Oh my gosh, guys! I was a total fail at all review replies/teasers and following the posting schedule I planned! I am so sorry! But I got married! Not really an excuse, if you ask me, but we randomly just decided to do it, took two weeks off work to spend some time in Vegas and with family and then just enjoyed newlywed bliss for a while! I totally lost track of everything! But here's the next chapter and I promise to reply to every review and to update again within my two week limit. No exceptions! The next chapter is already started.
Hopefully this chapter will answer some of the questions I have received so far.
Disclaimer:
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. However, I, under the penname listed above, do own this story, plot and its variations. I prefer it not to be plagiarized and thank you in advance.
"What's your favorite color?"
"Who's your favorite princess?"
"Who's your favorite prince?" She giggled.
Having a break until I started at the elementary school meant I had lots of free time to spend talking with Lily. It had been day two after us meeting that she began the questions. Each conversation started off innocently enough.
"Do you like Cinderella?" She'd say, or something as equally innocent and then she'd take a dangerous turn to things far from six year old appropriate.
"Do you miss my daddy like you miss me?"
"Do you love him, too?"
"If you love me, does that mean you'll marry my daddy and replace my real mommy?"
That last one had broken my heart and I'd changed the subject, not knowing how to resond. I returned from Forks six days ago and I finally was going to be seeing Lily again. I couldn't wait until noon rolled around and I could be at the park with my princess. I had called her that over the phone a couple nights ago and she shyly admitted she liked when I called her that because I had said she looked like one when we met. I called her it at least once a day now. She loved it.
"Bella, what are you making?" Rose called from the kitchen doorway.
"Pies." I shrugged, looking around.
"Bella, are you making all of those for Edward and Lily?! That's five pies!"
"No, I'm taking three. Two apple and one cherry, the other two will stay here for us. Lily specifically asked for two apple, but I thought maybe Edward would like the variety. My cherry ones are just as good as the apple ones, right? I told Lily I would make ice cream so I have that in the freezer, I made it last night. Is that too much? Maybe I should take the ice cream next time." I was rambling but cut off immediately when Rose started laughing at me.
"Bella, knock it off. That kid loves you, you will be fine. Yes, your cherry is just as good. No, it's not too much. She's six and best of all, she's not coming home with you after so you don't have to face the sugar rush." She joked.
My face paled. "He's gonna hate me! Oh god, I can't take all of this, what was I thinking?! Maybe I'll just throw all this out or leave it here and make some cookies."
"Bella!" Rose snapped when I reached for the pies sitting on the counter. "Please, stop. You bake when nervous and if you don't calm down you're sure to make too much. Edward will not hate you. No matter how much sugar you give his daughter. You'll be at the park, she'll play it off, anyway. Plus, they'll take the majority home with them. How about you only pull out the ice cream and then before you leave you can tell her you have a surprise for her? Then you give them the pie. She can have it with dinner or something."
I let out a long breath and laughed, pulling her in for a hug. "How did you get so smart?"
"I have this twin sister that pretty much has a constant need for me to be smart. She'd fall apart without me." I pushed her shoulder gently and she laughed loudly. "I love you, sis. You'll be fine, I promise. If not, call me. I could probably take the good doctor."
I blushed at the name I had given Edward in my phone after I realized 'Edward' wasn't good enough. Especially since I had set my own name in his phone as 'Pie Girl'.
"Alright, I should probably get dressed and leave. Would you mind putting the ice cream in a little cooler or something?"
"Of course I will. I'll even put some bowls and spoons with it, since you clearly don't think that far ahead!"
I really would fall apart without her.
EPOV
"Daddy, can I call Bella?"
"Daddy, do you think Bella will bring pie to the park?"
"Daddy..."
"Daddy..."
All day it had been Bella this, Bella that. Even more so than usual. My daughter was obsessed with Bella Swan and it was the cutest thing to see.
Usually.
But today, I had Jessica on my back and I was irritated.
"Daddy, will Bella push me on the swings?"
"LilyAnne, I do not know." I snapped, instantly regretting it. She knew I'd never call her LilyAnne unless I was upset, and she didn't deserve my anger just because she was excited to see Bella again. Up until a few hours ago, I was excited, too.
Fucking Jessica. She had horrible timing.
"I'm sorry, baby." I said when I caught sight of Lily's puppy eyes. "I'm sure Bella would love to push you on the swings." Her smile came back to life and she went back to her doll, for the time being.
Jessica had called at eight this morning, demanding to see Lily today. I told her no, we had made plans days ago and Lily was excited. I refused to tell her her mother wanted to see her. Especially since I knew Jessica enough to know she'd either never show up, or she'd drop her after only an hour of having picked her up. Having full custody was a blessing at times like these. Even if I still had a year of my residency left and I had to rely on Jasper and Alice for nights I was on call instead of her mother.
So, after throwing a fit Jessica hung up and proceeded to call me every half hour, asking if I'd cancelled the 'play date' yet. I didn't bother telling her it wasn't really a play date.
I was just as excited as Lily. Lily spent more time on the phone with Bella than I did, but I made sure we talked for even a few moments when Lily called. Even after not seeing her for a week, I still wanted to get to know her. The attraction I felt to her was still alive and I was well aware of it.
Lily was so close to her and that definitely pulled me to her. I had never seen my daughter get so attached to someone so fast, and I hadn't had this desire for someone since Lily was born. There was one girl, when Lily was two, but I felt a fraction for her in two months than I did for Bella in less than a week.
At first I had tried telling myself it was because I hadn't had sex in four years, but quickly dismissed that idea when Lily told Bella she loved her. I had realized it even more so later that night when Lily hung up the phone and bragged about how Bella loved her.
Bella was special. She was kind, funny, and talked to my daughter as if she was her favorite person in the world, even though they had only really met once.
Plus, she was gorgeous. I couldn't forget her wide brown eyes and the way she looked when she blushed. I tried to say at least one thing everytime I talked to her that I knew would make her blush, even if I couldn't see it. I could just tell by how shy she would get, and she would giggle.
I may love her giggle more than I did Lily's, which was definitely saying something.
My phone started to ring and I sighed and pressed decline when I saw it was Jessica again. She would never learn.
"Lily, go get your shoes on. It's time to head out."
"Yes!" She cried, and rushed to get up, abandoning her favorite doll. I chuckled and followed after her, doll in hand, because I just knew she'd cry later when she realized she'd forgotten it.
She promised Bella she would bring 'Tilly' to meet her today.
Once I got Lily in the car the short drive was filled with her chatter about what she wants to do with Bella all day.
"Daddy, I love Bella. She's so pretty and nice." She said from her booster seat in the back.
"I know, Lily. She loves you also." I told her while I picked up my water to take a drink.
"But, daddy, don't you love her, too? If you love her, she can be my mommy!" She clapped while I proceeded to choke on my water and hurriedly put the cap back on.
"Lily... I don't know Bella well enough to say I love her. She is very nice and pretty and I like her very much, but just because you love her doesn't mean she'll be your mom. You have a mom, baby girl."
She sighed and I could just picture her rolling her eyes in the backseat. "Daddy, I have a Jessica. I talk to Bella more. Why can't she be my mommy instead?"
My grip tightened momentarily on the wheel at her words.
Fucking Jessica.
"Lily, let's just... talk about this later, alright? Jessica, your mother, loves you and so does Bella. Can you please not ask Bella any of these questions?" I didn't want her to get scared off. She was only twenty two and while I was only three years older than her, I also came with a crazy ex and a six year old. The odds were already against me.
"Okay, daddy. Are we almost there?"
"Yeah, sweetheart. Look out your window. You can see the park from here." I could also see Bellas truck and it almost made me drive faster. We were both so excited to see her. A few feet from the parking lot Lily started to bounce in her seat.
"Daddy! Look, there's Bella! Hurry, hurry!" I chuckled and pulled the car to a stop. As soon as the car was off Lily bolted out of the car. By the time I was out of the car Bella already had Lily up on her hip and they were laughing. I thought Bella was beautiful when I met her at my parents house in her pencil skirt and blouse, all dressed up. That look didn't even compare to Bella in casual wear. She was wearing short black shorts that, even from here, I could tell made her ass look wonderful, and a simple blue v-neck with a gray tank top underneath. Her hair was up in a ponytail and I could see her flawless neck.
I really just wanted to wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss her neck.
She looked gorgeous.
Absolutely delicious.
"Daddy, Bella brought homemade ice cream for us!" Bella set her back on the ground and reached for a cooler in the back of her truck. I quickly stepped forward and pulled it out, placing it on the ground.
"It's just plain vanilla, but it'll go perfect with some apple pie." My head immediately snapped to Bella and she laughed.
"Please tell me that means you made your pie, Bella?" I asked. She nodded and Lily squealed, making us both laugh.
"But," she started, making Lily and I groan. "I made some sandwiches and grabbed some chips. I thought we could have a picnic out here and then you guys can have some dessert. I even brought a surprise flavor of pie." She winked and Lily tugged on my pant leg.
"Daddy, can I go play?"
"Yeah, go on. We'll be right behind you. Be careful and be nice to other kids." She took off in a run towards the play ground while Bella retrieved a blanket from her truck before turning to me.
"Hey, Edward."
"Hey, pie girl. You look beautiful. Far more casual than when I saw you last. Can't say I don't miss the heels, though." I winked, picking up the cooler. She blushed and I smiled wide at the sight.
"Yes, well, I thought you'd miss those. That's why I chose these shorts. You still get a pretty good look at my legs." My mouth opened in shock at her words and she started to walk away, towards the shaddy grass area next to the park.
Holy damn, this girl was going to kill me.
I quickly sped up to her, not missing my chance to check out said legs.
"Welcome back, Dr. Cullen." She joked when I slowed my pace to walk next to her. I so wished I wasn't holding this cooler. I would pull her to me, or grab her hand.
I'd probably smack her ass for her previous comment.
On second thought, it's probably better I'm holding on to the cooler.
She came to a stop in a place that would give us the perfect view of Lily, no matter where she was playing at, and smoothed the blanket out on the ground. She kicked her flip flops off and then sat down, motioning with her head for me to join her.
"It's so nice out today."
"Mmhmm, now, tell me about this secret flavor pie. I hope it's as good as the apple."
She followed what Lily was doing with her eyes, making me smile. "I hope you like cherry."
My mouth salivated at the thought. "Lily might not get a taste of that one before I eat it all."
She giggled and turned to look at me, a small smile playing on her lips. "That's okay. I brought her two apple." Her smile instantly turned into a frown and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What? What's wrong?"
"She asked me to make an extra one for her mom. For whenever she saw her again. She said you told her Jessica was too sick to attend her birthday party." She scoffed and my eyes widened.
"You knew it was Jessica?"
"Well after your reaction to me mentioning her, I just kind of figured it out on my own. She's the only Stanley I know of and she was two years older than Rose and I, I think. I know she was held back in second grade so she was only one class ahead of us, so I just... assumed. I'm sorry for bringing her up. I just... it breaks my heart everytime Lily brings it up. I don't know her anymore, or even the situation, but I just can't imagine someone not being in love with Lily. Not seeing her every chance they got. Especially her own mother." Her eyes showed just how angry she was and it stunned me how much she cared.
"She asked if I could be her new mommy. I mean, how horrible can a person be? To make their child ask for a new mother." She shook her head and scoffed again, before turning back to me with wide, scared eyes. "I'm so sorry I just said all of that to you! It's really none of my business. I can't believe I just did that. I'm so sorry, really, Edward!"
"Woah, woah, back up a second. First of all, I agree with you. Jessica is a horrible mother and sometimes just a bad person in general. She called the day of the party and said she had a date so she couldn't go. Second of all, I'm sorry Lily asked you that. She mentioned earlier she wanted that and I asked her to refrain from bringing it up in front of you, but I guess I was too late. Finally, please don't ever apologize to me for sharing your opinion. Especially when it's something I can fully agree on." I smiled at her softly and rested my hand on top of hers on the blanket.
"Bella, Lily adores you. You are easily one of her favorite people in this world and I am very happy that she has you in her life. In our lives. She was only eighteen when we found out and obviously scared. Granted I was only nineteen and starting medical school, it was a lot to take on." Her eyes widened and the smallest gasp fell from her now parted lips.
"Nineteen? You started Medical school at nineteen? How is that even possible, Edward?" I chuckled and shook my head.
"I was an only child, not a lot of friends, and I always knew I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps. My parents got me a tutor very early on and I actually skipped two grades and then finished college a year early. School has always just been my thing. I took my college classes in Seattle and came home every weekend since I was so young. That's how I met Jessica, on a weekend home. I was set to start medical school at Dartmouth in the fall, but I couldn't leave her after finding out. Between having Lily and going to school I grew up faster than I should have at nineteen. Jessica never did, not even now at twenty four. I have full custody of her, something I've never been more grateful for when she gets Lily's hopes up."
She smiled sadly and moved her hand to pat mine.
"Christ, Bella. I'm sorry for unloading all of that on you. You shouldn't care about this, especially not on a fun day trip to the park."
"Edward, I do care. I care about anything that has to do with Lily. It didn't bother me when she asked me that. It hurt me, yes. But I hurt for Lily, because she is in some ways without that mother figure. I don't know what Rose and I would have done without Renee our first twelve years of life, or without Tanya now. A little girl needs her mother. It's very upsetting that Jessica can't understand that. But Edward, Lily still has you. The perfect father figure. You have taken on the challenge of being the father that kisses her booboos away and the mother figure that does her hair in the morning and sends her off to her Aunt and Uncles house with a happy breakfast filled tummy. She is never going to go without your love and you won't ever miss out on hers. Jessica will, though. She won't get to know how amazing your little girl is unless she grows up sometime soon. That's her loss, Edward. Not yours and certainly not Lily's."
I opened my mouth to respond, to thank her for her kind words but nothing came out.
She made me speechless.
Sure, I knew that Jessica was missing out, but I always hated that I couldn't give Lily a mother.
A real mother.
Not a Jessica, like Lily said.
Someone like Bella. Someone that had the ability to make me see the bigger picture. Lily needed a mother and while I was definitely her father, I was still capable of being her mother in every way that counted.
I could braid her hair in the morning, I could cook her a healthy breakfast, I could let her cry on my shoulder when her first love breaks her heart.
But, I could also take her out for junk food and spoil her with whatever I wanted, I would kiss away any 'booboos' she had.
I could make sure that after she cried on my shoulder about that boy that I would hunt him down for hurting my baby girl.
I could be her mother and father.
But I didn't want to be.
Not when there were people like Bella in this world.
Before I could respond and tell her a very edited version of my epiphany, she kissed my cheek and stood up, letting go of my hand that I failed to notice she was holding on to. With one last bright smile she took off towards where Lily was calling her name by the swings.
It took me less than a minute before I was off the blanket and walking after her.
I could hear Lily asking Bella to push her and smiled wide when Bella answered her.
"Of course I'll push you on the swing, princess."
She was perfect. I couldn't say it enough. She was perfect, and I wanted her.
I finally stepped behind her at the swings and surprised her by picking her up off her feet and spinning her around. She let out an adorable squeal and gripped my forearms tightly.
"Edward, what are you doing?!" She laughed and kicked her legs lightly.
Lily laughed loudly when I sat Bella down and she held onto my biceps to steady herself.
"What in the world was that?" She asked once she stood tall and steady.
"You didn't let me thank you for your wonderful words. You opened my mind to a lot of things, Bella. So thank you, you're right. About everything you said." She blushed and looked down, taking a step away from me and back towards Lily.
"I was just sharing my opinion. I'm glad you understood what I was saying." She looked up and smiled beautifully at me while I stared into her deep chocolate eyes. Looking at them so closely I could see the gorgeous flakes of gold in them.
We both snapped our heads to look at Lily when she giggled.
"Guys, nana says its not nice to stare." She gave us a pointed look and kicked her feet, silently telling us she was ready to be pushed. Bella let out a giggle of her own while I chuckled and stepped to the side.
"Yes, of course, princess Lily." Bella said, throwing me a wink before starting to push her.
*HoM*
After five minutes of Bella pushing Lily, Lily insisted on me pushing Bella on the swings while she played on the slide.
We spent the time talking about light subjects and being happy. Neither of us wanted to go back to talking about things like Jessica. It was a beautiful day, there was no reason to ruin it by talking about her.
A little while later, after we retired to our blanket and polished off all of our sandwiches and chips Bella finally pulled out the pie and ice cream.
"We're going to get fat, daddy," Lily hummed around her bite of apple pie and ice cream.
"Lily, chew first," Bella automatically chided and on cue her cheeks turned an alluring pink. I couldn't help my light chuckle when she quickly apologized.
"Don't apologize for instilling her manners, Bella. She knows better, but she's right. You are certainly going to fatten us up with all this dessert."
"Well, maybe next time I'll make you a nice home cooked meal to go with it. Give you a balance." She winked at me before smiling down at Lily. "I know how much you enjoy the apple, but I recommend at least trying the cherry. Your father has already polished off two slices, so I'm assuming it's as good as my sister says it is."
I loved the way she smiled down at her adoringly.
"Let me try yours, daddy." Lily said as she reached near me with her fork. Instinctively, I pulled my plate back, out of reach.
"Nuh uh. You get your own piece. I'm not sharing mine." Bella laughed loudly while Lily stared at me with wide eyes.
"Daddy, you have to share. It's the rules." She reached for my pie again and I could tell by the slight smile on her face she was only doing it for a reaction. I was about to reply when another fork came into view. I looked up at Bella, one eyebrow cocked and she mirrored my expression.
"You heard her. It's the rules to share, Edward. I made it, after all." Her eyes formed from cockiness to pouting and I groaned, looking over to see Lily wore the exact puppy eyes.
"Ladies, this is not fair. Can't a man eat his pie in peace? There is, like, half a pie left waiting for you to devour. Plus almost the whole apple one!"
They laughed together and I couldn't help but smile at the sound. Lily huffed dramatically and stood.
"Fine, I'll just share with Bella. She knows the rules." She walked around me to Bellas side. Bella opened her arms for her immediately and Lily situated herself into her lap. I watched, memorized as Bella cut off a big piece of the cherry pie and offered some to Lily.
After she chewed her bite and complimented the flavor, Bella lightly tickled her sides, making Lily giggle and squeal.
It was a sight for sore eyes, that's for sure.
Seeing my two girls in this way, together, made my heart pound in the way books have always described it.
Well, one of them wasn't quite mine yet, but I had some time yet.
One day, I vowed, I would make this beautiful woman mine.
I love you all, truly! I hope you guys are sticking around, I am so sorry for the length of time it took to get this out to you. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it though.
XOXO, MUAH!
