The Breakers - Epilogue

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~~

Epilogue

EPOV

"Dad!"

"Your sister sounds rather upset. What do you say we go see what all the fuss is about?" I ask and grin when my son gives me a not-so-toothy, gurgling smile.

At just shy of a year old, there's no doubt that he's the most incredible thing to ever happen to me … outside of his mother and sister of course.

I stand up from the couch, where we've just had a short nap, and hold him with his back against my chest. His little legs kick as we walk, most likely because he thinks he's getting food but it's just as possible that he hears Peyton muttering to herself in the kitchen.

She's not quiet; never has been.

A slam of the refrigerator door makes Sam jump in my arms though like most things, he laughs at Peyton instead of being startled by the noise. A happier baby I'm not sure there has ever been in the history of … well, ever. Seriously, if my boy isn't smiling, I worry. From the moment he made his entrance into the world, eight days early and in the middle of the night, he's always had a smile on his face. Sometimes I wonder what in the world he sees or thinks about … then I wonder if it's just that he knows he's been loved and cherished from the time he was no bigger than a lima bean.

Peyton bangs a glass down on the counter with a huff before she pours some apple juice, mumbling the whole time. I can't help but chuckle when some of it sloshes over the side and splashes on the counter.

She scowls, looking from the spilled liquid to the glass, like it's the glass's fault it can't keep all the juice inside.

"Better stop that. Your face might stay that way … then what will Brody think." I sing song his name, though I'm pretty sure there's a frown on my face, too.

Damn kid. He's like a bad weed, always popping up even when I think we've gotten rid of him.

"Dad." She sighs, rolling her eyes when she turns around.

I will never, ever, as long as I live ever, tire of the way it sounds when she calls me dad, even if like now, she's trying to be annoyed with me. She looks so much like Bella at times it's down right scary, especially when she does that little eyebrow quirk where the middle lifts into a perfect peak. Kind of like she's doing now.

Sam gurgles at her, his little hands reaching for her, while his whole body wriggles in excitement. No one can resist his sweet sounds and his even sweeter face so the scowl on her face is instantly replaced with a smile of her own. Besides me and Bella, there's not another person alive that loves Sam more than his big sister … no matter what Jasper, Rose, or Carlisle think.

Peyton giggles, whatever it is that's bothering her melting away as she walks toward her brother. While Sam might be the happiest baby alive, Peyton's the best big sister in existence.

"Come here, you," she says holding her arms out. She takes him from me and I marvel, for the ten thousand three hundred and twenty-first time how in the hell I ever managed to get so damned lucky.

She walks with him, bouncing him on her hip, talking to him as only a doting big sister can before she takes a seat at the kitchen table. I clean up her mess, then set her juice down in front of her.

"You ready to tell me what has you in such a tizzy this fine Saturday morning? It's not even lunch time, Sprite, and already you're scowling and slamming things." She opens her mouth but I hold up my hand. "But," I say, narrowing my eyes at her, "if this is about a boy, save it until your mother gets home."

"Did you hear that, Sammy? Daddy says no boy talk. You remember that when it's time to talk about girls. Go to Uncle Emmett or Jasper; I'm sure they'll have lots to tell you."

Sam of course presses his little chubby finger into her lips and when she blows a raspberry against it, his happy laugh fills the entire kitchen.

"He most definitely will not be doing any talking of any kind with either of those two fools." I hand Sam one of his toys from the center of the table and watch as it goes immediately into his mouth.

As does everything else he gets his little fingers on.

Peyton sets Sam down on the ground and he's off, teetering on wobbly legs as he takes a few steps and then falls onto his well-padded bottom. Of course he laughs at himself and then proceeds to scoot across the floor. He finds his favorite cupboard, the one that Bella filled just for him and knowing he'll keep himself busy for at least fifteen minutes, I give my daughter my full attention.

The word brings an instant smile to my face though it fades a tiny bit when I see the genuine distress on hers.

"Hey, sweetheart, what's upset you? Do you need to call Mom?" I reach out and take her hand, still so small when it's inside my own.

Our relationship has only strengthened over time, grown deeper, stronger, the older she's gotten. She's still the most incredible person, young, old, and everything in between that I've ever met and I'm blessed to know and love the best of the best, but there's still no one like my daughter, my Sprite.

She's not perfect, no matter how much I like to think she is. As any girl on the cusp of transitioning from little girl status to a moody, hormonal pre-teen she has her moments. Times where she's difficult just to be difficult and times where she feels like the entire world doesn't understand her, most of all her mother and me. Her moments never last long, only enough to remind Bella and me that she's becoming her own person and sometimes she needs to spread her wings a little and fly.

At barely more than eleven since her birthday was just last week, I can already feel those wings stretching and it makes me want to snip them and keep her in a cage no matter how wrong that feeling is.

She's mine as much as I'm hers, as much as I've been ever since that first day on the steps outside of The Breakers. Her name is legally Masen now and a judge in Bangor has told me that I'm legally her father, but she and I have known what we are to each other long before it became official. I think she's been mine as long as she's been Bella's. I just didn't know it then.

I'll never be able to replace Evan as her father. I don't want to.

Who I am though is Dad and I'll take that any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

She takes a drink of her juice even though I know she's not thirsty; one of her tell-tale moves when she's trying to figure out what she wants to say. I watch, knowing the nose scrunch is about to come … and it does … followed by the twist of her mouth … always to the right and not the left. I fear the day she realizes how much of an open book she is, but I'm comforted by the fact that she never feels the need to hide from me.

"Come on, P, spill it."

I glance at Sam who has climbed into the cupboard, his little butt up in the air as he pulls literally every plastic mixing bowl and container out and throws them onto the floor in a colored heap of circles, squares, and rectangles. The kid, I swear, is going to be an architect or an engineer when he grows up the way he gets into everything and then stacks them all up.

"You're going to think I'm being stupid," she mumbles, looking down at her juice.

"Hey," I say and then wait until she lifts her chin to look at me. "There's nothing you could ever tell me that will make think you're stupid … unless of course you tell me that Tom Brady is cuter than me."

That makes her smile like I hoped it would. She sighs then says, "Lucy and Brody are both mad at me that I didn't go with Mom to Corea today and now they're telling me that I must not want to be friends anymore since I stayed here so I could go to Emma's house last night instead of getting up early and going with Mom. It's not my fault Emma's sleepover was last night and I wanted to go. She's my friend, too, and all my other new friends were there and now what if I lose my old best friends because I wanted to be here with my new best friends. I hate this." She huffs, sucking in a huge lungful of air, because she has to have run out at least three sentences ago.

Now it's my turn to sigh and fidget. I love Peyton and seeing her get herself all worked up makes my heart ache. Right now her cheeks are flushed, her pupils huge, and she keeps licking her lips with her head tilted to the side as she waits with baited breath for me to impart pearls of wisdom.

Too bad for her I'm still as lost as I was the first time something like this happened. It was also the first time I was "Dad" instead of "Edward". She'd come flying through the front door, it was a day Bella was in Corea working at the restaurant, and she was in tears. After I'd aged about ten years and half my hair had started to turn prematurely … very prematurely … gray, and made sure there were no blood, broken bones, or missing limbs, I took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart and asked her what was wrong. The fact that she'd just hollered the word Dad playing on a continuous loop in the back of my mind notwithstanding, I listened as she told me some convoluted story of how normally at lunch she sat between Emma and Abby but that day they were acting weird, her word not mine, and they made her sit on the end … at the very end of the table and then spent the whole lunch period not talking to her. A tragedy of epic proportions apparently judging from the way her tears were falling and the way she kept sniffing and rubbing her nose on my shirt.

"Dad, why don't they like me anymore?" she'd asked me, her little chin quivering and the end of her nose as red as Rudolph's. She had her nose buried in my neck and as I wrapped my arms around her the only thing I could think about was the fact she'd just called me Dad. I'd kissed the side of her head, and tried to keep the tears that were burning the corner of my eyes from spilling over, a feat I didn't manage.

"Oh sweetheart," I'd murmured to her, my heart all at once so full and so hurt for my little girl. "I love you if that helps any." I'd comforted Peyton plenty before that day, but never after she'd called me Dad, which in my mind made the fact she was upset the worst thing in the history of the world.

I held her and talked to her, saying whatever came to mind. I'm sure most of it was sugarcoating and full of clichés but she didn't seem to mind. Once I ran out of things to say, she'd leaned back and kissed me squarely on the cheek saying, "You're kinda good at all this Dad stuff, you know that?" Then she told me she loved me and scurried off to her room, leaving me stunned, speechless, and feeling like a million bucks.

God, I remember how helpless I felt then and it's not any different than I feel right now.

She's a little older … but she's all Peyton.

She still has days I'm Edward. I'm okay with that. They're a lot less than they used to be. There are moments when she gets confused and times when she feels guilty for calling me Dad when she knows Evan is her father. I know she loves me and I am Edward to her, but I'm also Dad, and Dad is who she needs right now.

A kiss and a cuddle isn't always the solution, especially in the life of an eleven-year-old.

"Look, P, I know it's hard sometimes when you want to be in Corea, but you want to be here, too. It's one of the things that makes living in Ellsworth not so fun, but you understand why we have to be here, don't you?" I'm not sure why I'm asking, now, after we've been here for the whole school year.

Hell, when the time came to pack up Bella's house and leave it in the very capable hands of Xavier and Seth, Peyton was the first one to climb into the moving truck. Bella hated the thought of selling her house, the place she and Peyton made a home, where Peyton took her first steps, where they had their first Christmas, where the three of us became a family, and I wasn't too happy about it either. Surprisingly it was Seth who approached Bella with the idea of him and Xavier moving in.

Marcus, Alec and his new girlfriend, Kelly, are happy at the boarding house with Esme and Carlisle and Seth had felt like he was finally ready to move in with Xavier. Bella was over the moon about her two friends finally solidifying their commitment to each other and was thrilled to let them stay in her house.

Peyton was sad to leave the only home she'd ever known. She worried about being so far away from her Pop and Nana and her Uncle Emmett and of course she knew she was going to miss her friends, but like the amazing little girl she is, all she could see was a new adventure. It made moving much easier on all of us.

The fact that we'd barely had her bed put together before there was a knock on the door and a gaggle of girls and boys were already asking her to go outside and play didn't hurt either. She seemed perfectly at ease right from the get go, even though her iPad and Bella's laptop got quite the workout from all the time she spent on it checking on Facebook and whatever else she did to keep up with her friends in Corea.

It was an adjustment for all of us, but one both Bella and I felt was necessary. We chose Ellsworth because it was still close enough for Bella to get to The Breakers to help at the restaurant and it was about an hour away from Bangor where I had my office set up. We knew we didn't want to go too far, but staying in Corea just really wasn't an option once we decided I wasn't going to work for Charlie anymore.

Back in Corea, most nights Bella and I spent at home alone with Peyton. She worked with the girls all day, I worked with the guys and by the end of the day, all we wanted to do was be alone. Living in Ellsworth kept us close enough to Corea to spend Sundays at Charlie and Renée's and for the steady stream of visitors we seemed to have even living an hour away.

I was most surprised at Bella's excitement about leaving. I thought she'd have second thoughts mostly because I was pretty sure Bella had always thought that she'd never leave Corea. Granted Ellsworth wasn't that big of a switch from Corea but the fact that she couldn't run to Rose's house for a quick chat or Xavier couldn't drop in for breakfast every other morning was a little hard for her to get used to, but she has.

But, there were times, like right now, where living in Ellsworth was probably not high up on Peyton's list of most favorite things.

Peyton lets loose a long-suffering sigh, a full body one where her shoulders lift all the way to her ears and it looks she grows six inches she stretches so much. "Yeah, it just sucks sometimes."

I snort and then try to cover it up with a cough. I have to hide my smile behind my hand because Bella will have my ass if she hears Peyton use that word. "Peyton," I try to say sternly, though it comes out more like a chuckle.

She giggles because she knows as well as I do that I let her get away with way more than Bella does … when it comes to most things anyway. Anything having to do with boys though … um, yeah, that's all Bella's territory.

"What time is Mom going to be home?" I know she's totally trying to distract me, and I let her because sometimes things really do just suck and it's okay to say so … though maybe she shouldn't use that word.

I let her change the subject but not before I stand up and kiss the top of her head. "You know by tomorrow Brody and Lucy will be posting all over your wall or whatever it is you do on the Facebook."

She swats at me. "Facebook, Dad, it's just Facebook." She pats Sam on the head who gives her a big gummy smile and then she heads up to her room.

Crisis averted apparently … and I didn't have to do much or maim any young member of the male population … in my head only of course.

Sam stands up on wobbly legs and shuffles toward me, grabbing onto my leg. I swing him up into my arms and he lays his head down on my shoulder. The fifteen minute cat nap we had on the couch not cutting it at all apparently. I pat his back as I walk toward his room.

"Okay, little man, time for a nap for you." I kiss the top of his head, his baby soft hair tickling my nose. His bright green eyes widen as he smiles then they slowly close once I lay him down in his crib. He curls up into a little ball, his favorite position, and I rub a few circles on his back and then pat his bottom before walking out of the room. The pull to sit in the rocking chair and just watch him as he sleeps is strong, so strong, but I have a few files to go over before Bella gets home from Corea.

I glance at him one more time before I partially close the door and head toward the living room. I could work in my office but since I'm the only one down here, I'd rather be comfortable on the couch.

My office, I think with a snort and a shake of my head, whoever would have thought?

Being a full-fledged attorney is a hell of a lot different from working on a lobster boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, that's for damn sure. Though to be honest, I'm not sure which work is harder. Both are equally difficult, but different, and both are rewarding, but again, just different. I miss the water. I wasn't sure I would, but I do. I miss the smell, the sound, and I miss working with the guys, Charlie especially.

After I asked Bella to marry me, which is still one of the best nights of my life, we settled into somewhat of a routine. As happy as I was that she said yes, it wasn't like we were in this huge hurry to get married. We took some time to just be … be together, and be a family with Peyton and Brady.

The wedding planning was low key and relaxed, thanks to Bella's insistence that it be such. A few trips to New York City to find dresses for her and the rest of the girls and a trip to Bar Harbor for me and the guys to get fitted for tuxes and that was all she wrote. Invitations went out to the entire town, and to a few others like my P.O., Chet, who was no Wayne, but a nice guy just the same, Bud, and to Bella's grandparents, too. We got married at St. Joseph's Catholic church on a Saturday night, surrounded by candlelight. When she walked down the aisle, proudly on Charlie's arm, and holding Peyton's hand with her other hand, I swear there had never been a moment where I had felt literally like I could fly. Carlisle chuckled beside me, his hand on my shoulder to keep me from sprinting down the aisle to carry both my girls to the altar.

Bella was gorgeous. I always think so, but that night, in that dress, she was beyond description. Her long hair framed her perfect face in soft mahogany waves that positively shimmered in the candlelight, falling over her bare shoulders and down her back. Her diamond engagement ring sparkled, almost as bright as her eyes and certainly as bright as Peyton's. And her eyes, holy hell I can still recall exactly how her eyes looked when Charlie placed her hand in mine, with a smile on his face and a twitch of his mustache when he told me to always take care of his baby. Endless, warm and so full of love and happiness I forgot to breathe.

The ceremony was traditional, complete with a Mass and readings done by Alice, Xavier, and Rose. Our hands never let go of the other's, even when we had to kneel. Our vows were simple but true. We thought about writing our own, but felt like expressing our love for each other was something to share with only each other … not to mention I didn't think there was any way I'd be able to get through saying them in front of so many people without passing out.

When Father McNamara pronounced us husband, wife, and Peyton, the entire church broke out into applause, no one clapping louder than Emmett. The reception that followed at the American Legion Hall was typical for such a small town. Food of all different kinds brought by every person in attendance lined long metal tables covered with white table cloths. There was a DJ we'd hired from Bangor and the wedding cake Bella picked out from her favorite bakery in Ellsworth. It was simple but it was perfect for us. We danced and ate. We listened to Seth, Emmett and Bella's grandfather, Walter, make toasts that made everyone laugh until there were tears running down our faces and then listened as Xavier, Rose, and Charlie made us cry with words spoken from the heart. During the Bride/Father and Groom/Mother dance, I danced with Esme and tried to keep from breaking completely down. When Renée whispered in my ear as we danced and watched Charlie spin Bella around the dance floor, I lost it when she kissed me and told me that from that day forward she and Charlie were now Mom and Dad. I danced with Peyton on my feet, her looking every bit the sprite I believe her to be. I danced with Bella pressed close while she tempted me with way too much skin.

The whole night was perfect, even if the sight of Seth fighting Aggie for Bella's bouquet is something I won't ever forget.

We spent a week at Bear Mountain Inn for our honeymoon, only this time I paid. Charlie gave me a week off, but neither one of us wanted to go very far … it's not like we left our room much anyway. Staying in our room gave us plenty of time to talk ... in between making love to the point of exhaustion. The question of me adopting Peyton was one of the three things we spent the most time discussing. The next one being when to have a baby … as soon as possible was my two cents … and the other was whether or not to keep working for Charlie.

Adopting Peyton was a no-brainer. As far as I was concerned she was already mine; she'd been mine from the very first moment I saw her. We'd already made preliminary inquiries anyway, as soon as we'd gotten engaged. I needed to have a valid driver's license in Maine, which I already had. Bella and I needed to have a permanent residence for at least six months, which we did. Bella would need to give her consent, which she obviously was going to do. I worried there might be at least a tiny bit of hesitation on her part, but there wasn't any. She'd said goodbye to Evan a long time ago, even though she carried the guilt of his death around for a really long time. We decided to present Peyton with the papers at Christmas and then as a family, we'd go file the papers with the court after the first of the year. The whole process was liable to take about six months to finalize, but I knew, as did Bella, that it was all window dressing in the first place. Peyton was mine - there wasn't any other way around it.

The question of whether or not to keep working for Charlie was a bit harder to answer. I loved my job. I loved the water and the camaraderie I had with Emmett, Jasper, and especially Charlie. I loved the smell of the sea water, the lurch and tilt of the boat as it forged through the waves, the pull and ache of my muscles at the end of a productive day. Of course there were days I'd dreaded getting out of bed, days where getting back to the docks couldn't come soon enough. Days when Emmett drove me crazy with his mood swings, days when nothing I did was good enough for Charlie, days when Jasper's gaze never left me as he nit picked over every single thing I did. Days when not even Bella's fingers could ease the aches and pains that were bone deep. There were times when I'd miss something of Peyton's, a program at school, the Spelling Bee, or parent/teacher conferences, and I'd feel like it was a moment I'd never get back. It was different for Charlie and Emmett, even Jasper. Charlie and Emmett were made to be on the water and Jasper had made it his second home, and while I loved it, I didn't love it enough to give up being with Bella and Peyton. My accident and then the mess with Aleksei had taught me and Bella that life could change in the blink of an eye. I would always be grateful to Charlie for giving me a job, a chance at a new life, but I knew once I went back after my accident it would only be a matter of time until I needed to do something else.

When Bella told me she was pregnant, after a few false alarms, I knew it was time. The thought of anything happening to me and leaving Bella alone with Peyton and our baby freaked me out so badly I had more sleepless nights than I could count. We told everyone she was pregnant in October, once she got past the first eight weeks. The first words out of Charlie's mouth weren't 'congratulations, Edward', they were "I'm going to miss you on the boat, son." From there, it only seemed logical to use the knowledge I'd gained in prison and sit for the Bar Exam in Maine. It was only offered twice a year so January was my first opportunity to take it, and once I found out I'd passed, things moved quick from there. I found a job with a small firm in Bangor, we decided to move to Ellsworth, we found a house and we moved … after Sam was born of course. There was no way I was taking Bella away from her family during that time.

Once he was born and we got settled into our new house, things were so perfect I often found myself marveling if it was all real. The life I have, the happiness and love and sense of peace is so opposite what my life was like before Corea that it's hard sometimes to reconcile being in prison for seven long years to being happily married to the love of my life and having the two most amazing kids in the world.

I sigh, grabbing a file off the coffee table and make some notes on the case I have to work on next week, thinking once again that life sure does have the strangest way of working out like you least expect it.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~~

"Who's that?" I ask Sam with wide eyes when I hear the front door open a few hours later. We're sitting in the kitchen, and I'm trying, in vain from all appearances, to get him to eat his dinner. "You better eat this, buddy, or else Mommy's going to think I can't handle being home with you by myself."

He giggles and starts bouncing in his highchair. Like his daddy, just knowing Bella's in the general vicinity is enough to get our hearts racing and put a smile on our faces.

"There are my boys," she says cheerily once she walks in the kitchen, her voice happy and light.

God, but I love her.

"Did you have a good day with Daddy?" she coos at Sam, nuzzling his neck amidst his squeals and wiggles. She artfully dodges the mashed up spaghetti he tries to feed her like only a mom can do. She kisses the top of his head once more, then mine, on her way to the stove where the spaghetti sauce still simmers.

I can't cook much, but even I can manage spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. She pours us each a glass of wine from the bottle I left on the counter to breathe. Once she sets them on the table in front of us, my arms are around her waist and my hands are planted firmly on her still very tight, and very fine ass.

"Kiss me. I haven't seen you all day and I haven't had a kiss in hours and hours." I smirk when I tip my head back to look at her.

"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" She leans down, her eyes so sparkly and the flecks of gold in the deep brown more pronounced than normal.

A good sign for me because number one that means she's happy and number two that means sexy, fun times for us both once Sam goes to bed.

Fuck yes.

I open my mouth to say just that, but before I can say anything, her mouth is on mine. Warm and soft, tasting fruity like the wine, and so fucking perfect. Her tongue moves slowly in and out of my mouth and it's about all I can do not to pull her onto my lap and show her just how good she tastes and feels. My fingers press into her ass and her hands find their way into my hair. My top lip is in between both of hers and when I feel her teeth bite down just hard enough to sting, I groan.

There's never anything wrong with a little pain, especially not when my tongue is inside her mouth.

Sam slaps the tray of his highchair causing us both to chuckle. The vibration pretty much shoots straight to my dick, a fact of which Bella only acknowledges with a quirk of an eyebrow and a saucy shake of her ass as she turns from me to our son.

I stand up and very much enjoy the sharp intake of her breath when I press my hips against hers. I lean forward and place an open-mouthed kiss right on the spot that never fails to make her tilt her head to the side or causes her teeth to bite on her bottom lip. "I can't wait to have you all to myself later. I hope you didn't work too hard today," I whisper.

"You're so going to pay for that later," she says after she takes a deep breath. I love the way I can get her worked up with just a kiss and by rubbing myself against her.

"Bring it, baby," I taunt and take a huge drink of my wine.

I sit back in my chair and watch her as she talks to Sam and tells him all about the goings on in Corea. And, like his daddy, he soaks up every word and every smile as if they were laced with magical powers or iced in chocolate.

I try to subtly adjust myself because I'm still hard from kissing her moments ago, a move she catches out of the corner of her eye, but thankfully lets go with only a snort. I really can't fucking wait until later.

Not gonna lie, those first few months after he was born are still pretty much a blur, too many sleepless nights that have run together to remember much about that time. Of course there are as many of those nights that are my own fault rather than Sam not sleeping through the night.

I love Peyton as much as if she was my own. When she hurts, I hurt, when she's happy, I feel it deep inside my soul and all the way down to the tips of my toes, but after watching Sam come into this world, all wrinkly and pink and perfect, there were nights, there still are, when I'm still so awed by the fact that he's here, that he's mine, that all I can do is stare at him in wonder. Every little grunt and squeak, every wrinkle in his forehead while he sleeps, every smile that lights up his face is a moment, just a breath of time that will never come again and I find myself not wanting to miss any of them, no matter how small.

When Bella told me she was pregnant, I didn't know there were any better words in the English language besides I and love and you, but I was wrong. Marrying Bella was the best thing I'd ever done, up until the words "We're going to have a baby" rolled off her tongue and sent me skyrocketing to the moon and back.

"So how is Rose feeling?" I ask when Sam's gurgling sounds bring me back to the present.

Bella takes Sam out of his highchair and sets him loose. Brady has joined the party and is sniffing around the floor hoping that he can find a few pieces of food dropped by his second favorite human.

Sam and Brady have a conversation, one that only the two of them understand, and she turns around to face me, smiling like the expectant aunt she is.

"She's huge!" I sputter, shocked at her very true but very blunt statement, choking on a sip of my third, or maybe it's my fourth glass of wine. "And moody, God is she ever moody. Was I ever that way?" she asks and I bite my tongue. I might be just shy of feeling nice and relaxed, but even I'm not stupid enough to answer that question honestly. Not if I want sexy, fun time later … and I really want sexy, fun time later.

To say that the family is excited about the impending arrival of Rose's baby is like asking Charlie if opening day of baseball season is his favorite day of the year. Emmett is so beside himself, he's bought two of everything he can find in blue and pink. Rose refuses to find out the sex of the baby, a fact that is driving everyone but her absolutely insane, but she just sits there, with a raised eyebrow and her hair tossed over her shoulder enjoying everyone's anxiousness. She's healthy and happy, about to pop any day now, and is quite enjoying being the center of attention … at least according to Alice and Emmett.

I snort and Bella smirks, her eyes shining with the laugh she wants to let free, but she just huffs then playfully scowls at me over her own glass of wine. She knows perfectly well there were days I thought I'd have to send her to her mother's when she was pregnant her mood swings were so bad. She put Mariah Carey to shame on more than one occasion, but I wouldn't trade one single minute of the time she was pregnant. She knocked me on my ass the first time I saw her. The next time I saw her when I ran after her out of The Breakers I thought I'd never seen anyone hotter. The first time I saw her completely naked, I wanted to cry she was so perfect. Waking next to her, deliciously sleep rumpled and warm, I wanted to take a picture and sleep with it beneath my pillow for the rest of all time. Dressed in white, there had never been anyone that could compare, but the first time I saw the tiniest of baby bumps, I'd come undone. To know that my baby, our baby, was growing inside of her altered me in such a way that I could honestly feel it as it happened.

The first doctor appointment, when Sam's heartbeat thrummed in the air, I felt it inside of me. When we got the first sonogram pictures, I didn't sleep all night, I just held them in my hand and stared at them, wondering what our baby would look like, who it would take after … if there would be anything to remind me of grandparents – my grandfather's crooked smile or the little bump my grandmother had on her nose. I wondered if he or she would have Bella's eyes or Peyton's heart, or maybe even my unruly hair.

Waiting for him to be born seemed to take forever, but then it was over in the blink of an eye and we were welcoming Samuel Thomas Masen into the world and into our wonderful, crazy lives.

The sun has set. The kitchen, my favorite room in the house, is cozy and bathed in the soft light of dusk. The windows that form a wall between inside and the world beyond reflect back and in them I see my family, complete now that Peyton has come downstairs and has her arm laid across Bella's shoulders.

I am, without a doubt, the luckiest damn bastard on the planet.

I listen with a slight smile on my face as Peyton recounts her turmoil from earlier and am quite pleased with myself when Bella's advice matches my own. It gives me faith that I might just know a thing or two about this dad business.

"Babe, you'll never guess what Mom told me today!" Bella exclaims, startling Sam and making him laugh.

I try not to look smug. The smile on her face is about to go bye-bye … I only hope my sexy, fun times don't as well because I already know what she's about to say. I've known for a while, but I was sworn to secrecy. Keeping a secret from Bella is damned near impossible, but after being threatened in the most horrible of ways, I made sure to keep my mouth shut.

She narrows her eyes at me when I shift in my chair and swallow the rest of my wine in one big gulp. "You already know," she snips and levels me with a withering stare.

Since she already knows that I know I nod and then sheepishly say, "I'm sorry, Bella. Your dad made me promise not to tell you. It was something he wanted to tell you himself. Please don't be mad at me." She snaps her head in Sam's direction, her frown changing to a smile as he squeals when Brady presses his nose against his cheek. I reach out and hook my pinky with hers and tug until she looks at me, all traces of hurt feelings gone, thank goodness.

"What do you think?"

"I'm so happy for him and Mom, and really for Emmett, too. I know Em's wanted to be in charge of the boat for a long time and now he's going to get his chance."

I nod, agreeing completely and silently I give myself a pat on the back. I had a long talk with Charlie when we spent last Sunday at his house for a barbeque. He asked me what I thought about him retiring, or semi-retiring as he qualified, and after picking my jaw up from the ground, I told him that Emmett was more than capable of running things and it was time for him to enjoy his life and his wife. He glared at me and I'll admit, my dick shriveled as did my balls under his intense stare until his mustache twitched and he laughed, slapping me on the back. The fact that he knocked the breath clean out of me was definitely not an accident, but I knew he wasn't pissed at me.

"Emmett will be a great captain and now with Marcus and Alec working on the boat with them, I think Charlie can relax." I take another sip of my wine and sigh, staring at Bella. "You're so beautiful," I whisper.

She gasps and I can't help but smile at her when she stares at me. "What? It's true," I say and then stand up, taking our glasses to the sink. I can feel her eyes on my as I rinse them out and then set them on the counter to dry. I guess thinking about things today has me feeling kind of sentimental, needy … I want my wife.

We do the things we do every night, eat in between playing with Sam and talking to Peyton, then it's bath time for Sam and reading time for Peyton. Like a well-oiled machine the night passes by full of smiles and kisses to the tips of noses, and tickles to tummies that cause the sweetest giggles … unless Bella and Peyton decide like they frequently do that it's my turn to be attacked by the tickle monster. Soon, way sooner than I'll ever be ready for it, Peyton will be too old for cuddles while we read about wizards and magic and golden snitches so I make sure to enjoy every moment with her now.

"Okay, Sprite, your eyelids are drooping and we've got a big day tomorrow," I say softly, closing the book and setting it on the nightstand.

Oh yes, tomorrow. Alice and Jasper are coming to Ellsworth to spend the day with us and bringing their new baby … though it has four legs and not two. Jasper had sweet talked Alice into getting him a puppy shortly after Bella and I had gotten engaged. He was nuts about the thing, like totally head over heels and over his head in love with his baby girl. Jasper loved Brady, almost as much as Peyton did, but he wanted a dog a bit bigger. He talked to Julie who had a friend in Bangor that bred Alaskan Malamutes and her dog had just had puppies. Peyton and I … and Brady … went with Jasper and Alice one Sunday to look at the puppies and when Jasper saw them he was a goner. Within five minutes he was the proud owner of a gorgeous black and white, bright blue-eyed puppy named Sadie. Up until a few weeks ago, I never thought Jasper would want any other dog besides Sadie, but when Julie called and informed him that someone had given her a two-month-old Siberian Husky they could no longer take care of, and she couldn't either, Jasper was the first person she thought to call. It took him even less time to fall in love with Cooper than it did with Sadie. So now, Jasper and Alice were a family of four … but I know it won't be long until the ratio of humans to dogs is three to two. Alice is ready and there is no doubt that Jasper has had plenty of practice with the puppies … and Sam to know he is, too.

About damn time, if you ask me.

I lean down and kiss Peyton on the forehead. "Night, sweetheart. Love you," I whisper and kiss the tip of her nose.

"Love you, Dad. Night," she answers back sleepily, and snuggles down into her pillows. By the time I turn off her light and shut the door, her soft, even breaths fill the room.

The shower is running when I get to our room and I smile. Bella in the shower means lots of warm citrusy-smelling skin for me to enjoy when she comes to bed … and I definitely plan on doing just that. I change my clothes, donning a pair of loose sleep pants and nothing else; it's not like I'll need my clothes for long anyway. I head for the bathroom, needing to brush my teeth, though a sneak peek at a wet, naked Bella is a treat I won't mind at all.

I wipe some of the fog off the mirror - if I'm gonna look, I damn well want to see as much as I can. God bless the inventor of glass shower doors is all I'm saying. She's so gorgeous and if you didn't know she was the mother of two kids, I swear you'd never be able to tell. Her stomach is nearly as flat as it was pre-Sam and though her hips are slightly wider than before, her ass still looks fucking spectacular, especially in a pair of tiny, white shorts. Her breasts are still perfect, and still fit in my hands like they were made specifically just for me.

"You plan on standing there all night?" she asks as she tips her hair back. I watch the white bubbles cascade down through the hair that looks almost black from the water, feeling my dick harden in my pants.

"No. I plan on you hurrying the hell up and coming to bed. I want you naked and beneath me as soon as fucking possible," I tell her and shamelessly palm my growing, hardening erection.

Her eyes widen and even through the blurry glass I can see her breath quicken.

"I'll be waiting," I tell her, holding her gaze for a few moments before I smirk and then turn to leave.

She takes her time … or it seems that way. I can feel myself drifting off to sleep, muscles totally relaxed and my eyes are closed. I hear her move around in the bathroom, hear the water run while she brushes her teeth. I melt even more against the headboard, sagging into the pillows behind me. I smell her before I hear her. I slowly open my eyes to find her crawling across the bed toward me, eyes already dark and with her bottom lip already between her teeth.

Immediately my arms reach for her and I drag her to me. "That took fucking forever," my words muffled against the column of her neck where my lips and tongue are already making up for lost time. "Christ, you taste good."

She hums and her fingers slide into my hair, pulling me closer. As if I mind that. I roll us so that she's beneath me like I wanted, though she's still wearing far too many clothes and yes, barely there panties and a tank top so thin I can see each little pebble of skin that surrounds her already peaked nipples count as too many clothes.

I make quick work of removing both, though I do take time to linger on my favorite spots. The spot just inside her hip bone where her skin is so soft, so thin that just the barest pressure from my teeth makes her squirm and whimper. I always love that. I move from there, up, over her stomach, nibbling, licking higher, higher until I swirl my tongue around first one nipple then the other. With my mouth covering one, my fingers tug and roll the other.

"God I love the way you feel under me," I whisper against the side of her breast, flattening my tongue to paint her skin.

She arches her back and I nudge her knees wider with my own settling right where I want to be. "Edward, ah ... mmmm." She moans when I rub my straining cock against her already wet pussy. "Get up here, come kiss me," she urges pulling on my arms.

Never, ever one to deny my wife anything, especially when it's me, I comply. I let my fingers ghost over her body, starting with her calf, then up along her thigh. I make sure to spread my fingers wide so that my thumb touches, but just barely, her very sensitive clit. I want to leave my thumb where it is because there's little I love more than to feel her slick and hot for me … because of me.

"Edward." She moans again. She lets her legs fall open more and her hands are everywhere. My arms, over my shoulders, in the center of my back, on my ass, grasping, pulling to get me where she wants me.

As much as I want to give her what she wants, and Jesus do I ever, I haven't seen her all day, or had my hands on her so I take my time, slithering up her body achingly, deliciously slow … so, so slow. The tips of my fingers trail up her side, over her rib cage. Her skin is still warm and smells like fucking heaven but I can feel the goosebumps that my gentle touch cause to break out everywhere. Her nipples are hard against my chest and I purposely hover above her just far enough so that I'm barely touching her, but it's enough to make her bite her lip and for her eyes to burn hot and bright.

I fucking love that, making her so hot, driving her crazy until with just the slightest of touches, or licks, or thrusts she's completely undone.

"You said something about wanting me to kiss you. You still want that?" I smirk at her and then lean down to brush my lips across her collarbone and then up the side of her neck. I start on the right side of her body because I have a specific destination in mind for my mouth. My tongue curls around her earlobe and then goes higher to one of my most favorite spots. I rub the pretty amethyst stud that now adorns Bella's ear. Not that the little silver ball stopped driving me insane or anything, but I wanted something different, unique for her. I found a set of earrings in the most pure, perfect color of purple I could ever imagine and when I saw them, I knew I had to have them. "Still love the way it feels when I wrap my tongue around this," I rasp.

My hips rock against her, and I smile against her ear when I feel her hands then her feet pushing my pants down my legs. I lift just enough so that I can shimmy them down and kick them off. Now that we're both naked I kiss my way back down and over so I can give my girl what she so sweetly asked for.

"Hi." I smile when my mouth is just above hers, a hair's breadth separating our lips.

She rolls her beautiful brown eyes at me and then quirks that one eyebrow in the way that will never, ever get old. "Are you going to kiss me now? And here I thought you were so anxious to have me naked and beneath you," she teases.

"Oh, believe me, baby, you are exactly where I want you." I frame her head with my hands, letting my fingers slide between the silky strands of her hair. My thumbs brush across the apples of her cheeks and as much as I need to be inside of her, I need to be with her, like this, even more.

I lower my mouth over hers, done with the teasing and ready to get to the loving. Soft, slow, I press my tongue in her mouth, savoring the spicy cinnamon of her toothpaste and the simple taste of just her. Our tongues twist and dip. My hips roll forward, the tip of my cock grazing her entrance. Her hands wrap around and run up and down my back, her knees press against my side.

"Oh … yeah." She moans when I rub against her clit, sliding smooth as silk through the slick wet of her folds.

"Yeah?" I ask then cover her mouth with mine again. My tongue plunges, once, twice, a third time, my cock finding its way home, mimicking my tongue. Effortlessly, we find the perfect rhythm that only comes from being so in tune with each other.

She tips her head backward, stretching her neck in the most tantalizing of ways. I can't ever resist that much skin offered to me and I don't this time, either. Sucking, biting, licking, then kissing, I keep my mouth attached to her neck until she's a panting mess underneath me.

"Faster?"

She nods, heels digging into my ass, fingernails, scraping down my back.

I shift my hips just so, moving my knees forward to give me the leverage I need. "Harder?" I ask as I thrust deep inside of her.

"God, oh, yes!" Her eyes are dark brown pools of love and want and as I move even faster, the pace steady and my strokes long, I feel myself get even harder inside of her.

I'm close, and I know she is, too. "You almost there?"

The muscles deep inside of her clench tightly and I chuckle. "Good girl." I lean down, taking a nipple into my mouth and suck on it. I feel her muscles tense again, and I know with just the right prompt, I can make her fall apart. My hand dips between her legs and I circle her clit with my index finger. "Better?" I ask, probably a rhetorical question, but I ask anyway.

"So, so good," she pants.

"Come on, Bella, let go. You're right there. I can feel it." I need her to come so badly. I want it, the way she looks at me until she can't keep her eyes open any longer, the way her breath catches when I touch that one place deep inside of her … the way her fingers wrap around my biceps and squeeze.

I kiss her once more, knowing her body as well as my own, and that she's seconds from exploding. With one last long, smooth thrust inside of her I still and feel her walls clench and flutter around me as she comes, chanting, "Yes … oh yes, yes!"

I follow right behind in a powerful burst, hard enough to make me see stars behind my eyelids.

"You really did miss me today." Bella giggles once we've both caught our breath.

I kiss her forehead and roll off her and reach for the tissues on the nightstand. I clean myself up the best I can and then turn my head to look at her. "You have no idea how much I miss you when you're not here. Sam and I had fun though, and after Peyton calmed down I got a lot of work done."

She goes into the bathroom and does her own cleaning up and then slips beneath the covers and cuddles next to me and lays her head on my chest. "I missed you, too. I love seeing everyone, but I'd rather be here with you guys."

Her hand runs back and forth over my chest for a bit until it slows as does her breathing. "I love you," she mumbles, almost dead to the world in only a few minutes.

I'm just about to fall asleep when I hear Sam whine from his room. "Love you," I whisper against the side of Bella's head and slip out of bed. I pull my pants on and go to my boy. When I walk in his room, he's laying on his back, looking up just waiting to see which one of his parents is going to come keep him company until he decides to go back to sleep.

"What's the matter, little man, bad dream?" I ask softly as I scoop him up and hold him close.

Yes, I'm totally a sucker for my son, and I'm not too proud to admit it either. We walk for a few minutes in the dark, the silvery white glow of the moon casting long shadows along the floor and up the walls. I kiss the side of his head over and over until I feel him snuggle into his favorite spot right beneath my chin. Not wanting to let him go, I sit down in the rocking chair in the corner.

"One of these days, Sam, I might just leave you in your bed," I whisper and he grunts, pulling his knees up and he lifts his head. He looks at me, all sleepy and sweet and baby boy. "Yeah, yeah, I know, it'll never happen." He yawns and as much as I know I should put him back in bed, I don't. We rock, there's not one sound save for his muffled breath against my chest and the soft creak of the chair as I move up and down.

I look around his room and my gaze stops on the newest picture on his wall. It's of the four of us from Peyton's birthday party a little more than a week ago. We're sitting on the beach, on 'our' log. I'm holding Sam on my lap, Bella's hand is on his back and Peyton is standing behind us with her arms wrapped around each of our shoulders and her cheek pressed up against Bella's. We look happy, like the picture perfect family … which we really are. Right next to that picture is one of the whole family taken at Easter, including all the dogs and even Aggie, Alec, Marcus, and Kelly.

I think about family, the one I had and the one I have, half of which aren't even connected to each other at all except by want and love. I miss my parents, I'll never forget nor stop loving my grandparents, but the people in my life now, the ones that embraced me with open arms and gave me a second chance to be the person, the man I was always meant to be are all the family I'll ever need.

My eyes sweep back to the right and land on the picture Renée took at the hospital right after Sam was born of the four of us - Peyton and me wrapped around Bella and Sam. My heart swells, filling my chest with everything I felt that day. Awe, pride, fear, happiness, love … my God so much love. I still can't believe it didn't just lift up the hospital room and carry us all away.

There next to Sam's bed is my very favorite picture of me and Peyton. It's the same one that graces every room in the house, Charlie and Renée's house as well as everyone else's, Bella's house in Corea and is even behind the register at The Breakers. It was taken on the day we finalized Peyton's adoption in Bangor and looking at even years later still brings tears to my eyes and lump in my throat the size of a grapefruit.

We were walking down the steps in front of the courthouse and she was behind me, holding my hand. She pulled me to a stop and I was a few steps below her. The most radiant smile I've ever seen on her spread across her face and she let out the most adorable, though high-pitched squeal of absolute and complete joy before she jumped from the step and into my arms. The finalized papers were still clutched in her hand and I spun her around and around, both of us laughing and looking like there was no one else in the world except for the two of us. Bella had snapped the picture just as Peyton leaned forward and kissed me with puckered lips. The love we have for each other radiates from the picture and not once have I ever been able to look at it without smiling or without remembering how happy we were that day.

Bella's the love of my life, my wife, best friend, partner and the best thing that has ever happened to me. She's my everything, every hope and dream I've ever had, even the ones I had when I was too scared to fall asleep at night. Sam's my light. He's the little piece of me, of my Masen family that will carry on for at least another generation.

And then there's Peyton … my heart. I love Bella and Sam, madly, passionately, fiercely … but there's a piece of my heart that will always and only be hers. My daughter, my Sprite. Whoever would have thought that way back when, standing on those steps of The Breakers, that little wisp of a thing would be the first person to love me for me and change me irrevocably just from a tug on a hand and a declaration that we'd be best friends.

Sam coughs in his sleep, and my arms wrap protectively around him. "You are the luckiest little one in the whole wide world, Sam, did you know that? You have the best mommy and big sister there could ever be and I hope one day you'll say I'm the best daddy, too," I whisper.

"You already are," Bella's sleepy, soft voice says from the doorway. She holds her hand out. "Come on, Daddy, let him sleep and come back to bed. I miss my husband."

I don't need to be asked twice.

~~The End~~

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~~

The Breakers Chapter 27

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Chapter 27

EPOV

"Ouch." I hiss when I trip over a cardboard box sitting on the floor at the end of my bed. I can barely see, my eyes are bleary and unfocused. Not surprising since it's 4:00 in the damn morning.

The sky outside my window is still inky black and there's the faintest sound of the trees waving in the wind. Bare branches scratch and brush against the side of the house. I glance around the room, spinning around in a slow circle, and try to commit the space to memory ... why I'm not sure. Probably because it's the first space I've had to call my own since my room at my grandparents' house. My ten by ten cell at Old Colony damn sure wasn't my own, and I stayed at Wayne's for such a short time that I never felt like anything more than just a guy passing through. Even at Bella's, where half my clothes are already in the second drawer of her dresser and my favorite boots stay at the bottom of the stairs more often than not, it won't feel like home until I get to fall asleep there every night and wake up to her next to me in bed every morning or until there's mail in the mailbox addressed to Edward Masen.

I can't fucking wait.

Picking my way more carefully around the boxes that litter the floor so I don't stub my fucking toe again, I head toward the bathroom to get ready for the day. The hot shower feels great but, as per usual, it does little to alleviate the ever-present semi I sport after spending a night dreaming of Bella. By the time I'm dressed and standing in the kitchen, I feel more awake. Not a lot mind you, but at least I don't feel like such a zombie.

I pour some of the coffee that Esme has never once failed to make sure is ready and waiting for me in a travel mug and grab a few of the muffins she left out on a plate. Dropping heavily, I sit at the table and spend a few minutes in the absolute silence of the house ... well it's silent until I hear a throat clear.

"Why in the hell are you awake at this ungodly hour?" I ask Carlisle around a mouthful of banana nut muffin.

He shrugs as he pulls a mug from the cabinet and pours himself a cup of my coffee. Lucky for him, there's enough to share. No one, not even him, comes between me and my morning coffee. He sits down and looks at me over the mug he holds between his hands.

"Can't sleep." He shrugs answering my raised eyebrow. "This new case I'm consulting on has my mind going about a million miles an hour. I can't turn it off long enough to sleep so I figured instead of tossing and turning and pissing off Esme, I'd come down and have breakfast with you. God knows if Seth hits the muffins before I do, there won't be any left when he gets done with them."

I snort at the Seth comment because it's nothing but the fucking truth. The dude inhales food faster than a Hoover, and I have no idea where he puts it all. A sudden and very unwelcome image pops in my mind at just how he works off all the calories, and I shiver in response. I stop that shit ASAP. There's no way I'm working today with a picture of Xavier and Seth doing things I have NO business thinking about.

Gross.

Very intentionally, I skip Seth and move on to the other part of his statement. "He'd be really proud of you, you know that right?"

Carlisle sighs and slouches down in his chair so that his legs stretch all the way beneath the table. The kitchen is almost completely dark. I'm so used to getting up and maneuvering around without any light that I don't even notice how murky it looks with just the pale moonlight and the glow from the porch light streaming through the back door window.

"I hope so," he whispers as if between the dark and the early morning hour anything louder doesn't feel right.

I wipe my hands on my jeans and then lean my elbows on the table ... both big no nos but Esme's not down here to tell me to mind my manners. "I know so. Wayne never wanted nor expected you to stop practicing."

He makes some sort of muffled non-committal sound and I wait for a few moments before he lifts his head to look at me. It's always him that's trying to make me see reason; it's kind of nice to have the shoe on the other foot for a change.

"Carlisle, you were born to help people. You know this, Esme knows this, I know this, and Wayne for damn sure knew. What happened to Zach wasn't anymore your fault than it was Wayne's. What is it you always tell me when I have one of my meltdowns?" He chuckles and rolls his eyes at the fact that I'm about to use his own words against him.

"You can't control the actions of anyone but yourself," I spout off in what I think is a perfect imitation of his voice, all doctory and smart ass-sounding. I think I hit the nail on the head; he obviously doesn't when his mouth drops open and his eyes bug out of his head.

He huffs and crosses his arms across his chest muttering under his breath, "I do not sound like that, damn it." When I laugh, he glares at me. "I don't," he snaps.

Standing up, I wink at him. "Whatever, Carlisle." I carry my plate to the sink. Elbows and crumbs are one thing, but leaving dishes out is another. I refill my mug, and shoot him a side eye when it barely reaches the top. "You are so lucky," I growl.

"Didn't you ever learn how to share, Edward?" he mocks and takes an extra big slurp of his coffee just to rile me up. "When you move in with Bella, I think Peyton needs to teach you how to share with others."

And just like that, I'm a lovesick fool again. I can even feel my smile split my face and my insides warm. I feel like such a fucking sap, not that I think there's anything wrong with it. In fact, I feel a lot like Pepé Le Pew, all frolicking through the tulips with hearts coming out of his mouth and shit. I shake that image out of my mind and chalk it up to the Looney Tunes marathon Peyton made me watch late one afternoon last weekend when there wasn't anything else on TV.

Of course, right on the heels of the warmth like the gooey center of one of Esme's chocolate chip cookies, comes the hard as a fucking rock dick because, ever since Valentine's weekend two weeks ago, my mind is almost always, and I do mean always, back in that suite with a very naked, very sexy, and very naughty Bella.

Jesus.

She was everything I ever imagined. Every fantasy I've ever had, every dirty thought, every dream of what sex with a woman that drives me so crazy that I want to sing sappy love songs in the rain or tell her she completes me would be like. It wasn't just the sex though. It was the three A.M. talk whispered while eating cheese and crackers in the huge bed, buried beneath layers of blankets, as she told me about every single one of Peyton's firsts. The first time she rolled over, her first step, tooth, and words. I heard about it all. She told me that Peyton's first smile came when Seth yelled at Xavier for talking too loud and that on her first day of school, she wore her bunny slippers to school because she refused to take them off.

It was also hearing her giggle while we walked around the grounds whenever I told her a joke ... admittedly they were awful and lame, but I kept telling them just to hear her laugh. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the tip of her nose would scrunch up just like Peyton's, and her smile, even though she tried not to do it, would light up her entire face so much that it's a wonder she didn't melt the snow all around us.

But mostly, it was the way it felt to walk into that restaurant with her on my arm. I've never felt like more of a man than I did in that instant. In Bella's eyes, Peyton's, too, I'm not an ex-con, I'm just Edward. Barring Bella's very understandable and short-lived wariness of me when we first met, neither one of them have ever made me feel like I should be ashamed or feel unworthy. The fact that I still feel that way from time to time is my own demon to fight, because the two of them do nothing but make me feel like I can scale mountains, or slay dragons, or leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Walking into the restaurant though, with her looking like something straight off a runway, was just really fucking incredible. I could feel how proud she was to be beside me. While I could see and feel everyone look at her and look at the two of us together, I saw what they did. A guy and a girl so in love with each other that no one else and nothing else mattered.

Carlisle clears his throat and when I look at him, he rolls his eyes. "What?" I ask when he smirks at me. "It's not like you don't space out and think about Esme." I have to adjust myself because like I said, thinking about that weekend and that night especially, turns me on in about two seconds flat.

He grins like the smart ass he is when he sees me try to be sly about it and chuckles. "Touché. It must have been some weekend," he remarks. I should be startled and maybe a little embarrassed that he knew exactly what I was thinking about, but I'm not.

"I told Bella I was going to marry her one day," I blurt out, feeling the same sense of flying race through my body, electrifying it, making my heart beat so hard I can feel it in my toes.

He chokes on his coffee, spewing it all over the table ... and himself when he tries to catch his breath. "Come again?"

I glance quickly at the clock to make sure I'm not going to be late. I walk back over toward the table and pluck my jacket up off the back and slide my arms in. "Just what I said." I don't tell him that Bella and I were naked at the time and I damn sure don't tell him she was riding me ... cowgirl style ... in a bathtub and just about to come either.

"Ummm. Wow," he says, sounding excited, afraid, and confused all at the same time.

I know the feeling well.

"Tell me about it." I pick up my mug and pat my pockets to make sure I have my keys. "It's not like I don't mean it, Carlisle, because I do, but well, ... yeah," I say with a shrug.

He looks at me, eyes narrowed while he studies me. "Are you going to do the whole ask her father for her hand and everything? Charlie loves you, but you are talking about taking away his baby girl."

For about half a second I think about being a smug prick, but then I get serious. Immediately. "Besides you and Wayne, there isn't another man alive I respect more than Charlie Swan. He gave me a chance when he didn't have to, he's never once made it seem like I wasn't good enough to be with Bella, and he's always encouraged my relationship with Peyton. But," I qualify with a harsher tone than I mean to, but I don't soften what comes next. It's too important. "I won't be asking for his permission to marry Bella when the time comes. Bella's a grown woman who is more than capable of making her own decisions, including if she wants to spend the rest of her life with me. I'll ask for his blessing because that's something I not only want but I need, but I'll be damned if I leave my fate in anyone's hands, not even Charlie's."

Instead of the admonishment I immediately brace for, all I get is a simple, "That's my boy," and a tip of his coffee mug. He waits a beat or two, I'm sure just to let me stew, before he says, "I can't tell you how incredible it is to see you so strong and so sure of yourself, Edward. When you first got here your very first instinct would have been to want to prove yourself to Charlie in order to show him you were good enough for Bella, now you know you always have been."

I shrug. He's right of course, and he knows I realize that. Doesn't mean I'm going to say it out loud though.

"Do I even want to know what Bella's reaction was ... or what you were doing at the time you let that little morsel slip out, and on a romantic weekend away, too. I'm shocked, Edward. I thought you'd be more original than that," he comments, lightening the mood and letting the things we didn't say go to wait for another time.

I flip him off muttering "asshole" under my breath, though it's with a smile. Grinning like a little kid that just got an extra scoop of ice cream complete with sprinkles, I tell him, "Don't worry, old man, when the time's right, my proposal will be the stuff they write songs and make movies about."

I hear him snort and mumble "I'm not old" as I shut the door. There's nothing Carlisle hates more than for me to tease him about our age difference. I wouldn't have it any other way, but that doesn't mean I don't like to piss him off about it either.

"God damn this is getting fucking old," I grumble as I lift my leg over my bike, once I've parked by the docks. Rubbing my hands together to get some feeling back into them, I stomp my feet a few times and look at Charlie as he gets out of his truck.

"You look cold, kid," he tells me with a shake of his head.

"I know, I know," I tell him as we walk toward the boat. "I need a damn car."

He snorts, then grunts as we jump on the boat. Turning toward me, he slaps me on the back, hard enough to make me trip over my feet ... only because he catches me by surprise. "Why you bought that bike when you knew you were coming here is beyond me, unless you wanted something so that you could make a break for it if you needed it."

"Whatever," I grumble. I start putting on my gear and once I slip my beanie on, because it's the end of February and it's still fucking cold, I look at him. "If I would've known there was a Bella and a Peyton waiting for me when I got here, I'm pretty fucking sure I'd have decided on something else."

A thump and a tilt of the boat makes me glance sideways. Pointing my thumb toward the noise, I state, "At least I'm not Mr. "I Love the 80s" like this one." Jasper, the jackass, looks at me with a pleased smile on his face, complete with a puffed up chest like being compared to the likes of Andrew Dice Clay is something to be all proud of.

"You all know you're jealous of my baby," he says with a perfectly straight face.

There truly isn't any comment any of us can make back to him so we continue to get ready for the day. The boat starts to pull out and my legs are sure and steady. It's a nice feeling, I have to admit. The wind is fucking cold, but at least the forecast calls for clear skies. It amazes sometimes how much I've learned and the little things I pay attention to now. Things like jet streams, barometric pressure, and wind speeds.

The morning goes by as it always does, in a constant rhythm of chop, fill, throw, and pull. No longer a greenhorn and having definitely paid my dues, the guys and I came to an agreement; we'll take turns being the bait boy. It's a shit job that none of us want, but it's all a part of being a team. This week it's Emmett's turn, not that he's let us forget for a moment.

"Fuck, I hate this. I'm telling Dad when summer gets here we're getting a new deckhand," Emmett grumbles for at least the fifty-seventh time in last three hours.

"Yeah, good luck with that, man," Jasper tells him with a grunt as he throws a buoy out into the water.

Emmett makes a gagging sound as he fills another bait bag which only makes Jasper and me laugh at him.

I latch a trap and get ready to drop it in the still icy water, wincing when a wave batters the side of the boat and the freezing spray hits my already raw face. My legs and the rest of my body might be used to the grueling work, but I highly doubt there will ever be a time when the water of the frigid Atlantic doesn't feel like thousands of tiny needles when it hits any exposed skin.

During a lull in the rhythm when Charlie moves to the next fishing spot of the day, I lean against the railing, letting my hand rub across the spot where Peyton's shell rests deep in my pocket.

"I can't believe you haven't lost that thing yet," Jasper comments when he glances at my hand. It's such an unconscious movement now, my fingers are constantly on my leg when they're not busy.

Emmett looks quickly in the same direction and his eyes get the same faraway look they always get when something reminds him of my accident. We don't really talk about it much, in fact hardly at all. The first few times I was back on the boat, we all were a nervous wreck, which on one hand made me feel guilty but on the other, it made me realize how much they mean to me ... and how much I mean to them. Not just because of Bella and Peyton either, though that's certainly the most important thing, but they like me, respect me ... for me, Edward Masen, not just as Edward, Bella's boyfriend.

I look from Jasper to Emmett and I can tell we're all thinking about that day. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it, talking about it with Bella, Charlie, and Carlisle. I don't have the nightmares I used to have almost nightly right after it first happened any more. Of course, now I have something equally as terrifying to keep it company these days thanks to the Aleksei clusterfuck.

It's a wonder I'm not a basket case with all the shit's that happened in the last few months.

Emmett fidgets and clears his throat a few times, looking everywhere but in my direction. He's obviously trying to get control of himself before he can talk."You make sure you take damn good care of that shell, Edward," he says, and his eyes coupled with the tone of his voice lets me know that I'm not the only one that suffers from nightmares.

There's kind of an uneasy silence that settles over the three of us, like there's a strange presence hovering in the air around us. The swish of the waves and the squawk of the few gulls that float and fight the steady wind that keeps the boat rocking from side to side are the only sounds, besides the cadence of the engine as it drones on. We lean, adjust ... balance as Charlie steers the boat toward our next drop spot. My body, my mind, and as girly as this sounds, my heart all sort of meld together. Each working in perfect sync with the other to make me feel ... well pretty fucking perfect.

Without a word, we begin to work once Charlie gets us where we're going, seamlessly and with no mistakes. The day passes quickly. There's teasing and cursing, there's laughs and aching muscles, and by the time we pull back into the docks, I honestly can't remember a better day out on the water. My body's sore and fatigued, but it's the kind that comes from working hard, from doing a good job. I sigh. It's as if all the bad shit, the terror and the pain and the guilt all got dumped in the ocean, churned into nothingness by the heavy, spinning propellers and left in the Isabella Marie's wake to float away to the bottom of the sea.

I jump off the boat before it even has time to come to a complete stop and jog up to The Breakers. The parking lot's dotted with only a few cars, typical for this time of day. I wave at Rose and kiss Renée on the cheek as I slip through the side door of the kitchen. I grab a few French fries off a plate Xavier just put together, causing him to mutter and curse me to the fiery pits of hell, which is a rather common theme even after all this time. Luckily he's mostly kidding ... most of the time at any rate.

My skin tingles as soon as I clear the counter where the register sits. Early evening sunlight streams in through the window shining right on my two girls, casting the warmest glow around them. I'm mesmerized by the sight of them, heads bent close together, a mass of brown hair streaked with subtle shades of red covering their faces, their soft giggles floating through the air. A quick glance around the restaurant lets me know that I can steal a few minutes of quality time with Bella before the dinner rush starts.

I cross the room, my feet moving without me even thinking about it. I can feel the smile already on my face and the closer I get, the bigger it gets. They're so engrossed in whatever moment they're sharing that I almost feel bad for intruding. Almost. The bigger part of me, the part that's been filled by the two of them, wants to share the moment with them because everything is always better with Bella and Peyton.

"Hello, my beautiful girls," I say softly as I step behind them. My arms spread wide and my fingers curve around their shoulders. I squat down between them. I'm greeted with kisses on both cheeks and God damn if it's not the most perfect fucking moment. Time seems to stop. I don't see or hear anyone but them, and it's as if we're surrounded by an invisible force field keeping everyone and everything away.

Bella leans forward and rests her forehead against the side of mine. "You had a good day," she says softly, and I love that she tells and doesn't ask, like she can see it.

I turn slightly and brush my lips across hers, ignoring the snicker from the peanut gallery on my other side. My tongue follows on the next pass and I pull back and smile just for her when I taste her for the first time since this morning. She's all sunshine and oranges, and a hint of something that's indescribable but only her.

"I had the best day," I tell her and then lean forward so I can kiss her again, wondering how in the hell I ever got so damn lucky.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

The following weekend finds the three of us sitting in Renée's SUV, and when I say sitting, I mean sitting, as in not moving. At all. I hate being stuck in traffic. Like, it rivals how much Peyton loves Tom Brady, hate. I huff for what must be the hundredth time since we entered the city limits of Boston.

"Oh my God, would you stop already?" Bella says exasperatedly as I tap my fingers on the steering wheel.

I wrap my fingers around the wheel and squeeze tightly before I slowly let go in the hopes of releasing some of the tension currently thrumming in my veins. I do it a few times, all the while feeling Bella staring at me like it's taking all she has not to reach out and hit me upside the head.

Luckily for me, Peyton is in the car with us, so I think, I hope, I'm safe.

"Edward, seriously, you need to relax," she tells me as she lays a hand on my leg. "It's just a car."

I snort; I can't help it. Just a car, and then I can feel the corners of my mouth lift. "Baby, it's not just a car," I say, emphasizing the 'just' in such a way that she narrows her eyes at me while she tries to decide if I'm insulting her or not.

I'm not, not really, teasing, but maybe I am though … just a little bit.

But seriously – just a car. A shiver races up my spine and I get a nervous, fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach from thinking about it. All shiny and silver and sleek and sexy. A small groan/cough escapes and I glance at Peyton in the rear view mirror to see if she heard me. The sweet giggle that floats from the back seat lets me know she has.

"Hush, Sprite," I warn, though I imagine my smile doesn't make that warning anywhere near as scary as I try to make it.

"When I ride back home with you, do I have to sit in the back seat?" Good Lord, the child will never give up, I swear.

"Sorry, sweetheart," I tell her and have to turn and look out the window to hide my smile when she huffs and scowls in annoyance.

I manage to crawl along the highway and get closer to my exit. "Wow," Peyton murmurs as she presses her nose to the window. "There's so many buildings, so many cars." Seeing her so excited makes the fact that I've moved half a mile in ten minutes seem like not such a big deal. Kind of.

I know Peyton's been to Boston before; Bella has brought her a few times. She's been to New York City, too, but this trip, even though we're just staying overnight, is our first trip together, which makes it a whole other ball of wax. The thought of a family trip on top of being excited about my car really has my insides playing pinball.

I think I like it.

"Are you okay?" Bella asks once traffic starts moving again. Apparently someone got a flat tire and everyone that passes by thinks that rubbernecking sounds like a good idea. Assholes. Her question is obviously for a whole other reason besides the fact I'm an impatient bastard when I drive.

I flick the blinker to exit and cover the hand that still rests on my thigh with one of mine. I slide my fingers between hers and curl them against my leg. "It's weird as hell," I answer truthfully. "I never know what to expect when I come back here, you know? I mean, I grew up here and I have some great memories, but honestly, Bella, there are way more bad ones than good. When I was inside, all I thought about was getting out and going away. Boston hasn't felt like home for a really long fucking time."

She stretches her thumb and drags it along the side of my hand. "Well, your home is Corea now so I guess that's a good thing."

My heart stutter steps in my chest, missing a beat then racing until I feel lightheaded. In the very back of my mind I wonder if I shouldn't feel something ... guilt, sadness, pain maybe, at the fact that the place I was born and raised no longer holds any pull for me. It's the place both my parents and grandparents are buried, Wayne, too, so it's not like there won't ever be a reason to come back ... but I don't need to go to a cemetery to feel close to them. I hear my grandfather any time I try to teach Peyton something new. I hear my grandmother anytime I look at Bella, whispering in my ear and telling me how lovely a girl she is. I hear my mother when Peyton and I read in bed together on the nights that Bella lets me have a turn. I hear my father when Peyton gets a scrape on her knee or a bruise on her arm and I ask if she's okay. I hear Wayne every day I spend on the water. So, no, I definitely don't need to be in Boston to feel close to the ones I love. From now on, I'll just be like anyone else that comes to Boston to visit, and I'm more than all right with that.

"Bella, my home is wherever you and Peyton are," I tell her softly. For a moment I feel a little twinge of embarrassment for saying something so sappy, but it's the truth just the same.

She doesn't say anything because she doesn't need to. I know she feels what I feel. That pull to always touch, to always be close, that no matter how many times we kiss or make love or laugh together, it's never, ever enough.

I look at her for another brief moment before I have to pull my gaze away and concentrate on the road so I can find the dealership. I do not want a repeat of what happened on the drive to Bear Mountain Inn. Finally, I find it after having missed my turn the first time. I don't miss the little snicker coming from the passenger seat when I make a U-turn … or the one from the back seat.

We park Renée's Cherokee and go inside so I can sign all my paperwork and pick up my newest baby.

"Is this the one?" Peyton asks excitedly as she pulls me across the showroom floor toward the bright, shiny, new silver SUV sitting in the middle of the room. "How'd they get it inside?" she asks in wonder as she walks around it, eyes big and brimming with excitement.

I follow her willingly, my excitement matching hers. I run my hand across the gleaming paint. I can't fucking wait to drive home tomorrow ... I only hope Bella can keep up. We didn't have any choice but to drive down here then have to drive both cars back. Charlie gave me today off to come down and pick up my car and I wanted to spend the weekend with just Bella and Peyton, so having anyone come along with us wasn't an option. I'm not crazy about not spending the drive back with her, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really looking forward to getting my new baby out on the open road and seeing what she can do.

"Edward, is this one yours?" Peyton impatiently asks again.

"No, it's not, but his is even nicer," comes the voice of Brett, the sales guy that I've been working with. We've never met in person, only talked on the phone, and he looks as confident as he sounds. "Brett Westbrook," he says as he holds his hand out to shake mine. "You must be Edward Masen."

"Yep, it's nice to meet you." Bella steps beside me and Peyton is still admiring the car.

For the first time, I'm at a loss as to how to introduce Bella and Peyton. Girlfriend seems so … lame and not even close to what she is to me and pronouncing her my everything seems like a little too much information. As for Peyton … I can't even wrap my mind about how to categorize her. My light, my saving grace, my best friend … the daughter of my heart? All true of course, but again, way too much information to impart on a man waiting to get commission on my fifty-thousand dollar car.

Brett looks from me to Bella, and I hear Bella chuckle under her breath before she holds her hand out. "I'm Bella and that's Peyton," she says simply and I give her a sheepish grin.

I'm such a dumbass sometimes.

Signing the paperwork in his office seems to take forever, but really it doesn't. Bella's eyes about fall out of her head when she sees the price of the car but I merely shrug my shoulders. I have the money, so I figure I should spend some of it. I make damned good money working for Charlie and have next to no expenses. Not surprising since I don't own anything except my bike and my clothes. I have a checking account, a debit card, and a credit card Carlisle encouraged me to get for emergencies. I have the bill for my cell phone and the small amount of rent I have to pay at the boarding house. Bella doesn't let me spoil her like I want, and we've already agreed when I move in, we'll split the groceries and the utilities since she owns the house outright. So … until I can put my money to good use, it sits in the bank in Ellsworth. Carlisle is going to help me get some investments set up so I can plan for the future, one that I know with involve taking care of Bella and Peyton for a long time.

Until then, I'm splurging on buying the car and spoiling both my girls this weekend.

After we park the Cherokee at the hotel - because there's no way in hell I'm not driving my new baby any chance I get - we spend the day sightseeing. Peyton is all questions, all day. Some sweet and quirky and totally off the wall, and some hit a little too close to home, though I answer every one, even when she asks me where my house used to be.

"Sweetheart," I answer her slowly as we walk from the parking lot into the restaurant. "If it's okay with you ..." I pull her to a stop and look down at her. People pass us on the sidewalk and I ease her toward the side to let them by. "I'd like for this weekend to only be about the three of us. I don't want you to be afraid to ask me anything, and I promise to always be honest with you, but how about we save all that for the next time we come?" I glance at Bella and squeeze the hand that's still inside of mine. I'm almost afraid we've been fused together I've held onto it so long. "I want to share everything with you two, but not this weekend."

"Okay," she answers and I can tell she's worried she's upset me, which couldn't be further from the truth.

"I'm glad you asked, Peyton, I promise I am," I tell her. I bend down and kiss the top of her head and I smile when I feel her little arms wrap around my waist. "And I promise to show you and tell you everything. I think there's probably even some old pictures in storage buried in a box somewhere. My grandmother was always taking pictures." I smile and my body warms at the memory, though I cringe when I think about what I look like in them.

"You have pictures?" Bella asks, her eyes wide in surprise and what I think is longing.

I pull her forward and kiss the tip of her nose. "Movies, too," I tell her with a wink.

I realize right in that moment that there is nothing I want more than to share every part of me, every memory I have, even the painful ones, with the two of them, day after day after day.

Always.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Sniff.

Hiccup.

Sniff again.

Turning around, I sigh and smile. "Esme, stop. You're killing me with the tears, you know that right? Besides Bella and Sprite, seeing you cry is like the worst thing ever." I chuckle a little bit when she coughs as she tries to hide another sniff.

This has been going on for the last few days while I packed up the few things I still have here.

I did spend the night with Bella when we got home from our amazing and well, life-altering weekend away, but I did have to go back to the boarding house … at least for a little bit. I hated it, she hated it, and Peyton hated it more than the two of us put together, but there are formalities that have to be followed. As much as I hate it, I'm still on parole and there's a process that I have to abide by, paperwork that needed to filed, and approval granted before I could move in with Bella permanently. I probably could have gotten away with it considering how many times I've stayed at Bella's anyway, but I wasn't willing to take that chance. After all Carlisle and Esme have done for me and everything Wayne did, I needed to do things the right way.

Chet had to come and do a walk through of Bella's house, Carlisle still had to agree to be my go between, and I had to go to Ellsworth and do another fucking drug test. The whole process just pissed me off but there wasn't anything I could do about it. Rules are rules and I know me and my case already get special privileges that no one else gets, so I should be, and am, grateful.

At least jumping through all the hoops gets me to Bella's. Nothing matters more than that.

Esme sniffs again. "It's not like I'm moving across the country, you know. You think I can stay away from your rhubarb pie? You're not getting rid of me that easily." I grin at her.

Hugging is still uncomfortable at times, but never with Esme, so I open my arms and wait for her to walk close enough so I can wrap my arms around her. "I'll never be able to thank you and Carlisle enough for all you've done for me," I whisper as I kiss her cheek.

She tips her head back because yes, she's that damned short, and looks up at me. "It's been one of the best things we've ever done. We're so proud of you," she whispers, and damn it all if her tears don't start again. "We love you so much."

And again, because she's Esme, I tell her, "I love you guys, too." I try to duck my head and hide my own sniff in her hair, but she hears me.

"Oh, you." She chuckles and swats my chest before turning to walk out the room, patting Peyton on the head as she passes by.

"Hey, what's taking so long?" Peyton quips as she trips into the door. "Aren't you ready to go home yet?"

Home.

Jesus Christ that sounds so fucking good.

"Yep, I am."

I pick up the last box and tuck it under my arm. An overwhelming sense of déjà vu slams into me as I remember carrying that dilapidated cardboard box into Wayne's house. It held everything I owned - the things I'd accumulated during my time inside. A few books, a change of shoes, three pairs of boxers, two t-shirts and that was the extent of my measly possessions. It was pathetic and just thinking about how desolate I felt walking out of those doors is almost enough to hurtle me right back there. I feel a tug on my free hand and a smile spreads across my face, sending the dark, melancholy thoughts far away where they belong.

"Come on, wild child, let's go home," I tell her, nudging her with my hip as we step into the hall when she huffs at my teasing.

The boarding house is actually humming with life for a change. There are two new guys in town, members of one of the other crews. You can tell all around Corea that the seasons are changing, not by the weather of course, but certainly by the calendar. The boats stay out longer, the processing plant has more lobster to get ready to ship, much to Seth's chagrin, the Booze & Bait has more people perusing the aisles, and The Breakers is busier, longer.

I step into the kitchen and even though it's Sunday morning and the kitchen has a few new faces in it, the smell of Esme's coffee still makes my mouth water.

"Here, dear," she tells me softly with another sniff as she hands me my travel mug.

Seth scoffs and shakes his head. "Esme, are you going to be this sad when I leave?"

"What? Where are you going? What do you mean when you leave?" Esme screeches, whipping her head around and staring at him with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open.

Carlisle reaches a hand out and hits him on the side of the head, and Xavier, who is never one to miss a meal he doesn't have to cook, elbows him, nailing him hard, from the other side.

"Don't mess with Esme like that, jackass," he hisses.

Peyton is all giggles beside me, and then skips to the table and wraps her tiny arms around Xavier's neck. "Don't be mean to Seth, Xav. Mom won't like that," she tells him with a stern face.

Seth pokes his head around his boyfriend, giving him an evil eye and shooting one toward Carlisle for good measure. "Listen to P, man. Bell will be mad at you if she finds out you were beating up on me."

I can't help but laugh at the faces of Riley and Marcus, the two new guys, as they take in the banter and teasing. Of course, when they both look at Peyton, they're all smiles and have a sort of dazed look on their faces.

Seems my girl has that effect on everyone she meets.

"You sure you want to leave and be away from all this?" Carlisle asks and shakes his head at Xavier and Seth who are still bickering back and forth while Peyton tries to play peacemaker between them.

I look from Seth to Xavier and nod my head, once. "Ah, hell yes I do," I tell him emphatically.

He gets up from the table and walks toward me. I feel Esme slide her arm around my waist and she leads me a few steps closer to the back door. "I'm not going to get all emotional on you because I expect we'll see you as much, if not more, than we do now, but I just wanted to tell you before you walk out of this door that you will always, always have a home here with me and Esme. I don't expect you'll ever have to use it, except maybe as a place to run away to when you're in the dog house ... which I do expect will happen from time to time."

We all laugh because well, he's right ... not about me ever leaving Bella, but there's no doubt I'm going to fuck up sometimes.

Esme slides a key into my hand. "This is for you to use however, whenever, okay?" She has tears in the corner of her eyes and Carlisle wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her close to his side. "We are so happy you are making a home, a new life with Bella and Peyton, but don't ever forget that we love you, too. So when you come to visit, and you will come to visit often," she tells me with a raise of an eyebrow, "you remember that you don't ever have to knock, understand? You are not visitor in this house, Edward, not ever."

And well, that does it. I don't care that Seth and Xavier are in the room and will never let me live this down. I don't care that Riley and Marcus will see; nothing matters but the two people that put all their trust in me when they didn't even know me. I drop the box on the floor, not caring if everything spills out of it or not, and pull them close.

"I won't ever be able to tell you how much you two mean to me and how much you've helped me. You … I just … I love you both, very much," I stammer because I'm too choked up to say anything else.

Loving them, being around them is so bittersweet. They remind me of the family I don't have any longer, but also reinforce the fact that family doesn't always have to share the same blood.

Silent hugs and kisses are passed around. My heart's so full that I feel a lot like Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when he drank the fizzy soda and started to float away. I had parents that loved me, grandparents that loved me longer, and now Carlisle and Esme that love me in a way that's everything I never knew I'd missed … and wanted.

Peyton giggles and the atmosphere changes with the sound of her sweet, happy voice. "I need to go," I whisper to the two of them, because my heart and my soul, though it loves Carlisle and Esme, loves and needs Bella and Peyton more.

"Go. We'll see you soon," Esme says through her tears and stands back to let me go.

"P, come on, let's roll. Your mom's making my favorite baked potato soup and roast beef sandwiches for lunch and if we hurry, I bet we can get her to make peanut butter cookies, too." She shoots off of Xavier's lap and stops right in front of me. "Don't even think about it," I warn Xavier when I see him lick his lips and notice that gleam in his eye. "If you come by today I will seriously kick your ass."

He quirks an eyebrow and narrows his eyes. I second-guess myself for a brief moment only because I'm still a tiny bit scared of him … not that I'd fucking ever let him see that. "I mean it. Don't." When I see Seth looking all sneaky and shit, I turn on him, too. "You either."

"But you said Bella was making potato soup. She makes the best potato soup," Seth whines, and even goes so far as to stick his bottom lip out.

"I know she does. We'll save you some, but stay away … just for today," I almost say please, but I can't make myself do it.

Xavier obviously understands my need to be with only Bella and Peyton today because he nods his head, and actually looks kind of proud of me. Weird, but okay. "You guys get settled; we'll descend next Sunday. Make sure you tell Bell she better make us something good, though." He grins.

I decide then and there that I need to come up with some kind of plan for Sundays. I'm not spending every Sunday with Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber.

"Riley, Marcus, you two keep that one in line," I quip, pointing at Seth. "I'm sure I'll see you guys around."

I look down at Peyton. "You ready, sweetheart?" I ask once I pick my box up off the floor.

She nods and we wave one last time before going out to my car. I set my lone box in the back. Everything else has already been moved to Bella's – not that there was that much to begin with. I mean I don't own any furniture, I only wear jeans, t-shirts, and flannels, and my bike is staying here in the garage because Bella's house doesn't have one. There wasn't a lot of shit to move. I wonder if it should bother me that I'm basically moving into Bella's without contributing anything, but dismiss the thought quickly. Mostly because, it's too late now anyway.

Peyton starts chattering the second the car leaves the driveway and doesn't stop until we pull into Bella's. She's scrambling in the back seat, hopping down from inside before I can even lift the back door. "Edward, you can't go inside yet. You gotta wait for me to say it's okay, okay?" She tips her head up at me and she has that look on her face, the one that both terrifies me and makes me agree to anything she asks.

"Oookayyy," I say slowly and in the blink of an eye, she's up the steps and through the front door. Said door opens immediately and out comes a very excited Brady, yipping and waddling. "Mom says to make yourself useful and make sure he goes potty," she orders and then she's gone again.

I shake my head and don't even try to figure out what she's up to because from experience I know, I'll never even come close.

"Well, come on, little guy, let's go do your business so when we're allowed inside, we can go." I ignore the fact I'm conversing with a dog like it can understand me and then look around to make sure no one can see me. Brady looks up at me when he scampers closer, and I tell him, "Yeah, I know, no neighbors. Get to it." I point. "I've only been here three minutes and already I'm with the dog. Good thing you stay inside and there's no dog house Bella can send me to."

A few minutes later I'm inside and standing in the middle of the living room with Bella's fingers over my eyes and a huge smile on my face.

"Okay, stick your hands out," Peyton says. Her voice is shaking she's so excited and I know if I could see her, she'd be bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, too.

I do as I'm told and wait, and wait … and wait.

Both girls giggle while they watch me huff and puff and I whip my head from side to side and try to get them to get the show on the road.

"Come on," I grouse, and barely stop myself from stomping my foot. Finally, when it feels like I can't take another second of waiting, I feel a small box placed softly and with great care in the center of my hands.

Suddenly Bella's hands are gone and my eyes lower to the present I'm holding. The box is silver and the ribbon is a shiny metallic blue. It almost looks too nice to open. "Open it," Peyton says. Gone is the shaking and the animation, now there's anxiety, wariness … and shining through it all, hope.

I die a little inside, but in the best possible way, when I look into the slate blue eyes that have had me spellbound ever since she pronounced that she was my best friend. She still is, she always will be, and without her, I don't know that I'd be here, with the two of them, spending the day in our house for the first time.

I lower myself to my knees so I'm level with her. I feel Bella as her arm slides around my waist and she presses her entire side against mine. Slowly, I pull the ribbon until it falls away from the box and when it's untangled I stare at the top until Bella urges me to keep going. My heart's thundering in my chest, though I'm not sure why. It's not like it's going to be a bad gift or anything, not from my girls.

Taking a deep breath, I lift the lid. It takes my brain a few seconds to catch up to my eyes, but when it does … I'm speechless. I pick the key chain up off the pillow of white cotton, slide my finger through the metal loop, and hold it up in front of me. I let it dangle, turning it this way and that, and marvel at how something so small can make me feel so much.

"I drew it myself," Peyton whispers.

Closing my fingers around it, I reach for her and bring her to me, kissing the top of her head over and over again. "Oh, sweetheart, it's incredible." And it so is. I shift her around so that I can hold the key chain in front of the three of us and look at it again. She drew a picture of her and I holding hands on a bright, sunshiney yellow key chain and on the back, in her perfectly messy and totally her way handwriting wrote, "Love, Peyton." There are three keys already attached to the ring: my bike, my car, and what I'm assuming is the house.

Our house.

She claps happily. "You really like it?" And there's my Sprite, effervescent and all things right in my world. I nod and she throws her arms around me. "Alice told me you would. We made it one night when I spent the night with her and Jasper." I tell myself to make sure and thank Alice … most likely with a really expensive present which I'm sure she'll have no problem informing me of exactly what she wants.

"I love it. I love you," I tell her between kisses and because kissing Bella is never a bad idea, I make sure to spread the love around.

We laugh. One of those moments passes, the kind that we'll remember years from now, and I take the time to let it sink in. Bella pops up off the ground and pulls me up, too. "Lunch is ready, let's eat."

The day is … perfect.

Dinner is … perfect.

Lying in bed with Peyton and reading Harry Potter before bed is … perfect.

Undressing Bella, slowly, piece by piece, and kissing every inch of her delectable, sexy body is perfect.

"I love you so fucking much," I whisper as I slide into her perfect heat, and feel her all around me. Her arms and legs, her warm, sweet breath, the scent of her everywhere, saturating my skin. Her nails up and down my back, the heels of her perfect feet digging into my ass, driving me deeper and deeper until she comes apart … perfectly beneath me.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

"Hi, Edward!" Lucy shrieks as she races past me and flies up the stairs before Nicole even has time to say goodbye.

"Nice to see she's going to miss me." Nicole laughs.

"Come on in. Bella will be back in a few minutes," I tell her and open the door, shooing Brady back because he's trying to squeeze through my legs and make a break for it outside. "Dude, get back. You are not going out there," I tell him. He barks in his annoyance and silently I agree with him. It's absolutely gorgeous outside. Late March, and even though the calendar says it's Spring time, you can't tell it here. However, it's crisp, clear and the sun's shining.

"It looks nice in here," she remarks as she heads toward the living room. She stops and spins in a circle. I catch her smile when she spies my contribution to the room's decor.

I let my eyes sweep from left to right and say, "I think so, too, though Bella might not agree with you about everything." We both laugh when I tip my chin in the direction of what Bella dubs the eyesore from hell. "How about a Coke?" She nods and follows me into the kitchen.

My cell phone rings and I pull it out of my pocket, answering, "Hey, baby, Nicole just dropped off Lucy," before she even has a chance to say anything.

"Edddwarrrdd," Bella slurs followed by a hiccup then a snort then a giggle then a burp. A loud one. "Ooops, 'scuse me," she tries to say, though she's giggling again.

Fuck. Me.

Bella's drunk. Or if she's not drunk, she's well on her way.

I chuckle into the phone because I can hear her tell Rose and Alice that she needs to pee. "Bella, you know I can hear you," I tell her, rolling my eyes. God, she's fucking adorable when she's tipsy.

"Shhh, Mr. Sexy Schmexy man. Lemme talk Nicole, I gots to ask her something." She giggles at herself.

I shake my head and hand Nicole the phone, and try not to laugh as I watch her face as Bella talks to her. "I'll see you girls in a few minutes. Make sure mine has salt on it." She hands the phone back to me and I hold it up to my ear thinking Bella wants to say goodbye, but frown when I see the call's been ended.

"It seems I've been invited to a girls night with Bella, Alice, and Rose," she says and looks so happy that I have to push down the fear of being left home alone with two seven-year-old girls. I don't want to make her feel bad when she's obviously excited, but I am freaking the fuck out.

I swallow once then again and it must be loud enough or my eyes must look as terrified as I feel because Nicole gasps just a little and then tries to hide her smile. "Are you going to be okay with the girls by yourself?" Her voice is light, teasing, and I huff at myself for acting like a lunatic.

"How hard can it be?" I ask airily and feel my stomach drop when I see her eyes widen just a bit and a knowing grin on her face.

Just then, there's a squeal followed by a thump from upstairs.

Great.

Nicole moves toward the door and I follow to let her out. "You'll be fine, Edward," she tells me and her willingness to leave Lucy home alone with me takes me by surprise once I realize what she's doing.

"You don't mind leaving Lucy with me?" I blurt before I think about what I'm asking.

She turns and looks at me, her shocked expression written all over her face. "Of course not." She sounds so sure of herself and that helps to ease the flare of doubt. I nod and take a deep breath, feeling better even though I wonder where the momentary panic came from. "You know whatever happened to you before doesn't matter to anyone around here, Edward. Most everyone that comes here has a story and while yours might be a … little more colorful than others," she says diplomatically, "it's by far not the worst one I've heard. I've seen you with Bella and Peyton, and I've seen you with Lucy and all of the other kids. I don't have any reason to worry about leaving Lucy. I'm more afraid for you … there's no telling what sort of mischief those two can get into when they put their minds to it. They're evil geniuses in disguise."

She laughs and opens the door. I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that it's going to be a long night. A few hours later I realize, I was so right.

"Edward, we're bored." Peyton huffs as she throws herself down on the sofa next to me. Funnily enough, Lucy does the exact same thing on my other side.

"How can you be bored? For the last two hours it's sounded like a pack of elephants up there." I smirk at one then the other.

Peyton rolls her eyes at me, not at all amused with my statement. "It has not sounded like that," she grumps. "Play with us," she demands.

I gulp. Visions of smeared lipstick and neon green nail polish flit in my mind and I shiver at the thought. I wonder how fast I can trick Seth and Xavier into coming over here, then remember they're having a date night. Shit. I can call Bella and beg her to come home, though from the state she was in when she called earlier, I can't imagine she's in any condition to help now. I know I can call Esme and she'll come over but then she'll tell Carlisle where she's going and why and then he'll never let me live it down.

I rack my brain trying to come up with something to do when a memory pushes its way to the front. My grandmother and me making cookies. She would make these cookies that looked hideous but tasted out of this world good and I would get to help mix it all together.

The memory warms me. I'm remembering more and more of the good times and wallowing less on the bad. In all honesty, up until she died, there were very few bad ones. My grandparents loved me without question, and took such good care of me. I hate the fact that I'm not sure they ever knew how happy I was when I was growing up. How the things they taught me and showed me make it so I can be good for Bella and Peyton now. Make it so I can spend an hour or so destroying the kitchen while Peyton and Lucy talk … nonstop.

I'm not sure they've taken a breath for thirty minutes.

"Edward?" Peyton asks innocently, or she tries to sound that way, which only serves to put me on alert. I love the girl to pieces but sometimes she stupefies even me.

"Hmmm?" I ask ask warily as we spoon dollops of cookie dough on the pans.

I have no idea how I did it, but when I remembered baking the cookies with my grandmother, I also remembered the recipe. So, here we are, making Monster cookies with extra peanut butter and me shaking in my boots, figuratively since I'm barefoot, waiting for Peyton to ask me God knows what.

She and Lucy share one of those looks and then like the evil duo they are, giggle until Lucy nudges Peyton with her shoulder. "Ask him, he'll know," she whispers behind her hand, like I can't hear every word she's saying.

Peyton nods and they share a secret smile. "Madison's mom is going to have a baby and Madison said it was in her mom's tummy. How do babies get there?"

I feel all the color drain from my face and the pan I'm holding slips from my hands and clatters on the island. "What?" I squeak.

Oh.

My.

God.

I'm going to kill Bella when she gets home. I can NOT believe she left me home by myself to deal with this. I look at both girls who are staring up at me utterly clueless to the freak out I'm having on the inside. Holy shit.

Peyton opens her mouth to ask me again and I slap my hand, gently of course, over her mouth. I do not need to hear those words … ever again … come out of her mouth. Ever. Not even when she's thirty-years-old and married. Oh shit. Married. I can't even think about that without wanting to hurl then hunt down the imaginary husband and rip his dick off and then bury his body for even thinking about putting his hands on my girl.

I take a few deep breaths and push the thoughts of murder and mayhem away. I try to figure out how the hell to answer her because I promised, like an idiot, to always answer her questions. In hindsight, I probably should have amended that to questions about everything … except this.

Peyton grunts behind my hand, and I slowly remove it, silently hoping that she'll forget what she asked. "Well?" she asks and puts her hands on her hips while she waits, rather impatiently, for me to answer.

My mouth opens and closes at least a dozen times and I keep looking toward the front door hoping, praying Bella walks … or more likely stumbles, through it. When another few minutes pass and she doesn't, I straighten my shoulders, deciding that short and evasive is the way to go. If that doesn't work, I'll offer money, lots of money, for her to ask her mom … or Xavier.

"Ummm," I begin, feeling sick to my stomach. "Well, you see it's like this ..." I huff then pinch the bridge of my nose. "Peyton, I think," … we should wait for your mom, but then groan when I know I can't not answer her question.

Fuck it.

I have no idea what I'm doing but I say the first thing that comes into my mind. "Well, Madison's mom and dad made the baby together and it'll grow inside of her mom until it's ready to come out." I say the words slowly and then breathe a huge sigh of relief thinking that would be all she wrote. She asked, I answered, problem solved.

Lucy and Peyton look at each other and then at me before looking back to each other. Lucy prods Peyton with her elbow and I brace myself, sending up a quick prayer that the next question isn't as bad as the first.

"But how did they make it?" Peyton questions and I want to die.

I reach up and scratch the back of my neck, feeling my face burst into a blush that I'm sure rivals Bella on her worst day. "Umm, well, see, moms have … erm … ah, eggs?"

Peyton wrinkles her nose. "Eggs? Like a chicken? Ewww," she says sounding totally grossed out.

"Kind of?" I'm so lame and doing this so wrong, I know I am, but God damn … eggs? How the hell do I explain eggs?

"What about the dads? What do they do?"

And now, I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I'm really going to kill Bella when she gets home.

I refuse to say the word sperm to Peyton; I just can't do it. "Hmmm, dads have, something special inside of them that helps the egg to become a baby."

I literally feel like I'm going to throw up and am half tempted to promise whoever is watching above that I won't ever put my something special anywhere near Bella ever again if I can make it through the rest of this conversation.

Peyton watches me shift from foot to foot and waits a few seconds before she asks, "How does the special stuff get to the egg?"

I sigh. I know Peyton knows enough about the way things work between a man and a woman. She's not stupid and it's not like the Swans or Jasper and Alice aren't open about everything, even the physical aspect of being together. So, I clench my fingers into two fists and say simply, "They have sex, Peyton."

She looks at me, aghast, and then she and Lucy start that whispering that's so fast, there's no possible way I can understand a word they're saying to each other. I also have no idea if I've just scarred the two of them forever. I do know, however, that this discussion is over.

"Lucy," I say gently to get her attention. She and Peyton stop talking immediately and both girls look over at me. "Sweetie, I really think if you have questions about this, you should probably ask your mom and dad, okay? I'm glad you both felt like you could ask me, but something like this is better to come from your parents."

I cringe a little on the inside just thinking about having to mention this conversation to Nicole. I just hope what I said was okay with her.

Thankfully, the girls take mercy on me because I'm sure I look pretty fucking pathetic, and move on to a different topic. I hear Brody's name mentioned … a lot, and I'm not sure I like hearing about that anymore than I do answering questions about where babies come from. When I hear Peyton giggle and she gets that dreamy look on her face while she talks about him, I know I don't.

I flop down on the sofa exhausted and strung out like I've been on a three day bender when the girls tell me good night after the movie and race up the stairs. Who the hell knew that spending a few hours with two way too curious for their own good seven-year-olds would wear me out so fucking badly? I lean my head on the back of the couch and look up at the ceiling. "Jesus!" I chuckle to myself remembering Peyton's question though I stoutly refuse to think about my answer.

Bella's going to kill me.

I huff, feeling adrift without her presence. Our nights are usually quiet, but they're spent together. I'm not used to being alone. I don't like it.

Standing up, I make a quick pass around the living room picking up the plates and empty glasses of milk from our Monster cookie pig out. Once the dishes are in the dishwasher, I flick the light off and wonder what the hell to do with myself until Bella comes home.

A knock on the door cuts my pity party short and for once I don't have to race Brady to the door because Peyton and Lucy have him upstairs with them. I open the door, startled for a second by the sight of Bella slumping against Emmett. "I think this belongs to you," he tells me with a roll of his eyes and grunt.

"Ohhhhh …. it's Mr. Sexy Schmexy," she babbles, eyes glassy and a lazy smile on her face.

"Are the other ones in the same shape?" I ask as he shifts Bella from his side and into my arms.

She's a mess. With her red-tipped nose, flushed cheeks, and margarita-tinged breath, she's absolutely, fucking adorable.

Emmett shakes his head at Bella again when she tries to kiss my chin … and totally misses. "Yeah, all except Alice. She can drink us all under the table. She's a little tipsy, but by the time Jas and I got to the house, Bella, Rose, and Nicole were busting out all the songs to Mama Mia." He shudders as he remembers and I can't help but laugh when she starts to sing Dancing Queen … and is painfully off-key.

"All right, my little drunken diva, let's get you inside and into bed." She sways in my arms so I bend down and slide my arms beneath her knees and lift her up. Her head lolls over my arm. She tries to lift an arm to, I think, run her fingers through my hair but it only makes it about halfway up until she lets it fall onto her lap.

She pouts, still looking adorable, and I kiss the tip of her nose which makes her giggle.

"Yeah, good luck with that in the morning." Emmett chuckles and slaps me on the shoulder. "If she's semi-human tomorrow, we'll see you guys at Mom and Dad's for lunch."

Bella mumbles something to Emmett that is totally incoherent and I turn and take her into the house, kicking the door shut behind me. I have to shift her in my arms to lock the door, managing to do it without dropping her which is a feat in and of itself with the way she's wiggling. She's swinging her legs back and forth and singing some song that apparently only she knows the words to while I turn off all the lights, still holding her in my arms.

She sniffs the air and opens her eyes wide as her mouth hangs open. "Did you make cookies without me?"

"The girls were bored; it was all I could come up with," I tell her as I start to climb the stairs.

"You're such a good dad." She sighs, totally oblivious to the fact that my heart just fell out of my ass and dropped onto the steps.

Part of me instantly hopes she doesn't remember saying that, the other part … well, I can't even think about that yet.

She closes her eyes then and I think she's passed out until I get her to our room. She grumbles and whines as I help her get undressed. It takes me twice as long as it should because I have to bob and weave like a boxer ducking a right hook because she's suddenly got more hands than an octopus has arms. I manage to get her in the bathroom and get her teeth brushed though watching her try to rinse and spit isn't something I'll ever forget.

Even drunk and slightly annoying, she's still as gorgeous as can be.

I lead her to the bed and tuck her in, kissing her forehead. Dreamily, drowsily she looks up at me, her smile is so big, like she has the best secret ever to share with me.

"Edward?" she asks, sounding sleepy and half out of it.

"Hmmm?" I run my fingers through her tangled hair and curl the ends around my finger.

She licks her lips and sighs, closing her eyes for a few seconds before slowly opening them. "You're going to marry me one day," she whispers before closing her eyes again and rolling over on her side. She's out in an instant, her mouth slightly open and her knees pulled up into her chest. My heart is beating about a hundred times a minute, and I get dizzy. Until just then, I didn't even know if she'd heard me. She's never mentioned it and I damn sure wasn't going to if she didn't.

I let out a long breath and bend over, smiling as I kiss her behind her ear and whisper, "You bet your sexy ass I'm going to marry you, Bella Swan."

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~