Wow. Out of the Mouths of Babes placed third on the Lemonade Stand. 900 reviews for 6 chapters. 350 group members on facebook. Snowbound is still leading for fic of the month. Banner day so I thought I would say thank you with an early posting. You know how I roll.

Thank you all so much for loving this. Words can't express what I am feeling.

My eyes snapped open. Disoriented, I looked around.

I was sitting in a beanbag chair, alone, in Bella's office. I shook my head in confusion. The last thing I remember, I was sitting here listening to Bella read Emma a story. I also remember thinking how soothing her voice was.

I groaned. Obviously, I had fallen asleep.

Shit.

Where was Emma? Or Bella?

The beanbag chair didn't want to let go and as I struggled to my feet, I quickly learned a new lesson; these chairs are not meant for someone my size to nap in. One of my legs was rather numb. It felt like rubber as I hobbled to the door and spied Bella in the kitchen. Emma was sitting on the counter. She was listening intently as Bella talked quietly to her.

I walked towards them quickly, but tripped over my own feet as I tried moving faster than my still sleepy brain and numb leg could process. Both heads turned in my direction and I watched from my new position, flat on the floor, as Bella struggled not to laugh and Emma's nose wrinkled in amusement.

Overcome with embarrassment, I shut my eyes. First I cry, then fall asleep, and now I trip in front of Bella ... all in the span of an hour. I could only imagine what she thought of me. Cracking an eye open, I found her in front of me, her hand extended forward, and a teasing grin on her face. "That's one way to make an entrance, Edward."

I couldn't help my answering grin. "You should see how coordinated I am first thing in the morning," I assured her. "It's quite something."

A warm blush stole up her neck and cheeks, tingeing them a lovely shade of pink.

Unsure what I had said to cause such a reaction, I grasped her outstretched hand and stood up quickly. The sudden warmth I felt from her gentle grasp was unexpected and I gazed down at our clasped hands in wonder.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking up at her. "I can't believe I fell asleep. You must think I'm an awful person, not only arriving late, but then letting you keep caring for my daughter while I have a nap."

She shook her head. "No, I think you've had a long week and you needed a few minutes of rest. Really, Edward you've only been asleep for about twenty minutes. Emma and I were just having some juice and crackers. I thought she might be hungry."

Oh, God.

Of course she was. It was past her dinner time. I had planned on stopping at the store to get something to make for dinner, but now it was way too late for that.

I looked at Bella and without another thought I spoke up. "We're going for pizza, Bella. Please, come with us?"

She looked at me. "I don't want to intrude on your dinner, Edward," she said quietly.

Shaking my head, I squeezed her hand, just now realizing I was still holding it. "Not an intrusion, Bella. We'd both love it. Right, Babygirl?" I asked, regretfully releasing Bella's hand and walking toward Emma, picking her up off the countertop where she was still sitting, observing us quietly.

Emma nodded. I smiled at Bella. "See, we would both love it."

She still hesitated.

"Please, Bella," I asked quietly. "Let me buy you dinner. I've kept you late and no doubt you're tired and hungry as well. Let me say thank you in this small way." My voice dropped further. "Please."

I was thrilled when she nodded.

"I love pizza. I'd love to join you."

*()*

I learned a lot about Bella during dinner. For one thing, she had an unhealthy love of all things salty. Bacon, pepperoni and Kalamata and green olives were necessities on her pizza, she informed me seriously. And extra cheese was a must. I added red peppers and mushrooms, only because I felt I needed to pretend to care that there was something healthy lurking under the mountains of dripping cheese and meat. I also ordered a salad, as well as Emma's pineapple and cheese pizza for one. We talked and laughed and I got to know her a little more. I discovered that, like me, she adored children, preferred red wine, anything that contained caramel, and loved her job. Watching her face as she spoke of her little Learner Bees warmed my heart. She loved being the "Queen Bee" as her staff called her. She loved the giggles and questions. The silliness and mess that came with her little charges was welcome and appreciated, not frowned on and wished away. Knowing Emma was in her care daily simply made me smile. And despite her silence, or maybe because of it, Bella made sure to include Emma in our conversations, encouraging the head bops and occasional hand sign she had learned. Emma glowed the entire time, basking in her attention. When dinner was served, I smiled as Bella automatically reached over and cut up Emma's salad into manageable bites while I placed a slice of her pizza on her plate. It felt as though we were working together without even trying.

After we ate far too much pizza, Bella took Emma to the ladies room to freshen up and I sat alone, lost in my thoughts for a moment.

I couldn't remember ever going to dinner as a family with Tanya and Emma and feeling this sense of quiet pleasure. Tanya was never relaxed enough to enjoy herself and I always felt as if I were doing something wrong, laughing and teasing Emma while she sat, her leg swinging impatiently, picking at her salad as we ate our pizza. She never liked family dinners or outings of any sort; she preferred nights out without us. In retrospect, I should have clued in a little faster to her feelings.

Bella sat back down and I smiled as she scooped Emma up and settled her on her knee. "I ordered coffee," I informed her. "And a piece of apple crumble with extra caramel sauce."

She groaned. "I'm going to gain five pounds from this dinner alone. I'll need to work out even more than I was planning this weekend."

"Do you work out at the hospital?"

She grimaced. "I did."

I looked at her, my eyebrow arched.

"But?"

"There was a doctor there… he was rather, um, pushy. And it seemed every time I was there, so was he. He was just so persistent. So I joined a smaller gym closer to home."

I frowned, not liking the idea of someone bothering her. "Did you tell him to leave you alone?"

She shrugged. "I tried. He never seemed to take any notice. A few of the other staff members said he was just a flirt and didn't mean anything with his behavior. I finally had to lie to him to get him to back off. But then, I felt bad, so I ended up going to another gym. "

I felt my lips twitch. "His name wasn't Jacob Black was it?"

She stared at me. "How did you know?"

I grinned. "I work with him. And yeah, he is a terrible flirt. Decent guy, though. I'm sure if he thought he had chased you away from the gym he'd feel awful."

She sighed. "Well, it all worked out. I am happy where I am. No big deal. I'll just spend some extra time there to wear off the dessert you ordered."

I snorted. "Like the horrendously healthy pizza you ordered for our entrée wasn't a factor?"

She giggled, a delightfully lovely sound and looked away. "Possibly."

I grinned. "I did my part. And, I got three spoons. It hardly counts if we're sharing."

She laughed and leaned down, shaking her head at Emma. "Your daddy thinks he is so funny, doesn't he?"

Emma nodded and her nose wrinkled in amusement. She yawned and snuggled into Bella's shoulder. Bella's hand lifted up and began stroking her head softly. "Someone is tired," she said gently.

I looked at my watch, shocked to see it was past eight. "I didn't realize the time," I admitted.

She smiled in understanding. "Cancel the dessert Edward, and take her home to bed."

I hesitated, feeling selfish, surprised to find I didn't want this evening to be over. I shook my head. "As long as you're okay with the appendage, I'd like to stay, Bella. If you want to?" I asked suddenly feeling nervous about how much I wanted her to stay.

She looked down at Emma who was already slipping into sleep. Then, her eyes looked up at me. I could see she was conflicted.

Leaning forward, I placed my hand on her arm. "No pressure, Bella," I said quietly. "I can get the cheque."

She shook her head, a shy smile on her face. "No, Edward. I want to stay."

My smile matched hers.

It was the best thing I had heard in a long time.

*()*

We only needed two spoons for dessert. Emma slept, curled up in Bella's arms the entire time. Bella insisted I had an unfair advantage, since she was only able to use one hand and couldn't fight me off to get her fair share of dessert. In order to make up for her handicap, I teasingly fed her a few extra mouthfuls, loving how she rolled her eyes when I would move the spoon back just out of reach. When I offered her the last bite and teased her again, drawing the spoon back, in exasperation she covered my hand bringing the crumble to her mouth and capturing the sweet goodness between her lips. Her eyes fluttered a little and I swore I heard a small whimper in the back of her throat. My own eyes widened as I looked at her. She certainly didn't look like a girl at the moment. With her neck arched and her eyes shut, she looked desirable and completely… kissable. I pulled back the empty spoon quickly and dropped it on the plate, grabbing my coffee to cover up my actions.

What was I thinking?

Kissable?

This was Emma's caregiver. Someone she was fond of and relied on. Someone I already thought of as a friend. I couldn't risk messing that up.

Just a friend.

Beside me, Bella was regarding me quietly, drinking her own coffee, but somehow aware the air around us had shifted.

"I should, um, get Emma home," I said quietly as I signalled for the cheque.

"Of course," she murmured.

Bella shifted in her seat and I stood up. She struggled to try and lift herself up still holding Emma and I chuckled as I watched. Then, without a thought, I bent down and lifted Bella to a standing position, cradling both her and Emma close to me. For a brief moment I stood there, awash in how complete it felt to hold them both in my arms. Blinking at the sensation, I looked down at Bella only to find her gazing back at me with the gentlest look in her eyes. Our eyes locked and held and then my gaze dropped to her lips, which were parted and suddenly looked so sweet and inviting. I could feel my head bending, the longing to find out if they were as soft as they looked overwhelming me. Beside me, a throat cleared and my head snapped up and I stepped back, breaking the bubble we had inadvertently created around ourselves.

The waitress smiled as she handed me my credit card slip to sign. "What a lovely family you are. So nice to see for a change. Have a great evening," she said as I handed her the receipt.

My hand froze.

Is that what we looked like?

A family?

I shook my head and followed Bella out of the restaurant. Neither of us acknowledged the waitress's comment.

Just a friend, I told myself again.

But, one I wanted to kiss.

I needed to get home.

I needed to think.

Uh oh... Edward...