All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just play with her toys.

Once again, another story that wouldn't be denied.

Many thanks to Midnight Cougar for her beta'ing and support! xo!

Chapter 7 – All I Want For Christmas Is Her

My cousin Kate arrived with her husband Garrett and their two kids, Marc and Mia, later that day. All evening, I couldn't help but watch as everyone interacted with Mia. She was only three and cute as could be. She had everyone wrapped around her chubby little fingers. My mind wandered to three years down the line. Would my little girl be here for Christmas? Would she spend the holidays with my family, running around chasing her older cousins?

I was about to get up for a drink when Kate sat down beside me, her eyes were trained on Mia as she spoke. "Edward, what the hell is wrong with you?"

I thought about her questione, thought about how much I should tell her right at that moment. "Kate, what was it like when you found out you were pregnant? Were you two trying, or was it a surprise?"

She eyed me suspiciously, trying to figure out what I was hiding.

"Well, Marc was planned. We were trying to have a baby. After I had Marc, we didn't try not to have a baby, but we weren't planning on having them so close together, so I guess Mia was a bit of a surprise," she answered, thankfully keeping her questions to herself.

"When you found out about Mia… how did you react?"

"Edward, what is going on?"

"Please, Kate."

She huffed. "Well, it was a shock of course. We weren't really planning it, but we were still happy about it. Now, are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on with you?"

I shook my head. "I met a woman and she has me… thinking about a lot of things."

"She has you thinking you might want to get rid of that chip on your shoulder that the bitch left?"

I nodded. "But I've fucked up a bit because of that and I don't know… I don't know what to do now. I don't know how to trust anymore."

"Just talk to her, Edward. Have you told her about what happened with Lauren?"

"No."

"Well, start with that. Then she might understand a bit more about your asshole like tendencies."

I grimaced. "That's a start."

Christmas Day went off without a hitch, Marc and Mia making out like bandits. Kate, Garrett, and the kids headed out to Garrett's family shortly after lunch and I was left alone again with my parents and my aunt and uncle.

I was staring out the window the next morning, the cup of coffee in my hands had run cold, when my mother's hands slammed down against the table in front of me.

"That is enough, Edward! What is going on?" she demanded annunciating each word firmly.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, knowing I had to tell her. I stood from the table and motioned for her and my aunt to follow me back to my bedroom. I pulled the picture from my bag and handed it to my mother before sitting down on the bed.

"What's this?" she questioned; her eyes wide with shock. "What is this, Edward?"

"My baby," I explained, swallowing thickly, knowing what was next.

"Who is Isabella Whitlock?" Esme asked, taking the picture from my mother.

I took a deep breath before going into the story of Bella, how we met, and spent our first night. My mother pinched me hard a couple of times during my take, twisting the skin as she went, when she disapproved of something I had done or said to Bella. She then smacked the back of my head when I told her I let her walk away at the restaurant.

I loved my mother, very much, but she was mean when she was pissed and at that moment she was very pissed at me.

"Edward Anthony, I will know my grandbaby. You call this girl up and let her know you will have your daughter in your life. That you want this sweet baby girl. I know you do, I can see it in the way you've been acting," she commanded before shaking her head. "I thought we brought you up to be a better man than that. I know we did."

"You did, mom, I just… fucked up."

"Language, Edward!" she yelled, smacking me on the arm and pursing her lips.

"Edward, we expect to see a beautiful little girl next year at Christmas," Esme stressed, pressing the issue further. My mind was already made up; I was going to do whatever Bella wanted me to do; starting with taking ownership of my mistakes and my daughter.