chat at that moment. I was having a very painful contraction.

But when it was over, I told Alice the whole ordeal.
Soon, Carlisle and Esme came with Marie, Charlie showed up with Sue, and I

had a roomful of people trying to make sure I was comfortable. There was only
one person missing…Edward.
The clock was ticking. I was eight centimeters and it had been three and a half
hours since I was admitted to the hospital. My labor was going faster than I
had hoped. My contractions were getting closer together, and I knew I only

had an hour or two before I had to deliver.

“Where is he?” Alice said, as she paced up and down. The rest of the crowd was
in the waiting room, after I yelled at them to get out during one of the more

painful contractions.
“He‟ll be here,” I insisted, staring at the ceiling. “I have to believe that he‟ll be

here.”
“I know, Bella,” she sighed. “But if he doesn‟t, will you let me be here for you.”
“Of course,” I nodded. “But I‟m sure he‟ll be here eventually. He promised.”
“Well, Edward has always kept his word as long as I‟ve known him. But just be

prepared. You know, if he does miss this, it won‟t be the worse thing. He‟ll still
be the father, and he‟ll still be there for the rest of your lives.”
“Alice, please, let‟s just have faith, okay?” I pleaded. I couldn‟t think of another

possibility.
“Alright, what do you want to talk about?”
Alice took a seat at the edge of my bed and took my hand.
“Well, I actually wanted to ask you something. And I‟m afraid you‟ll be

offended, but that‟s not my intent.”
“Go ahead. You know you can talk to me.”
“Well, I am so honored to be Marie‟s godmother, and I will always treasure

that role. And you know how much I love you, and how much I would love to
return that favor to you. It‟s just that…”
“It would be good for Rose,” Alice finished. “Bella, I think that it‟s a great idea
for Rose to be the godmother. I was actually going to refuse if you asked me. I

can be her child‟s, or you next kid‟s godmother. I think it‟s more appropriate
that Rose took this position.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “But I appreciate you talking to me first. That was sweet.
Besides, I still get a title. I get to be the real aunt. I get to be Auntie Alice. I‟m

so excited!”
“I know. Me too,” I smiled. “I‟m going to be a mom soon. That‟s so scary to

think about, but it‟s so exciting. I feel that for once in my life, I‟ll be doing
something worthwhile. I‟ll be making a difference.”
“I understand that feeling,” she agreed. “Marie is the best thing that has ever
happened to me. There‟s no other feeling better than being a mother,

especially when you have a husband like Edward that you can share it with.”
I grinned, before my smile faded into a face of pain.
“Another one?” Alice whined. “Crap. When is your husband going to get here?”
“Any minute now,” I groaned. “I just know it.”

“I don‟t know how you do it, Bella,” Alice said. “I don‟t know how you can have
so much faith.”
Suddenly, I heard the door swing open once more.
“Because I made her a promise,” a shaky velvet voice stated.

~*~

Chapter 19: The Moment

Edward POV
Life is a beautiful thing.
It sounds cliché, and like an opener of any corny story. It sounds naive and

optimistic, and usually when someone says it, they are only disappointed.
But for me, it was true. Life was beautiful. Life was a miracle.
The second I saw those eyes look up at me; the first time that hand grasped for
my finger; the instant I saw my beautiful wife hold our newborn child against
her chest…that‟s what life was about.
Bella and I were taken to the delivery room about an hour after I had arrived. I
think my presence made it easier for her. It was one less thing to worry about.

I never left her side the entire time, and her hand was in mine throughout then
whole birth.
It was no doubt painful for her, and when it was over, we were both exhausted.
But she was amazing. I had never seen her so strong. She knew what was at

stake, and she knew that it was all worth it.
I stood by her bedside as she screamed and groaned and struggled through
each push. I wiped the sweat from her forehead and kissed her temple every

time she ran out of breath. And when it was finally time, I whispered softly
memories of our life together so far, and the new memories we would make as

parents of a beautiful child.
Her final words before the baby left her body were, “I bet you twenty bucks it‟s

a boy.”
And with that, our child was born.
It was a feeling like no other. When I heard the baby cry for the first time, I felt
a rush. I was a father. I was no longer just Edward the lawyer, or Edward the
husband. I was Edward the father.
I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. Sure, newborn babies aren‟t
nearly as cute as they get to be after a couple months, but it wasn‟t just the

physical sight that was breathtaking. It was the thought that the child was

mine and Bella‟s. It was something that we had created together; something
that was a part of her and a part of me.
I could hardly breath as the nurse placed the new life into my arms. Nothing
else in the world mattered at that moment, besides the fact that the baby was

healthy, Bella was okay, and I was holding our child. Someone could have shot
me in the knee and I still would have remained completely still, taking in the

magnificence of the moment.
It was only Bella‟s soft and exhausted voice that could take me out of that

trance.
“Edward,” she whispered. “Can I hold my baby?”
I laughed out of poor joy, trying to control the emotions running though my

system.
“Of course Bella,” I chucked. “Here you go.”
I gently placed the baby on her chest, and she held in her arms, tears running
through her eyes.
“This is it, Edward,” she smiled ecstatically. “This is everything we‟ve wanted.
This is everything we‟ve been waiting for.”
I kissed her forehead and sat down next to her on the hospital bed.
“You were amazing,” I said, still shaky with emotion. “Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for giving us this.”
“Thank you for being here,” she replied tearfully. “I love you both so much.”
“I love you both too,” I grinned. “I love you both more than anything.”
We sat there in silence, just staring at the baby. There was so much to be said,
but there were no words. It was our time. It was our moment to be existentially

happy.
After a while, Bella‟s voice broke the silence.
“Edward…” she started with a smirk.
“Yes love?” I asked, still not taking my eyes of the child.
“You owe me twenty bucks.”

~*~

Bella POV
If you would have told me three years ago I would have had all this, I would
have laughed. If you would have told me that I would have a perfect husband

and a beautiful son, there would be no way I would have believed you.

I, Isabella Marie Cullen, was a mother. I was a mother of a perfectly healthy
baby boy, who had dark brown hair like me. It would take a while before his

eyes gained a specific pigment, but I prayed he would have Edward‟s eyes.
Either way, it didn‟t really matter. He was perfect. The delivery was hard, but

we made it through. Edward was with me and that was all that was important.
I couldn‟t have cared less about anything else in the world.
After a while, we thought it would be best to send in the others. When they
entered the room, they all tiptoed in quietly, there eyes widening when they

saw the small bundle in my arms.
“Bella…” Alice gaped in a whisper. “Is this the baby?”
I rolled my eyes.
“No Alice. I traded mine in for this better one. He comes with Tivo.”
“He?” Alice echoed, ignoring my sarcasm. “It‟s a boy?”
“Yep,” I nodded with a smile. “Everyone, I‟d like you to meet Edward Adam
Cullen.”
The room was filled with so many oohs and awws that I had to tell them to
keep it down, since the baby was sleeping.
“So you named him after Edward?” Jasper clarified.
“Well, I couldn‟t think of a more beautiful name. But, we did make a
compromise.”
“Yeah,” Edward interjected. “I didn‟t want my son going around being called
little Eddie, so we are probably going to call him Adam but keep Edward as his

first name, since my wife insisted.”
“That‟s sweet,” Alice smiled. “I like the name Adam. It will suit him.”
“I think so,” I agreed. I looked towards my father. “Dad, you want to be the
first to hold him?”
Charlie hesitantly approached.
“I don‟t know, Bells,” he shrugged. “It‟s been a while since I held a baby.”
“It‟ll all come back to you,” I insisted, placing the baby in his arms. “There

Adam. Say hi to your grandpa.”
“Lord,” Charlie sighed. “It‟ll take a while to get used to that.”
The baby took to him immediately, as well as the others who were there. He
seemed to fit in well with our crowd, and it made me happy that Adam would

be surrounded by such a great group of people.
That night, after everyone went home, Edward, Adam, and I all sat on my
hospital bed. We were the Cullen family, and it seemed like we were close to

being complete. There would probably at least one more child in our future. I
wanted to be sure Edward got what he wanted.
“Edward,” I whispered, stroking the baby‟s head. “Are you disappointed?”
“What?” he scoffed. “Bella, what could I possibly be disappointed about in this

moment? I‟m the happiest man alive.”
“Well, you didn‟t get your daughter that you wanted.”
Edward laughed and gave me a kiss.
“Bella, you ridiculous woman, don‟t ever think that I won‟t love this child as

much because he wasn‟t a girl. I am far from disappointed. I just assumed it
would be a girl because I liked the thought of another version of you. But I‟m
lucky enough just to have one Bella in my life. Now I have a beautiful son who

I‟ll love more than anything else in this world…next to you of course.”
“I‟m glad,” I smiled. “Because now, I can do my little victory dance.”
I sat up in my bed, still quite sore from the delivery. But that didn‟t stop me
from making a complete ass of myself. I moved my arms around in a circular

motion and bobbed my head.
“I was right. You know nothing. It was a boy. And you were wrong,” I sang in a
chanting melody.
“You are ridiculous,” he laughed. “But I‟ve never loved you more.”
He leaned in and gave me a kiss.
“Bella…” he started. “I have to tell you something.”
“Uh oh,” I replied. “That‟s never good.”
“Well, it‟s not terrible, but you might think it is.”
“What is it?”
“It has to do with the promotion, and me making partner.”
“OH my God!” I exclaimed. “I complete forgot about that! How did it go?”
“Not great,” he admitted. “There was some drama.”
“Drama?” I echoed. “What kind of drama?”
He exhaled and leaned back.
“Okay, well, when we got to the interview, Victoria went in first. She was in
there not too long, and I was surprised to see her come out so soon.”
“Alright…” I prompted.
“Well, when she came out of the room, she looked pissed. But more than that,

she looked scared. She was pretty shaken up about something, and I couldn‟t
place what it was. All she said was, ‘Congratulations. The job is yours.’ And

then she took a seat in the waiting room, since we were splitting a cab back and
she had to wait for me.”
“How strange.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “So, I was pretty confused, and I was trying to figure out

what she meant by that. Soon enough, they called me inside and the main
partner was the one doing the interviewing. Right off the bat, I could tell he

was a major asshole. It didn‟t take me long to realize what had happened. He
wanted Victoria to sleep with him in order to get the job. He had heard about

her reputation and thought she would be interested in sleeping her way to the
top.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped. “That‟s terrible.”
“I know,” he said, shaking his head. “And then he had the nerve to imply that I
was sleeping with her as well. He assumed that she was some whore that made

her rounds through the firm. It was disrespectful to both her and myself. I
informed him that I had a wife, and he said some things that were pretty

disgusting about getting some on the side. Anyway, he told me that since he
wasn‟t going to get what he wanted from her, he had no choice but to give me
the job. I was insulted beyond belief.”
“So, wait. Victoria didn‟t sleep with him, right?”
“Of course not,” he said. “She‟s learned from that.”
“Wow,” I gaped. “I can‟t believe that guy had the nerve.”
“Well, something came over me right then. If I took that job, I would be

encouraging it. And I know that I could never become…that. But there would
be that fear, that if I was surrounded by people like that, I would just blend. I

didn‟t want my child to be born into a world where his father is a part of such a
corrupt system.”
“Of course not,” I agreed. “You are so much better than that.”
“So,” he sighed. “I stormed out and brought Victoria back in, demanding that
he apologize to her before I filed a formal sexual harassment suit, which I will

be doing anyway. He gave her some half-assed sorry and then told me that we
were both fired. I told him to shove it up his ass and that I quit. He called

security and we left in a hurry.”
“Holy Crap!” I laughed. “That is so badass!”
“It is, isn‟t it?” he chuckled.
“Edward, I am so proud of you,” I said. “That‟s so amazing that you stood up
for her like that. Most people would have taken the job and shut up about it.”
“I couldn‟t do that, though,” he admitted. “It just wasn‟t right. But don‟t worry.
There were plenty of people in the waiting room who witnessed most of the

ordeal, and his secretary told me as we were leaving that she would give a
testimony if we needed one in the case. I can only imagine what kind of crap

she was put through working there.”
“That‟s amazing,” I said, still in shock. “You are the most incredible man in the

world, you know?”
“But Bella, I‟m out of a job. I mean, we have money. But we just had a baby,

and I‟m out of work. What kind of husband and father does that make me?”
“A good one,” I answered. “You stood up for what was right. That means more

than anything. And you‟ll get a new job in a second. You‟re pretty high
regarded here in Seattle.”
“Actually, I was thinking about it on the helicopter over here,” he said,

squeezing my hand. “What would you think about me opening up my own
firm. I know Victoria would come with me, and so would quite a few others

who I‟ve worked with the past few years. We have the money to start it, and I
would finally be working on my own terms.”
“I think that‟s a wonderful idea,” I agreed. “It‟s perfect. I don‟t know why you
didn‟t think of it sooner.”
Suddenly, the baby awoke and started crying from it‟s little crib by the bed.
“I‟ll get him,” Edward said proudly.
“You know, he‟s probably hungry. Sometimes a boy just needs his mother.”
“We‟ll see about that,” Edward laughed quietly. He held the baby to him
closely and whispered something only I could hear.
“Listen, little Adam,” he said. “Everything I do, I do it for you and mommy. I
love you both very much and I will do anything to make sure you two are

happy. And there will be times where you hate me or you think I‟m being
unreasonable, but I‟ll always do what‟s best for you. That‟s why I‟m here.”
I smiled as Edward handed him over to me.
“Here you go, mommy,” he teased.
“Thanks, daddy,” I said, trying not to cry. “I love you, Edward.”
He kissed me for the thousandth time today and grinned.
“I love you too, my Bella.”

~*~

Chapter 20: The Chance

Edward POV
“He‟s so perfect, isn‟t he?” she gleamed as she held our son in her arms once

again. “I can‟t stop staring at him.”
“Yeah, he‟s beautiful,” I agreed, kissing Bella‟s forehead. “I‟m sure he‟s excited
that he gets to go home today. I know I am.”
“Yes, and his Nana is flying in from Phoenix today to meet him, and all of the
family will be home to have a little party for his arrival. Doesn‟t that sound like

fun, Adam?”
I smiled at Bella‟s tone of voice. She spoke to him softly and sweetly, like

anyone would to a small baby.
It had seemed to me that Bella‟s beauty only increased now that she was a
mother. She had taken to the role so naturally, like she had been meant for it

her entire life. The way she looked at Adam warmed my heart, as her brown
eyes sparkled at the sight of him. These two people meant more to me than

anything else in the world, and the three of us together made me happier than
I could have ever imagined.
Bella caught me staring at her and blushed.
“What?” she asked in embarrassment.
“Nothing,” I smirked. “You‟re just so beautiful. Can it be possible that I‟m
falling even more in love with you?”
She smiled and lifted her head up for a kiss, when we were interrupted by a

knock on the door.
“Hello,” the doctor smiled as she entered the room. “Are the Cullens ready to

go home today?”
“More than ready,” Bella nodded, sitting up.
“Is everything prepared? You have the car seat, the baby formula, diapers…?”
“Check, check, and check,” I assured. “Don‟t worry. We‟ve been preparing for
this for months now.”
“Fantastic,” she smiled. “I‟m glad to see you two are ready. But remember, you
can‟t prepare for everything. The next few months are going to be quite

turbulent. Be ready for late nights, stress, and constant worrying. That won‟t
go away. But I think you two can handle it. I‟ve know you for a while and you

seem more than capable.”
“Thank you,” Bella grinned, looking down at Adam. “Now, Dr. Cope, tell us the

truth. Isn‟t Adam the most beautiful baby you‟ve ever delivered?”
The doctor giggled and looked down at her chart.

“Well, it‟s not my place to say, but…yeah, Adam is pretty precious. Besides,
since his grandpa is my boss now, I guess I have to say yes, don‟t I?”
“I guess you do,” I laughed.
“Now, before you go, how are you feeling, Bella?” the doctor asked.
“I‟m doing fine. Still sore, of course, but I know that doesn‟t go away every
night. I‟m a little exhausted still. But other than that, I‟m perfect.”
“Well, that‟s good. Just be sure to take it easy for a while. Get as much rest as
you can, and Edward, make sure to help out as much as possible.”
“Of course,” I smiled. “She deserves it.”
“Other than that, just avoid doing too much physical activity the next six
weeks. We‟ve already been over the stuff about nursing, and the rules about

sex. So, I think you‟re ready to go.”
I looked at Bella with a grin. “Ready?” I asked her.
“Ready,” she exhaled.
I took Adam from her as one of the nurses helped her into a wheelchair. Bella

was able to walk short distances, but it was painful for her right now to walk all
the way to the parking lot. I handed the baby back to her and pushed her to the
car, where we fastened the baby in the car seat.
Bella was already taking pictures of everything, including this, and insisted
that she sat in the back seat with the baby while I drove. I couldn‟t say no to

that face, even though I felt like a chauffeur on the way home.
When we pulled up to the house, I saw that the other people were already

there. There were cars parked down the street and a blue balloon was tied to
our mail box. I sat there for a second, before I turned around and saw Bella

staring off into space.
“You alright, love?”I asked with concern.
She blinked and looked at me.
“Edward?” she started. “What now?”
“What?”
“What now? This is it. We have a baby. This is a whole new chapter of our
lives. Once we go in that house, what do we do? We‟re parents. I don‟t know

how to be a mom. All I know so far is that my baby is cute and is hungry a lot
and cries when he needs a diaper change. That information will only last me

about a few days. What happens when he grows up? What happens when he
gets hurt and I don‟t know what to do? What happens if he gets a girl pregnant
or wants to drop out of high school? What are we going to do then, Edward?”

I saw tears form in her eyes as she went on. She had been very emotional since
she gave birth, but the doctor warned us of that. I sighed and got out of the car

and went into the backseat with her and the baby. Comforting her, I put my
arm around her and kissed the top of her head.
“Bella, we are not the first people to go through this, okay. Billions of parents
have had babies throughout the history of the world, and they were all just as

inexperienced as us when their kids were born. We‟re going to be alright.
We‟re going to be more than alright.”
“But things happen,” she sobbed into my shoulder. “How will we know what to
do?”
“We won‟t,” I assured. “But we‟ll figure it out. Listen, I‟m not telling you things

are going to be perfect, because they‟re not. Kids make mistakes. They get sick,
and they get hurt. All that matters, though, is that we will always love our

children no matter what, and we‟ll always have each other.”
“You promise the three of us will be alright?” she asked, looking up at me.
“I‟m sure,” I nodded. “It‟ll be fine.”
She took a deep breath and sighed.
“Alright, let‟s go in,” she breathed.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. It‟s time to be with the family.”
I smiled and helped her out of the car, taking the baby from her so she could
lean on me a little as we walked in.
“You know, when we get in there, it‟s going to be chaos,” I said, before I
opened the door.
“I know,” she smirked. “But it‟s worth it.”
Sure enough, when I opened the door, there was everyone. Renee, Phil,
Charlie, Sue, Alice, Jasper, Marie, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle. Everyone was

jumping with excitement as we walked in. If the baby wasn‟t already awake, he
would have been with the sound of everyone‟s voices.
“I want to hold him next!” I heard Alice‟s voice screech as I handed the baby
over to my mother.
“You can wait your turn,” Esme snapped, enamored with her grandson.
“Edward, he‟s beautiful. He looks just like you did when you were a baby.”
“Really? I think he looks like Bella.”
“Oh please!” Emmett scoffed. “All newborn babies look the same.”
“Are you saying my baby isn‟t cute?” Bella glared. She looked like she could kill

him in that second. I had never seen Emmett look that scared.

“Oh no! Of course not, Bella. You‟re baby is beautiful. Cute as a button.
Perfect,” he defended.
“That‟s what I thought,” she growled back. She turned her back and went to
talk to her dad.
I laughed and patted Emmett on the back.
“You know how people always say, don‟t mess with a mother bear when it

comes to her cubs?” I chuckled. “Don‟t mess with Bella when it comes to her
Adam.”

~*~

Bella POV
It was around 5 o‟clock, and Edward had convinced everyone to start leaving,

insisting that both me and the baby needed some rest. He was kicking
everyone out, and I was holding the baby in my arms.
I was surprised to see that Emmett had packed up his stuff and was getting
ready to leave as well.
“Em, where are you going?” I asked curiously.
“Well, I‟m going to stay with Alice and Jasper for the weekend. Then, I‟m going

to try going back home.”
“You know you can stay here,” I insisted.
“No, I can‟t. You three need your time. I can‟t impose on that. Plus, I would

just get in the way, and I honestly don‟t want to be kept up by a screaming
baby all night.”
I chuckled and gave him a one-armed hug.
“You know you are always welcome in our home. Come back anytime.”
“I know,” he nodded. “And thank you for having me all this while. I know I
haven‟t been the perfect housemate, and you two have been saints to put up
with me. I can‟t thank you enough for just being there.”
“No problem. We love you, Em.”
“Yeah, come back anytime,” Edward interjected.
Emmett nodded and headed out the door with the others.
The house was quiet now. No one was around but Edward, Adam, and I. I liked

the sense of the calm, after such a stressful couple of days.
We took a seat on the couch and the three of us were still for a while. We just

sat there, taking in the moment. We knew time would pass quickly, and we
needed to take in every moment we got.
Our silence, however, was interrupted by the doorbell.

“Who is that?” I asked, surprised.
“Maybe someone forgot something,” Edward suggested. “I‟ll get it.”
He got up off the couch and made his way to the door. When he left, Adam
noticed and started whining a little. I couldn‟t help but giggle.
“You get that from me,” I whispered. “Whenever daddy leaves the room, I get
cranky too.”
I chuckled and gave my son a kiss on the forehead.
Within a couple minutes, Edward poked his head around the corner.
“Hey Bells…” he started softly. “There‟s someone here to see you.”
“Okay,” I answered hesitantly. “Who?”
Suddenly, a figure appeared, and I almost dropped the baby when I saw who it

was.
“Rose!” I gasped with a smile. “Is that really you?”
She nodded, and I could see that she was shaking with nervousness. She stood
back, but couldn‟t help herself. She ran to me and threw her arms around me.

Luckily, Edward took Adam from my arms before he was squished.
“Bella,” she breathed. “Bella…I…I…”
“I know,” I finished for her, embracing her tightly. “You don‟t have to say

anything.”
Rose pulled back and I saw she had tears in her eyes.
“Oh, why are you crying?” I laughed, seeing I had tears myself.
“I just missed you so much. It feels like it‟s been years.”
I put my hand on her shoulder.
“You look pretty good, girl,” I smiled. “You look like the old Rose again.”
“Thanks,” she replied shyly. “You look beautiful. Are you feeling okay?”
“Perfect. You?”
“Better,” she nodded. “Much better.”
We sat there for a while, just catching up. I told her all about what she missed
and all of our plans for the future. She filled me in on her progress and what

life was like in California. Fortunately, she told me that she was back to stay.
She was ready to come home.
“Do you want to see the baby?” I offered. “He‟s up now.”
“Okay, bring him over.”
Edward walked over happily, placing the baby in Rosalie‟s arms.

“There you go,” he whispered. “Say hi to your Aunt Rosie.”
Rosalie accepted the baby and stared at him with a bright smile.
“He‟s beautiful, you guys,” she gushed. “Absolutely beautiful. What‟s his
name?”
“Adam,” I answered. “Edward Adam. He‟ll go by his middle name.”
“It‟s perfect. He‟s perfect.”
“I‟m glad you think so. His godmother better think he is the best thing in the
world.”
Her eyes widened and her head snapped towards my direction.
“What?”
“You‟re his godmother. Edward and I decided it would be the best choice.”
“Edward, Bella, I‟m honored. But really, you should ask Alice. She‟s your sister.
And after the way I treated you…”
“That has nothing to do with it,” Edward interjected. “You are our sister too.
We want you to be the godmother. Alice agrees. And I think Adam does too.”
I laughed when I saw Adam‟s little arm stretching up toward Rose, trying to
touch the tears on her face. Rose smiled and kissed Adam on the forehead.
I noticed right then just how beautiful Rose looked. She looked as if she had

undergone a complete transformation. Her pale skin glowed, and her eyes
were once again filled with happiness. I saw a smile on her face for the first

time in months that was actually genuine and filled with complete joy.
Edward excused himself from the room so we could talk. He must have known

something I hadn‟t because he winked and Rose and nodded before he left.
“What was that about?” I asked when he was gone from the room.
“Bella,” she exhaled. “There‟s something I want to talk to you about. I was
trying to tell you when I called the other day but…”
“We were interrupted,” I finished for her.
“Yeah,” she smirked. “So, let me start by telling you my progress. I‟ve been
doing a lot better. That time away really was good for me, and I will never

regret leaving for a while. You know I‟m sorry to both you and Emmett, but
still, I needed that.”
“I know you did,” I nodded.
“Anyway, last week I noticed something was off. I had been feeling funny for a

while, but I just figured it was the stress. But at the same time, I felt…happy.
Something inside me was hopeful, and I had a feeling of what it was. Then I

did some math, and I thought back to the night where Emmett and I had sex.
And…”
“Oh my God!” I gasped, coming to a conclusion. “Rose, are you telling me that
you‟re…?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I‟m having a baby too.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “That‟s…good…right?”
“I think so. I mean, I haven‟t felt so happy in a long time. I‟m worried, and I
think that this is happening before I‟m ready, but still…I need to have this

baby. I want my second chance.”
I smiled and gave her a hug.
“You are going to be a great mother. I am so happy for you.”
“Thanks. It means a lot to me that you think that.”
“Have you seen Emmett yet?” I asked. “Does he know?”
She shook her head.
“I still haven‟t found the courage to go see him. But I know I have to. And even

if he‟s not ready, we can work it out. If I have to live on my own, I will. But I
want things to be better with us. I want us to have this baby together.”
Suddenly, Adam started crying.
“Oh,” I sighed, picking him up. “Looks like it‟s time for a diaper change.”
“I guess I have that to look forward to now, huh?” Rose laughed.
“Maybe. But watch this,” I winked. “Edward! Edward, can you come in here for
a minute?”
Edward rushed in and was at the door in seconds.
“Yes, love?”
I put on my best sad puppy face and batted my eyelashes.
“Our son needs a diaper change. I would do it myself, but I‟m still a little tired
from everything. Would you mind terribly if…”
“I got it,” he said automatically. He took the baby from my arms and kissed my
cheek. “Are you okay other than that? Do you need anything?”
“No, I‟m fine. But thank you for asking,” I smiled charmingly.
“Okay, just let me know.”
After he left, Rose burst out into laughter.
“Isabella Cullen, you are pure evil! You have him catering to your every whim!”

“Well, normally I wouldn‟t take advantage of Edward‟s generous nature. But,
after everything I went through bringing his child into the world, it‟s fun to see

him having to work a little.”
I giggled and Rose playfully slapped my arm.
It was good to have my friend back. I had missed her so much the past few
months. Most importantly, she was happy again. She was getting her second

chance at the life I knew she wanted.
As for me, I already had the life I needed. And I had never been so happy in my

entire existence.

~*~

Chapter 21: The Feeling

Edward POV
One Year Later…
Finally…It was done.
After a year of slaving away, filing, and hiring, Cullen & Associates was finally
open.
It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I had created something
out of nothing. I started a legitimate law firm in a big city, and I hadn‟t even

turned 30. I was now doing things by my rules and by my standards. I could
work my own hours, and still find time to spend with my family.
Victoria, of course, came with me. She won the sexual harassment lawsuit and
my old firm was no longer run by that sleazebag. In fact, most of that firm was
falling apart, considering that a handful of employees decided to follow and

work for me. They preferred the atmosphere to that of the old place, and I was
offering pretty decent pay and benefits.
Jasper actually made a decision to go to law school, and I assured him that
there would definitely be a place for him with Cullen & Associates when he was

ready.
Today, I was finishing up some paperwork before heading home to help with

Adam‟s first birthday party. Bella was extremely excited, and I wanted to be
sure that I wouldn‟t miss a single moment of the festivities.
The first year of being a parent was an amazing experience. Everything

changed. There were many a sleepless night and Bella and I became stressed
more and more easily. But it was all worth it. It was true that we argued a bit

more, but it brought us closer together. The more intense the fight, the more

intense the reconciliation. I can honestly say that I had never has so much
make-up sex in my entire life.
Adam was perfect. He was already starting to walk and was getting into
everything. His eyes were starting to turn green like mine, and he smiled all

the time. One of my favorite moments was the first time I heard him really
laugh. I was making a fool out of myself, making airplane noises, trying to get

him to eat his baby food. He wasn‟t having it. Instead, he grabbed the spoon
from my hand and flung the green mush all over my shirt and face. I should

have been furious, but as soon as Adam burst into laughter, I couldn‟t help but
join in. He was so funny as he laughed uncontrollably.
Bella and I kept our promise and found time at least once a month to go out. I

would take her to the beach or somewhere out of town and treat her to dinner
and a night at a hotel. She needed to get away sometimes. I was amazed at

everything she could do in a day. And still, almost every time I came home
from work, she greeted me with a smile on her face, a kiss, and dinner on the

table. She did more than I could ask for.
As I was sitting at my desk, Jessica buzzed through the intercom. Yes, I even
brought my assistant with me to the new firm. She was annoying, but I

couldn‟t bring myself to move on without her, especially after she begged to
follow.
“Mr. Cullen,” her voice called. “Mrs. Cullen‟s on line 1.”
“Thank you, Jessica,” I answered. “Send her through.”
I heard it click and I decided to tease my wife a little.
“Hello, sexy,” I greeted with an alluring voice. Unfortunately, it was not my

wife‟s voice on the other end.
“Edward Anthony Cullen, that is no way to speak to your mother!” Esme‟s
voice jokingly scolded.
I jumped and my face turned red.
“Mom! I…I thought…Jessica said it was Mrs. Cullen. I thought you were Bella.

Sorry.”
“It‟s okay, Edward,” she laughed. “Seems there was a miscommunication.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Looks like I‟ll need a separate codeword for when you call.
Anyway, what‟s up?”
“Well, I‟m here helping Bella set up for the party, and she‟s freaking out over
something. I‟m not sure what, but she seems really exhausted.”
“Is she alright?”
“I think she‟s just stressed. I saw that she was on the verge of tears, so I didn‟t
push it. But, I was wondering if you could pick up the cake on the way home. It

would be one less thing for her to do. And could you maybe call Alice and see if
she wants to come over a bit earlier?”
“Of course,” I nodded. “Are you sure she‟s okay? It sounds really unlike her to
be so frantic.”
“Well, right now she‟s trying to put Adam down for a nap, and he‟s screaming
his head off. She doesn‟t want him to be cranky when the guests get here. And

there‟s still a lot to do and she doesn‟t think we can get it done. But I think
there‟s something else on her mind as well. Maybe you can talk to her later.”
“I will. Thanks, mom. Tell her the cake is taken care of. Is there anything else I
need to do?”
“Not at the moment, but I‟ll let you know,” my mother answered.
I hung up the phone and called Alice, who happily agreed to give Bella a hand.
I wondered what was going on. Bella had been relatively calm the past few

months, now that she was settled with the baby.
On the way home I picked up some flowers for Bella. I hoped she wouldn‟t see

the gesture as patronizing and pathetic, but I decided to risk it either way.
When I opened the door to the house, I saw Alice, Rose, and Esme working in
the kitchen, with Bella nowhere in sight.
“Hey!” I said, greeting the women. “Where‟s my wife?”
“She‟s napping with the baby,” Rose answered. “We told her to rest while we

take care of things down here.”
“Where‟s your kids?” I asked.
“Emmett‟s playing with Marie and Christine outside,” Alice answered.
I smiled. Emmett had taken to the father role very well. When he first found

out that Rose was pregnant, he was worried. The two had been a part for a
while, and he was afraid Rose would freak out and leave again. But eventually,
they worked things out. They both agreed to go to counseling while she was

pregnant, and six months later, Christine was born. Rose decided to use the
old name she had picked out. Christine had blond hair, like her mother, and

was absolutely beautiful. I had never seen Rose nor Emmett so happy.
I made my way upstairs and smiled when I saw Bella passed out on the bed,

with little Adam lying next to her. Slowly, I lied next to her and gently kissed
her forehead.
“Bella,” I whispered.
As she opened her eyes, I noticed that they were tear-stained.
“Oh, Bella, you‟ve been crying,” I sighed. I wiped her cheek with my thumb.

“What‟s wrong?”

She looked at me sadly and turned towards me, burying her face in my chest. I
could feel her quiet sobs, and I stroked her hair, trying to comfort her.
“Edward,” she cried. “So much has happened today. And I don‟t…I don‟t know
what to do.”
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly. “Is everything alright? Is it something
with Adam…?”
“No,” she assured. “It‟s not him. It‟s me. There‟s just too much going on, and I
don‟t have a minute to breathe…”
“Shh, shh,” I whispered into her ear. “Let‟s go into the other room, so we don‟t
wake the baby up. Calm down, okay? Let‟s go talk.”
I led her into the spare room and we took a seat on the bed. I tucked a piece of

hair behind her ear and pulled her closer to me.
“Why don‟t you tell me what‟s going on?” I said softly. “Just take it one step at

a time, alright. It‟s going to be okay.”
“Alright,” she nodded, breathing heavily. “Today I got a call. It was from my

boss.”
“You‟re editor?” I clarified.
“No. It was the big boss, the one who basically runs the paper. He called to tell

me how much he‟s appreciated my work in the past few years, and what a great
response my columns have been getting. They want to make me an editor,

Edward. They want to promote me.”
“That‟s great!” I exclaimed. “Bella, you‟d be perfect for that job. You are

amazing! Congratulations!”
I started to give her a hug, but she returned it hesitantly.
“I don‟t understand,” I said with confusion. “Why are you so upset. This is
great news.”
“Edward, it‟s a full time job,” she sighed, trying not to cry again. “I mean, I‟d

feel so guilty, not being able to spend all my time with Adam. He needs his
mom. I want to be a good wife and mother, that can take care of her family. I

don‟t want to abandon you guys.”
“Bella, don‟t be ridiculous…” I started. She cut me off.
“That‟s not all,” she interrupted. “There‟s something else. Today, as I was going
through my calendar, I realized something was missing.”
“Missing?” I echoed. “What was missing?”
Bella took my hands, but didn‟t look into my eyes.
“I‟m two weeks late, Edward. I might be pregnant…again.”

I stared at her, stunned. This was not what I was expecting. We weren‟t
planning to get pregnant at all. We hadn‟t even really discussed whether or not

we‟d be ready for more kids in the near future. I was at a loss for words.
Bella groaned.
“Arggg! I knew you wouldn‟t be ready for this! I knew this would just be too
much right now. I mean, you are just starting the firm, and now I might have

to go in full time. We do not have the time or energy to have another kid and…”
I cut her off with a deep and searing kiss. I pressed her close against me, and I

held on so tight, so she knew just how much I was invested in her.
“Bella,” I whispered, as I broke away. “You‟re saying that we might have
another baby?”
She nodded, looking down.
A smile started to creep up onto my face.
“Bella,” I said seriously. “Look up.”
Her eyes met mine, and she saw the grin that was looking at her. I kissed her

again and hugged her close. I felt her cry against my shirt in relief.
“I was so worried you‟d be upset,” she sobbed. “I wanted to be happy, but I
knew I couldn‟t be if you weren‟t.”
“How could I not be happy?” I laughed. “I mean, it‟s a surprise, and we weren‟t
exactly expecting this to happen, but still…it‟s a baby. It‟s a part of you and a

part of me. How could I not be thrilled about that?”
“But what about work? How can I take that job, knowing that I‟d be leaving

two children behind?”
“Bella,” I sighed, holding her shoulders. “Listen, when I married you, I knew

what I was getting. I was getting a strong, talented, and successful woman,
who was possibly the smartest person I had ever met in my life. That‟s the
woman I fell in love with. I don‟t want you to throw all that away. I never

expected you to put family before your career. You can still be a great wife and
mother while working full time. You can do that. I told you before, I don‟t want

a woman who cooks and cleans and stays home with the kids. I want a woman
who is intelligent, and strong, and works her ass off to achieve her goals. I

want you.”
She smiled and threw her arms around my neck, giving me a huge kiss.
“Damn,” she breathed against my lips. “My husband can give one hell of a
speech.”
“Well, my wife can give one hell of a kiss,” I laughed.
I took her hands in mine and kissed them.

“Bella, do you really think you‟re pregnant?”
She smirked.
“Well, I haven‟t taken the test yet, but I‟m pretty sure. This morning I had two
peanut butter sandwiches before noon. Doesn‟t that sound familiar?”
I smiled and placed my hand on her stomach.
“Maybe this will be our girl,” I whispered. “What do you think?”
“I think you might be right. You might finally get that daughter you‟ve always
wanted. I have a feeling.”
“Oh, do you now?” I laughed. My lips tickled her forehead. “So, what night do
you think was the culprit?”
“Let‟s not get into that right now,” she giggled. “Besides, we‟re not even sure. It

could be a fluke.”
“I don‟t think so,” I breathed. “I have a feeling too.”
That night, we had everyone over. All of our family and friends gathered
around to celebrate Adam‟s first birthday.
Even though he didn‟t know what was going on, Adam looked happy. I was
glad that we could give him this. He needed to know that he was surrounded
by people who loved him and would have his back no matter what happened.

One day, he would look back at the pictures of this day and he would know just
how lucky he was.
My goal was to make the best life I could for Adam, and Bella, and any other
child that would grace our presence in the future. I had no other option. That

was my life.
As everyone sang Happy Birthday to my son, I wrapped by arms around Bella,

discreetly placing my hands on her stomach. We helped Adam blow out his
candles, and as everyone cheered and applauded, I whispered in Bella‟s ear.
“Did you make a wish?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Did you?”
I smiled and placed a kiss on her lips. She knew my answer.

~*~

Chapter 22: The Questions

Bella POV
Four And a Half Years Later…
“Mrs. Cullen, I need you to sign off on this before you leave,” my assistant
called, before I could walk out the door.
I sighed and went back into my office to sign the papers. I was already late

getting home. It was 6 o‟clock, and I knew there was a load of laundry waiting
for me at home, along with three screaming kids.
Yes, after Adam, I gave birth to twin girls, Violet and Ruby. They were now
three years old, and were beautiful. Violet was a lot like her father. She was

smart, outgoing, and had his copper hair and green eyes. She was very
independent, and got along well with Adam, who was a great big brother to
both girls. And Ruby, well, Ruby was me. She had my brown hair and eyes, and

was very shy and quiet. Like me, she loved looking at books, and was
completely attached to Edward. She was a total daddy‟s girl and had my

husband wrapped around her finger.
Having the twins was a difficult experience for all of us. They were born a little

too early. They were two months premature, and for a long time, we thought
we were going to lose them. It took weeks before we could even take them

home, and our days and nights consisted of reading them stories and playing
them music before they were released. Fortunately, they were now healthy and
perfect. But the drama of that year took a toll on us.
For instance, after the girls were born, I began working full time as an editor
for the paper. With Edward working all the time at the firm, and me working 9

hours a day, things were getting more and more stressful. We couldn‟t spend
all the time we wanted with our kids, or each other. Our monthly dates slowly

disappeared, since we wanted to spend all of our free time with Adam, Violet,
and Ruby.
In that time, we had to start sending all three kids to a day care. We started

leaving Adam with Esme, who was already watching Marie, but then when we
had the other two, we couldn‟t ask her to look after four kids under the age of

six. Even now, when Marie was starting school, it was just to much to ask of
my mother-in-law, especially since Alice had another baby, a boy named Jack,

a couple years ago.
As I was leaving work that day, I got a call from the daycare.
“Hello,” I answered, getting into my car. I remembered that I had to stop by
the grocery store and the pharmacy to pick up medicine for Ruby. She had a
cold, and I had a feeling the other two would catch it within days.

“Hello, Mrs. Cullen. This is Dana from the childcare center. We were just
checking up on you because it‟s after 5:30, and your children are still here.”
“What?” I gasped. “My husband was supposed to pick them up and hour ago. I
asked him to do that today so I could run some errands.”
“Well, he hasn‟t shown up yet. We usually don‟t hold children here past six.”
“I know, I know,” I sighed. “I am so sorry. I promise this won‟t happen again.

I‟m on my way right now.”
As I hung up the phone, I groaned, changing directions. Part of me was

furious. I had so much to do tonight, and I had asked Edward to do this one
thing so I could get some stuff done, and he couldn‟t do that. I felt like a
terrible parent.
When I got to the daycare place, I was lectured by the woman in charge about
responsibilities, and I had to try to explain my excuse. Ruby was sniffling and

coughing, Violet was crying, and Adam had gum in his hair. Then the woman
told me that Ruby couldn‟t come back until she was better, for the health of the

other children.
When we got into the car, I burst into tears.
“Mommy, what‟s wrong? Why are you crying?” Adam‟s sweet little voice asked.

I straightened up, and tried to hide my tears.
“It‟s nothing, sweetie,” I assured, giving him a fake smile. “Mommy‟s just a

little stressed.”
“Mommy?” he asked, playing with his action figures. “Wasn‟t daddy supposed

to pick us up today?”
I laughed at how observant he was.
“Yes, he was, Adam,” I sighed. “But I guess he forgot.”
I stopped off and picked up a pizza on the way home. I was too tired and
stressed to make anything. When we finally got back to the house, I fed the

kids and put on a movie for them to watch while I did the dishes. Adam would
keep an eye on the twins while they were there. Plus, I could look out the door

and check on them every couple of minutes. A few minutes later, Adam came
running in.
“Mommy,” he said worriedly. “Violets sick.”
“She is?” I asked. “I thought it was just Ruby.”
“No, Violet just threw up while we were watching the movie.”
“Crap,” I exclaimed, dropping the one of the dishes. “Adam, stay in the kitchen
while I deal with this. I think both of your sisters have the flu.”

About an hour later, I had cleaned up the mess and gave both girls some flu
medicine and put them to bed. It was only 7, but they were sick and tired. I was

stressing to think who was going to stay home with them tomorrow. I couldn‟t
ask Esme because she watched Jack, and I didn‟t want him to get sick too.
Finally, Edward came through the door. At that point, I was so stressed, tired,
and pissed off, I didn‟t even want to look at him.
“Hey,” she sighed, coming into the kitchen as I was once again doing the
dishes. “Sorry I‟m late. I had a lot of work to catch up on.”
He came up behind me and tried to give me a kiss on the cheek, but I moved
away. He looked confused.
“Are you okay? What‟s wrong?”
I slammed a glass on the counter and turned around to look at him.
“I don‟t know, Edward. Did you forget something today?”
“What are you talking about? It‟s not our anniversary or anything.”
“No, Edward, it‟s not our anniversary or anything. But maybe you forgot about

those three living breathing organisms we call our children that you were
supposed to pick up today.”
“Oh shit,” he groaned. “I completely forgot. I was just so caught up at work.

You know how busy it gets right now.”
“Well, you know what Edward, I‟m busy too. I‟ve been running around all day,

and I told you I would have to work late. And when I did go pick up the kids, I
got a long lecture from the bitchy daycare woman. Do you know how

embarrassing that is? I felt like a horrible parent.”
“Well, that woman‟s a bitch. Don‟t get mad at me for her attitude. I keep telling

you we should find another place to send the kids. I mean, Adam starts school
this fall. Maybe we could think about leaving the twins with my mom…”
“This is not about the daycare Edward!” I shouted. “Why can‟t you see that? Do

you know what I went through today? Violet and Ruby both have the flu. Violet
just puked in the living room an hour ago. I couldn‟t go grocery shopping

because I had to pick them up, so there‟s no food in the house. My boss is
acting like a jackass this week, and I have no time to get anything done. And

now, one of us has to stay home tomorrow because the girls are sick.”
“Well, I can‟t stay home,” Edward replied. “I have too much work to get done. I

wish I could but…”
“God, I hate when you do this!” I yelled, storming out of the kitchen. On my
way out, I saw Adam in the living room. “Adam, can you please go upstairs for

a while?” I asked.

He nodded and went up to his room. That was a good thing about my son. He
could tell when I was upset.
“What are you talking about?” Edward asked, when Adam was out of sight.
“What is that you hate?”
“I hate when you work 12 hours a day, and I have to take care of the kids and
everything else. I hate when I ask you to do something to help me out and you

completely disregard it. And most of all, I hate when you think that your job is
more important than mine. Just because you have your own firm, it doesn‟t

mean that I don‟t have to work too. We are both the parents here, and you
have to help with the responsibilities.”
“I do help with the responsibilities!” Edward said angrily. “And I‟m sorry I

forgot the kids today. It was one time! My bad. But, it was just one mistake.
And I know my job isn‟t more important than yours. I never said it was. But

you have to understand that I am very busy at work and I have a lot of people
counting on me to get things done.”
“You told me when you opened the firm that family comes first. Family comes
before your job. You told me four and a half years ago that I should take the
editor position because you would help me with the kids. The past year, they‟ve

hardly seen you.”
“Now, that‟s unfair…”
“Is it?” I yelled. “Is it, really? The other day, Adam asked me if you were mad at
him, because it‟s been months since you took him to the park or read him a

story. He thinks you are avoiding him on purpose.”
“Adam‟s just a kid. He doesn‟t…”
“You‟d be surprised, Edward,” I said, on the verge of tears. “Adam is a smart
kid. He picks up on everything. He notices when you‟re not here. He has
feelings just like you and me. And what about the girls? If you keep this up,

they‟re going to notice too.”
I looked at Edward seriously.
“Edward,” I started. “Are you having an affair?”
He looked at me in disgust.
“What? Are you serious?”
“I need to know,” I stated. “You are always home late. You are always gone on

the weekends. Business trip after business trip. I can‟t remember the last time
we had sex…”
Edward grabbed me by the shoulders and stared into my eyes.

“Bella, who the hell do you think I am?” he shouted. “Do you really think that
after everything we‟ve been through, I would cheat on you? You know me

better than that.”
“But you…”
“I‟ve been busy,” he assured. “It takes a lot of work to run a firm. You can call
any of my coworkers. You can check the security tapes. I‟ve been working my

ass off.”
“Fine, you‟ve been working,” I said. “But the important thing is, you haven‟t

been here. It‟s like you are cheating on your family with your job. We miss you,
Edward.”
“Mommy!” Adam called, running down the stairs. “Mommy, I think there‟s

something wrong with Ruby and Violet.”
“They‟re sick, honey,” I told him, wiping my eyes.
“I know, but something‟s not right,” Adam replied.
“I‟ll check on them,” Edward said, stepping away from me.
When he was gone, my son looked at me.
“Mommy, what‟s wrong with you and daddy?”
I picked him up and gave him a kiss.
“I don‟t know, baby. I don‟t know.”
Seconds later, Edward came down the stairs frantically, holding one of the

girls.
“Bella, you should come up here. Their fever is really high. I‟m worried.”
I ran up the stairs to check on them. Edward was right. They were not looking
good. Ruby was shivering while Violet was screaming, as if she were in pain.
“Edward, go call your dad. We should go to urgent care. If he‟s still at the
hospital, maybe he could help us. He knows their medical record better than
anyone. I‟ll call Alice. She can meet us there and take Adam for the night.

Something is not right here. These aren‟t my girls.”
Edward looked terrified. But he nodded and ran downstairs to get the phone.
An hour later, we were at the hospital. It was a nightmare. Both of their fever‟s
were dangerously high, and they had to act right away. We were surprised it

happened so quick, but the doctors said it was common for it to come on so
fast. The girls were both born with some health problems, especially since they

were premature, so they were less immune to sickness. They were in trouble.
For hours, Edward and I sat in silence. We were both afraid to speak to the
other. I wasn‟t mad anymore. I was just scared. If anything happened to any

one of my children, that would be it. I wouldn‟t be able to breathe anymore.

Now we were sitting in the waiting room. Carlisle was running some tests, and
we thought it would be best to give him some time with them. If anyone could

help them, it would be him.
It was quiet. Almost haunting.
“Bella,” Edward‟s scratchy voice said. “I‟m sorry.”
I didn‟t move. I just stared at the tile of the hospital floor.
“When did this become us?” I asked, my head pounding. “When did we
become this couple?”
“You mean, the kind of couple who fights about everything? When did I
become the workaholic that I swore I‟d never become?”
“When did I become the controlling and pissy wife?”
“Remember when we first met?” Edward said, staring at the ceiling. “We were
the best. It was all lovey dovey all the time. We were so happy. Now everything

is just…”
“Chaotic,” I finished for him. “I mean, we‟ve been married about six years now.

We‟ve had three kids. I got a better job. You started your own firm. How could
it not get crazy?”
“I always thought we could handle it,” Edward sighed. “I guess things change.”
I nodded and held my hands together.
“Do you still love me?” I asked, without looking at him. “I mean, has that

changed?”
Edward took my hand and held it in his.
“Bella, I could never not love you. I promise you that hasn‟t changed. You are
amazing. And you are 100% right about everything you said today, besides the

part about me having an affair. I have been neglecting you all. It hasn‟t been on
purpose, but I have. And at this moment, I hate myself for it.”
I was crying. I couldn‟t help it. I was worried on two counts: my children, and

my marriage.
“It seems like a while now, we‟ve become strangers,” Edward continued. “And

that is my fault. I told myself that working so hard would be better for us, for
our family. But instead, I‟ve been tearing us apart. I don‟t want you to blame

yourself. You have been more than I deserve.”
“I‟ve tried so hard, Edward,” I sobbed. “I don‟t know what else I can do.”
“You don‟t have to do anything,” he whispered. “This is my mess, and starting
now, there are going to be some changes.”
“What kind of changes?” I asked.

“Well, firstly, I‟m going to make Victoria and Jasper partners. They deserve it.
They both work hard, and that will take a lot of responsibility off me. I can‟t do

it all myself anymore.”
“I think that‟s a good idea,” I agreed.
“I‟m going to start working on a 9 to 5 basis. I will be home every night be
5:30, where we will all eat dinner as a family. I know I haven‟t been there for a

good amount of dinners, and we need that time.”
I nodded, cracking a smile.
“We are all going to the park every weekend. And Sunday nights we are having
a big family day. My parents, Charlie and Sue, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose,
and all of the kids are coming over. I‟ve been neglecting them too.”
“Alice misses you,” I nodded. “And we haven‟t seen Emmett or Rose in a
while.”
“Well, we will now.” Edward smirked. “And most importantly, we are setting
aside time for the two of us. I know that we haven‟t had alone time in quite a

while. I know it‟s been some time since the last time we‟ve…you know.”
“It has.”
“So, maybe we should do the dates again. And we should take some time to

reconnect.”
“I‟d like that,” I smiled. “I‟ve missed you so much.”
“I know. And I‟ve missed you too.”
“Edward, I‟m going to try too. We have to do this right. I miss the old us. I miss

how we used to be. We have let things get in the way of that.”
He squeezed my hand and kissed it. I rested my head on his shoulder and we

sat there for a while. I hoped he was right. I hoped things would go back to the
way they were.
“Edward, Bella,” Carlisle‟s voice called from behind. We both jumped and

sprang out of our seats.
“Dad,” Edward spoke. “Are they alright?”
“They‟re going to be okay,” he said with a smile.
I broke out in tears and cried into Edward‟s shoulder.
“Their fevers are going down and they are starting to go back to normal. We‟ll
keep them here for the night, and they can go home tomorrow afternoon. They

scared us there for a second.”
“So, they‟re alright?” Edward clarified.
“Yeah, they‟re fine. They sleeping right now. Go on in and see them.”

We thanked Carlisle and practically ran to the hospital room. Sure enough,
there they were, peacefully sleeping.
“There are my girls,” I tearfully whispered with a smile. “Edward, I was so
scared…”
He just held me tight and kissed me.
“It‟s alright, Bella,” he whispered when he pulled away. “It‟s all going to be

okay now. I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said softly. “Welcome back.”

~*~

Chapter 23: The Connection

One Year Later...
"Okay, so, Adam has soccer practice on Tuesday and Thursday at 5. He has a
game on Saturday at noon. Ruby can't have strawberries and Violet..."
"Can't have peanuts," Rose interrupted. "Bella, we've been through this a

hundred times. This isn't the first time I've watched your kids."
"Yes, but this is the first time you've watched them for a week. I can't help but

get nervous."
"Don't you trust me and Emmett?" she laughed. "Well, do you at least trust

me?"
"Of course I do. But won't you be tired watching my three kids, plus your own,

plus that one in your oven?"
"Bella, I'm only three months along. I think I can handle it. Plus, your kids are
no trouble at all. They love their Aunt Rosie. Adam and Christine always play

together nicely, and the girls have each other. They keep busy. And Emmett's
great with them. You know that. Now, stop worrying and get your bags.

Edward's going to be here any minute, and then you'll be on your way."
"I'm just anxious about leaving the kids for so long."
"No you're not," Rose said, rolling her eyes. "You're nervous about this week."
"Well, maybe a little bit," I said, giving Ruby a hug. "It's been so long, that I'm

afraid we'll have nothing to talk about."
"I think it's great that you two are taking some time. I've seen you two get a lot
better this past year. I think this trip is the best way to just get completely

reconnected."
"Yeah, I think it will be good too. But I'm still nervous."

Edward and I were going to the beach for the week to have some alone time.
The past year, we had both been making efforts to restore our relationship. We

both cut down on our working hours and dedicated ourselves to our family.
Edward would take the kids to the park every Saturday and eventually got

Adam into soccer. The two would practice in the backyard almost every day
and Edward and I never missed a game, except for this weekend. He would

also read to the girls every night and then the two of us would take some time
to just talk to each other.
Shortly after the incident at the hospital last year, Edward and I decided to try
counselling. We stuck to it for six months, and it did help us out a lot. Our
therapist said we could cut down our visits to once a month check-ins, since we

were making progress.
Sure, I hated being this couple. I never thought we would become those people

that would have to go to counseling or any other crap like that. But at the same
time, I realized that I would do whatever it takes to keep my family together. I

loved Edward with all my heart and I wasn't about to let him go.
A few minutes later, Edward came home and we said goodbye to the kids and
Rose and went on our way.
The car ride up was great. We were renting a beach house, which was close to
the shore, but at the same time close to a little town, where there was food and

shopping. It was about two hours to get there, and in the car, Edward and I
listened to music and talked most of the way. I missed just talking to him. He

still fascinated me and I still couldn't keep my eyes off of him as he spoke.
What I found most amazing, was that he was holding my hand most of the way

up. He used to do that all the time when we were dating, and I remembered
how good it felt that he wanted to keep so close to me.
"I missed this," I whispered to myself, not thinking he could hear me.
"Missed what?"
I shook my head.
"Nothing. It will make me sound like a horrible person."
"Bella, please tell me," he pleaded.
"Well," I sighed, "Do you ever miss the way we were, you know, before we got
married and had kids. Remember when we didn't have all of the stress of

playdates and nap times and running law firms and newspapers? Remember
when it was just you and me?"
He smiled and kissed my hand.

"Yeah, I do. I think everyone feels that way at some point. We've both been
really overwhelmed the past couple of years. The kids and work make things

hard. But at the same time, I couldn't see either of us giving up on any of it."
"That's true," I nodded. "The kids are the best things that ever happened to

me, and I love them with everything I have. And my job, as much as I
complain, is so fuffilling. I like the fact that I'm out there doing something, you

know."
"I should really say it more often, but I'm proud of you, Bella," Edward said,

still holding my hand. "I mean, you really are superwoman. You work all day
and still are a great mom and wife. You should hear how much I brag about
you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, all the time. You're beautiful, smart, funny. You're perfect. I don't tell

you that enough."
"You talk like you're not any of those things. I'm the one who gets to brag."
"Well, maybe we are both too perfect for our own good," he laughed.
"Maybe." I sighed.
The rest of the way, I thought about those words. Maybe that's why we had the

problems we did. On the surface, we were perfect together, so maybe we felt
like we didn't have to try. Maybe we thought we could coast through life

without any problems. And when those problems came, we didn't know how to
handle it.
A little while later, we pulled up to the beach house. It was beautiful. You could
see the ocean from the kitchen window. The paint scheme was a delicate shade

of turquoise and blue and white. There were windows all around the house,
letting in light into every area.
"So, do you like it?" Edward asked, putting down our bags.
"Are you kidding me?" I laughed. "This is like my dream house! It's perfect."
"It's a four bedroom, two bathroom," he smirked. "So the kids could come one

day."
"Well, if we could rent the same house in the future, that would be lucky."
"Not really."
"Why?"
"Well," Edward said. "This is yours."
I stopped and stared at him.
"What?"

"This house, this is yours. Well, it used to be Carlisle and Esme's, but I bought
it off of them for a very decent price and renovated it just for you. It's yours."
"Are you joking right now?" I said in shock. "Can we afford this?"
"Bella, like I said, I bought it from my parents. It's not like they ripped me off

or anything. I don't want you to worry about it. I bought it for you. Now we
don't have an excuse not to get away."
I couldn't decide whether to kiss him or slap him. On the one hand, he
shouldn't have made such a purchase without my consent. On the other hand,

it was a beautiful place, and I was blown away by the gesture.
"I literally, don't know what to say," I stuttered.
"Listen," Edward sighed, stepping closer to me. "I know you have to be a little

mad that I did this, but hear me out. I want the two of us to be able to get away
sometimes. I know the past year, we've been working things out, but

sometimes the best way to heal things is to spend time together. I love you,
Bella, with all of my heart. And I'm desperate just to be with you. And you

know, we can bring the kids out here too. This is about us as a family. This is
about us having a reason to get away from the stress and work and to just be
together. So please, before you get mad, let me show you one more thing."
I exhaled and nodded silently.
Edward took my hand and led me to a room. When he opened the door, I saw a

desk.
"I know it's not much now, but I was waiting for you, so you could decide how

you want the room."
"What is it?" I asked stupidly.
"Well, I was talking to Alice," EDward explained. "And she told me that you
really want to write a book, but you are too scared that you don't have enough
time or a place to write. Well, this is your place. I want you to come up here at

least one weekend a month to write. I'll watch the kids. I'll even drive you
down here if you want. But you have to come and write, even if you have to go

every weekend."
"But Edward..."
"No, Bella," he said sternly. "This is your dream. I've heard you talk about it for
as long as I've known you. But now is your time. This is my way of making it up

to you, for all the years I put my dreams before yours. Now it's your turn."
I looked up into his eyes and I could see the intensity behind his words. I could
feel the tears coming. I could feel my heart beating through my chest.
He was back. The Edward I fell in love with was officially back.

I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him with all the power I could.
Tears rushed down my face and I couldn't help but shake from what I was

feeling.
He did care about me. He did love me and he did want me to be happy.

Knowing that was all I needed.
"I love you, Edward," I cried. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Bella. And I'm sorry if I hurt you or made you feel like you
weren't important. You are more than important. You are what makes me live

and breathe. I just want you to be happy."
"I am now," I whispered into his neck. "I'm happier than I've been in a long
time."

~*~

Chapter 24: The Choice

Adam POV
Nine Years Later...
Adam - 14.5, Violet & Ruby – Almost 13
Something strange was going on with my mother.
Earlier today her friend Victoria came for a visit. I liked Victoria. She was

funny and was a really great friend to my mom. She was one of my dad's
partners at the law firm and a great family friend who was always really great

to me and my sisters.
Anyway,when I left for school this morning, my mom was looking fine, but as
soon as Victoria left, she wasn't looking too well. She looked pale and angry

and scared all at the same time. I asked her if she was okay and she just
silently nodded and told me not to worry. I asked Violet and Ruby and they

were oblivious too.
Right now I am in the living room studying with Christine, Aunt Rosie and

Uncle Emmett's daughter. Christine is my best friend, and she has been my
entire life. She's not my cousin, like Marie, and in a way, I'm glad. Even though

her parent's are like family to mine, we are in no way blood related. I have to
tell myself this everyday, because secretly, I've been in love with Christine
since I was two years old.
I know this sounds stupid. After all, I'm not even 15 years old. But she's been
there for me my whole life. Aunt Rosie found out she was pregnant with her

about the time I was born. I honestly never knew a time when Christine wasn't
in my life.

I could talk to her about anything. When I was 5 and I could overhear my
parents fighting, I would tell her about it and she would assure me they would

be fine. And they were. When I started high school this year, and I was nervous
to make the football team, she was there at each and every one of my tryouts

and celebrated with me when I made the team.
She was in every aspect of my life, and I knew that one day, we would be

together. But it was too soon, and I wanted to be older and smarter before I
told her how I felt.
Anyway, as we were studying in the living room, I was too busy studying her.
She was beautiful. She had long wavy blond hair and brown eyes. She looked
like an identical younger version of her mother, yet she had Emmett's sense of

humor. She was smart and funny and gorgeous...
"Adam!" her voice interrupted my daydreaming. "Adam, where did you go? I

tried to get your attention like twelve times," she laughed.
"Sorry, I zoned out for a minute."
"What's up with Aunt Bella?" she asked, looking towards the kitchen door.
I heard cupboards slamming and silverware clinking and lots of cursing.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "She's been like that since this morning."
"Are your parents having issues again?"
"Chris, my parents haven't had issues since I was six. They fight every once in a

while, but I don't think it's about that. She wasn't upset until way after my dad
left for work."
"Is it the book maybe? I mean, I know she's been working on number 3. I could
be stress."
"No...that's not it," I sighed.
"Maybe she's pregnant," Christine laughed.
"That's not funny."
"Sorry. I don't know what it could be, Adam. Did you try asking her?"
"Yeah, but she says nothing's wrong."
I heard the front door open and my dad walked through, carrying his briefcase
and jacket.
"Hey guys," he greeted with a slight smile.
"Hey dad."
"Hey Uncle Edward."
"Where are your sisters?" he asked, looking around.

"Violet's at volleyball and Ruby's at play practice. They're getting a ride home
from Marie."
My dad nodded and hung up his coat.
"Hey dad... " I started hesitantly. "Victoria came to visit today and...."
"Shit," my dad swore. "How's your mom?"
"She's messed up. Why?"
He sighed and started towards the kitchen.
"Listen, you two. I'm sure you've studied enough. Why don't you go get some

pizza or something."
"Dad, I want to know what's going on." I stated confidently.
"Maybe we'll talk to you about it soon," my dad said. "But for now, I think you

need to give your mom some space. Please."
Christine took my hand and nodded, and I did the same. My dad disappeared

into the kitchen.
"We are listening in on this, am I right?" Christine asked.
"Hell yeah," I nodded quietly.
We snuck over to the dining room, which also had a connecting door to the
kitchen, but at the same time, my parents wouldn't catch us listening in.
"Bella, do you want to talk about this?" my father's voice asked calmly.
"What's there to talk about?" my mother replied. "I mean, we knew this was

coming. Fifteen years is fifteen years."
"Yes, but for a while, we thought it would be longer. At the time, we were just

glad it was done with. We didn't think time would go so quickly. It just left our
minds."
"No, it left your mind, Edward. It's been haunting me for all fifteen fucking
years. And a whole bunch of years before that. It's been haunting me since
before I met you."
"Bella, please relax. It might not be as bad as you think."
"He wants to meet with me, Edward!" she shouted. "He wants to meet with me

to talk. That's what Victoria told me today. It's not about the fifteen years being
up. I knew that was coming. But he wants to talk to me."
There was a couple seconds of silence.
"No way in hell," my dad stated simply. "No way in hell is he going to be in the

same room as you. We have a document stating that he will not be within 1000
feet of you. 1000 feet!"

"Edward, please, do not tell me what I can or can't do."
"Wait! You want to do this?"
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that I would like to make this decision for
myself."
"I'm your husband. I think I should have a say."
"You can have your say, but in the end, the decision is mine. This was my case.

This was my issue."
"But who was there for you through it? Who held your hand in court when you

were four months pregnant and had to testify against him? Who held you in
their arms when he came into our apartment and..."
"Stop!" My mother cried. "Please, don't go there. Edward, I love you and you

know how grateful I am that you were there for me. But you don't know how I
feel. Maybe if I meet with him and I can see if he's changed, I won't have to

worry anymore. I won't have to worry about my safety or the safety of you or
the children."
"And if he hasn't changed?"
More silence.
"Then I guess that's the risk I'll have to take."
My dad sighed.
"Bella, when your father died, I promised him I wouldn't let you be in danger. I

promised him that I'd take care of you and protect you."
"You still can," she replied tearfully. "If I decide to do this, I want you there. I

need you there."
I don't know if the next few seconds were crying or hugging or what, but there

wasn't a whole lot of talking after that. After a few minutes, my father finally
spoke.
"I think we should talk to the kids. I think they're old enough to know. Maybe

they can help you with your decision."
"What if it scares them?"
"Then we'll deal with it as a family. But it's only fair that they know."
"I love you, Edward."
"I know. I love you too."
They left the kitchen, and me and Christine sat there in silence.
"Wow," she breathed. "That was...intense."
"Yeah," I nodded. "What do you think...?"

"I don't know," she replied. "But, I think you'll know soon."
That night, after my sisters came home, our family had a long talk. I learned

things about my mother's past that I never would have suspected. They told us
everything. I hated that my mother had been hurt. I hated that I didn't know.

But I wanted her to do what she wanted. It was her choice.
And after a long, emotional talk, we made a decision. My mother would talk to

Jacob Black.

~*~

Chapter 25: The Relief

Ruby POV
"Are you nervous?" I asked my mother, as I sat on her bed. She was sitting at

her dresser, brushing her hair, as I watched her carefully.
"A little," she said, biting her lip. "But I guess that's normal, right?"
"Sure," I nodded. "I couldn't do what you're doing. I could never be as brave as

you."
"You get braver as you get older, Ruby," she pointed out. "You learn more and

learn to accept the scarier things in life."
I looked at her as she sat in front of the mirror. Everyone said I looked just like

her. I had her brown hair and eyes. I loved to read, just like she did. And I was
shy, just like she was. Violet was more like my dad, but apparently, I was the

spitting image of my mother.
When I heard about her past, I had nightmares for a week. I had always seen
my mother as strong and unbreakable. I found it impossible that anyone would

want to hurt her. I would lay awake at nights for hours, unable to close my eyes
without picturing it.
Luckily, I could always talk to my brother, Adam. He was able to calm me
down, and when he told me everything was going to be alright, I always

believed him.
Ever since I was born, I have felt like I didn't fit in with the rest of the Cullens.

I mean, I love my family more than anything, but they are so perfect, and I am
just average.
My mother is beautiful and brave. She's practically famous now that her book

has reached the best-sellers list. Everywhere I go, I'm recognized as Bella
Cullen's daughter. Offspring of the brilliant writer. I only wish I could be as

brilliant.

My father is smart and loved by everyone. All of my friends would always want
to come to my house because they all had a crush on my dad. I found that

disturbing. He was so successful, running a high profile law firm, with clients
that ranged from movie stars to senators.
Then there was my brother, Adam, who was just impossible to keep up with.
He had a 4.0 grade point average. He was great at every sport. The most

popular boy in the neighborhood. Everyone loved him. He was my best friend,
and he is wiser than anyone I've ever known.
Finally, there's Violet. She's gorgeous and popular. All the boys want to date
her and all the girls want to be her. Since we were twins, we are constantly
compared and I always feel inadequate. Even though we don't always get

along, I love her. We have a bond that is unbreakable. We have survived so
much since birth. But I sometimes resent how perfect she is.
So that was our family. Everyone was perfect...except me.
I look at my mother and I long to be like her in every way. She is the smartest

woman I know. Everyone who meets her loves her immediately. Sometimes I
watch my father, and he looks at her like they are still newly in love. It's
sickening sometimes.
But now, I could tell it was hard for her to be strong.
She had to face her biggest fear, and I was scared for her. I know I couldn't

handle it. I know I couldn't be as calm as she was. But I know she had to put up
a brave front, or our family wouldn't be able to handle it.
"When are you leaving?" I asked curiously.
"You're dad will be home any minute. Then we're driving down to his firm. We

figured that it would be the best place to get this over with."
"It's safe there," I nodded quietly.
My mother sighed and turned towards me.
"Ruby, honey, I don't want you to stress out over this, okay. I will be safe. Your
dad will be there and people will be around. And who knows, maybe he's

changed."
"Just promise me you'll be okay," I said hopefully.
My mom stood up and gave me a tight hug.
"I'll be more than okay," she assured. "I'm sorry I brought all of this on you."
"No, I'm glad you told me. We needed to know."
She nodded and let go.
"I'll give Adam pizza money. Why don't you guys rent a movie and chill out

tonight. I don't want you worrying about me."

"We'll try not to," I smiled. "I love you, mom."
"I know, baby. I love you too."
She gave me a kiss on the forehead and squeezed my hand.
"You're special, Ruby. No matter what you may think. I want you to remember

that."
I rolled my eyes and smiled.
"Thanks, mom. By the way, I've been writing some stuff, you know, just trying
it out. I was wondering if you could look at it sometime."
Her eyes went wide.
"Ruby, that's great! I would love to. Just leave it in my room and I promise I
will read it immediately."
"Just don't make a big deal out of it, okay? And be honest with me. You know I
don't like bull shit."
"Ruby, don't swear," she laughed. "And I promise I'll be honest with you. I
always am."
"I know. That's your biggest problem."

~*~

Edward POV
"You okay?" I asked Bella for perhaps the hundredth time.
"I'm fine," she sighed. "Just chill."
"He's late. Five minutes late. Five more and we're leaving."
"Edward, I swear to God, if you don't calm down I will throw you out of the

room."
I took a deep breath and looked at the clock.
"Fine. I just want to get it over with."
She nodded and tapped her fingers on the table nervously.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the door opened.
Bella stiffened in her seat, as did I. When we saw Jake appear, I took hold of
her hand.
He had gotten older, naturally. We all had. He seemed to be aging well. In his
early forties, his hair was still jet black, but now short. His eyes looked tired,

which isn't surprising considering he had spent fifteen years in prison. But he
looked different in another way. He didn't seem hostile or angry. He seemed

relaxed.

"Hi," he breathed nervously, as he entered the room. "Sorry I'm late. There was
traffic.
I nodded and motioned for him to take a seat across from us.
"Wow, this is more nerve-wracking than I thought," he said, looking at our

serious faces.
"Imagine how it is for us," I replied bitterly. "I suggest you say what you need

to say, so we can all get this over with."
He frowned and nodded.
"I understand. That's what I want to start with. I completely realize how much
you both must hate me. Trust me, if possible, I hate myself even more. This is
hard for me too. It's not easy to go back and see the damage I created. I spent

fifteen years trying to ignore it, and it simply isn't going to disappear."
"It won't," Bella choked out, breaking her silence. "I've been fighting it for

years, and it won't go away. That's why I'm here."
"Me too," Jake agreed. "I know an apology means nothing to you now, but

regardless, I'm sorry. I'm more that sorry. I put you both through some
horrible horrible things and I regret it every day of my life. I don't expect your
forgiveness. God knows I don't deserve it. But I do want you to know that I feel

nothing but remorse."
We sat there in silence.
"Thank you," Bella sighed. "And I hope you mean it."
"I do," he assured.
"You have to understand that I cannot forgive you for what you did," Bella said
softly. "At least, not yet. You put me through hell. You put my husband

through hell. It will never escape my mind how horrible you treated me."
"I can understand that," he nodded. "Like I said, I don't expect you to forgive
me."
"Good. But maybe, eventually, I'll come to terms with it. Just promise me that
you will get help or something. Promise me that you will never hurt anyone

else ever again."
He nodded.
"I'm already in therapy. I was in it for all the time I was in prison. But I'm
continuing it. It's part of my parole. And I can never hurt anyone again. I've

learned the damage it has caused. I'm learning how to control my anger and
how to deal with my issues. It's taking time, but I'm getting there. This was my
first step. I had to formally apologize."

"But why did you do it in the first place," she asked, as if the hurt was all
coming back.
He shook his head.
"Honestly, Bella, I do not know. I had issues. Real serious issues. I couldn't

control myself. My anger got the best with me. It wasn't right. I was messed
up. I cannot begin to figure out what possessed me to behave the way I did."
"Well, you better have figured yourself out now," I spat. "Because if I find out
you've hurt another woman, I will get you back in prison within an instant."
"Please do," he replied confidently. "I don't deserve to be out. I know that. I
should have been there forever for what I did. I will never ever forgive myself.
I'm just here because I want to give you peace of mind. I'm moving to Canada

next month. They have a work program for parolees. I'll be out of the country,
and out of your lives. I am swearing to you that I will never bother you or your

family again. I swear to you I will never try to hurt anyone."
Bella gave a slight smile.
"Thank you. I appreciate that." She looked to me. "Edward, is there anything
you want to say?"
I furrowed my brow and looked him in the eye.
"I appreciate your apology," I said coldly. "But please, just stay away from us.
Stay away from my wife, stay away from my family. It's great that you're trying

to change and all, but I can't trust you. After this, the restraining order is still
in effect. I never want to see you again. I will not hesitate to hurt you. You

know that."
Jacob gave a look of disappointment.
"I will respect that. I promise you'll never see me again. Your family is safe. I
won't disturb it."
We sat there, the tension overwhelming.
"I guess it's all been said," Bella said calmly. "Thank you for your words."
"Thank you for your time," Jacob replied. "I guess this is goodbye."
We both nodded in agreement.
"Goodbye," Bella softly spoke. "I wish you the best in your recovery."
"I wish you the best in life. I mean it. You deserve the best, Bella. I'm sorry I
ever hurt you."
Jacob left the room, leaving Bella and I alone.
I pulled her into a hug, and she grasped onto me tightly.
"Do you feel any better now?" I whispered into her ear.

"I do," she nodded. "I feel like we're safer now. I believe that he's improving his
life."
"I hope so. I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We can
all move on now."
Bella smiled with relief.
"Finally," she breathed happily.
That was the last time either of us ever saw Jacob Black again. Our lives we
new. We had the rest of our lives in front of us. And finally, we were putting

the past behind us.

~*~

Chapter 26: The End

Bella POV
"Ruby, Violet!" I called up the stairs. "Come down and help set the table! Adam
will be home any minute now!"
"Bella, it's okay," Alice laughed. "We have plenty of people down here to help.
Now, how many places do we have to set?"
"Well, let's see," I murmured. "There's me, Edward, Violet, Ruby, you, Marie,
Jack, then Rose, Emmett, and Tommy. Apparently, Christine's staying at

college this Christmas. But then there's Esme and Carlisle, Phil, Renee, and
Sue. And then..well, there's Adam...and her."
"Bella," Alice scolded. "Promise to be nice to this girl, whoever she is."
"Fine," I sighed. "Anyway, that makes 17. There's a number for ya."
"Yeah," Alice said, a little sadly. "A good 17."
I gave a weak smile and put my arm around her shoulder. This was to be
Alice's first Christmas without Jasper. It was going to be hard on all of us.
Six months ago, Jasper was in a car accident. He was picking Marie up from
the airport, and as they were leaving, another car smashed into them through

the driver's side. Marie walked away almost completely unharmed...well, at
least physically. She never told us what it was like, watching her father suffer

through so much pain; but Marie was never the same after that. Maybe she
blamed herself. Maybe it was just too much to see. But the spritely and bubbly
Alice-clone we were so used to, never reappeared after that day.
Jasper was on life-support for three months. Alice couldn't bring herself to pull
the plug. But after much insistence, she realized that she had no choice. It was

the best thing for every one.

I will never forget the day of the funeral. We were all holding back. I felt as if I
had lost a brother, my own flesh and blood. I cried for days after the death and

I was shocked that by the time the funeral came around, Edward had not shed
a single tear. He had just been silent. He would hold me as I wept and would

comfort Alice every chance he could, but he himself couldn't figure out how to
feel.
After the service, we went back to our house for the reception. Edward had
gone missing for two hours, and Ruby finally came running up, saying that she

had found him sitting in his car with his head resting on the steering wheel.
When I found him, he took one look at me and burst into tears. We sat there
for hours, just crying together. We cried for our friend, our brother. We cried

for Alice and Marie and Jack. We cried for everything we couldn't do or say.
It seemed that neither of us knew how to deal with such a great loss. It was

beyond words or actions.
Slowly, all of us began to move on. We were letting Alice and Jack live here for

a while, until Alice got used to going back to the house. Marie went back to
college, but would visit us every chance she could get.
Meanwhile, at the Cullen household, things were slowly moving on as well.
Edward was still running his firm, getting on the best he could without Jasper
as a partner. I was in the process of publishing my third book. The first two

were best-sellers, and this one was highly anticipated from the public. This
would make my life busier, with book tours, singings, interviews, and all the

other media chaos that surround the release. But I have never been so proud of
myself. I have finally accomplished everything I had hoped for.
Violet and Ruby were 17 now. It seemed that the older the got, the more
different they became. Violet, who was blessed with Edward's hair, eyes, and
natural charm, was the object of affection for every boy at school. She had a

different suitor coming to the house nearly every day. Edward, as you can
imagine, was not too pleased with this, and would have Emmett sit outside on

the porch to scare off the boys.
Then there was Ruby, who had my looks, from the pale skin to the brown hair

and eyes. Ruby was absolutely beautiful inside and out. If only she were able to
see that herself. Whereas Violet was outgoing and sociable, Ruby was shy and

focused on school. She had yet to even date, because she was too quiet to put
herself out there. A lot of guys showed interest, but Ruby refused to believe
that any boy would find her desirable.
One of the best days was when Violet gave Ruby a long lecture about how
gorgeous she was, and took her to a friend's party in a new outfit and

makeover. It was a great confidence booster for Ruby and she made some new
friends and learned how to balance school with having a social life.

I knew Ruby wanted to write, and I encouraged it as much as possible. I knew
how it felt to use writing as a release, as a way of expressing yourself. It made

me feel better that she was letting things out on paper, even if that meant
being more reserved on the outside.
Finally, there was my Adam, my pride and joy.
Tall, handsome, athletic, and intelligent. Everything a mother could ask for.

Now 19, he was a sophomore at Stanford. He got in on an athletic scholarship,
but he assured that the academics came first. He wants to go to law school

after Undergrad, and follow in his father's footsteps. Edward had told him that
he can always return to Seattle to work at Cullen and Associates.
This Christmas, he was bringing his girlfriend, and I was anxious, yet hesitant,

to meet her.
On one hand, I was happy he had moved on.
When he was 16, he went out on a limb and confessed his love for Christine.
Unfortunately, she could not return the sentiment. While she promised that

she loved him, she wasn't ready to be "in love."
The mother in me resented her for that; but the woman in me respected her
sense of self. Christine was a smart girl, and I had come to love her as a

daughter. She was determined not to let anything stand in her way of who she
was.
Adam and Christine remained friends, despite the awkwardness. She was now
pre-med at UCLA and would keep in touch with our family as much as she did

with her own. I hoped Adam still kept in contact with her, since there schools
were pretty close to each other.
Despite my happiness that he was moving forward, I worried about the girl he
was bringing home. Christine was the only girl I could see being close to good
enough for him. I was a mother, and he was my first born son. Of course I was

going to be protective.
I didn't even know who this girl was, and Adam was certainly hesitant to tell

me. In fact, all I got was a cryptic phone message two weeks ago.
"Hey mom, dad. Listen, I have to tell you something. I've been in a serious

relationship for 9 months. I didn't want to tell you like this, but I know how
you get...mom. So here's the deal: I'll bring her for Christmas and you can

meet her and harass her all you want. She's special to me, and...well, I love
her. Please do this for me and cooperate. You know I love you guys, and I'll
see you in two weeks. Say hi to Ruby and Vi. Love you. Bye!"
And that was it.

That was all I knew. He obviously didn't want me to push it, so I didn't. But
you should have seen my face when I got that message. Edward had to hold me

back from flying down to California and beating the crap out of him.
"What time is the golden boy getting here?" Violet asked sarcastically.
"Your dad is picking him up at the airport. They should be here any minute."
"I'll roll out the red carpet," she joked.
I laughed and put my arm around my daughter.
"Oh Violet," I sighed. "One day, when you come home from college, I'll be just

as excited."
"What if I don't go to college?" she asked jokingly.
"Why don't you ask your father and see what he says?"
"I think I'll pass on that."
"I though so," I laughed. "Now, why don't you go see what everyone wants to

drink. We'll eat as soon as Adam gets here."
Violet sighed and did as I asked.
Less than a minute later, Edward came through the door.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "You were supposed to get Adam."
"I did," he grinned happily. "But they got a rental car and had to make a stop

on the way here. They'll be here any minute."
I sighed in relief.
"Well...?" I prompted.
"Well what?"
"Well, how is she?" I whispered.
He laughed and placed a kiss on my forehead.
"She's great. I have a feeling you are going to love her."
"I hope so," I sighed.
Finally, my son had arrived, and he let himself in through the door.
"Hello mom," he said with a huge smile.
I couldn't help but grin at the sight of him. I ran up and gave him a huge hug

and a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're home," I said happily. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, mom," he laughed, hugging me back. "I'm really happy to
be home."
I looked and saw that he was alone.

"Where's your girlfriend?" I asked curiously. "Are you hiding her from me?"
He chuckled and let go.
"Well, I wasn't sure just how excited you were to meet her, so I told her to wait
in the hall for a minute, just to drive you crazy."
"That's not funny," I smirked. "Bring her in."
He sighed sarcastically and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Come on in," he called to the empty doorway.
And the figure that appeared stunned me. There she was. Her blond hair and

green eyes. Her perfect smile. Her mother's same sense of style.
"Christine," I breathed, still in shock.
"Surprise!" Adam's voice boomed in laughter.
I stared at him and then stared at her. Again. I was slowly putting it together.
"So..." I stuttered. "Either this is a sick joke...or...or..."
"Mom," Adam interrupted. "This is my girlfriend I've been waiting for you to
see. It's Christine."
He walked over and put his arm around her, trying to prove it to me visually.
Finally it clicked.
"Holy shit!" I screeched, running over to Christine. I threw my arms around

her neck and hugged her tightly.
"We wanted to surprise you," she laughed, hugging me back.
"I...I can't believe this? How? When? How? I can't..."
"Relax mom," Adam smiled. "We have plenty of time to explain later."
"This is amazing!" I grinned. I looked back at Edward. "Can you believe this?"
"Well," he shrugged. "I wouldn't have guessed it, but I guess we can't be

surprised."
"Of course I'm surprised. I never thought this would happen. I mean, I hoped
it would, but after all these years I never expected..."
"Mom, please. Let's talk about this later. We want to see everybody else."
I nodded and squeezed Christine's hand.
"They are all in the dining room. You're parents are going to be thrilled!"
"Let us tell them, please," Adam insisted. "I'm afraid you are going to burst

with excitement."
"Fine!" I agreed. "Let's go."

I took them into the dining room, where the entire family happily greeted
them. They were all so excited about the two of them being together. We were

all hoping it would happen, but we had lost hope after a while.
I was mostly excited because I knew this was what made Adam happy. He had

always loved Christine, and she always brought out the best in him.
Rose and Emmett were especially excited. Rose was like me, just wanting what

was best for her kids, and Emmett knew he could trust someone like Adam.
After all, the two had known each other their entire life.
After dinner, I decided to talk to Christine alone. We went out on a walk while
the rest of the family stayed at home. Christine and I were really close. It was
almost as if we had a mother-daughter-friend relationship. She would talk to

me about things she couldn't tell her own mother.
"So," I sighed, as we started our walk around the block. "How did this all

happen?"
Christine smiled and looked down, as if she were embarrassed.
"Um, well, where does it all start?" She laughed. "I guess it started years ago. I
mean, I've been in love with Adam my entire life."
"Yeah, but you said you didn't love him the way he loved you."
"I know. And that was a lie. But you have to understand. I was sixteen and the
thought of going near the idea of love and a serious relationship was terrifying.

I didn't know what I was doing. I wouldn't have been able to handle it at the
time. I was so focused on getting into the best school and being involved and

activism. And those things are still important to me. But I'm an adult now.
Back then, I had to do what was best for both of us."
"I understand that," I nodded. "I was the same way at your age. And I agree
that both of you were too young to be talking about love."
"I know. And when I went to UCLA, I was hoping that I would be able to get

over him. It felt like he was holding me back. For some reason, I had this idea
in my head that it wasn't a good idea for us to be together. It would ruin

everything we had. So, I avoided him as much as possible. I would always
pretend to be busy or act like I wasn't interested in seeing him."
"That must have been difficult."
"It was. It felt like a part of me was missing. So, about nine months ago, he

took a stand and showed up at my dorm, angry as hell. He told me that he
needed to be around me. He told me that being without me was too hard. And
then...I did something I have never done before. I just broke down crying. And

I'm talking uncontrollable sobs. It was horrifying. Everything I was feeling just
exploded. I confessed everything. I told him that I had always been in love with

him and that I was scared. And then he told me not to be scared anymore,

because he loved me too, and he would never hurt me. I guess that's what I was
really afraid of all along...being hurt."
"And that was that?"
"Sort of..." she nodded. "It took a while to fully adjust to being in a

relationship. It was completely new to the both of us. But at the same time, I
was so happy that I didn't care. For once, I wasn't hiding anymore. I was

completely comfortable."
"I'm happy for you two," I smiled. "But why did you wait so long to tell

everybody."
"Well," she sighed. "It was kind of hard. At first, we wanted to wait until it was
serious to tell you guys. But then, about three months in, Jasper's accident

happened. And then the last time we saw everyone was at the funeral, and that
was hardly an appropriate time to announce it. And that was really hard on

both Adam and I. We weren't exactly comfortable letting people in at the
time."
"I suppose that was the best decision."
"And we didn't want to tell you over the phone. So, we decided to wait until
Christmas."
"Well, it was the best present I could have received."
Christine smiled at me.
"You have no idea how much that means to me, that you are okay with all of
this. I feel that I'm going to need to talk to you about things, and I'm just

happy you're there for me."
"I'm always here, Christine. I always have been. You are family. Now, let's go

back. It's time for dessert."
We walked back to the house and spent some more time with the rest of the
family. We were all together. Just as it should be.
I had never been happier. Everything in my life was together, and I realized
that the last twenty years of my life had been full of love, friendship, and all

together happiness.
I looked at Emmett and Rosalie. Throughout the years, both of them had still

kept their sense of humor. I could always count on them for a good laugh.
After their son, Tommy, who was now 15, they decided not to have anymore

children. But their family was both complete and happy. Emmett was still his
old ridiculous self, while Rose was still the honest and straightforward person I
had always known.
Alice was starting to slowly become her old self again. Jack was there for her
now, but he was already sixteen. Soon, he'd be out of the house, and Alice

would be by herself. That worried me. I hoped that she would remember that
we would always be there for her.
Marie was off at University of Washington, studying fashion...figures. Her
mother was of course, her inspiration. She was just as fashionable and hyper as

Alice...well, at least she used to be. I hoped that soon she would be able to
move on from Jasper's death and become her old self again.
My mother was the same as usual. Still married to Phil, still frazzled. I bought
her a nice home in Phoenix to repay her for all her help. She had been amazing

over the years, and I could still call her when I needed advice. Charlie died
years ago, and that was hard on all of us, including her. I think she never really
got over him. There was still a big part of her that was in love with him. Losing

him was difficult for both me and Edward. He was like a father to him too.
That was also the first death my kids had to go through, and I couldn't even

help them through it. I was struggling myself. Eventually though, things got
better and I knew that I couldn't give up. I had to let life go on. It would have

been what he had wanted. There is still a picture of him in his uniform on the
mantle.
Carlisle and Esme were still a big part of our lives. They had both retired and

devoted their lives to charity work. There was even a wing of the hospital
named after the Cullens. It was like you couldn't escape our name. It was great

having them so close, having them be a part of our lives. They were always
there to take over if me and Edward needed a getaway or if I needed time to

write. I could count on them.
And then Edward. I looked at him as the whole family sat at the table, and I

realized that I would have none of this without him.
Yes, we had our ups and downs. And yes, going back, maybe I would have done
some things differently. Maybe I would have waited a little longer to get

married and have kids. Maybe I would have spent more time with my children
and less time at my job. But regardless, I had no regrets. Because I was happy.

I had everything I could ever want. I still loved Edward and he still loved me.
We made it through hell and back and had so much to show for it.
This was my life. And it was my idea of perfect.
----------
Later that night, I sat in my office, staring at the laptop. I had to write my
dedication page, and there words were just simply not coming out. After that
night, I couldn't pick just one person who has influenced me.
"I thought you might need a break," Edward's voice said from behind me. He
stood in the doorway with a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies.
"You have no idea," I smiled. "Come here."

He sat down on the couch in my office and I plopped down on his lap. After 20
years of marriage, I still fit perfectly in his arms. His scent and his presence

never failed to calm me.
"Is everyone asleep?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.
"I think so. Adam and Christine are sleeping in his room. I wasn't sure if I was
supposed to stop that or not."
"They're adults," I shrugged. "Did you talk to our son tonight?"
"Yes, I did. I talked to him about the responsibilities about being in a

relationship and that we expect him to treat Christine with nothing less than
complete respect. And I also I told him he needs to slow down and focus on
important things. During our talk, he started saying how he couldn't wait to

get married and start a family. I had to say something to that. He's too young
to be thinking about marriage right now."
"What did he say?"
Edward held me close.
"He said that he wants to be like us, that's why he's been pushing it. He's sees
how happy we've been, and he wants that too."
I smiled and kissed his cheek.
"And what did you say to that?"
Edward gently played with my hair.
"I told him that while we have been happy, it hasn't been easy. And you have to
be a adult to handle grown-up problems. But I also told him to hold onto

Christine, because they remind me of us."
"They do?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "The way he looks at her is the same way I still look at
you."
I planted a soft kiss on my husband's lips.
"I love you, Edward," I said softly. "Do I still tell you that every day?"
"I think so," he laughed. "But it never gets old."
"And you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. After 20 years, that
hasn't changed."
He kissed me back.
"I love you too, Bella. Never ever forget that."
I bit my lip, thinking about Alice and Jasper. I wonder if she told him that she
loved him that day. What if she hadn't? He was just gone like that. Maybe she
didn't have time.

Thinking about Jasper made me want to cry. It was difficult losing someone
who was so close, and the thought of losing Edward was beyond painful.
"What's wrong?" Edward asked, squeezing my hand.
I sighed.
"Jasper," I breathed. Edward understood. He knew it was hard to think about.
"We can't take time for granted, Bella. We have to live our lives the best we

can. I think that's what the last few months have taught us."
I nodded in agreement.
"I was thinking," I started. "Maybe this spring, when the kids are off school
and I'm done with the book crap, we can all go down to the beach together. I
think we need more family time."
"We do. I think that's a great idea. I can take time off."
"Okay," I whispered.
We sat there for a moment, just being with each other. That never got old with
me.
After a couple minutes, Edward sat up.
"I should let you go back to work. Don't stay up too late though, okay?"
"I won't," I promised. "I just have to get this one thing done."
He kissed my forehead and touched my cheek.
"Goodnight, love," he smiled.
"Goodnight."
Before he left, I had to say one thing.
"Edward..." I called.
"Yes, love?"
"Do you still keep all of my old columns somewhere in this house?"
He gave me a strange look.
"How did you know about that?"
I smiled guiltily.
"When we first moved here, I found your collection," I admitted. "I didn't want

to say anything, but I know you keep them here somewhere."
He smirked and moved over to the closet.
"They were here the whole time," he said, pulling out a box. "If you would have
told me twenty years ago that you knew about them, I would have taken them

out earlier."

"Well, I thought it was a private thing."
"Nothing's private when it comes to you, Miss Sneaky," he joked. He opened

the lid and there they were. The folders and folders of my aritcles.
"Is this everything?" I asked in surprise.
"Well, after you stopped the column, I saved articles about you or your books. I
figured you would want to read them one day."
"Well, today is the day," I smiled. "Thank you."
"Anything for you, love," he whispered, kissing me softly on the lips. "See you

upstairs."
When he left the room, I knelt down to the box.
I started reading my old columns, laughing at my thoughts from back then.

You could tell the periods of time where I was happy, or stressed, or in love.
My favorites were the ones from when Edward and I had just started dating. It

seemed as though I were a different person.
After spending about an hour looking through old writings, I could finally sit

down at my computer.
My fingers started typing.
There is no one person I can dedicate this book to.
Looking back, I must thank the people in my life who inspired me my whole
life.
Firstly, my parents.
To my mother, who has always held strong and determined and to my father,

who, when he was alive, always encouraged me to be whatever I wanted to
be. Both loved me unconditionally and are responsible for the person I am

today.
Then, to my second family, the Cullens.
To Carlisle and Esme, who have remained supportive even through the

toughest times, and have taught me countless lessons about life.
To my dear friends, Rosalie and Emmett and their family.
Their love and kindness have inspired me and given me hope. They are
always there for me and I know whatever the circumstances, I can always

count on them for humor or a kind word.
To Alice, my sister.
Her strength and unconditional love have influenced me beyond belief. I will
always se her as a model of faith and optimism. Even in her darkest hour, she
has proved to be resilient. She is my inspiration.

To my children.
Adam, Violet, and Ruby. They are what gets me up in the morning. They are

my life. I will always live with them in mind. Their smiles brighten up my
darkest day and each one of them are gifted in their own special way.
To Jasper.
A friend who left to soon. My brother. His memory will live on in the hearts of

his friends and family, who knew what a kind and caring person he was.
Every word I write is dedicated in his memory.
And finally, to my dearest husband, Edward.
For twenty years, his encouragement and love have kept me going. Through
trauma and turmoil, he has been the one constant. My love for him is eternal,

and no matter what troubles we face, I know I can make it through with him
by my side. Edward, you are the reason I am alive. You are the reason for my

beautiful life. You are the love I had always dreamed of.
Thank you all.
I finished typing and I sent the page to my editor. It was done. The last book I
would write for at least five years. I couldn't keep this up. For the first time, I
had the money and means to take off and spend time with the people I loved

most. I wouldn't pass that up.
Getting up from my chair, I turned off the computer and made my way

upstairs.
And I went to my bed, where the love of my life was sleeping soundly.

~*~

The End