Future Take

It was almost six years to the day that Edward moved across the country to be with me and everything in my life changed for the better. It was also just a little over two years that we'd gotten married and moved to Brooklyn, which had also changed my life for the better. And now, I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I realized our life was about to change again.

We'd been trying for a baby for a few months now, and I was finally pregnant. I'd missed my period a week ago, and even though I knew it could just be a fluke, I'd needed to know. So while Edward was at work, I rushed down to the store and bought a pregnancy test. Turns out I was right.

I sat at the desk in our office looking at Pinterest, trying to come up with a cute way to tell Edward when my phone rang. I glanced down, seeing it was Edward's mom, Esme, knocking me from my daydreams of chubby legs with copper hair and brown eyes.

In the past two years that we'd lived here in Brooklyn, Esme had been more of a mother to me than my own had been my entire life.

Things between me and my mom were still rocky, but they were better than they had been. She was still learning that just because she was insecure in her own skin, it didn't give her the right to make me feel less than. I honestly wasn't sure if she'd ever truly understand, but I was finally okay with that realization. It was about her,not me.

I felt terrible not answering Esme's phone call, but I knew if I answered, I would automatically blurted out that I was pregnant. Edward deserved and needed to be the first person I told. This was something that was for the two of us to share.

—SE—

I was standing in the kitchen when I heard his keys in the door. I tried to calm myself, to get rid of the face splitting grin I'd sported all afternoon. As I heard him slip his shoes off and hang his keys, I opened the refrigerator pulling out the steaks I'd purchased just a few days prior.

"Hey," he said as he walked over to me, placing a kiss on my lips. "How was your day?"

"Good. Great, actually." And, magically, my grin was back. That was, until I tore the plastic wrapping from the steaks. The smell of raw meat hit me instantly and I could feel my stomach lurch. I covered my mouth and ran for the bathroom as fast as my feet would carry me. I barely got the lid of the toilet up before I was sick.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Edward followed me into the bathroom, dropping down beside me.

"Um, well, I had this whole big surprise planned, but... I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant? You're pregnant?" He sat back against the bathtub, pulling me onto his lap. I stared at him, noticing the tears in his eyes "Seriously?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Seriously."

He gripped my face with both of his hands, sporting the same silly grin I'd had on my face earlier. "Go brush your teeth so I can kiss you."

I shook my head as I laughed, pushing myself off his lap to grab my toothbrush.

—SE—

The weeks flew by quicker than I thought they would. It was as if I blinked and suddenly I was sitting at my baby shower being fawned over by Angela, Alice, Esme and, surprisingly, even my mother had made the cross-country trip.

"Bella." Mom pressed her hand to my cheek, giving me a small smile. "You look beautiful. Pregnancy really agrees with you."

I felt tears brimming in my eyes. It was the first time in my life that she had ever called me beautiful. I knew I didn't need her approval. I'd known for a while now that I was beautiful inside and out, as Edward would tell me. But it felt good to hear nonetheless.

"Thanks, Mom." I sniffed, wiping at my eyes. "Sorry, it's the pregnancy hormones." The look she gave me told me she knew better than that.

"You'll be such a good mom, Bella." Her eyes had a sadness about them as she spoke. "Better than I ever was."

The moment was broken as Alice clapped her hands and loudly announced, "Come on, ladies! It's time for presents!"

—SE—

My eyes popped open and my hand immediately went to my belly. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I'd been having Braxton-Hicks contractions the previous day, but this was different. I glanced at the clock, noting that it was just a little after two in the morning.

"Edward," I said as I shook him lightly. "Edward, wake up." He mumbled something and rolled over, falling back to sleep.

"Edward!" I said loudly, this time shaking him harder, causing him to jump up.

"What? What's going on?"

"I had a contraction."

I watched as the realization of what I said dawned on his face. "You had a... do we need to go to the hospital?"

I shook my head. "No, not yet. But I'm scared." I could feel tears pricking at my eyes. "I'm scared I'm not going to be able to handle the pain. What if—"

"You're going to do just fine." He gripped my hand and pulled me close to him. "You're one of the strongest women I know, Bella. And I'll be right there the whole time. You can break my hand, curse at me, call me bad names, and every other woman-giving-birth cliché, okay?"

I laughed through my tears and nodded. "Okay."

—SE—

"Just one more big push, Bella and you can meet your baby," the doctor coached me as I groaned loudly, bearing down as hard as I could. It was only a few moments later that I fell back as the room was filled with the sound of our baby crying. "It's a girl!"

"A girl," Edward choked out as they laid her on my chest after having cleaned her up a bit. "I'm the daddy to a little girl."

As I stared down at her, so many thoughts swirled through my mind.

I knew I would always tell her she was beautiful. I'd make sure she knew she was loved unconditionally. I wanted her to know that beauty went way beyond skin deep, and that the words people say to you—about you—don't define you.

That in the end, there was no one better to be than yourself.

A/N:

I just wanted to once again say thank you for coming on this journey with me. I've done a crappy job lately at replying to reviews, but I read each and every one of them. I appreciate you all so much. Also, thanks to SassYNoleS for joining up with me as a pre-reader half way through this fic! I hope you'll join me on my next adventure and remember, if you want teasers, pics, and some silly fun, you can join my Facebook group Stories by MissLiss15. The link is here on my FFN profile!