A/N: We would both like to say thank you so much for all the support this story four years ago tomorrow. You've all been so amazing and patient through the delays that have come up, and kept coming back, and we greatly appreciate that! It's been a wonderful experience, and hope to see you all soon with more stories.

Thank you so much and take care!

Dawn and Erica

Epilogue

Five Years Later

Bella smiled as she gazed out at the beautiful late summer sunset setting the clouds ablaze with hues of pink and orange, with Edward's chin resting on her shoulder from his stance behind her. It was five years ago that day that she had become Mrs. Isabella Swan-Cullen in a simple ceremony with close friends and family, so they would have time for their honeymoon before he had to leave for Japan for an indefinite measure of time.

By other's standards, it might not have been the ideal wedding, but they couldn't have possibly asked for more. She was married to the love of her life, and Edward had his wish granted—the next time he returned from Japan, he came home to his wife.

When Edward did return the following year—after three visits to Tokyo from Bella—he'd asked her to meet him at the dock for a special one-year anniversary surprise. She'd arrived late due to a meeting with their former employer, who, as expected, came calling on her, despite her exorbitant consulting fee. Yet, it didn't matter as she ran into his arms, losing herself in his embrace for the first time in three months.

After a brief ferry ride, he parked the car and took hold of her hand for a short, five-minute walk, and then stopped suddenly to cover her eyes. She couldn't imagine what he could have possibly had up his sleeve until he removed his hands and a fairly large expanse of land lay out before her. Once the initial moment of awe passed, she gazed at him in confusion—surely, he wouldn't do something as grandiose as purchase land without at least running the idea by her.

As it turned out, the land had been an inheritance from his great-uncle, who had passed away a few months before. It was still in probate and had a couple currently renting the small house on the land, but it would still be a few years until the business was solid enough for them to afford the expense of their dream house anyway. Yet, he made sure to emphasize that it was only if they both decided to build their house there.

A brief discussion ensued about the added commute, figuring out monthly ferry fees and the benefits of having a quiet place outside the city to work, as well as deciding their bedroom window should face the west to watch the sunset, and not wake Bella in the morning with blazing sunlight. Then she threw her arms around his neck and agreed it would be the perfect spot.

Now, four years later, they stood in that same spot, where their visions were finally becoming a reality. Their gazes shifted from the horizon to the beginning framework of their house, where they had just had a romantic, candlelight picnic on the floor of what would eventually be their dining room. Quantum had steadily grown along with their reputation, and they now had a staff of eight, including Angela and Ben from Sherman & Associates.

"It's coming along well, don't you think?" Edward asked, brushing his lips on her cheek.

"I do. But I think the progress will need some work with company coming to visit," Bella remarked, fighting a smile at the adorably bewildered look on his face.

"What company? Is your dad coming to stay with us?"

Bella shook her head as she turned in his arms and reached into the pocket of her coat, pulling out a plain white envelope and holding it up to him. As he took it from her, she watched his expression of confusion only deepen when he extracted the thick card inside that, at first glance, just looked like a generic anniversary greeting card. However, when he opened it, his eyes grew wide and she swore he stopped breathing for a moment. "More like a visitor with a minimum of an eighteen year stay variety."

Edward's gaze finally moved from the inside of the card, where taped on the inside was a pregnancy test with a bold plus sign in the window, and his lips began twitching with a forming smile. "Already?"

"Happy Anniversary, Dad." Bella took his face in her hands and gave him a gentle kiss before his arms circled around her swiftly and pulled her into a tight embrace. For the first few years of their marriage, they had agreed to hold off on starting a family while their company grew, until it was on more stable ground. Then, as their fifth wedding anniversary began approaching and with the start of the construction on the house, the topic began coming up more and more in conversation, and they decided it was time.

Finally, three months earlier, Bella had gone to her doctor for a check up and discussed stopping birth control and trying for a baby. Of course, they had both been prepared for the "don't expect anything for six months to a year while your body adjusts", especially after having been on the pill since her late teens. They figured that would be perfect anyway, giving them plenty of time to finish their home before needing room for a baby. She certainly hadn't expected to miss her first period three months in, nor for the first pregnancy test she took to come back positive.

So, she took three more, and then went to her doctor for a blood test, for added confirmation.

"Edward, I love you, but I do need to breathe," Bella said with a chuckle as his excited hold on her continued to tighten, and he slowly pulled back with tears in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Perfect," Edward whispered and claimed her lips in a soft kiss. "Those were the best words I've heard since you agreed to marry me and 'I do'. I love you so much."

"And I really do love you."

They stood motionless, just soaking in the moment with their foreheads resting against each other's for a minute before either of them moved to speak.

"So, you're sure?" Edward asked.

"Already been to the doctor and everything."

Edward pulled back to look at her again, clearly trying to remember when she could have taken the time to go to the doctor—and then it hit him. "When you went birthday shopping for your dad?" Bella nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Why didn't you just tell me? I could have gone with you."

"Well, for one, it was so soon after stopping the pill that even I didn't want to get my hopes up too high for what could possibly be a false alarm," she began, linking her arms around his neck and kissing the corner of his mouth. "And two, if it turned out to be as I'd hoped, I wanted it to be special and surprise you, and I'm glad I did. The look on your face was priceless and unforgettable. And we've still got plenty more things to experience together on this ride."

Edward nodded in understanding, lowering his gaze to look between them at her stomach. "So, how far along are you?"

"Only about six weeks or so, the doctor is estimating. We'll know for sure once I go in for my first sonogram, but considering I've only missed one period, I'd say that's about right."

Edward closed one eye and his head started bobbing slightly in thought, then they both shot wide open. "That means that we've only got seven and a half months to get the house done, and working through the winter as well. We're going to need a bigger crew, and then furniture for the baby. There's a lot to do to be ready in that time."

Bella hushed him by pressing her fingertips to his mouth, and then brought both her hands to his shoulders, rubbing them gently. "Edward, relax. I've already got Angela and Ben rounding up the extra crew, and Alice and Jasper have already volunteered their time to help as well."

"They all know?" Edward's eyes lowered between them for a moment with his question, before meeting her gaze again.

Bella shook her head and kissed him gently in an attempt to alleviate the hurt in his expression. "Of course not. Do you really think I would tell anyone before you? I just told them that we were really anxious to be in our new home before spring. Besides, it's bad luck to make an announcement like this before the second trimester anyway."

"Thank you," he replied softly, returning his forehead to rest against hers again and linking his hands at the small of her back. The serenity of the moment was broken when he began to chuckle, and she looked up at him, noting the tiny beads of moisture at the corners of his eyes. Her hands began running along his shoulders, and then the most amazing smile she had ever seen appeared on his lips as he opened his eyes to gaze at her again. "A baby. We're going to have a baby."

"Yes, we are."

His infectious smile widened. "We're going to buy his first set of building blocks."

Bella giggled. Something told her Edward would spend more time playing with those the first few years than their child would. "With two architects as parents, of course he or she would have building blocks."

He chuckled, his arms circling around her. "More than one set."

"Oh boy."

"What? They never have enough arches and roofs in one set. You have to have more than one to make an adequate city."

"A city?" She tried to keep the teasing from her voice, but he still heard it.

"You design houses, I design skyscrapers, so of course, we'll build both with our baby." He seemed quite proud to make that promise, utterly entranced by the idea of teaching their child the joys of seeing their work come to fruition.

"You're going to be an incredible father," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

He shivered at the touch of her lips and tightened his arms around her. "And you're going to be an amazing mother."

Bella shivered, too, when he kissed her softly, making him freeze for a moment. "What is it?"

"You're cold. You're pregnant and you're cold." His instincts to protect bubbled to the surface, lifting her into his arms.

She yelped and giggled as he headed straight toward their car. "I can walk, you know."

"I'm well aware of that. I actually enjoy watching you walk." He gave her a wink, making her blush a little. "However, there's piles of studs everywhere." They were in a few neat stacks along the west wall. "There's probably nails on the slab of cement." She rolled her eyes, knowing that Jasper's crew spent at least an hour every day cleaning after themselves. "And there are electrical cords everywhere." All of them were locked in the storage bin out in front of the house.

Edward set her down on the passenger seat and even went so far to buckle her in.

"You're absolutely right, what was I thinking? We should lay down memory foam over the foundation. Forget the tile and wood flooring."

"I remember your first days at work, love." He gave her another kiss when she scowled at him. "You were very accident prone."

"I've gotten better thanks to yoga!" She crossed her arms over her chest and watched him run around the front of the car. "I'm not a delicate flower just because we're having a baby."

He smiled and stared at her for a moment too long. "Say that again, please."

She leaned toward him, knowing exactly what he wanted to hear again. "We're having a baby."

"We're having a baby," he said aloud and whooped one more time. His enthusiasm and happiness clear in his smile and eyes as he settled into the driver's seat and kissed her gently. "Okay, I'm done for the moment. Let's go back to the apartment so I can show you how much I know you're not a delicate flower."

Just like that, with one look and a huskily delivered line, she melted. "Maybe I'll show you."

Edward pressed on the gas and sped out of the driveway of their future home. One they designed with love and a family in mind and were now building together. It wouldn't be long before they hosted their first holiday meal with friends and family. Or cradled a tiny bundle in their arms, taking turns on sleepless, colicky nights.

They couldn't be more excited.

.

.

.

Ten months later

It had taken a lot of long days, from sun up to past sundown at times, if the weather held up, but they had managed to have their house completed before the arrival of their son, Samuel Anthony Cullen, but just barely. Two days after the final touches were made, Bella and Edward were out examining the finished product when her water broke in the hallway.

"Well, that's not exactly how I thought we'd be christening our new house," Bella said with a laugh as Edward gathered their coats and began hurrying her toward the car.

It also turned out that she had been right about not only the colicky nights with their baby, but Edward was every bit the involved and devoted father she knew he'd be. The first few nights that he'd gotten up to allow her more sleep, he'd been a bit overwhelmed, not knowing how to soothe him, and Bella would get up anyway to help.

Now, three months later, even with the worst of the colic behind them, there were times when Edward would still stir in the middle of the night at the slightest sound from the nursery. He could somehow manage to rise without stirring his wife at all, turn off the monitor, and manage to get the baby changed and calmed before she even knew he was gone.

There were nights, however, when Bella would turn in her sleep and feel Edward's side of the bed empty and cold, and immediately rose to head to the baby's room. No matter how many times she saw it, the vision of him holding their son across his chest as he rocked him back and forth would always melt her heart.

Samuel leaned toward being a mama's boy most of the time. Yet, in the evenings, Sammy preferred to fall asleep in his daddy's arms. Edward didn't seem to mind, always looking forward to it after a long day at work.

After spending several weeks taking care of their son together, they came to a tentative agreement; one of them would work from home during his first year. It had been hard on all of them when Edward returned after giving himself three weeks off, much to the distaste of some of their higher end clients.

A nanny came in for four hours a day during the week to give Bella enough time to get through all inquiries, messages, and emails. The nanny, a sweet girl named Nessa, would often come in Bella's home office whenever Sammy fell asleep, knowing Bella loved to watch him to keep her calm.

They were both nervous about the following day—the Toshiro building had received its final inspection after years of construction issues, a metal worker strike, and weather, and they were both expected to attend a lavish party. It was prime opportunity to network at the party, which Toshiro pointed out often, so they had to go.

Which meant they had a choice to make—to travel with a three-month-old and take even the slightest chance of him getting sick thousands of miles away from his pediatrician or leave him behind. Neither option appealed to either one of them, but especially since Nessa would not be able to join them, they decided to err on the side of caution, and have him spend some time with his grandparents. Esme and Carlisle would keep him during the week, while Charlie would watch him on his days off for the weekend.

Which also meant it would be the first time they would be away from their son for more than a night since the day he was born, which really didn't settle well with them. However, it was the safer and most logical of the two choices.

"I can hear you freaking out over there." Edward's soft chuckle made Sam smile in his sleep. His large hand slid down their son's back, patting him gently. "He'll be fine, love."

Sam blinked a few times, rousing from sleep and looked at his mother. He grunted and flailed a bit, and promptly fell back asleep against Edward's chest.

"I was not freaking out." She kissed the back of her son's head, loving the silky softness of his dark blond curls, much like the color of Edward's in his first year. It wasn't until he was around two years old that it began darkening toward the burnished brown he had as an adult. The similarities didn't end there. Sammy also had Edward's green eyes, his sharp nose, and glaringly long toes. Other than a dimpled right cheek that she herself had outgrown in elementary school, someone would think she contributed nothing to his DNA.

"As I said, I heard you. You tend to mumble when you're freaking out and can't write a list to help fix it."

"Not the list thing again," she hissed playfully and poked his arm. "My lists helped that first week, didn't it?"

Edward shuddered as he laid Sammy down, remembering the first time his son had explosive diarrhea. If he hadn't stopped to buy more wipes and disinfectant, the smell would've permeated the walls.

"Your to-do list did get me to install the much better kitchen faucet sprayer." Another shudder moved through him. "All right, if you are freaking out. Go grab a pen and paper."

Bella rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. "Ta da! I can make lists in this new app I downloaded."

"Of course, you'd be this happy about lists."

"Shut it, or else I won't share my Naughty Things I Want to Do with My Husband list."

His eyebrow quirked. "Oh really."

She grinned, knowing she'd be marking one off soon.

They whispered for several minutes about everything they had to do and ensure they had ready before they left for the airport in six hours. Baby bags were packed and waiting by the door for Esme, with enough diapers, clothes, and containers of wipes to last him two weeks, just to be on the safe side. A copy of the list of phone numbers from their fridge was securely tucked in the front pocket, in case of emergency. The new dress she had painstakingly worked hard in order to fit into after the all clear from her doctor hung in the garment bag by the front door. Edward's tux still needed to be picked up on the way to the airport, a risk they had to take. If not, he'd end up spending a pretty penny for one at the last minute. It was quite extensive and once they'd finished with the three-page list, they both felt a bit overwhelmed.

Yet, as they stared down at Sammy, who had just woken up, both of their strong facades weakened. The little boy was blissfully unaware of the turmoil raging inside his parents as he stared up at his mobile, consisting of some plush replicas of his parents' most favorite pieces of architecture, a handmade piece Alice had found on Etsy. Sammy giggled and babbled from his crib, watching it and them to entertain himself.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Edward reiterated, his eyes slightly misted over.

Bella glanced up at him as his arm came around her shoulders, and she slid hers around his waist, giving his side a reassuring squeeze. "And so will we…for the most part."

Their eyes met and they both smiled, leaning in simultaneously for a gentle kiss. They knew they'd be okay as long as they did it all together. After all, that was what couples with strong foundations did.