Fifteen years later
BPOV
"Hey, Mom," Charleigh said, walking into house.
"Hey, Peanut. I didn't hear the bus," I said as she sat next to me at my desk.
"I got a ride home," she said fidgeting with her fingers.
"Did you ask your father?" I asked as I watched her closely.
"No. Can we just keep it between us?"
"Who was it?"
"This guy I really like. He's amazing," she said all starry eyed. "I told him I wouldn't be able to date him, because Dad would say no. Liam said we could just be friends." She looked so sad and it broke my heart.
"Why wouldn't Daddy let you date him?"
"He's eighteen. I'll be sixteen soon, so I don't see a big deal with it, but I know dad will have a lot to say," she said with a sigh.
"I'll talk to your father, but you need to call and tell him," I said as her eyes lit up with happiness.
"Do you think he will say yes?!"
"He may, but even if he agrees you can go out with Liam, it won't happen this weekend."
"Why not?"
"Because you know you'll be grounded for accepting a ride without asking your father first," I said as she groaned.
She reached across me and hit speed dial and then left the phone on speaker.
"Hello?" Edward said answering his phone. He was in a bad mood and I knew it really wasn't the time for Charleigh to tell him about her boy, but I knew she would get herself in more trouble if she wasn't up front with him.
"Hey, Dad!" she said, sounding very chipper. "I'm home."
"Why are you early?" he asked in a clipped tone.
"Um...well..."
"Just say what you have to say! I'm not in the mood," he snapped, making Charleigh jump from his tone.
"I got a ride."
"With who? You never asked me!" he yelled.
"Um...I know, but..."
"Where is your mother?"
"Right here. Dad, listen..."
"Go to your room and we'll talk when I get home. Put your mother on the phone," he said.
Charleigh muttered a 'whatever' and headed for the stairs.
"Hey," I said with a sigh.
"Isabella, I'm not in the mood for her today. It's something different every fucking day!"
"I know, we can talk when you get home," I said, trying to calm him down.
"I need to know now, is this going to be the one thing that gives me a heart attack?"
"I sure hope not," I said with a chuckle.
"Who did she get a ride from?"
"Um...just keep in mind that she isn't a little girl anymore. She is going to be sixteen soon..."
"She got a ride from a fucking boy?! She is never leaving her room ever again!"
I tried my hardest not to laugh, but it didn't work.
"Don't laugh at me! This is serious! She is a little girl. She has no reason to be in a car with a boy that can drive!"
"There's no need to freak out. She is almost sixteen years old and she has yet to go on a date. You need to let her or she is going to go behind our backs. I was dating when I was fifteen," I said as he laughed without humor.
"Yeah, like that makes me feel any better! If it wasn't for me you would have been a whore just like your mother," he said with a laugh.
"Wow. I'm hanging up now," I said putting the phone on the receiver. That was a low blow and I knew, he knew I was mad.
Carlisle passed away a year ago, and I knew Edward was still grieving. He had mended his relationship with his father before Charleigh's first birthday.
Throughout the years, Edward and Carlisle became the best of friends. I even grew to love Carlisle, and I never thought that would be possible.
He was a very good man, and I didn't have anything bad to say about him anymore. Charleigh was destroyed over the loss of her Papa. She was very close with him, and having to tell her he didn't make it through heart surgery, was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Edward tried to be strong for her, but once the tears ran down her face, he lost it.
That night, I held them both tightly and thanked God I had them.
Esme was still thriving. She was one of the strongest women I had ever known. When Elizabeth, Edward's real mother, died she and Carlisle bought plots together. Esme wasn't upset over the fact, but I'm not sure anyone really could be. She was lucky enough to find out the plot next to him was still available.
Esme planed on sticking around for a while, so that was a good thing. She was a frequent visitor at our house; we all knew she didn't like to be alone. Edward and I talked about asking her to move in, but he was nervous she would say no.
We had yet to ask her, but I was sure it was coming.
Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett were all doing great.
Jasper asked Alice to marry him two years after Edward and I were married. He proposed at a Sunday dinner and her shriek was heard 'round the world.
The one thing no one ever figured out was why Jasper took so long to ask. Their wedding was a grand affair. I thought she was going to be a bridezilla, but she wasn't. She really had no reason to be since she had everything planned.
She knew where they were getting married, where the reception was going to be, she already had her dress, and she even had a cake picked out. Her wedding was flawless, and Carlisle was honored to walk her down the aisle.
Andon was born three years later and their family was complete. We were all grateful that Andon had the demeanor of his father; we would have never been able to handle another Alice. Although, Alice did calmed down a little as the years passed. Some things don't change, though.
She still gets in trouble for spending over her limit. I always thought Jasper was a bastard for still giving her a limit, but it truly was necessary.
Once Edward and I were married, his money became our money.
Emmett and Rose never married, or had children. They were content with the way things were with each other. They were great with all the children in their lives, though, and I know they would've made great parents.
I think they liked the fact they could always give Charleigh or Andon back when they got sick of them. They traveled a lot, so kids would have only slowed them down.
They were happy and that was all that mattered.
My parents even got married the year after Edward and me, and were still in the honeymoon phase after all these years. To this day, I still make gagging noises when they kiss in front of me. Childish? Yes, but no one wants to see their father's tongue being shoved into their mother's mouth; it was appalling.
They were amazing together, but had been stupid for way too many years. They were soul mates. I was grateful to still have them in my life, and I was hoping they'd be here for many more years.
Irina was still working for us, and I wouldn't have it any other way. She and Ang were a part of our family. Ang was, to this day, my best friend. She even was my maid of honor.
She was just the best person in the world. I never thought I would've had such a great friend under my nose. She was my rock through everything. Whenever I needed her, she was there, and the same went for her; I would do anything for her. She even gave me a pep talk before my wedding.
Edward and I waited until Charleigh was a year old before we got married. We wanted to make sure it was what we truly wanted. Neither one of us could've handled another split up. Having a baby was rough, and we didn't want to jump into marriage without being a hundred percent sure.
FLASHBACK
"Everything is going to be fine," Ang said as she bent down to my level.
I was freaking out. I didn't know if getting married was the right thing to do. I mean, we were happy and we had our daughter, so why ruin it with marriage?
"You love that man more than I have ever loved anything. He loves you with everything he is, Bella. Five bucks says he can't make it through his vows without getting choked up," she said as we laughed.
"You're right, and you're on. I highly doubt Edward would go all chick in front of all those people," I said as we laughed.
"Are we doing this?" Ang asked.
"Yeah," I said with a smile. "Thanks...for everything."
We walked out of the dressing room and headed for the back of the church.
Rose and Alice were still fiddling with Charleigh's hair and she kept slapping their hands; she didn't like her hair touched.
"Mommy!" she said reaching for me.
"Come here, Peanut," I said with a smile. "You both know better than to mess with her hair," I said as we laughed.
Charleigh yawned and rubbed her eyes; it was her nap time.
"Just a little bit longer and you can take a nap." I kissed her temple and she laid her head down on my shoulder.
We had to wait five minutes before we would walk and Charleigh ended up falling asleep.
"I'll take her to your mom," Charlie said with a chuckle.
He gently took her from me and walked through the door to give her to my mom. I could hear everyone awe at the sight of my sleeping girl.
I had wanted to call Charlie dad for a while, but there was never a perfect time. When he was standing by my side again, the music started to play and the girls slowly made their way down the aisle.
As soon as I heard the wedding march start, I began to fidget.
"Don't let me fall, Dad," I said, causing him to stare at me.
We held eye contact for a few seconds. It was long enough for Charlie's eyes to fill with tears.
"Never," he said hugging me tightly.
He wiped his eyes quickly and offered me his arm. The walk seemed to take forever, but as soon as I caught view of Edward, I was in awe. I had seen him in suits several times, but seeing him in a tux made him even hotter! We smiled at each other, and I knew in that moment, becoming his wife was the right thing to do.
"Who gives this woman to this man?" the minister asked.
"Her mother and I do," Charlie said as tears slipped down his face.
"I love you," I said to him as more tears came. I did love him, very much; he was my dad.
He was so choked up that all he could do was nod his head at me.
By the time I was standing next to Edward, his eyes were full of tears, and I knew I owed Ang five bucks.
As the service progressed, I grew anxious. All I wanted to do was kiss Edward and never stop. I didn't even want to go to the reception.
Edward and I wrote our own vows and I was glad I went first, because after he read his, I would have never made it through my own.
"Edward, I love you more than I ever thought I could love another person. You are the most amazing man I have ever known. We did things a little backwards, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
"You gave me the most precious gift, you can give another person: our daughter, and for that, I am truly grateful to you. I only have three things to ask of you: never lie, steal, or cheat. If you do lie, I want you to lie with me every night. If you steal, I hope you steal my heart again and again. If you cheat, I hope you cheat death, so we can be together forever. I love you," I said as I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat.
"I promise," he said as he wiped tears off his face. "I don't even want to read mine after those amazing vows," he said as everyone laughed.
"Isabella, when we met, I knew you were the one. There's never been a doubt in my mind of that. You're a strong woman and I am the luckiest man in the world.
"You gave me a beautiful daughter, and that was something I never thought I'd be able to have. I want to love you for every moment of forever, and I plan to for the rest of my life. I love you more than words could ever express," he said as I let out a sob.
Ang handed me a tissue, but I knew it was too late; my makeup was already messed up.
END OF FLASHBACK
I wiped a tear off my cheek as I remembered our wedding. That day will be with me forever. Even when Edward pisses me off, I still love him. I had come to the conclusion that men were stupid and they said stupid things.
That didn't mean we had to love them any less.
Whenever Edward and I would fight, he would come home with a gift. I was hoping for chocolate this time. I heard the front door open and I just stayed put on the couch watching the news.
"I'm sorry," he said, handing me a dozen long steamed roses.
I hated myself for smiling.
"I'm not ready for her to grow up," he said as he hugged me.
"I'm happy to say the boy isn't twenty," I said with a laugh.
"If she is anything like you, he is older, so hit me with it," he said as he held his breath.
"Eighteen," I said as color came back to his face.
"That's not awful."
"No, it's not."
"She's still in trouble for not asking if she could ride with him."
"I agree."
"Her curfew is nine o'clock."
"Ten."
"Fine, but we have to meet this guy before I say yes," he said as I laughed.
"Agreed, let's do this," I said standing up.
"I think I'm going to be sick."
"My big strong Daddy can't handle talking to his daughter?"
"Mmmm, I'll show you what your Daddy can handle," he said as he cupped my ass.
"Can't wait," I said as we shared a kiss. I still loved kissing him. He was still my daddy.
We walked into Charleigh's room and she looked scared. I gave her a wink and she relaxed a bit.
He went through everything he wanted to say and she jumped for joy. She didn't even care that she was grounded for the weekend.
"You guys are going to love him! He is so nice and really smart. He's a senior, his parents are divorced, but he's not messed up over it or anything. He is an honor roll student, and he's kind of a straight edge. I don't know why I like him, but I do. Oh my god! I'm going to call him now! Will you meet him tomorrow!?" she asked with a huge smile. Edward stood there like stone, and I told her that would be fine. Before she could call Liam, Edward hugged her tight. He didn't let go of her until she said she couldn't breathe.
Edward wouldn't even have sex with me that night. He said he was too messed up to concentrate. Yeah, I laughed at him. I knew he was going to be high strung until the next night. I didn't blame him. I was sad too; my baby was growing up.
My life had been one hell of a journey, and it wasn't even over yet, but it was worth every moment.
~The End~
This is the end! Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for hanging with me while I had this re-done.