EPOV — ONE YEAR LATER

"Baby, hurry," I yelled as I grabbed the manila folder laying on the kitchen table and walking into the living room.

"I am," she grumbled, limping into the living room. Her left hand was clutching the top of her cedar cane while her other hand was trying to tuck her blouse into her skirt. "Do I look okay?"

"You look beautiful," I told her, sliding my arm around her waist and leaning for a kiss. "I know you're scared. I am, too, but I have a feeling that today is the day."

Bella smiled and shifted her eyes up to mine. "I hope so. I really do."

"Me too," I murmured. "Now, you have everything?"

She nodded, and gestured to her purse and the small box that was sitting on the coffee table. The box wasn't much bigger than a cereal box, and had been covered in pale blue wrapping paper and a white ribbon. Bella walked over and picked it up, sliding it into her purse, before turning back to me.

"Let's go."

I nodded, moving my hand so that it was on the bottom of her back and leading her to the door. I helped Bella into the car before walking around and sliding in behind the wheel. I looked over at her, noticing the small smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

"I love you," I whispered, knowing when her smile widened that she heard me.

"I love you," she replied, shifting her eyes to mine and looking at me from under her lashes. My heart began to race, as it always did when she looked at me.

Taking a deep breath, I turned away and started the car, carefully reversing out of the garage and heading downtown. Today, after more than a year of waiting, Bella and I were finally going to sit in front of a judge and learn whether or not they were going to allow us to adopt Evan.

The past year had been difficult in so many ways. I had to go back to work, which left Bella home alone more than either of us wanted. Her insecurities over me leaving her crept up more than a few times, but I did everything I could to assure her that I wasn't going anywhere. We'd made it through hell, I wasn't about to leave her now.

Shit, I battled my own fears about our relationship, too. Especially when Bella went back to work the following September. A part of me wanted her to quit, to stay home where I knew she was safe. That first day, I must have called her a dozen times to make sure that she was okay, that nobody had gotten to her. It was silly and awkward, but the last time she went to that school as a teacher, she came out with a bullet hole in her. Thankfully, Bella was patient and understanding with me, promising every time I called that she was okay.

"I'm so nervous," she whispered as I drove.

"Me too," I admitted, unashamed of how I felt.

"If the judge says no . . ." Bella trailed off, the words hanging over both of us. "Do you think he'll be there?"

I nodded, knowing she was talking about Evan. "Probably."

Bella sighed, but didn't say anything else as I drove the last few blocks to the courthouse. It was ironic to me that the last time we'd found ourselves there was when Alice and Jasper were getting married, when Bella reached out to my parents and begged them to change for us. Many times over the last few years, I'd wondered how our lives would have differed if she hadn't called them, if she hadn't pleaded with them to let their pride go and accept me, Emmett, and Alice for the people we were. At the time, I thought maybe they could, but they couldn't. Snide comments about Jasper, Rose, and Bella, derogatory looks and hateful glares, pointed judgments over our career choices, Carlisle and Esme Cullen refused to change, refused to see past their own hate to see how much better Emmett, Alice, and I were with the people who loved us.

And in the end, that had been their downfall. Four months ago, Esme and Carlisle were on their way home from dinner when they struck another car, killing the family of four on their way home from a visit to their grandparents' house. Esme walked away from the accident with scratches and bruises, while Carlisle suffered a broken arm. Both had been drinking and Carlisle had been arrested for driving while under the influence, four counts of vehicular manslaughter, and reckless endangerment.

I wanted the book thrown at them, for them to finally see how their actions hurt other people. Killing my daughter hadn't done a damn thing for either of them, so I don't know what I expected the accident to do anything either. The judge preceding over Carlisle's case granted him leniency, however, stating that this was their opportunity to change who he was. Carlisle was given ten years' probation and ordered into a treatment facility for ninety-days.

Meanwhile, Esme was dealing with the social aftermath of their recklessness. From the way Tanya Denali told it, my parents had been effectively blackballed from society, shunned for being reckless and uncaring. Not only that, but the family murdered by their carelessness made sure Carlisle and Esme paid dearly. The remaining members of the family sued Carlisle and Esme, taking nearly every cent they had. Last I heard, they'd used the money and set up a foundation in honor of the family who had been killed. Bella and I made a donation to their cause last month, knowing firsthand the devastation Carlisle and Esme left behind.

My parents continued to reach out to us, begging us to forgive them, but it was too late. Taking Charlotte from us, trying to buy our forgiveness, and the constant disregard for our feelings wasn't something we'd be able to get over anytime soon. While I hated that Evan would never know the Carlisle I knew as a small boy, the one who would play in the leaves with us every Thanksgiving, or taught me how to throw a baseball, I knew that I would be a better father than him. I would raise Evan to think for himself, to find the love of a woman like Bella, and fight for her.

I was shaken from my thoughts as I pulled into the parking lot, finding a space toward the front. Shutting the engine, I turned in my seat and looked at Bella, who was biting her bottom lip.

"Hey," I murmured, drawing her attention to me. "No matter what happens here today, I'll love you. You know that, right?"

Bella nodded, causing tears to sprinkle down her cheeks. "And I'll love you, too. I'm just scared. It gets harder and harder to leave him."

"For me, too," I admitted, reaching over and taking her hand.

For a year, we'd been playing the waiting game. Bella and I went to marriage counseling, and worked on our communication. Bella was released from physical therapy three months ago, and while she still had a limp, and the occasional numbness in her legs, she was able to walk with the use of her cane. She'd never be one-hundred percent, and we had along accepted that fact.

Heidi Bennett kept her word and set up a visitation schedule. For the first couple months, we only got to see Evan four times, then she changed it and let us see him every week, and now, we were seeing him almost every day. Always under her supervision, or Kate's. While I understood their need to protect Evan, I wanted to take him home, where we could be a real family. I had been afraid to love him, but I never had a chance. He was my son, and would always be mine.

"Okay, let's go," Bella whispered.

I climbed out of the car and rushed around to Bella, opening her door and helping her out. I kept my arm around her as we headed inside, taking the elevator up to the third floor. When we stepped off, we were surprised to find Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, Angela, Garrett, Kate, Seth, and Jacob Black waiting for us. When we learned that Seth's Jacob was the same Jacob from Bella's school, we were shocked. Bella didn't know that he was gay, not that it mattered of course. They were in love, and that's all we cared about.

"Hey," Bella whispered, and I tightened my arm around her waist. She still struggled with being around everyone, especially since she had to depend on them so much to help her out when I went back to work.

"Hey, sweetie," Rose said, walking over and hugging my wife. I saw Bella's eyes flutter close when Rose's four month belly pressed against her, knowing that she struggled everyday with losing Charlotte. Like I did. We always would, we'd just learned that it was important for us to communicate our feelings. Holding everything inside had nearly destroyed us, and we vowed to never let that happened again.

But we were happy for Rose and Emmett, who were expecting a boy in five months.

"Where's Evan?" Bella asked, looking over at Kate, who had been Evan's foster mother for the last year. It was unusual for her to keep a child that long, but Evan was special.

"He's with Heidi," she told us.

Bella nodded, and shifted her eyes to the courtroom door. "I guess we should go in."

"Wait!" Alice exclaimed, holding her hand up and causing all of us to look over at her. "Before we go in, we'd like to say. To both of you." She paused and took a deep breath. "Today, regardless of what that judge says, everything is going to change, and we know that there is a chance that he won't get to come home with you. And, well, we want you both to know that we're here for you anytime, okay? Day or night."

"We love you," Emmett added, smiling. "We're a family. And that includes Evan."

"Misfits," Jasper said, shifting his eyes to Bella. "Remember?"

Bella nodded, bringing a hand up to her face and brushing away her tears. "We love you, too. So very much."

I couldn't speak. My nerves were getting the best of me and I knew if I did, I'd end up sobbing like a three year old. So, instead, I simply nodded and hoped that they would understand that everything they just told us was felt by us, too. We were a family, a group of misfits who had found a place together.

I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist as I led her into the courtroom, automatically spying Evan sitting at the front table with Heidi. His eyes met mine and a wide smile spread over his face. He looked up at Heidi and said something, causing her to laugh and smile as she nodded. Immediately, he was on his feet and through the set of swinging gates, launching himself in my arms.

The last year had changed him so much. He'd grown three inches, and gained twenty pounds, but considering how fragile and neglected he'd been when he was taken away from Phil Dwyer, the extra weight looked good on him. Made him appear healthy. His blond hair had been combed, which I knew bothered him. He told me during one our visits that he liked my hair and was always dragging his fingers through his so that it would stick up, too. Something that amused Kate.

"Hey, little man," I said, giving him a hug before letting Bella pull him from my arms. He wrapped his arms and legs around her, and I tightened my hold on her, knowing how hard holding him would be on her body. But she wouldn't let him go.

"Hey, Dad," he murmured. "Momma, why are you crying?"

Bella laughed through her tears as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Because I missed you."

"You saw me yesterday," Evan scoffed, rolling his eyes just like Bella always did.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she giggled. "I'm a girl. I'm allowed to cry."

Evan laughed, but before he could say anything else, the bailiff walked into the courtroom with the judge following him. Heidi shifted her eyes over to us, reaching out toward Evan.

Reluctantly Bella set him a down and whispered that he had to go back to Heidi. Though I knew he didn't want to, he didn't argue with her and walked through the set of swinging gates and stood next to his social worker, who placed her hand on his back.

Heidi had done everything she could to fight for us, stating that if it was up to her, he'd already be ours legally. But it wasn't solely up to her. The judge had ordered that us each to sit with him privately, where he proceeded to ask us questions about our entire lives. I couldn't speak for Bella or Evan, but I held nothing back, needing him to understand that Evan was my son, that I loved him, that I loved Bella.

"Please rise," the bailiff said, standing in front of the judge's bench with his hands clasped in front of him. "The honorable Judge Alistair Banks presiding."

The Judge took his seat and banged his gavel before placing his stack of papers on top of his bench and looking around the courtroom at all of us, his eyes traveling from Emmett to Rose to Alice and Jasper, Garrett and Kate, Seth and Jacob, Ben and Angela, all of whom were seated around us, offering us whatever support they could give me and Bella. He looked at me first, and then Bella, his lips pressed together in a tight, thin line before he looked over at Evan, who I could tell was near tears. If he didn't get to come home with us today, I didn't know what would happen. He'd already been through so much in his young life, and if anyone deserved better it was him.

"Well," the judge started, taking a deep breath. "I won't drag this out any more than necessary. After having the opportunity this week to sit down with Edward and Isabella Cullen, along with Evan Dwyer, I've made my decision."

Bella tensed next to me, her hand searching for mine. I clasped hers tightly, needing to touch her as much as she needed my touch.

"But," he said, and I groaned, knowing that he was drawing out this moment, "I would like to first say, that in all my years on the bench, I've never found myself facing a situation quite like this." He shifted his eyes to Bella. "Mrs. Cullen, you suffered a horrible ordeal at the hands of this boy's birth father. It would have been understandable if you hadn't wanted anything to do with Evan, but you embraced him, took him into your arms, and declared him to be yours. That takes a lot of strength and courage. I commend you for being strong enough to see past the actions of an angry man and see the child he'd abused."

The judge turned and faced me next. "Mr. Cullen, much like your wife, you've been able to see past the man who hurt her, who hurt Evan, and see that they needed you. It's clear to me that your love for both is strong. I'll admit, I worried about you. You're a cop. You've seen the darkness in people, and too often, that tends to follow people home. And while I'm sure it has a time or two, you and Mrs. Cullen have stayed strong, fought for your lives, and I commend that, as well."

Next, he looked over to Evan, his eyes softening. "Young one, you're a remarkable child. You have a bright future and I know that you'll flourish even more with Edward and Isabella Cullen as your parents." Bella gasped, her hand tightening on mine as I struggled to keep my tears from falling. "Therefore, I am pleased to announce that the adoption of Evan Dwyer by Edward and Isabella Cullen is granted."

"They're my momma and daddy now?" Evan cried, standing up.

"Yes." The judge laughed as Evan tore himself away from the table, and burst through the swinging gates again, throwing himself in our waiting arms.

Our sobs could be heard echoing throughout the courtroom, and I barely heard him tell Heidi to make sure we signed everything and have it on his desk as soon as possible before he banged his gavel, dismissing the court. Our family was gathered around us, their hands finding a way to touch each of us, letting us know that they were here for us, that they would always be here for us.

After a few minutes, Bella pulled Evan onto her lap and dug into her purse, pulling out the small, blue gift. She sniffled as she smiled and held it out to him. "This is for you, sweetheart."

"A present?" he asked, in total awe. "For me?"

"Yes," I laughed. "Open it."

Evan's eyes were wide as he slowly pulled the ribbon off and peeled the paper back one corner at a time. Once he had the paper off, he placed it in my hands and pulled off the lid to the small white box, his eyes lifting up to meet mine and Bella's.

"Momma?" he asked, his lips trembling as he lifted the small, silver picture frame. We'd taken the picture on his last birthday, just three weeks ago. Heidi had bent the rules and allowed us to have a small party, where everyone gathered to wish him a happy birthday. He cried, saying that he'd never had a part before, or presents. Knowing how much he'd suffered at the hands of that monster nearly broke me, but my son needed me to keep it together, for him and for Bella. That night, as she scrolled through the hundreds of pictures that she had taken, she found one of me and her standing on either side of Evan while he blew out his candles. We don't know who took the picture, but the look of happiness on all three our faces was clear.

The next day, Bella printed out the picture and bought a frame that had the words "The Cullen Family" etched across the bottom.

"We're a family now, Evan," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair. "Daddy and I love you."

"I love you, too," he cried, once again burying his face in her chest while his other arm reached for me, trying to hold onto both of us.

Bella and I would always grief the loss of our daughter, of the live we could have had, but Evan would never be thought of as her replacement, but as her brother, the missing piece of our family. Together, we'd spend the rest of our lives making sure he knew he was loved, that he was our son. Our love had been challenged, but in the end, when I found myself looking into her chocolate brown eyes, I would remember that's where our love began.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all the amazing reviews to this story. There were times when I really struggled with this one, but in the end, I love the way it turned out. I might be writing an outtake or two, so please be patient.