Yet again, I do not own any Twilight characters that would be SM. I do, however, love to play with them from time to time.

Dollybigmomma, you are my beta 'rock'!

Chapter 7

Fairytales and a Prelude to a Kiss

BPOV

Well, my nine days were moving at light speed. Why was it when you had all the time in the world, life moved as slowly as the tortoise, but when you had things to get done…zip, you were like the hare. I just hoped this was one race I could win.

I kept myself pretty busy, what with the book reading to get ready for and let's not forget I now had a puppy to keep from pooping everywhere. Miss Alice really was a sweet puppy and Esme just adored her. I thought for sure she would have wanted to bring her for show and tell. But she said she wanted to keep her a secret until Elizabeth saw her first. I loved how my child thought sometimes.

Getting what I wanted from my publishers was an easy task. It also helped that Angela, my agent extraordinaire, was back in town and worked the voodoo that she did so well. All I needed to do was sign a few papers and we were good to go.

That was what I was doing on day one of my countdown, meeting Angela for lunch at my favorite café. I loved that they had patio seating, because the weather had been unseasonably warm for early October and also because I had Miss Alice that I now got to drag everywhere. I just couldn't bring myself to put her in the crate. I mean, she was just a baby after all. So, I got to carry her around in a designer doggie carrier. And not just any dog carrier, but a 3-in-1 Deluxe Pink Plaid Pet Stroller/Carrier/Car Seat. I knew it was a little over the top, but it was a really cute stroller and Esme loved taking Miss Alice out for walks in it. Now that we had Miss Alice, Esme had become a puppy accessory-shopping fiend. I made the mistake of going to the pet store for puppy food and came out with a butt load of stuff. Did I really need the pink puppy playpen or the hooded pink rain slicker and matching boots? No, but Esme was so cute when she reminded me that now Miss Alice and her both had matching slickers. I just couldn't help myself and folded like a cheap card table.

As I walked up to the café I saw Angela sitting outside. "Oh, my word, Bella! What are you pushing a stroller for? Are you tending someone's baby now?" And because my life sucked, Miss Alice decided to start yipping, loudly.

Angela jumped at the sound and I just buried my face in my hands waiting for the laughter.

"Bella, please tell me that's not what I think it is?" she asked through her fit of laughter.

"Well, I don't know, Angela, why don't you tell me what you think it is?" I huffed trying to feign anger at her outburst but failed miserably when I busted out in my own laughter.

"Oh, my, were did you get that, that… what is it anyway, B?"

"Well, my fine friend, this is Miss Alice, a Yorkshire terrier that that mutt, Skippy, gave to Esme for her birthday. And before you ask, she's hypoallergenic, which means she's 'sneeze free' according to said mutt," I said with all the righteous indignation I could muster.

"Well, she is cute, I give Skippy that much. At least it's not some toddler dress like last year, that's sure to save you a trip to the drop off bin."

"Yes, well, enough time on the douche also know as Mike Newton. Tell me all about Paris! Did you even see the sights or was it just you in a suite for two weeks?" I smirked knowing what her answer was going to be. She jumped right in and just like that, the topic of Skippy the dog whisperer was forgotten.

We spent the next hour and a half catching up on all the things that had happened since the wedding. However, I chose to keep Edward a secret…for now. After we played catch up, we got down to business.

"Angela, I'm so glad you got back when you did. It was bad enough that I had to work with the harpy to make this book reading happen." I shuddered at the thought of more contact with Ms. Denali.

Ms. Denali was the executive editor over the children's literature division at my publishing house. Why, I wasn't sure. I was fairly certain she hated children and would like to grind their little bones like the witch in Hansel and Gretel. I'd been lucky that Angela had dealt with her most of the time. Having had the pleasure of meeting her once in person when I signed on with them years ago was enough. She reminded me of that character Meryl Streep portrayed in 'The Devil Wears Prada' except that Ms. Denali made her look like an angel.

I was sure many years ago she was a stunning woman, but time had not been good to her. Her once strawberry blonde hair was now grey, and not the flattering grey. Hers was more like gunship grey, which made her complexion morbidly chalky. Add to that her apparent need to wear hooker red lipstick and she looked like the undead. I shuddered just thinking about her.

My alarm went off as Angela and I said our goodbyes. I packed Miss Alice up and headed over to the school to pick up Esme. When I got there, Miss Hale flagged me down and I informed her that everything was set for the book reading. We confirmed the time for Friday at one-thirty, which meant school on Friday would be a combined morning and afternoon class. She then asked if it was all right to invite the room parents to help with keeping the children in line. I agreed that it would be very helpful to have a few more sets of eyes and helping hands.


Tuesday came and went way too fast. Wednesday, my box from the publishing house came and I spent my time sorting out the contents of said box. Thursday, I signed copies of my book and made mouse shaped bookmarks with Esme's help.

It was now Friday morning and my sweet daughter and I were taking Miss Alice for a spin in her buggy and a final potty stop before we needed to go to school. After we set the puppy playpen up on a plastic drop cloth, yeah, let's just say I learned my lesson and leave it at that, I locked up and headed over to school to wow their little minds.

After getting Esme out of the car, we made our way to the trunk to retrieve my surprise for the children and headed into her classroom. I loved kindergarten, with all the different centers that the children got to use. Besides the obvious reading center, I always loved the play area. It seemed Miss Hale had the same love, as this set up was wonderful. She had a play kitchen with replicas of 1950's appliances, cookware and even pretend food. The living room had a sofa, rocking chair and a cradle with twin baby dolls in it. On the wall she had different dress-up outfits hanging from pegs. It brought back so many good memories of my own school days. It also reminded me of my mom's classroom. No, don't go there right now, Bella. I needed to stop thinking about the past and get ready for today.

"Where would you like me to set up?" I asked Miss Hale.

"I was thinking the children could sit on the rug and I'll have you use my rocking chair to read from. We'll need to move the tables against the walls to fit all four classes in here. I'm sorry to say that my mentor will be unable to be with us today. You would have enjoyed meeting her, she's been teaching forever. As a matter of fact, she was my kindergarten teacher. But this will sadly be her last year; she's retiring after thirty-five years of teaching. Well, I was hoping the sub would show up early today so we could have this already set up for you," she rambled on happily.

"Knock, knock, I just got the note from Mrs. Underwood that we'll be combining classes today for a special activity?" I heard the sub say as she walked into the room.

"That's correct. You'll need to have the children in line at a quarter of one. I'm sure Mrs. U told you this in her notes and that we'll be having help from our room parents as well, Miss…?" Miss Hale said in a very authoritative voice.

"Yes, she did, and I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Ms. Stanley."

I snapped my head up from my box and lo and behold, it was my other 'Tweedle'. Well, now I guess I knew which one was Dee. I guess that made Lauren…Dum; and after her inability to grasp that the girls were in fact not twins, yeah, she would be Dum.

I cleared my throat and that was when Dee looked over at me and squealed like a Piccolo Pete when she realized whom I was. "Hi, Jessica, I see you finally chose your major?" I said to her and tried not to smirk.

"Bella? Oh, my goodness! You look great! Are you a Room Mom here? I take it you kept the baby because, well, you're here." I tried not to let her words get to me.

"Actually, I'm here to read my newest book to the children and yes, I did keep my daughter." I tipped my head in Esme's direction. "So, how long have you been teaching?" I asked trying to keep my smile in place.

"Well, I've been subbing for four years now. It's been fun and all but not what I really want for my life." I couldn't stop myself; I had to know what it was she really wanted in her life, so I asked.

"Well, I thought for sure I would have married Eric, but when he dropped out of med school, I dropped him. I was so not going to get myself stuck with a nobody, you know what I'm saying?" Yeah, what she was saying was that she was a gold digger I smirked to myself. Go, Eric. He dodged a bullet on that one.

"Well, it's been nice talking with you, Jessica, but it's almost time for the children to arrive so I think I should let you go and get your students."

"Oh, my goodness, is it already that time?" She grimaced and turned to leave the classroom. "Oh, sorry, silly me," I heard her say to someone.

"It's not a problem, Miss," the man replied in a soft velvety voice. I knew that voice; that was the same voice from my many recent dreams. "Yes, I'm here to help in my daughter's classroom today." I quietly walked over to hear the exchange between Jessica and my Edward. What? No, he was not my Edward, what was I thinking? "No, I'm not married," Edward replied. 'Run, Edward, Run! And whatever you do don't tell her you're a doctor,' I mentally chanted. "It was nice meeting you…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, how silly of me. It's Jessica, Jessica Stanley, and you are…?" I heard her ask all breathy.

"I'm Dr. Masen, Elizabeth's dad." Nooooo, you silly man! You never give your occupation to the man-eater during hunting season! I thought as I slapped my hand over my forehead. It's all over now, she has you in her sites, you foolish man.

Watching Jessica work her 'seduction mojo' was like watching an episode of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom where the lioness was on the hunt. "It was, um…nice meeting you, Miss Stanley." And just like that the beautiful gazelle escaped from his predator.

I scurried away from the door, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping.

"Hey, Edward, I didn't know you were a room parent?"

"Yeah, I thought it was a good way to keep up with what goes on around here." He smiled at me, and it was that really cute crooked smile at that. "So, is there anything I can help with?"

"I'm not sure; you should ask Miss Hale what still needs to be done."

"Will do," he said with another smile as he walked away. Sigh.


We got the room set up just as the other parents showed up. Miss Hale and Jessica brought in sixty very excited five and six year olds and it took a few minutes to settle them in.

Miss Hale stood in front of my audience and began. "Welcome, everyone, it's so nice to see all of you here for this special opportunity. I want to first thank all of our wonderful room parents for coming. I would also like to thank Miss Swan for her willingness to share her newest book with us. Boys and girls, I expect you to show her the same respect you show for Mrs. U and myself. So, with that said, please help me welcome Miss Isabella Marie Swan." All of the children clapped as I walked to the front of the room.

I took my seat in the rocking chair and said a few words to the children before I began…

In the far away land of Evermore there lived the kindly Queen Grace and her five beautiful daughters.

Princess Scarlett was the oldest daughter who had eyes as red as rubies.

Princess Jade was the second daughter with eyes deep and green like the forest.

The third Princess was named Azura because her eyes were the deepest ocean blue.

Princess number four was Violet whose eyes reminded Queen Grace of her favorite purple flowers.

But of all the princesses, the youngest and the smallest was Opal. Princess Opal was very special. For you see, she had eyes not just of one color; no, her eyes had every color of the rainbow…

As I continued to read the story, I looked up from my book and the looks on all the children's faces spoke volumes to me; it was going to be a hit. I continued to read and my audience was captivated as I read to them of Opal's adventure.

That was when Opal heard a deep voice speaking softly.

"Don't be afraid, little one, I mean you no harm," the voice said.

"Who are you? Please come out so I can see you?" squeaked Opal.

"Try not to be afraid of what you see, my child," a trembling voice replied.

"I will try my very best to do as you ask, kind Sir."

The next thing that Opal saw was a pair of bright green eyes, a wet pink nose and long twitchy whiskers. She tried not to let her voice sound as scared as she was.

"You're a c-c-cat, are you not?" she asked.

"Yes," he purred nervously.

I heard a collective gasp from the room and smiled. This was what made me happy to share my imagination with children. It was wonderful to watch them as their eyes lit up at the pictures of the adventure being told to them. I read the rest of the story, leaving them with a little cliffhanger sure to have them clamoring at their parent's feet to get to the bookstore to purchase the next book in the series.

Opal held on tight to the magic amulet and jumped…

As I closed the book, the children started to talk about Opal and where her magic amulet would take her next.

Miss Hale stood and reclaimed control over the children. "Boys and girls, let's thank Miss Swan for her time and her wonderful story." I then heard a collective 'Thank you, Miss Swan'.

"You're very welcome, boys and girls. It was my pleasure to share it with all of you. I have a gift for you as well," I told them.

With the adult's help, we passed out the bookmarks Esme and I made along with a copy of my newest book.

"Wow, boys and girls what a wonderful gift this is. What do you have to say to Miss Swan?" Miss Hale addressed the children.

Once again I received a loud group thank you and applause.

I'd never had a book reading go so well; the smiles from the children as they stood to leave were fantastic. I stood at the door and watched them file out to their waiting parents. As I turned to gather my things I was met with the captivating green-eyed Dr. Edward Masen.

"Bella, that was one of the most intriguing fairytales I've heard in quite awhile. And I'm not just saying that to win brownie points. You had every single person ensnared in your tale. Wow, just, wow." And cue my stupid blush.

"Thank you, Edward; it's always nerve wracking with the first reading. I usually read them to Esme but I wanted this one to be a surprise for her," I blushed again. "Edward, I was hoping to get a chance to talk with you about something. What would you say to having an early dinner on Sunday when you come to pick up Elizabeth?" Please say yes, please say yes...

"That sounds like a plan, what time should I be over? I wouldn't want to have you keep Elizabeth all day long."

"Come over at four o'clock, and I'm sure those two can keep each other busy while we talk," I tipped my head in the direction the girls were playing.

"Great, Bella, I look forward to dinner. Oh, I almost forgot, Alice will be bringing Elizabeth with her tomorrow. But if you need anything, you still have my number, right?"

"Yep," I say popping the P.

"Okay, I'll see you on Sunday at four. Elizabeth, say goodbye to Esme, we need to go, baby."


When we got home, Miss Alice was jumping around so much it was hard to get hold of the little rat. I gave up and just left her for Esme to deal with. We spent the rest of the day playing with the puppy and watching a movie.

With my child fed and bathed, I snuggled next to her on one of our sofas. "Esme, do you want to sleep out here tomorrow in sleeping bags or do you want to sleep in your room?"

"Can Beth and I share my bed, Mommy? You and Miss Alice the person can sleep on the air mattress in my room, too, if you want." She smiled at me and just like that I was thinking about Edward.

"Sure, baby, if that's what you want. I'm sure Miss Alice the person wouldn't mind. Now, what kind of food do you want serve your guests tomorrow night?" I asked her.

After deciding on a menu of homemade baked Macaroni & Cheese with roasted vegetable medley and chocolate silk pie for dessert, we then planned our events for the evening; Esme was a very thorough planner. That was when it hit me; my child was just like Alice and her mother…it was genetic. A shiver ran down my spine as I realized it was just going to get worse with age.

When I woke up from another steamy dream featuring Edward Masen and his captivating gaze, I just shook my head at my subconscious. I was pretty sure he would never want to see me again after tomorrow night. I just hoped he could accept Esme as his and not take Elizabeth away from her.


"Morning, Mommy, its slumber party day! Hurry, Mommy, we haven't got all day," she proclaimed franticly.

"Esme, we have…" I looked over at my alarm clock and groaned; it was only seven-thirty and it was Saturday, "…eight hours before our guests get here. Why don't you climb in and snuggle with me for a little bit?" I pleaded with her.

"Mommy, we're burning daylight here," she stated with frustration.

"Where on earth did you hear that from?" What a funny child.

"Seffie and Jakey say it all the time to Grampy." I'd have to talk to those two about showing respect to their elders.

"Well, I'm not ready to get up yet, baby. Can I at least get another hour before you run me ragged?" I begged her, because, hey, I was a tired mommy and I really didn't want to go to the store with her. It really had been nice not grocery shopping with her lately.

"Fine, Mommy, one hour, but no more," she said, all the while she was snuggling down under my quilt. Bless my baby!

Man, time sure flew, and now we were at Whole Foods getting everything on our list for tonight. Hell, since we were already here, I figured we might as well pick up everything for tomorrow's dinner as well. We finished our shopping and dashed home, getting everything set up and ready for our company.

Esme and I finished making the pie and refrigerated it so it could set-up. Just as we finished, the doorbell chimed.

When we opened the door, we found both Elizabeth and Alice bouncing just like Miss Alice did when we came home. The girls glommed onto each other and headed straight to Esme's room.

"Alice, please come in," I said sweetly.

"I know I've been here before, Bella, but I love the way you've decorated. Did you hire a designer? If you did, who are they? Maybe I know them?" Again, no breath intake with that round of questions; how did she not pass out?

"No, Alice, I didn't hire help. As a matter of fact, I rescued a few things from the trash down the street. The sofas I purchased but the other things are family heirlooms. Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Now, can a give you the fifty-cent tour?"

"Really, the trash? I wonder which pieces were orphans? Oh, I can't wait to tell Mom about your talent for design. It's what we do, you know; 'Cullen-Whitlock Interiors' is Mom and I. Well, we're partners and yes, I would love a tour."

I showed her to my small eat in kitchen/dining area, the powder room, and my bedroom with the same shabby chic décor as my living room. I was lucky to find an old off-white wrought iron bed frame at a yard sale. My side tables were an old distressed antique vanity that had been cut apart. My prairie style dark oak rocking chair from my childhood bedroom sat in the corner with one of the baby quilts I had made for Esme draped over the back. My Gran's antique dresser and mirror sat proudly to the side, and to top off the look, a patchwork quilt made with 1930's reproduction fabrics was draped over the foot of my bed. The only thing out of place in my room was the playpen in the corner belonging to Miss Alice, who decided that now was a good time to make her presence known.

"Oh, my gosh, who is this? You didn't have her the last time I came over, did you?" she asked as Miss Alice started to bounce.

"No, I didn't have her then. She was a gift for Esme's birthday." From a friend who likes to overstep his boundaries I said the last part under my breath. "I think I'll let Esme tell you her name and why." I gave her my best Cheshire grin and headed over to Esme's room.

"Now, here we come to the final stop on our tour, ladies." I addressed the two Alice's' and opened the door to 'Evermore'. Yep, Esme was as always my inspiration in all things.

Two of the walls were painted like the inside of a medieval castle, only with softer, lighter colors. The wall adjacent to her window had a faux panoramic view of the 'kingdom' to finish off the castle theme. Esme chose the Disney Princess Vanity and dresser, and the Disney Princess Carriage full sized bed.

"Oh, my, I'm in every little girl's dream bedroom. Where did you find a pumpkin inspired bed? Now I wish I had a little girl, too," she pouted.

"Miss Alice!" Esme ran over to me and scooped her puppy from my arms. "Oh, Miss Alice, I want you to meet my best friend." She walked over to Elizabeth and held out her puppy. I tried to keep the smirk off my face as Miss Alice the person realized the puppy shared her name.

"Did I hear correctly? Did she really name the, the dog after me?" she whispered her questions and all I could do was nod yes. I was afraid I might bust out in laughter if I spoke.

"Why don't you tell Miss Alice why you named your puppy after her, Esme honey?" I asked trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh, Miss Alice, she squeals!" Both Alice and the dog turned and looked at my child when they heard their name and that was it, I lost it and fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.

"Are you finished now, chuckles the clown? I'd like to hear her reason for giving me a namesake," Alice said with a straight face. "Go ahead, baby, tell me why?"

"Well, she's small like you, she bounces when she's happy, and she likes to talk a lot. But the most important reason is because she has S-T-Y-L-E, style." And I was on the floor again.

When I looked over at Alice to see her reaction, she just smiled fondly at my baby. Apparently, Alice was flattered beyond words.

We headed out to the kitchen with the girls in tow. Dinner was a big hit. Elizabeth said my 'roni' cheese was way better than her daddy's was. I didn't doubt that after the story she told us about the burnt pans. We cleaned up from dinner and decided to take Miss Alice for a walk in her buggy and Alice the person nearly wet herself from excitement over the damn thing. I had a feeling if she could, Alice would buy herself a dog just for the accessories.

The dog had been 'walked', and the girls were bathed and dressed for bed. We put on the Project Runway Marathon I Tivo'd for Esme. Alice dragged out her mani/pedi case and we settled down for 'girl time'. This was good. I could handle this. At least we wouldn't be playing 'truth or dare' or heaven forbid, 'would you rather'.

Alice was one smart cookie. She only brought one collection from her OPI nail polish war chest. It was the Shrek collection and it was loud. I chose one of the quieter colors, a light blue called 'What's with the Cattitude'? Alice went with a bright blue 'Ogre-the-Top' which I thought fitting. The girls chose the purple of course, 'Funky Dunkey', too cute. After we got our 'Shrek' on as Alice aptly named it, we decided we needed to watch the movie. I knew the girls wouldn't make it through the movie, so it was no surprise when I checked my watch and saw that they didn't even make it past nine-thirty. After we tucked them in for the night, Alice decided to play twenty questions with me.

"Well, Bella, how about we get to know each other better?"

"Sure, Alice, but I reserve the right not to answer questions that are too personal, okay?" I bargained.

"Fair enough. Now, where were you born?"

"Forks, and you?" I asked keeping my answer short.

"Paris, my mom and dad were on their honeymoon and when she kept getting ill my dad had a 'duh' moment and took her to a local doctor. Turns out she was really pregnant with me, around five months actually, and the doctor suggested they head back to the states to be on the safe side. They didn't want to cut their three-month trip short so they decided to stay. Well, I showed them. My mom went into premature labor and the doctor put her on bed rest for the duration. So that's how I was born in Paris, France." I wondered if she was an uh-oh baby?

We kept in the safe question zone, thank goodness. I found out she and Jasper married right out of high school, they were sweethearts. She got her degree in design and had been working with her mom for five years and loved it. Jasper was a History professor at UDub "He's a nerd, but a damn sexy one at that," she said with a grin.

The more time I spent with her, the more I really liked her. I just had to look past her larger than life personality and see the person within.

"Alright I'm taking off the kid gloves, Bella." Crap, she was going to ask about Esme's father. "Tell me what you think of my cousin, Edward?"

"What?" I sputtered. "What about him?"

"You know, do you find him attractive? Would you like to go out on a date with him? Because I could set something up for you, if you want it that is?" She was watching to see if I'd give myself away.

"Well, I think Edward is a very nice man, a wonderful doctor and I'd bet he's a pretty good cousin. And I would have to be blind not to not notice how handsome he is." I was quiet for a moment to let her stew. "Anyway, I don't think I need any help with a set-up to see him again." I left it at that to keep her guessing. "Alice, it's going on midnight and I'm pretty sure those two girls in the other room will be up before the sun. If you don't mind sharing a bed, you're welcome to the left side of mine; if not, I'll pull out the air mattress for you, it's up to you," I told her.

"I don't mind the left side, Bella," she answered with a smile.

I did my nightly routine and dropped into bed. It had been a fun day but I was wiped. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.


Beth and Mae's POV

"Shhh, don't wake them, Mae. My daddy says Ali is not a morning person."

"Mommy doesn't like mornings either, Beth."

"Well, hurry and get Miss Alice before we wake them, Mae."

"Beth, do you think your daddy likes my mommy?"

"I hope so. Do you think your mommy likes my daddy, Mae?"

"Mommy is really shy, you know, like Alistair from school. Except she doesn't cry when Grampy leaves her like Al does when his mommy drops him off at the door. I'm kind of shy like that, too, Beth."

"Well, how can we make her not shy anymore, Mae?"

"I'm not sure, Beth, but maybe Miss Alice the person can help."


BPOV

Wow. Alice slept like the dead. I would have never guessed. I hadn't heard a peep from the girls yet; I knew they were awake, though, because Miss Alice had been sprung from her playpen. I quietly got up and went to check on them. They weren't in the bedroom, so they must have been in the living room. I was right, and they were too cute for words. They had made themselves breakfast; un-toasted Pop-Tarts and milk. I knew it wasn't particularly healthy but I had to feed my inner child sometimes.

I jumped when my phone went off. Crap.

"Hello?" I answered in a whisper and headed into the kitchen for some coffee.

"Hello, did I wake you, Bella?" It was Edward

"No, I'm up; I just didn't want the girls to see me yet."

"Why? What's going on? I hope Elizabeth is behaving herself?"

"Edward, she's a perfect angel, don't worry so much. I was just watching them share a breakfast that they got for themselves. It was so sweet; they each broke their Pop-Tart in half and gave each other their other half."

"What? Pop-Tarts? Is that what you call nutritious, Bella?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Well, no, I don't, doctor. It's one of the few 'junk foods' I keep in my pantry." I hoped he knew I was playing with him. "So, what can I do for you this morning, Edward?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Alice is not, I repeat, not a morning person and you shouldn't expect to see her up before ten o'clock. It's not pretty if you wake her, and I'm afraid you'd never want to be around my family or me again. Also, I texted her to let her know she can leave Elizabeth with you and I'll pick her up later. I didn't mention our dinner plans because when Alice smells 'blood' she's like a shark and it's a feeding frenzy. Again, I would like to continue our budding friendship and the girl's friendship as well." He sounded, dare I think, hopeful?

"Not a problem, Edward. I'll see you at four."

"Sure thing, Bella. Should I bring something?"

"No, I have everything and this way dinner is on me," I chuckled at that.

"Whatever you say. I'll see you at four then. Bye."

After I ended my call with Edward, I turned around and was met with twin crooked grins.

"Hey, babies, what are you two up to?"

"Nothing," they said in unison.

"Okay, do you girls want me to cook you something more for breakfast?" They shook their heads no. "Well, why don't you two go get dressed and we can take Miss Alice out for a walk?" They both ran off to get ready and I hopped in the shower for the quickest shower in history.

Our morning flew by way too fast. Alice kissed both girls on the head and hugged me goodbye with a promise that the next time we did this it would be at her place. I quickly agreed because I needed to her to hurry up and go so I could have some alone time to work out my 'baby daddy' speech in my head. Thank goodness the girls were both low maintenance and they entertained each other.

It's now three o'clock and I'd prepared all the food for dinner. I just had to wait until Edward got here to put the finishing touches on it.

I was standing in my closet wrapped in my robe while I listened to two six year olds debate on my basic black dress or my dark blue knee length sweater dress. I hoped the blue dress won. It was my favorite and I could wear my new boots with it.

The two pint sized 'fashionistas' both agreed on the blue dress. Esme because she thought like I did and loved my boots, the little shoe hound. Elizabeth wanted the blue dress because it was her daddy's favorite color. I liked the way she thought.

The doorbell chimed at exactly four o'clock on the dot.

Show time.

Opening the door, I was left breathless. Edward was in dark jeans and a dark blue button down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up a couple of times and he left the top two buttons undone. To quote my two new favorite people:

'YU-U-UUU-MMY!'

The man did not come empty handed. He brought flowers, and not just one bouquet; he had three of them. This man was a keeper, I just hoped and prayed after tonight's news he would let me keep him.

"Wow, flowers, I've never gotten flowers before," I told him and blushed.

"Then you're dating the wrong guys." Uh…date? Was that what he was hoping for?

"Daddy, you're here!" Elizabeth hugged him around his legs.

"Yes, and these are for you, baby." He handed her a small nosegay of pale pink roses. Turning to my child he said, "Miss Esme, these are for you, beautiful." Again, another pink nosegay, what an old-fashion floral arrangement, from the Victorian era I believed. "And these are for you." He handed me a large floral arrangement of beautiful pink orchids.

"Thank you, Edward, they're stunning." I also knew the meaning of pink orchids and that made me blush a deep red. Man, I could feel the heat radiating off of me. I set the flowers on my coffee table.

"Well, dinner is almost done, I hope you like fondue? I thought the girls would enjoy the hands on meal."

"I love fondue. Alice and I go to the Melting Pot every once in a while," he said giving me that grin.

"Well, if you've had fondue before, I'm sure you know the proper 'Fondue Etiquette' then?"

"There's etiquette for fondue?" he asked with wide eyes and I couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

The girls sat on one side and that left the seat next to me open for Edward.

Our first course was the cheese fondue, a simple recipe that blended Gruyere and Emmentaler cheese. I Googled the recipe. For dipping we had cubed French bread, bite sized cooked chicken, roasted fingerling potatoes, broccoli florets that I cooked for two minutes, and granny smith apple slices. Because we were dining with the girls, I chose hot cider to drink instead of wine.

"Now, before we start eating, let me tell you the rules to eating fondue." I couldn't help myself. I smiled at Edward, because this reminded me of his '520' rules from last week. "Okay, this is how it works:

Rule #1- Don't touch the fondue fork with your mouth.

Rule #2- Don't double dip.

Rule #3- Don't dip with your fingers.

Rule #4- Don't lose your food in the pot while dipping it. It's an old tradition that if a girl drops her food in the pot she has to kiss the person next to her." When I said this, both girls looked at each other and winked. I looked to see if Edward saw their exchange, but he just smiled and winked at me. "Okay, dig in."

If I didn't know any better, I would think that all three of them were purposefully making my food fall into the pot. I'd had to kiss Edward three times now. The cheese fondue was a success and now we had moved on to the good stuff; chocolate. For this we had strawberries, bananas, angel food cake and marshmallows. I paid closer attention to my fork this time and I was now certain our little darlings were sabotaging the dipping process. This time Edward's fork was missing his marshmallow. He just looked at me, leaned over and kissed me on the mouth.

What the hell, was that his tongue?

"Sorry, you had a little chocolate right there, I couldn't let it go to waste," he said pointing to my lip and winked at me. I heard the girls giggle quietly across from us.

"Sure, no problem, I know how you feel about chocolate."

With dinner done and the girls in Esme's room, we went into the living room to be more comfortable. Well, at least Edward could be more comfortable, I was sweating bullets here.

Well, here goes nothing…


A/N: I know, please don't hate me, but I really wanted to devote a whole chapter to the BIG reveal. Hey, I gave you a kiss, didn't I? That has to count for something.

I hope you enjoyed the part with Bella's book reading. That was actually excerpts from one of my original children's stories. I'm hoping to have my talented design student daughter illustrate it for me someday for publication.

So, do you agree with B that Jessica is smarter than Lauren is?

Now, I don't want to toot my own horn…Oh, who am I kidding, yes I do. I cranked this chapter out in one day so I could get you guys what you really wanted; the baby daddy speech.

How many of you think Edward will faint?

Again, thank you all for reading and for the wonderful reviews! Keep 'em coming!

tickledpink