A/N: I don't own this, we all know who does. What I do have is lots of rain falling around my house over the last few days. Though due to where I live, I think SM is probably getting the same storm clouds I am. Man, life's not fair…

Thanks go to my uberbeta coldplaywhore. I love mustard and you, my dear, "make me want a hot dog real bad." :)

Thanks to My Constants - MissyV (MeowVemulapalli), Baby G (Risbee), and La V (missveritys). I love you girls more than may be legally allowed. :)

Thanks to Twilight44 & Unchanged Affections for prereading this and for telling me what doesn't make sense and what spelling mistakes my Word failed to catch. I love you both for that! :)

I hope you like this. Edward is finally starting to pick up on some of the things he missed out on and just because I wanted to, I kept the chapter going until a certain couple finally gets to talk, face to face. I kinda love it…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 7

I know that I've been mad in love before
And how it could be with you
Really hurt me baby, really cut me baby
How can you have a day without a night
You're the book that I have opened
And now I've got to know much more
Like a soul without a mind
In a body without a heart
I'm missing every part

"Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After leaving the airport, I was in no real hurry to get back to Forks. Bella had said she would try and call so that I could see her that night, but I knew after a long day of traveling and chasing our son, she would most likely be too tired to want to do anything. By the time I reached my house, I had talked myself out of seeing her before the rehearsal dinner the next night, though the hope that she would call was still very much alive.

Walking into the house, I was greeted by the smells of whatever my mother was baking. She had done a lot of baking over the past week; it was her way of coping with the stress she was feeling over the whole Bella and E.C. situation. Alice stayed away as much as possible, and as long as I kept to myself, I had a feeling we would be able to avoid any more arguments. Emmett and Rosalie were due to arrive at any time and I was excited to see my brother, even though he had already warned us all about Rose and her pregnancy hormones. Apparently, she was driving him up the wall. I loved my sister-in-law but she could get a little whiny at times and I was thankful that I wasn't living in Seattle anymore, where I felt obligated to go over for Sunday dinners with them.

I clicked my phone onto vibrate and stuck it in my front pants pocket, hoping to catch it as soon as Bella called, if she called. I hurried up to my room, deciding to go for a quick run. After changing my clothes and grabbing my iPod, I was out the door and down the street, lost in the music flowing through my earbuds. My thoughts wandered as the songs changed and it wasn't until I ended up at the park that I stopped. There was a playground filled with kids, their moms sitting nearby and carefully watching them. I sat down on a bench and listened to the music as I dreamed of one day bringing my son to this park, of watching him play with all the other children.

After about twenty minutes, a tiny blonde girl—maybe a year or two old—toddled near me, falling in the sand and dropping the toy she had been sucking on. As she stood up, she lifted the sand covered toy and moved to put it back into her mouth. I jumped up and took a few steps toward her, reaching her as she tasted the sand. She quickly started spitting the dirt out of her mouth and I pulled the toy away. Looking at me with wide, trusting eyes, she reached for me, and I assumed she wanted me to pick her up. I didn't know who she was and figured her mother probably wouldn't appreciate a strange, sweaty man carrying her around.

I wiped her toy off with my shorts and held it back out to her. "Here you go honey, don't put that back in your mouth, it's dirty. Go take it to your mom, okay?" Her chubby little fingers wrapped around the toy and she laughed, a huge smile spreading across her face. I knelt down when she also reached for my other hand, refusing to let go. She was a beautiful little girl with snow white hair in curly pony tails, bright ice blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. She continued smiling at me, and if I hadn't known better I would have sworn she was batting her eyelashes at me; flirting with me. Laughing at her display, I noticed movement from the corner of my eye; her mother was making a bee line toward us.

"Micah? What are you doing over here? Mommy told you to stay by the toys." The voice seemed familiar but I couldn't place it until the woman was standing next to me, her hands on her hips. "Edward Cullen? Is that you?" she said in disbelief. I looked up to see her face and cringed.

"Tanya Denali. How are you?" I slowly stood, not excited about seeing the girl that had singlehandedly tried to make Bella's year in Forks misery; the girl that I had spent way too many occasions buried inside of, listening to her moan my name. She was still beautiful; the outer shell hiding the ugliness I knew was on the inside. As I looked back at her daughter, I saw the similarities and hoped that somehow this sweet little girl wouldn't end up the same way her mother had.

"Well Edward, it's been a long time, huh? You back in town for Alice's wedding or are you planning to stay around a little longer?" She reached out, running her manicured fingernails up my arm, settling them on my bicep. She smiled and I fought the urge to throw up.

"Yeah, I'm back for Alice's wedding before I leave for medical school. You live here still?" I asked, not really wanting to know, but not wanting to be rude. Before Bella came along, Tanya had been my favorite of the regulars, always a sure thing and always a good time. She laughed, running the hand that wasn't attached to my arm through her long, blonde hair.

"Yeah, I live here. I'm married, I'm sure you heard." I shook my head, having not known. "Yeah, Michael Newton, you remember him? We got married last year, right after Micah was born. He's managing his dad's store now; he'll be the regional manager before long." I got the feeling she was trying to impress me, but it wasn't working.

"Wow Tanya, that's great. I'm glad to see you're doing so well. So this is your daughter huh? She's cute, looks like her dad."

Tanya blanched at that, the smile dropping from her face. She let out a gust of breath. "Well, that's the first time I've heard that," she said with disbelief thick in her voice. I grinned internally, happy to have thrown her off a bit.

Micah began to walk back towards the playground equipment, and I wrongfully assumed that Tanya would follow her. Instead she edged closer to me, leaning her face towards mine. "You know, Mike works a lot now days and he probably wouldn't mind if I had dinner with an old friend, spent the night catching up," she quietly purred to me. Her mouth came closer to my ear and I could feel her breath on my neck. "I've missed seeing you, Edward. I remember how much fun we used to have, I can't help imagining all the things I used to do to you. I made you happy, Edward. I could make you very happy again, if you let me."

I stood silently as she made her plea, unsure of exactly how to proceed. I knew I didn't want to lead her on, and I didn't want her to get the idea that I was in any way interested, but as she began to rub her breasts against my chest, I felt sorry for her. I looked down into her eyes and knew that this would be the last time I would ever allow her to be this close to me. I took hold of her hand that was still wrapped around my bicep and pulled it free, pushing it back towards her.

"Tanya... thanks for the offer, it's really nice of you to want to catch up with me, but I'm pretty busy this week, and I'm leaving soon and I won't be back, so I think its best if we just say goodbye now and you go back to your daughter. Sounds like you and Mike have a nice life together; I think you should enjoy that."

Her perfect lips pursed into a pout and she stomped her foot, showing her obvious annoyance at my refusal. As she squared her shoulders she raised her head in defiance, "You'll be sorry Edward. You know what you're missing out on." With that she turned quickly and skulked back towards her daughter. Shaking my head at her immature display, I quickly pushed my ear buds back in and turned my music up as I headed towards the parking lot and the road that would lead me home. It was then that I realized I had left my cell phone sitting on my dresser, meaning that if Bella called, I would have missed it. I pushed my body hard, getting home faster than I ever had before. Hurrying to my room, I grabbed the phone that lay on the dresser.

There had been no calls.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Laying on my bed, tossing a football into the air, my heart was saddened by the fact that it was after nine o'clock at night and there was still no call from Bella. I had been an idiot to expect anything from her, but that didn't stop me from wanting it. My room was dark, except for the light shining out of the half open bathroom door, so when headlights flickered through my windows and I heard tires pulling into the driveway, I jumped up, anxious to see who it was. I recognized the black car immediately and smiled as I saw Emmett climb out of it, hurrying over to the passenger side to open the door. I dropped the football in my hands and hurried downstairs.

My father was already at the car unloading luggage, so I quickly ran over to assist him, hoping to enable Emmett to take Rose inside the house and get her comfortable. She was really a beautiful woman, but pregnancy had not been kind to her. With all the trouble she'd endured, I was a little surprised at how good she really looked. Emmett catered to her every need and I heard him reassure her that he would get her things brought in so that she could rest. I laughed at the display, wondering if I would have reacted the same way when Bella was pregnant. My heart skipped, wondering what Bella looked like at seven months pregnant. I wished I could have seen her. I was certain she would have had that glow everyone talks about. She would have been even more breathtaking than she already was.

After bringing the bags inside the house and then to the downstairs guest bedroom, I lurked around the living room doorway, hoping to catch Emmett as he walked past. Rose was seated on the sofa with pillows propping up her legs and a blanket stretched across her. As I cautiously shifted from one foot to the other, Rosalie spotted me.

"Edward! Come here and see me, I've missed you."

I laughed a little as I gave in and entered the room. "Rose, you just saw me last month, what are you talking about 'you miss me'?"

"Oh Eddie, you know I like seeing you as much as I can, that's all. Plus I wanna catch up. How is everything? Did you get it all figured out with school?" She smiled at me, but I could see it didn't reach her eyes. She sighed and lulled her head back onto the sofa, looking tired; her skin a little more pale than it normally was. She was still easily one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen in real life and I wondered how the 'pregnancy glow' I'd heard so much about could possibly improve upon near perfection.

I sat down on the loveseat next to Rose and began to tell her about Miami and how great the school was. I elected to leave out the part about seeing Bella and learning I was a father. She had met Bella a few times when we were in high school, but Rosalie was always so busy with things that she never really paid attention to my life or Bella's, we were just high school kids to her. I didn't mind; I had felt the same way when I was in her shoes, listening to Alice talk about her friends. Though in that case, I usually lost interest once I knew there would be no mention of Bella.

After talking for a few minutes, Emmett came bustling into the room carrying a tray filled with freshly baked cookies, two large glasses of milk, a bottle of water and a jar of green olives.

"Hey Edward. There you are. Sorry I didn't get a chance to see you yet, had to get my woman all settled in." His mouth turned up into a huge smile, he was still so proud of Rosalie and the fact that somehow he had managed to convince her to marry him. Smiling, I scooted off the loveseat and into a chair so that he could sit down next to her.

"Oh thanks Em, I'm your woman now, huh?" Rosalie laughed at him as he set the tray down and slowly backed away, sitting next to her. It reminded me of watching a zookeeper feed the lions—never turning their backs on them out of fear that the lions would attack because of their hunger. I wasn't far off my assessment as Rose quickly grabbed the plate of cookies and dug in.

Emmett watched her for a few moments before letting out a long breath. "Finally, do you know how good it feels that she eats almost as much as I do now?" he joked. Rose looked up at him, raising an eyebrow and grunting before leaning over to pick up a glass of milk.

"So how are you doing with the pre-fatherhood stuff? You all ready for the big day, Em?" I asked.

"Yeah man, I'm so excited! I painted the nursery last week and got the crib all put together. Rose's mom found the cutest little pink ruffled crib stuff," he turned to Rosalie, "What's that thing called again? The thing that goes around the bars?"

"A bumper pad."

"Yeah, a bumper pad, that's it. It's cute, all pink and girlie. I can't wait!"

Emmett was so excited about the little girl they were expecting. I had never thought I would see him, this big manly guy, excited about dolls, butterflies and frilly clothes, but he was. It made me wonder what I would have been like if Bella had stayed, if I could have set up a nursery for our son. Watching Emmett with Rosalie caused a lot of regrets to stir in me, things that I wished for and was just beginning to realize that I actually wanted. Up until seeing them together, I never fully comprehended exactly what I had missed out on. It wasn't just E.C. as a baby and growing up; it was all the time I should have spent with Bella before he was born. I hoped that I would have been as attentive as Emmett was, but unfortunately I would never know.

Rosalie soon grabbed at the jar of green olives and started eating them slowly, letting out little moans with each one. Feeling a little uncomfortable at the display in front of me, I shifted in my chair, looking to Emmett. His eyes were glued to her and I could tell that her sounds were causing a completely different type of reaction in him. I cleared my throat and stood.

"I think I'll leave you two alone with your tray of goodies there," I said with a snicker, walking out of the room as Rosalie blushed, realizing what she had done.

Walking into the foyer, I reached into my pocket and took out my cell phone—still no calls. With a huff, I sat on the stairs and turned the phone over and over in my fingers. I heard Emmett walking across the room and soon he was sitting next to me, leaning back onto the stairs.

"So, what's going on with you? How's the school thing coming?" he asked.

I sat back, setting the phone down beside me. "It's good. Miami was nice, I sent in my acceptance thing so I'm all set to start next month. Dad's got someone looking at condos so I'll have somewhere to live. You know him, 'Real estate is a good investment, son." We both laughed at my imitation of our father.

"That's great, I'm glad you're excited about it. Aren't you worried about being so far away from family though? I mean wow, you won't know anyone there."

I paused for a moment before closing my eyes. "I'll know Bella."

I could feel Emmett shift next to me, sitting straight up. "What?"

Letting out a long breath, I nodded and opened my eyes, looking at the floor as I continued. "Yeah, Bella lives there. I saw her address on a wedding invitation so I went to her house while I was there."

Emmett let out a long, low whistle. "So how did that go?" he asked.

"Well, I didn't actually talk to her, but I saw her. I've talked to her since then, she's coming for the wedding."

"So, you gonna see her?" he asked. Emmett knew how in love I had been with Bella and he also knew how heartbroken I was when she left. He was front and center for many of my early interactions with random girls, but since he never liked or approved of it, he soon left me on my own and focused on Rosalie.

"Yeah, she got in today and was supposed to call me, but I haven't heard anything yet."

He looked at me for a moment, "So call her. She's here; she knows you want to see her…call her."

I sat silent for a moment. "I wish it was that easy," I said in a whisper.

Emmett looked at me, confusion clear on his face. "Why can't you call her? Is she seeing someone else or did she tell you to stay away or something?"

"No, it's just really complicated and I'm afraid of pushing her away. I mean, she said that she still loves me and I told her the same, but there are other things going on, I'm really worried about it."

Emmett nodded, clasping his hands together in front of him. "Okay, I was gonna wait to ask this, but what's going on in this house? Mom and Dad are acting weird, you're all emo and wacked out, and Alice isn't even here. I can feel this like…tension in the air, what's the deal? And don't lie to me; you know I'll know if you do."

I hung my head, letting it fall into my open hands. "Oh man, I don't really know how to say this so I'm just gonna come right out with it. You remember when Bella left here?"

He nodded, "Uh huh."

"Well, it wasn't because she didn't love me. She left because she wanted me to be happy; she wanted me to have a future."

"Okay," he said, "I get that, but weren't you two planning to get married and stuff? Did she think you couldn't have a future together or something?"

My words came out in a low hush, my voice cracking. "Bella was pregnant, we have a son." There was silence as Emmett sat with his mouth agape, staring at me in complete shock. My fingers pulled at my hair and I let out a loud breath. "I let her go, man. I didn't chase her because she asked me not to. All that time I thought she just didn't love me, and now to find out she did it all because she did love me…it's almost too much." I shook my head, still appalled at the fact that I hadn't gone after her, that I'd never even tried to find her. "And seeing her on that beach with our son, not knowing at the time that he was mine…it gutted me, man. I thought she was married, I thought she'd moved on, but she didn't. She was raising our child and I never even knew."

Emmett sat stunned next to me; I could feel his eyes burning a hole into my side. "Whoa…"

I swallowed and nodded in agreement. "Whoa is right. This is pretty messed up, huh?"

"Yeah, I'd say messed up doesn't even begin to cover it."

"Yep, so that's what's going on. That's why I can't call her. That's why Mom and Dad are freaked out. That's why Alice and Jasper haven't been around for weeks."

Emmett shifted, turning to face me. "What do you mean that's why Alice hasn't been around? What does she have to do with it?" he asked. I shifted slightly to look at him, the confusion clear on his face, as his eyes stared back to mine. He was curious about Alice's absence and I hated having to be the one to tell him what she'd done to me and subsequently to our family.

"Well, she knew about it the whole time. Bella told her before she left and she begged Alice not to tell me or anyone else. Alice said that at first she was just trying to help Bella, be her friend, but then after I got all messed up and stuff, she was mad at me. She said that the baby deserved someone better than me for his father."

"Alice said that? To you?" he asked as his voice elevated. He let out a loud huff, almost a growl, and I couldn't remember ever having seen him get so angry and frustrated that quickly. He normally took a long time to get worked up over things, but apparently his baby sister betraying the people she claimed to love was one of those things to draw out his fury.

"Yep, and the really bad part is that I can't even disagree with her because it's true." I sighed, knowing in my heart that I wasn't a good role model for E.C., but another part of me strengthened at the same time, resolving that someday I would be.

"So have you met the kid? Do you know his name?"

"She named him Edward Charlie, she calls him E.C. I saw him on the beach that day and I've seen pictures of him. He looks like me, but he has Bella's eyes. I talked to Charlie, he explained a lot and that helped. He was actually the one that convinced Bella to come for the wedding. I called her and asked, but I think it was more to do with Charlie than me."

Emmett started to laugh. "So did he come at you with a shot gun? Demand that you marry his daughter; make an honest woman of her?"

I laughed the first real, honest laugh I'd had in weeks. "No," I said, shaking my head. "He was actually really cool about everything. He told me that he and Bella's mom had been in a really similar situation so he understood. I told him that I still love her, that I want her back, so we'll see what happens."

Emmett quickly stood up, walking away from the stairs and pacing back and forth in front of me. "Crap," he whispered.

"What?" I asked, curious about his sudden change in demeanor.

"I thought I was gonna have the first Cullen grandkid, now I find out my little brother beat me to the punch like four years ago. It's just lucky for you he's a boy. Rose would be upset to know that she wasn't spawning the first Cullen granddaughter." He laughed loudly and soon Rosalie was yelling from the other room.

"What are you boys doing in there? Emmett, come in here so I can hear you. You know I'm stuck in here, come on baby, please?" she whined. "I'm missing out on all the fun!"

Emmett looked at me and we both burst into laughter. After a few moments he called back to her, "Alright babe, hang on, we'll be there in second."

He stepped closer to me. "Call her, Edward. That's your son and your woman; call her."

I looked at him for a moment, grateful for the sincerity in his expression. "Thanks Em, I will."

Just as I reached to pick up the phone, I heard and felt it start to buzz. My eyes flashed back to Emmett's, and his face broke out in a huge smile. "Go get her, Tiger," he said and then turned to go back to a waiting Rosalie.

I let out a quick breath before answering the call.

"Hello?"

There was a slight pause before I heard her. "Hi, Edward? It's Bella."

A feeling of peace came over me and I smiled and sighed, "Hey. I was starting to think you were gonna ditch me."

"Oh no, I'm sorry," she quickly said. "It's just been a really long day, you know? The flight was long and stuff. I'm just exhausted tonight, but I'm sorry I didn't call sooner."

Immediately I felt bad for having pressured her before. "No, it's okay. I didn't think about the long flight and all, I shouldn't have bugged you about hanging out tonight. It's my fault."

"It's okay, I do want to see you, but maybe we could wait until tomorrow. It's kind of late now. My dad wanted to stop for dinner after he picked us up and then we did a little shopping before we headed back to his house. I forgot a couple of things, plus we just really needed to stretch our legs, it was a long time of sitting in an airplane today," she said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I remember."

There was silence between us and I wondered about what to say to her next.

"So, the rehearsal dinner is tomorrow night at six, right?" she asked.

I cleared my throat, "Yeah, at the church. I think we're meeting there for the wedding stuff and then going across the street to eat, it's that little Mexican place. You remember that place, right?"

"Um, yeah I remember it," she said softly, her voice sounding a million miles away. I remembered it too—it was the restaurant I had taken her to for Valentine's Day, the night she first let me make love to her.

"Do you need a ride or anything? I could pick you up if you want."

She spoke quickly, "Oh no, I'll either use my dad's truck or else he can drop me off, no biggie."

"Alright. Well, I'd offer to take you to lunch or something tomorrow but I've got wedding stuff going all day. Final tux fittings and picking up family from the airport, all that kind of crap."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm gonna be busy around here. My dad's girlfriend Sue is going to be here with her kids so I think they have something planned, but I'll see you at the rehearsal, right?" she asked.

"Of course you will," I answered. "I can't wait to see you."

"Me either. We really need to talk, Edward. I don't know if we can do it before the wedding, but maybe next week, if we can just get through the next few days, I think it would be good. There is a lot that I need to tell you." Her voice was quiet and I ached for her to just say the things I already knew, but I would wait for her to do it in her own time.

"Okay, I can wait," I told her. "Get some sleep, alright? I'll see you tomorrow."

She sighed, "Okay, good night Edward and thank you for everything."

I smiled, "You're welcome. You're always welcome."

Hearing the click on the line, I ended the call. Relaxing my muscles that had been tense all day, I stood and slowly made my way into the living room. I paused at the sight before me. Rosalie sat on the loveseat with Emmett at her side. He was leaning over, his ear pressed to her stomach and his hand rubbing slow circles over her belly. Rose sat looking at him with eyes full of love as she ran her fingers through his short, dark hair. She hummed in contentment as a wave of regret washed over me. In my mind, I could see Bella sitting on the same loveseat as I lay my head against our unborn son, her hands woven into my hair. My heart ached at the thought of never getting to experience that vision.

I walked into the room, smiling at Emmett and Rosalie, relieved when they both smiled back. The one ray of hope for me was the last image before the vision disappeared—E.C. sitting on Bella's other side, mimicking my actions as he sang to his unborn little brother.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day was hectic with not even a few free moments for me to stew over not seeing Bella. That didn't mean she wasn't on my mind all day, though. Our upcoming reunion weighed heavily on me and I rehearsed over and over the words I planned to say to her. As I drove my Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Tony to their hotel, their teenaged daughters, Heidi and Gianna, sat in the backseat giggling, whispering back and forth to each other. I hadn't seen them in several years and every time I would turn around to look at one of them or glance up to the rear view mirror, they would burst out into fits of laughter. I shook off their behavior, it not being the first time I'd ever encountered something like that, and tried to focus on whatever topic it was that Tony was rambling on about. After dropping them off, I hurried home and made a beeline for the bottle of Excedrin in the medicine cabinet. I couldn't have the headache they had given me ruining my night.

Alice was busy barking orders to everyone as we got ready for the rehearsal. I hadn't seen her much in the past few days and I could already feel my anger towards her subsiding a bit. I imagined that with more time away from each other, we wouldn't have any problem repairing our relationship because I knew that most of what we'd said had been out of anger and the pressure we were all under.

After taking quite a while deciding on what clothes to wear, I headed to the living room to wait until everyone else was ready to go. Emmett and Jasper were already there, in mid-discussion about the pros and cons of the new gaming system Emmett had bought.

"Yeah, and this game I got has all these like resort kinda sports, it's so cool!" Emmett said.

Jasper laughed, shaking his head. "What's it got that's so great?"

"Dude, there's archery. Seriously, Wii archery, man, you're gonna love it!" Jasper looked to me and smiled as I sank down into the sofa, laughing at Emmett's enthusiasm. They continued talking about the different sport games Emmett had tried until finally Rosalie came into the room.

"Babe, I need you to buckle these shoes for me, I can't see them," she said as she walked over to Emmett. She looked amazing, but as I watched her walk across the room I realized she really couldn't see her feet due to her protruding stomach. She was seven months pregnant and looked as though she could give birth any day. I couldn't imagine how much bigger their baby could get in two more months time, but I was glad I wouldn't be in the delivery room with her when the delivery happened. To be honest, I was glad I wouldn't even be in the state when the baby was born. I had a feeling if it didn't split her in two on its way out, Rosalie would split Emmett in two because of all the pain she'd have to endure during the birth.

My mother and Alice came rushing into the room, ushering us all outside, saying that we'd be late if we didn't leave soon. Butterflies started to flutter in my stomach as I remembered how soon I would be seeing Bella. I was excited, but also extremely nervous. I hurried to my car, telling everyone that I would meet them there. Taking the long route, I drove past Bella's fathers' house just to see if his truck was outside. I let out a sigh as I drove by, noticing that the truck was gone. I knew that Bella would be at the church and suddenly my car couldn't get me there fast enough.

There were several cars in the parking lot when I arrived. My family was all walking into the building and I quickly caught up with them. The reverend was waiting inside, along with his wife, and they began placing people into their positions, going over the schedule so that we all knew how things would happen during the ceremony.

After escorting Jasper's mother and my mother to their seats, Emmett and I stood beside Jasper, waiting for whatever was supposed to happen next. There seemed to be a delay of some sort and we quickly began to tease Jasper that Alice had finally come to her senses and was backing out. Emmett said that at least she'd done it now, in front of just family, rather than on Saturday, in front of an entire congregation full of people. We laughed but I could see worry start to creep into Jasper's expression. I patted his shoulder reassuringly and told him softly that we were just kidding; we knew Alice would never be able to stay away from him. He nodded and straightened up just as we watched the double doors at the back of the room open.

Turning to focus on the doors, I saw Rosalie enter and begin walking down the aisle. She looked lovely and Emmett grinned at her, making crude gestures that had my mother shaking her head in embarrassment. Rose just laughed, no doubt knowing he was capable of much worse. When I saw movement again in the doorway, I turned to see who was there and my heart stopped. Bella.

She was looking down at the floor, walking slowly and not raising her eyes to look at anyone. When I was finally able to tear my eyes away from her, I looked at my mother who sat frozen in her seat. Her bottom lip was shaking and I could see her eyes filling with tears. Emmett and Jasper were still, I couldn't even hear them breathing. I looked back to her and she raised her head, her eyes soon meeting mine. Her step faltered and she quickly dropped her gaze back to the floor.

Swallowing the large lump that had formed in my throat, I turned to look at the doorway again as Alice and my father entered it. They proceeded to walk to the end of the aisle where my father solemnly passed Alice's hand to Jasper, then went to sit with my mother. I watched as both of them stared at Bella, her back to them. My father took hold of my mothers hand as she dabbed at her eyes with the other, soaking up the tears with a tissue before they could fall.

The reverend discussed a bit of what would happen during the ceremony and when he was done, Jasper and Alice led the way down the aisle to the back of the room. I stood still in my spot, not registering the fact that it was my turn to move. Finally stepping forward, I raised my arm and was shocked at the sudden jolt that flowed through my body when Bella placed her hand on my elbow.

Her sweet smell overwhelmed me and suddenly I was seventeen again, my arms wrapped around her in the backseat of my car. It took all of the self control I had to not grab her hand and run out of the room with her, but somehow I managed to walk at a steady pace, keeping her at my side. When we reached the lobby, just outside of the chapel, Alice quickly grabbed Bella's free hand and dragged her away from me, into a small room off to the side. Rosalie followed them, as did my mother, when they too emerged from the chapel. I was in shock; she had been right there and I hadn't even gotten to say hello to her. I looked at my father, silently questioning what was happening.

"The girls have to go over a few things as far as how and where they're getting ready on Saturday. I told your mother that we would go on over to the restaurant, get things set up there," my father said.

We walked out of the church, my heart beating rapidly at the thought of her leaving, running away, before I could even talk to her. The restaurant was busy with the dinner crowd, and I was grateful when they seated us in a private banquet room. We all took seats and soon more family and friends began filing in. Everyone was talking and laughing, catching up with one another. I saw Alice walk by and then my mother seated next to my father, but I couldn't see Bella anywhere. There were a lot of people around me, many of them asking about football or medical school, and it seemed like I talked nonstop until the waiters began bringing our dinner plates in.

Sitting down at the closest table, I was rather disappointed to find myself stuck next to my Uncle Tony and my cousins, who were still giggling, only now they seemed to have added Emmett and Jasper to their crush list that had previously only consisted of me. After eating all of my meal, I spent the rest of the time snacking on chips and salsa, hoping to avoid having to answer any more questions. When I'd finally had enough, I excused myself and made my way towards the doorway leading to the outside patio. I needed some time to clear my head and reconsider my approach toward Bella.

I noticed Rosalie sitting at a table next to Bella, the two of them talking rather easily to each other. I paused just out of their line of vision, straining to hear what they were discussing. It was Rose's voice that I heard first.

"Yeah, I begged Alice to wait until the baby was born to have the wedding, but she just wouldn't budge. She said it had to be in the summer, but oh, how I wish she had waited."

"I can understand that. I can imagine how uncomfortable you'll be this weekend, with all the standing around and stuff. I'm sure it's not easy being so far along in your pregnancy," Bella sweetly replied. If only Rosalie knew how familiar this topic was with Bella. Wait, did she know? Would Emmett have told her? My mind raced, remembering that I hadn't asked him to keep our conversation to himself.

"Oh no, I don't mind all of that. The only thing I feel really badly about is the pictures," Rosalie said.

Bella hesitated for a moment, "What do you mean the pictures? You don't want to be pregnant in the wedding pictures?"

"No, it's not that. I don't mind being pregnant in them, I just wish that the baby could have been in them. I mean, she's part of the family and she won't even be in the pictures."

The baby being in the pictures? I hadn't thought about that. My mind wandered farther…should E.C. be in the pictures? He was family, he would hopefully soon be a big part of the family—should he be in them too? And further more, what about Bella? I wanted her to be my family, and she was E.C.'s mother; should she be in them as well?

Rosalie's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "It's a family picture, it should have all of the family in it, don't you think?"

Bella's voice sounded unsure when she answered. "Well, I guess so, I don't know."

As Rosalie started onto another topic I quickly let myself outside, taking a chair in the corner of the patio. I leaned back into it, letting my head lull back and stare up at the stars. This was not how I had intended for my night to go. Bella had been within a hundred feet of me for hours, and I hadn't said one word to her. Sadly, the way things were looking, that fact wouldn't soon change. It was getting late and I knew she would want to be getting back to Charlie's house for E.C. I couldn't imagine that she was too anxious to spend any more time with my family, and she obviously wasn't excited to see me. Defeat weighed down on me and I let out a long, labored sigh. She didn't want me; I could feel it.

Just as I was about to get up and walk to my car, the door opened and I heard shoes clicking on the pavement. I lifted my head to see who it was and I gasped when I saw Bella walking across the patio to the railing that bordered it. She leaned down, putting her arms on it and dropping her head into her hands. I watched her as her body shook slightly, hearing muffled cries come from her. I fought the urge to go to her, to pull her into my arms and comfort her, but as I slowly sat up in my seat I heard her speak softly to herself.

"He doesn't want me. He didn't even say anything to me. He just left, after everything he said on the phone, he changed his mind. I was so stupid. I can't believe I came here, why did he want me to come here? What am I going to do?" she said in whispered sobs, my heart breaking as I watched her from my chair.

"We aren't that bad, are we?" I asked softly.

She whirled around, gasping and clutching her hands to her throat. I stood and walked toward her, my hands pushed into my pockets. I could see the tears running down her cheeks and I stepped close enough to her that I could reach out and wipe them away with my thumbs.

"Please don't cry, you're so much more beautiful when you're happy," I said.

She quietly said, "I didn't know you were out here, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I'm not." I stood looking into her eyes, wishing I knew what to say to her but no words came.

She looked at me for a long while before finally speaking. "I should go, my dad's gonna pick me up, I need to go call him."

"I'll take you home, if you want," I said. She stood staring at me as I stared back.

"I don't know, he said to just call him and he'd come back."

"So call him and tell him I'm bringing you home." I pulled my phone from my pocket, offering it to her. She looked at it before raising her hand and taking it, our fingers touching and lingering together for a few moments.

"Tell him I'll take you home later, and then come for a walk with me. There's somewhere I want I take you. Please, Bella?"

She eyes burned into mine and she nodded slowly, "Okay."

I smiled at her as she finally smiled back. The pieces of my world shifted and slowly fell into place. The only thing that worried me was that those pieces felt like they were made of the most fragile glass and I had a horrible feeling that this glass could shatter with the smallest of movements.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: So, was it everything you dreamed it would be? :D Tanya got nosy again, wedging herself back into the story, and of course Emmett was his goofy self, and I couldn't ignore him. I like that Edward is starting to realize all the things he's missed when it comes to E.C. and Bella. Next chapter is going to have 'The Talk' so I hope you're ready for it.

Sorry this one took a little longer. Uberbeta is a busy woman! Also, I posted some fun things on a new thread, find it on my author page – Beegurl13's Random Musings. It's some fun odds and ends you might enjoy. Maybe a little lemony goodness…in public…with a famous actor… I'm just saying. :)

Okay, Rec's because I can…

Bedroom Confessions by JandMsMommy. ~Edward was investigating the perfect murder. Part of his job was to protect the only witness's identity from the murderer. But can he control his feelings for her, and can he handle the secrets she hides?~

I love this story. Edward is dedicated and torn between what's right and what he wants. Bella has a shady past and I still feel like she's not telling us something. It's good. If you like a little suspense, you'll love this. Plus my friend Andy writes it. I love her. :)

http://www().()fanfiction().()net/s/5651876/1/Bedroom_Confessions

Maybe I'm Falling For You by coldplaywhore and Flightlessbird11. ~Edward and Bella meet one cloudy May morning at their neighborhood coffee bar. Little do they know that they have actually been conversing for several months under assumed names.~

I love this story too. Of couse it's by my uberbeta coldplaywhore, so you know it's good. Edward and Bella are both so afraid of commitment, yet are totally falling for each other. If you love the movie 'You've Got Mail,' or music from The Beatles, then you will love this story.

http://www().()fanfiction().()net/s/5343966/1/Maybe_Im_Falling_For_You

And something complete…

Fourteen by crismonmarie. ~High school is brutal. It's even worse when you're not a size two. Worse than that? Having a major crush on the biggest, hottest jerk in high school. Even worse than that? Being paired up with him for a science project.~

What can I say about this story…it's incredible. The writing is so honest and real, it's beautiful. Edward is so, just, disconnected from things, yet he tries so hard to make up for everything once he realizes it. Bella is such a cynic, so unable to trust and forgive, though she wants to believe the good things she's seeing. It's a wonderful story about acceptance and love, set amidst a coming of age tale. It's really one of the most powerful stories I've read in fan fiction. If you haven't read it, RUN and do so!! You won't be sorry… :)

http://www().()fanfiction().()net/s/5475912/1/Fourteen

As always, remove the ()'s around the dots. :D

Remember, there is a thread for this over at Twilighted. It's fun, and we don't bite. :) I'm also on Twitter and we have WAY too much fun there. It's a good time, you'll love it! :D

Need more rec's? Check out the blog I'm helping with. I'll add a link to it in my profile too, just incase. I won't tell you what character I'm playing, but I don't think it will be too hard to guess…a lot of the things about her come straight from my real life! :D

http://picffcorner().()blogspot().()com/?zx=3dbca8202594c006

Thanks for reading this! Let me know what you thought. Did you like Emmett and Rosalie? Was Tanya h00rish enough for you? What do you think Bella will say to Edward on that walk? Tell me what you think!! I can't wait to see…