EPOV

(Spring Semester of Senior Year)

Life after Addie's suicide was livable at best. Some days I woke up, drew back the covers and told myself I could make it through. Some days I wasn't so optimistic, choosing to lie in bed for hours...sometimes days on end just staring at the walls, reliving all the circumstances, decisions, choices that I had made. Trying to 'fix' the impossible.

But that was hopeless, because Addie would always be gone based on a decision made of her own accord.

I hated her at first for it in a truly passionate and unforgiving manner. I managed to morph every good, solid, and loving memory of her into something ugly and irrational.

But I loved her in an equally frightening way. Forgiving her seemed impossible, for what she did to me, for what she put my family through... for abandoning our child.

But, I have.

I forgave her.

And now, all I can hope for is that she is in a better place, a place where she has found clarity. I hope she is happy with the choices I have made for myself and for our son. But, more than anything, I hope she realizes what a great person she left behind. I hope she regrets, with all her heart, not meeting him. Andy, the little boy who captivated me with one, simple, and innocent stare. One stare that led to realization of responsibility and unconditional love that I could find without her, that I would find. One stare that gave me hope to keep going, to fight for a tomorrow. Because, even though I had lost my reason for existence just hours before... now I had found a new reason. A perfect reason.

The idea of becoming a father as a teenager scared me. But, I knew it wouldn't be something I could ever regret. After having Andy in my life for so long, I have realized how much of an extension he has become of my very being, in both the literal and emotional sense.

It killed me to lose Addie, but the mere thought of losing Andy would entirely destroy me.

The soft, gentle pat of fingers woke me from the familiar confines of sleep. Inhaling deeply, I rolled on my side. Peeking out of squinted eyes, I looked to the bedside.

"Hi, daddy." The small, familiar voice spoke. Andy stared up at me with large, green eyes clutching a yellow cloth blanket in his right fist. He produced a near mirror image of my own crooked grin.

"Hey, buddy." I whispered, rubbing my palm along the length of my face as I motioned him closer. He obliged willingly, climbing up across the mattress to nestle himself between it's two warm inhabitants.

"Shush, we don't want to wake mommy." I stated in a playful tone, knowing full well that the beautiful brunette I slept beside was rolling her eyes under closed lids.

"Mommy's up." She declared in a quiet voice, her tone horse with sleep. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of her.

She gently reached out, wrapping a tender arm around Andy's torso and dragged him to her side. "Morning, baby." She whispered, landing the softest of pecks against the skin of his forehead.

"Hi, Momma." He responded, his fingers moving to clutch the fabric of her black nightshirt.

"Yea, morning Momma." I teased, leaning over the both of them to cover her mouth with my own in a swift, gentle kiss.

"Guess what!" Andy stated excitedly, sitting himself up so that he could look down upon Bella's face.

"What?" Bella asked, playing along with his antics.

"Can I tell her?" He asked, always so polite. I nodded encouragingly, watching with amused eyes as he proudly proclaimed that today was 'Mommy's Day'. Bella giggled, a look of mock surprise coloring her features.

"Is it really?" She wondered, giving him a big smile as he excitedly went on to explain what the rules were for the day.

"You aren't allowed to do anything, Momma. Daddy said we have to do everything you ask!" He pointed out, shifting his weight so that he could lean his elbow against my stomach.

"Even the cooking and the cleaning?" Bella wondered, giving me a pointed look.

"Yup! Daddy's gonna cook you breakfast!" He announced, patting the flat of his palm against my T-shirt. Bella gave me a calculating look before leaning into Andy as if to tell him a secret.

"Are you sure daddy's cooking is safe to eat?" She stage-whispered.

"Don't worry, Momma. I gonna sumpervise." He explained, earning a peal of giggles from Bella as I ruffled his hair.

"That's my little man." She stated, picking him up underneath his shoulders and sitting him on her lap.

"Now, what do you and daddy want on your pancakes?"

"But daddy's supposed to make breakfast." Andy pointed out, extending a little finger toward my chest to highlight his point.

"But Mommy wants to make her favorite boys breakfast, bud. Besides, I'd rather not have a tummy ache the rest of the day." She spoke with a wink. Andy breathed out a quiet laugh.

"Hey!" I protested, pouting as I watched her peal back the covers and plop down onto the floor.

"Chocolate chip or blueberry?" She inquired, lifting Andy from the bed and setting him down beside her.

"CHOCOLATE!" Andy screeched, making a beeline for the kitchen.

"You said the C word!" I stated in mock horror. She shrugs.

"I don't have to deal with the aftermath, remember... it's 'Mommy's Day.'"

Oh, har har.

0~0~0~0~0

Andy turned six a month after graduation. Because the events were so close together, we decided to post-pone our celebration plans until then. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie all made the trip back to Forks from their various locations. Alice and Jasper had been living in Washington where they both recently graduated from UW. Alice planned to work at an elementary school in Seattle, teaching second and third grade music. Rosalie graduated from Stanford University in California the year earlier and moved in with Emmett, who is currently stationed in Portland working on his masters degree in psychology.

Bella and I plan to sell the apartment at Dartmouth and move back to the west coast. So far we've looked at places in both Washington and Oregon, but will probably end up in San Francisco, as Bella has been offered a position at a major publishing firm.

For the summer, however, we were living at my parent's house back in Forks, basking in the rain and enjoying the bit of nostalgia. Andy is always excited to come back and visit, and has stated his opinion about living with his grandparents for the rest of his life.

"I like it here, Daddy. Lets stay."

"We're still thinking about it, Buddy." Is my usual response, or something to that effect. I don't want to get his hopes up, because ultimately I will follow Bella wherever she wants to go. I could never leave her, and even though I am going to miss living in Washington, if it's California she wants, then California is where we will make our home.

"A toast!" My father's words successfully pull me away from my thoughts and worries and back to the present. "To Edward and Bella who have accomplished so much in these past four years!" He pauses to smile at the both of us, and Bella blushes at the unexpected attention. "And, to my grandson, Andy, who today turns six years old! Happy birthday, Buddy!" From his place in front of me he throws my father a signature smile and lifts his cup of apple cider in the air.

"To Edward, Bella, and Andy!" My mother reiterates, extending her glass. "To Edward, Bella, and Andy!" The rest of the room repeats, and with a sip of the smooth champagne, I guide Bella to the back porch. Andy follows at a natural pace behind us, clutching his drink in one hand and Bella's fingers in the other.

"Where are we going?" Bella chuckles, giving me a questioning stare. I say nothing, as I lead her to the railing and close the glass door behind us.

"I wanted to ask you something, I wanted to ask the both of you something." I start, hoping my words will gain Andy's attention. He stares back at me, his eyes filled with wonder.

"What, dad?" He questions, dropping Bella's hand and moving to stand closer to me.

"I wanted to know what you thought about something." I answer, crouching down to his level. He nods in response, his pensive face beseeching me to continue with this line of thought.

I reach into my back pocket, and pull out the folded manila envelope that has been housed there since this morning.

"I've been waiting for the right time to bring this up, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity."

"What is it?" She asks.

"Something for the both of you." Was my only response, as I slide the envelope into her curious fingers.

"Like a present?" Andy wonders, his eyes sparkling at the very mention of gifts.

"In a sense."

Bella quietly slides her pointer finger underneath the seal, pulling back the top and procuring the contents inside.

"What is this?" She wonders, holding the papers out in front of her, closer to her line of sight.

"What's it say, Momma?" Andy questions, reaching an eager hand out towards Bella.

But she doesn't notice, because her eyes are quickly scanning the fine, legal print of the ten-page document. Her expression slowly changing from pensive to confusion to understanding.

"Are these... are these adoption papers?" She wonders, her eyes first finding mine and then moving quickly to stare at my son.

"Yes."

"What's adoption?" Andy questions, not understanding the term. Neither of us respond, and Bella moves her eyes back to the document, flipping through the various pages.

"Are you... does this mean what I think it means?" She asks, her eyes filling up with tears.

"If you think it means that I'm asking you to adopt my son, then yes."

And her penetrating stare answers every question that has been blazing through my mind since I first laid eyes on her. All of the moments, all of the experiences we have shared with one-another over the past five years have led up to this very conversation. Because from the moment she expressed her love, not only for me, but also for my son I knew that I wanted to make her a part of his life forever.

"I love you, Bella. More than anything. You're everything to me, everything I know, everything I want, and everything I love about life. I know that you love him more than anything in the world, maybe even more than me, and I couldn't be happier. You're already his mother in the emotional sense, but I want to make it official to the rest of the world."

I hope my words don't come off as cheesy or overdone, because that's the only way they seem when I am speaking them, but her gentle tears turn to near sobs and she throws her arms around the both of us, and whispers the quietest 'yes'. That one word, that one syllable takes away all the pain and doubt and guilt I have harbored for indirectly driving Addie out of Andy's life. The fear that he would grow up without a mother there by his side through his brightest and darkest of times all came to a screeching halt.

Even if I couldn't hold her forever, even if something came between us... I knew he would always have her by his side. That thought alone brought me more comfort than the first time I realized Bella could love me as I love her.

"Why are you crying, Momma?" Andy's worried tone breaks through my joyous fog, and breath out a gentle laugh as Bella pulls her head away from my chest. Her glassy brown eyes turn to face the moss colored irises of our son.

"I'm just so happy."

0~0~0~0~0

Fast Forward: Four years later

I asked Bella to marry me on a Tuesday. I remember, because the rain was coming down in sheets so thick that you could barely see three feet in front of you.

I asked Bella to marry me on a Tuesday. I remember, because it was the morning of my last final of graduate school. A morning I would never forget.

I asked Bella to marry me on a Tuesday, in the pouring rain, in the middle a busy lobby, at eleven AM.

I asked Bella to marry me, and her only response was "It took you long enough."

Of course, I had flown to Forks days before in order to acquire the ring from my mother and to ask Charlie for his daughter's hand in marriage. The entire trip took less than fourteen hours, as I landed in Sea-Tac, met my mother for Lunch, and then Charlie for dinner before proceeding to, once more, board a flight back home.

"You want to marry my daughter?" Charlie had wondered, sipping thoughtfully from his beer. He gave me an inquisitive glance.

"Yes." I answered, nervous for what he might say, that we were too young, to naive, not ready for the kind of commitment I so wanted to make.

But of course, his answer didn't fail to surprise me.

"Honestly Edward, I am disappointed in you." I frowned at his words, my mind racing to playback the conversation. Where had I gone wrong? What if he says 'no'?

"I'm sorry, sir I-"

"I figured we would have had this conversation months ago... years ago, in fact!"

He set his beer down on the table and folded his hands in his lap.

"The two of you already act as if you're married. Hell, even if I said 'no' you'd just ignore me. Don't pretend like you wouldn't!" He teased, smirking at my dumfounded expression, no doubt.

"Listen kid, that girl loves you more than anything in the world and she somehow manages to live that son of yours even more. I'd risk life in limb if I stood in the way of that." He stated simply, once more retrieving his beer from the tabletop and taking a deep pull.

"Now get on the next flight to San Francisco and make it official."

So I did.

Or at least I planned to.

Believe it or not, Charlie's blessing was only made me fifty percent closer to asking her. I needed the opinion of one more person before I would 'pop-the-question', I had fairly high hopes, however, that the idea would be a hit.

"What?"

"I want to marry your mother." I repeated, staring at my son from my seat at the breakfast table. His confused look was accented with a shrug. He took a bit of pancake.

"Uh, okay. Are you asking me if I want you guys to get married?" He questioned, reaching for his glass of orange juice. His nine-year-old form smirking at me.

"Yes." I responded.

He just huffed in response.

"Well what do you think I'm gonna say? No, I don't want my parents to get married?" He laughed at me, inhaling the rest of his food before standing up and setting his dirty dishes on the counter.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked her already." He concluded, walking toward the front door, retrieving his backpack and reaching for the handle.

"I'm going to the bus now. You should ask her soon. She gets off work at eleven on Tuesdays, remember?"

So I took my son's advice.

I asked Bella to marry me on a Tuesday, in the pouring rain, in the middle of the lobby of Cooper Publishing, Co.

I asked Bella to marry me on a Tuesday, and she said 'It took you long enough."

And then she kissed me.

Now, nearly a year later I am standing in the middle of crowded chapel, watching the love of my life walk down a petal coated isle.

"She looks beautiful. Doesn't she, dad?" I smile, never taking my eyes away from hers.

"Yea, and she's all ours."

0~0~0~0~0

A/N: Alrighty... that's basically the end... this is so sad. I'm so bummed that this story is coming to and end, and I can't thank you enough for all the support I have had from the very beginning.

This is the final fast forward, but I am planning on one final epilogue from Andy's point of view. Expect that to be out soon.

Also, I am so grateful to have been nominated for The Rare Gem award!

Voting is open now, and you can go to sparkleteerawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com to vote!

Once again, thank you all so much!

~Lauren