Rated M/ Disclaimer: Twilight and the twilight characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended. I own nothing but the plot and some of the personality traits the characters may have.
I am reposting this story back on this site, it is not beta'd so please keep that in mind as you read. It is a sequel to my story Resisting the Inevitable
Fate is more than a 4 letter word
Edward POV
"What time did you tell your parents we were picking the girls up?" Isabella asked me as she walked into the kitchen. She sat down at the kitchen island and I poured her a glass of orange juice and handed it to her.
"I just told them we would be by after we went to the foundation with Angela and Ben." I answered sitting down next to her and she nodded her head. We ate silently both with a lot on our minds. This morning Vincent called me about Orlando and his record. It was dirtier then I could have anticipated and why they were releasing this damn man back into society was beyond me. I hadn't said anything to Isabella yet and honestly I was worried to.
Vincent then told me that detective Beck's informant came to him about Orlando. No surprise Orlando wanted to avenge his sister's death. I couldn't blame him for wanting to, but there was no way I was letting that son of a bitch anywhere near Isabella or my children. Not while there was breath left in my body.
"I think the baby likes your cooking." Isabella said breaking the silence with a smile in her voice. I turned my attention to her and forced a smile on my face despite the worry eating at me. She was glowing as she placed her hand on her stomach.
"I wish you could feel him…"
"Him?"
"I'm confident it's a boy." She replies smiling up at me, and then her smile falls as her eyes land on my face. As much as I was trying to hide the worry from her I knew she could see straight through me.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me Edward, what is it?" She asked taking my hand into hers. I turned her hand in mine and looked at the rings I had placed there on her hand five years ago.
"Do you trust me Isabella?"
"With my life."
"I'm putting Seth and Emmett back on our constant detail." I tell her and she looks puzzled for a moment then her expression changes.
"That phone call this morning, who was it?" She asked me and I inhaled a deep breath. I didn't want her more worried then I already knew she was. I needed her as relaxed as possible with this pregnancy.
"Edward, answer me."
"It was Vincent about Orlando." I reply and she inhales a deep breath and nods her head. She goes to pull her hand away from me but I hold on tighter.
"I will not let anything happen to you or our children Isabella."
"I know that, I'm more worried about what he will do to you Edward." She tells me and I see the tears in her eyes as the thought set in her head.
"You are my life now Isabella, you know that. I can survive anything as long as I have you." I tell her and she shakes her head as if trying to rid the thoughts in her head.
"We need someone to be with the girls when we aren't. I trust Penelope but she's no competition for…for him." Isabella said and I nodded my head still holding her hand in mine.
"I already called Jacob." I tell her and she nods her head and bits her lip. I cup her face in my hand forcing her to look at me.
"Nothing will happen to any of us alright?"
"I can't lose you Edward."
"You won't." I assure her and she nods her head again and I lean into her and place a kiss on her lips. I release her mouth and rest my forehead against hers. The room was silent again and I didn't want Isabella worrying about this.
"So we're having a boy?" I ask to ease the tension and she lets out a soft laugh and places her hand back over her stomach.
"I think so, this pregnancy is already so different then when I was pregnant with the girls." She says and I grin and place my hand over her stomach.
"When is your appointment for us to find out for sure?" I ask her and she tells me the date and that she already told Sofia so that I had no meetings that day.
"Do you want to take the girls?"
"Yeah I think it would be great for them to be more involved." She replies and I agree with her. After we finish eating we clean the kitchen and then go into the living room to watch television. I pull her against me never wanting her further then arms reach.
"So what are you, Alice and Rose going to do about the third host? I know none of you want it to be Victoria but unless you can come up with someone better ABC will try to hire her anyway." I tell her leaving out if she wanted me to be a bully for her I would in a heartbeat.
"I don't know, but you are not allowed to contact ABC and bully them. Let me handle it." She tells me and I laugh and kiss the top of her head. We sit there and both groan when our names came up on the television.
"You think they would have something better to talk about."
"Nothing in this world is better than you chéri, even the public knows it." I tell her and she giggles then calls me an ass kisser.
"I love kissing your ass, both figuratively and literally." I respond and she laughs. I grinned because I love hearing her do that. We continue to watch television and some talk show came on. I wasn't actually listening to what was being said until the guest was asked about Isabella. How they managed to work my wife into almost every conversation with a celebrity I had no damn idea.
"I completely idolize her."
"She's a great person, but you don't think she lost sight of the real world. I mean she used to be so down to earth." The host said and Isabella popped up.
"Hey I still am!"
"Of course you are Isabella, screw her." I tell her and Isabella nods her head. The woman they were interviewing smiled what I could tell was a forced smile as if she wanted to curse the host out for insulting Isabella. I didn't know who she was, but I liked her already and I was starting to wish I had listened to the entire interview.
"No, I've had the pleasure of meeting her before at a photo shoot for Lady Elegant. She is actually one of the most down to earth people I've ever met."
"Right the two of you worked together on a photo shoot for Lady Elegant last fall." The host said and I remembered that because it was when Rachel and Rebecca were finally deputing their clothing line.
"Yes we did, and her daughters are adorable."
"I have to agree with you there. So you have just signed to be the face of Dolce and Gabbana that has to be exciting."
"It is, but I want to do so much more." She says and then Isabella jumps up from the couch.
"That's it!" She yells and I look at her like she's crazy. She points at the television and says,
"She's it."
"It, for what chéri?"
"The third host for The Ladies." She tells me with a roll of her eyes. Obviously she was annoyed I didn't get that right away.
"The host?"
"No, Makeena. The show wants someone that will attract more viewers and keep them while Alice and I are on maternity leave. Who better than a super model?" She asked and I smiled because she had a good point. Though I wouldn't be entertained by the show when Isabella wasn't on I knew the rest of the world would enjoy it.
"I mean think about it, she's smart, a humanitarian, knows her politics and she's beautiful." Isabella says and I grin because I could already see the wheels turning in her head.
"Hmm maybe I have the wrong host." I tease and she picks up a pillow and tosses it at me. I pull her down into my lap with a laugh.
"I'm joking."
"I know." She says with a pout and I kiss her mouth making her moan. I release her lips and look down into her face.
"I think that's a great idea, but how do you plan to get her on board? She just signed a contract with Dolce and Gabbana and the show starts in less than ten weeks." I say to her and she's silent then says something I didn't expect.
"I'm Isabella Cullen wife of Edward Cullen…I'll just make some calls."
"Bully?"
"No, reason with her. She can still be the face of Dolce and Gabbana while doing the show. Plus didn't you hear she idolizes me."
"I thought you hated when people said that?"
"I do, but this could work in my favor." She replied and I laughed and placed a kiss on her lips. I knew how much this show meant to her, Rose and Alice so I knew making sure it was successful was crucial.
She quickly got up and called Emily letting her know her idea. Emily hung up with Isabella and called back five minutes later with a lunch meeting with Makeena tomorrow at Eclipse. I swear no one worked faster than my sister. Isabella then called Rose and Alice, letting them know what her plan was. Once she was finished making her phone calls it was time to meet Angela and Ben at the Foundation.
Seth picked us up like planned and he was on complete body guard duty as we arrived. Thankfully Isabella and I made it so that the press wasn't allowed on the property but it didn't stop them from standing outside. When they noticed us pulling up they grew frantic trying to get a picture.
"Bella! Edward!" They called to us and I placed my hand on her low back to guide her inside. We simply waved at them and continued to walk up the path to the front doors. Isabella and I tried to visit the orphanage as often as possible. We came to meet any new children, and to look in on any adoptions that were finalized. The Cullen Orphanage Foundation had one of the highest adoption rates in America and it was important to us to find these children homes.
We were greeted by the supervisor Helen as we walked into the foyer.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen it's so good to see you." She says with a huge smile and we both returned her smile.
"Hello Helen, how are the children today?"
"They are great. It is actually play time right now. We were just getting them ready to play in the playground." She said and Isabella and I nodded our heads as we continued towards where we heard the laughing of the children.
Another woman approached us and the moment we realized who it was Isabella sucked her teeth. Her name was Arianna Miller and one of those women who seemed to think they could catch my interest more than my wife.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen what a surprise seeing you both here." She says looking directly at me. Isabella grabbed my hand and pushed past her when she asked
"Has my sister arrived?"
"Yes Mrs. Cullen, she and her husband our outside with the triplets." Helen answered and we headed outside. We found Angela and Ben easily as they played on the jungle gym with three little girls. As we approached the girls noticed and took shelter behind Ben. When he noticed why he smiled at us.
"Girls this is Mr. Edward and Ms. Bella we told you about."
"Ms. Angela's sister?" One of the little girls asked and Ben nodded his head and slowly all three girls walked from behind him and approached Isabella and I.
"Hi I'm Amelia."
"I'm Hannah."
"I'm Claire." All three girls introduced their selves. Isabella was grinning and I kneeled down in front of them.
"Hello, I'm Mr. Edward. I'm the lucky man married to Ms. Bella." I said and they all giggle holding each other's hands.
"Did Ms. Angela and Mr. Ben tell you that we have two daughters about your ages?" I asked them and they all nodded their heads.
"Are they here now?" Claire asked and Isabella kneeled down next to me with a soft smile on her face.
"No but I know you will meet them really soon." Isabella tells them.
"Are they nice?" Amelia asked looking a little sad and Isabella reached for her hand when she answered.
"Yes, and very friendly." All three girls smiled and Isabella and I stood back up and saw the look Ben and Angela were sharing.
"Girls why don't you go play while we talk to Mr. Edward and Ms. Bella." Angela told them and the girls looked reluctant until both Ben and Angela promised that they weren't going anywhere. They smiled happy with that news and ran off to play.
"Angela they are adorable." Isabella said and Angela smiled.
"I know, we finally put in the application to adopt them." She says and Isabella pulls her sister into a hug. I shake Bens hand and tell them that whatever they needed we were here for them. They let us know we needed to sign the papers saying that we would be the girls' guardians in the event of an accident. Isabella and I quickly did, wanting them to be able to take those girls home as soon as possible.
Isabella told them that we were paying for the decorator to come and decorate the girls' room at their home. Angela tried to argue and Ben and I stood back and watched the two most stubborn women we knew argue until Isabella pulled the hormonal pregnant woman card and Angela laughed hugging her.
I watched Isabella and Angela talk as Ben went to go play with the girls. I heard a loud no coming from the cafeteria and I told Isabella I would be right back and headed towards the room.
"Ethan sweetheart you have to eat something." Arianna told a little boy as she kneeled down in front of him. He swung at her making the dish of food fall against her chest and I tried not to laugh. She stood up with anger on her face and I called to her before she did something stupid.
"Mr. Cullen." She said obviously surprised to see me. I nodded my head and then looked to the little boy who looked surprised to see me also. I walked over to him and squatted down in front of him.
"What's wrong Ethan?" I asked remembering Arianna say his name. He looked surprised that I knew his name and I smiled.
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes." He answered softly and I looked over at Arianna then back at him when I asked,
"So why didn't you eat your food?"
"Nasty." He replied and I nodded my head and sat down in the set next to him. He began to suck on his thumb and I softly pulled it back out of his mouth.
"What would you like to eat?"
"Pizza."
"Alright, Arianna make Ethan here some pizza."
"…But Mr. Cullen…"
"Is there a problem Arianna?" I asked her and she swallowed hard and inhaled through her nose when she shook her head.
"No sir Mr. Cullen."
"Good." I reply and turn my attention back to Ethan. He's smiling now and I smile back at him.
"I'm Edward, Ethan ok?"
"Yes."
"Why aren't you outside playing Ethan?" I asked him and he shrugged his shoulders. He looked like he couldn't have been any older than two but it was obvious he understood what was happening around him.
"How old are you Ethan?" I asked him and he looked at me then softly mumbled that he was two. I nodded my head and then noticed the stuffed lion sitting in the chair on the opposite side of him.
"Who's that?" I asked him pointing to the lion and he looked over at it then back at me.
"Simba." He answered again in a soft voice; I smiled remembering that was the name of the lion in The Lion King.
"Like from Lion King?" I ask him and again he looks surprised by me. He picks up the Lion and held it out to me. I took it with a smile and start to tell him that I have two daughters who love the movie and he blushes reminding me of Isabella.
"Who do we have here?" I hear Isabella say as if she heard me think of her. I look from Ethan to Isabella.
"This is Ethan, Ethan this is my wife Isabella." I tell him and he smiles up at her blushing a deeper red then before.
"Hello Ethan. It's nice to meet you." Isabella says with that gorgeous smile of hers. Ethan smiled again and said
"Thank you." Isabella giggled, which then made him giggle. Arianna came over placing the pizza down in front of Ethan. He reached for eat then cried out when he touched it.
"Hot!" He yelled and Isabella quickly took his hand and kissed the tips of his fingers. Then she turned to Arianna with a glare in her eyes. I knew that look it was momma bear and even I didn't mess with her.
"Why didn't you let it cool off before you brought it to him?"
"It was cooled off…"
"…so what it heated back up on your way in here?" Isabella asked sarcastically. I fought the grin trying to creep onto my face. I picked up a small slice of the personal pizza and blew on it. Then I held it out for Ethan to eat.
"I'm sorry; I swear I thought it was cool enough." Arianna says again and I nod for her to leave the room. She takes the hint and walks away. We sit with Ethan while he eats and Isabella had that sparkle in her eye like she did when she looked at our girls.
"Ethan, are you thirsty?" Isabella asked him and he nodded his head as he chewed his pizza. Isabella got up and walked over to the vending machine in the cafeteria. She got him a juice then came back over to the table. She opened it and poured it into a small cup.
He picked up the cup and began to drink from it. Isabella looked at me with a smile on her face and I smiled back. I knew what she was thinking and I couldn't deny that something about sitting here with him felt right.
Once he put the cup down he continued to eat and answer my and Isabella's questions with a yes and a no. I noticed he only ever gave one word responses, other than him saying thank you. Once he finished eating Isabella picked up a napkin and began to wipe his face.
"Ethan you have pizza sauce everywhere, you eat like Edward." She teased and Ethan giggled looking at me. Isabella tried to wipe his forehead but the hat he was wearing was in the way.
"Ethan I'll have to take off your hat to get the sauce on your head is that alright?" Isabella asked him and before he could answer Helen's voice filled the room.
"Oh he doesn't take that hat off for anyone Mrs. Cullen. He even bathes in it." She says and Isabella smiles at Ethan.
"Can you take it off real fast for me?" she asked him and like me he was already a sucker for her as he nodded his head and lifted his hat. I heard Helen gasp as she watched Isabella wipe his face then put his hat back in place on his head.
"I've never seen him do that. I mean since he has gotten here he doesn't let anyone touch his hat or his stuffed lion." She says and I look into my lap remembering that I was holding his lion. I hold it up and ask,
"You mean this lion?"
"Oh my lord." She said with her hand over her chest. Isabella and I shared another look both surprised by what we found out.
"Helen how long has Ethan been here?" Isabella asked and I was curious to know this since I know we didn't see him last time we were here.
"He arrived here at the orphanage on…March 13th if I'm correct." Helen said and Isabella and I looked at each other again and laughed. March 13th was the girls' birthday, it was also the day Isabella first interviewed me on television, it was the day my grandfather died and the day her and James marriage ended. Once again it seemed that day had stamped its place in our life.
"Why is that funny?" Helen asked and Isabella and I simply shook our heads. We talked to Ethan for a little while longer then we encouraged him to go play with Ben and Angela's girls. When he walked away Isabella asked before the words left my lips.
"What happened to his parents?"
"His father died over seas and his mother overdosed with him in the house. A neighbor heard him crying in the house and called the police. We think the hat belongs to his father and the lion was what he was holding when the police found him." Helen told us and Isabella gasped with her hand over her chest. I pulled her tighter against me and kissed her temple.
"He's been here since March and no one wanted to adopt him?" I asked
"They all would walk away after his tantrums about touching his lion or trying to remove his hat." Helen told us and I looked down at Isabella and she looked up at me. Biting her lip I knew, just as well as she knew.
"We want to take him home." I said still looking at Isabella and she smiled, tears in her eyes. I knew we said we would wait until after the baby was born, but if it was one thing I learned since I've been with Isabella it was that life happens when it wants to, not when you want it to.
"Mr. Cullen I know this is your foundation, but you can't just take him home because you want to…"
"You misunderstood Helen. I mean, Isabella and I would like to adopt him." I tell her and Isabella holds my arm tightly.
"After a day?"
"That's all it took." Isabella tells her and I could tell Helen was trying to figure out how to say what she was about to say to us.
"I respect you both greatly, but I have to ask that you think about this. I mean Mrs. Cullen aren't you expecting your next child soon, and starting a show?" Helen asked and Isabella shifted next to me and placed her hand on her stomach.
"Yes I am, but that isn't any reason why we can't provide him with a home and a family."
"What about you Mr. Cullen, you work a lot, travel and then your entire family stays in the media."
"Helen no disrespect but we do not need you telling us about our life. Ethan will be well taken care of and safe just as our daughters are." I inform her and she inhales and nods her head.
"I still ask that you please think about this. If you are still sure about this tomorrow, then I'll start the application." Helen says and I want to argue with her but Isabella speaks first.
"Fair enough but we won't change our mind." Isabella says. Then we walk away and go look for Ethan, the triplets, Angela and Ben. We find them all outside and Angela walks over to us.
"He came out here and said you told him to come out Edward." Angela says and I smile nodding my head. Angela looks from Isabella and me, and then she grins.
"Isabella Marie Swan Cullen, I've only seen you look at Edward and the girls' the way you are looking at that little boy. Are you adopting earlier than planned?" Angela asked and I told her what Helen told us and the moment we said the date Ethan arrived to the orphanage she said,
"Yay, Ben we'll have a nephew!" I laughed because all of our family and friends understood the significance of that date to us. It was like that date always meant that it was something destined for Isabella and I.
We all said bye to the children and Isabella and promised Ethan that we would be back tomorrow so that he could meet Kiah and Keiara.
"Promise?" He asked and Isabella cupped his face in her hands when she said that we crossed our hearts. He looked satisfied with that and hugged our legs before running over to play with the triplets.
When we were in the car and on our way to pick up the girls we sat silently. It was a comfortable silence. I couldn't help but think about Ethan. The questions wasn't of if he was meant to be a part of our family, but if now was really the best time.
It wasn't the pregnancy making me question this and damn sure not the ability of Isabella and I being able to be the best parents for him. It was the worry of Orlando. I had no intention of letting him near Isabella or our children, but the worry still ate at me like a plague.
"Are you thinking about the Orlando situation too?" Isabella asked breaking the silence. I pulled her tighter against me and kissed the top of her head.
"Yeah, it's weighing on me."
"I'm worried Edward."
"I know me too."
"We can't leave him there though. I mean it's obvious he's meant to be a Cullen." Isabella said looking up at me and I cup her face in my hand.
"And he will be Isabella."
"I know we have a lot going on, but not taking him because of it would be like sending the girls away because of it, or not having this baby because of it." Isabella told me and I nodded my head agreeing with her. She put her head down on my shoulder and we sat there quietly the rest of the ride to my parents' house.
The moment we walked into the house and my parents housekeeper Mia announced us the girls came running. Isabella kneeled down since she knew she shouldn't lift them. They ran into their mothers arms first then came to me.
"We missed you Momma and Daddy." Kiah said playing with the ends of her mother's hair. I smiled and kissed the top of her head.
"Yeah you were gone for a trillion days." Keiara added with her little hands on her hips. Isabella laughed and kissed her cheek.
"We were not, were you both good for Nana and Pop Pop?" Isabella asked them and both girls nodded their heads with smiles on their faces.
"We made you and daddy a cake momma?" Kiah said grabbing my hand as she spoke to her mother. I could spend the rest of my life watching them with Isabella. They meant the world to me and then some.
"What kind of cake?"
"Chocolate!" Kiah yelled
"With strawberry icing!" Keiara added and Isabella and I laughed because that shouldn't have surprised us at all. We walked the girls back to the kitchen where they showed us the cake they made for us. My parents were cleaning up the mess the girls obviously made.
"So did you meet the little girls Angela and Ben are adopting?" My mother asked and Isabella smiled and began telling her about them. Naturally curiosity got the best of Kiah and Keiara and they wanted to know about the little girls who were going to be living with their aunt and uncle. Isabella sat down so that she was eye level with the girls as she tried to explain it to them.
"What does adopt mean?"
"It's when adults takes in a child into their home and becomes there mommy and daddy."
"I thought babies grew in mommy's tummies."
"They do Kiah, but some kids don't have their mommy's any more…" I tell her and she pouts and walks over to Isabella hugging her.
"Mommy we'll have you forever right?" Kiah asked her big green eyes digging into to Isabella's chest. Isabella kissed both of our girls and said.
"You both will have me forever and ever."
"Good, so what happens to the kids with no mommy's and daddies?" Keiara asked and I wasn't sure when my parents snuck out of the kitchen but I appreciated it.
"You remember the place we went to with all the children?"
"Yes, it had you and daddy picture on the wall." Kiah said trying to climb up my legs. I finally picked her up and she smiled at me.
"The children stay there or in a place like it until they are adopted."
"Can we adopt?" Keiara asked and Isabella laughed pulling her into her lap. Kiah looked at me and held my face between her hands.
"Can we?" she asked
"Girls this is serious, it's not like getting a new toy or a new pet. You cannot return them when they make you upset." Isabella told them wanting them to understand how serious adoption was. When we first discussed adopting we agreed that we wouldn't make any final move until the girls understood what was happening.
"I can't return Kiah when she makes me mad." Keiara said and Isabella and I both laughed as Kiah stuck her tongue out at Keiara.
"No you can't and that's how it would be if we were to adopt."
"Ok." Keiara said playing with the ends of Isabella's hair again.
"So can we adopt now?" Kiah asked still holding my face between her little hands. I looked at Isabella and she was looking at me. Neither of us could decipher if the girls got how serious this was. We were thankful when my parents walked back into the kitchen.
"Nana we're going to adopt so that we can share our mommy and daddy with a kid who doesn't have one." Keiara said and Isabella and I looked at each other both dumb founded.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah because we have the best momma and daddy in the world and momma says that we should always share." Kiah said and my mother smiled along with my father. They looked to Isabella and me for reassurance.
I knew Isabella didn't want to have this conversation with my parents in front of the girls. Though we were sure about our decision to adopt Ethan we still needed to take the girls into consideration, and make sure they understood. I told the girls to go outside and play and they both raced outside. Once they were out of sight my parents looked at us again.
"Are the two of you adopting?" My mother asked and Isabella looked over at me. I walked over to her and took her hand into mine.
"We're seriously considering it." Isabella said with a smirk my way and I grinned back at her. My mother cleared her throat causing Isabella and I to break our gaze and turn to her.
"Are the two of you sure about this, I mean with the baby on the way?" My father asked us and it didn't surprise me because I was sure that would be everyone's concern.
"We want to adopt and we originally planned on waiting, then we met Ethan and it changed everything."
"What about time, I mean Bella you have the new show and Edward the company has the new hotel. You may not be staying there in New York but you have to fly out a lot." My mother added and I ran my fingers through my hair.
"Did it stop you from adopting Bree?"
"That was different."
"No it's not. You loved Bree like your own child so when she needed a family neither of you hesitated. You didn't let Grandma Angelina stop you with her screams of disowning you or that dad was away a lot with his medical foundation. You knew Bree was meant to be a part of this family the same way we know that Ethan is meant to be a part of this family." I tell them and both my parents smiled and nodded their heads at us.
"We know that this won't be easy, but raising children never is. Even with everything going on it still feels like Ethan belongs with us. We have a lot of children in that orphanage and none of them affected us the way Ethan did." Isabella tells them and I see the tears in my mother's eyes as she walks over to us with her arms open. She pulls Isabella and I into a hug when she says.
"I'm so proud of the two of you." Isabella and I smile and hug her back. My father comes over and offers his support and acceptance. He made me laugh when he told me he knew I was going to go ahead and do it whether I had his support or not.
"You raised me to be my own man."
"Which is why I know that the decision you are making is one you believe in and believe is best for your family. I'm proud of you son." Carlisle tells me with his hand on my shoulder. Even being a grown man I still enjoyed knowing I made my father proud. He was the best man I knew; he was always a great father to all his children, a great husband to my mother and a great man to society. I always told myself if I could be just half the man he was, I knew I would succeed in life.
After we left my parents we went home to enjoy some family time. I missed my girls all weekend. As much as I loved having Isabella to myself for a weekend I still missed having my princesses around. We sat and watched at least three princess movies, which then turned into a lesson of how to be a princess. Isabella and I played tea party with the girls, which then turned into some type of ball. I swore the girls had an amazing imagination.
Even dinner turned into a royal dinner somehow. When it was bath time they pretended they were mermaids and Isabella was starting to regret letting them watch the little mermaid because there was water all over the bathroom floor from the underwater adventure.
By the time we finally got them ready for bed, they were exhausted. Tucking them in was always one of my favorite parts of the day, especially since in some cases it was the first time I saw them all day.
"Momma when we adopt can it be a boy, No more girls Kiah is a pain."
"Na uh you're a pain Keiara."
"No one is a pain, you are both our little gifts from god understood."
"Yes momma." They both said at the same time. Isabella sat down next to Kiah and brushed her hair back.
"Do you know we love you both more than all the stars in the sky?"
"And all the words in all the books in all the world…"I added and both girls giggled their mothers giggle.
"That's a whole lot."
"Yeah, we love you momma and daddy all the way to the sun and then back and then to the sun again." Kiah said and Keiara giggled then added that they loved us more than all the fish in the water and all the clouds in the sky. Isabella and I laughed realizing we would be in here all night if we continued this.
"Daddy, Momma if we adopt will you have enough love to love all of us that much?" Keiara asked and I cupped her face in my hand.
"per amore your momma and I love have so much love for all of you it will make you sick."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Good because it would be unfair if you loved Keiara and me more than the baby and new kid just because we're girls and their boys." Kiah told me and Isabella and I laughed as we continued to tuck the girls in. Once they said their prayers and we cut on their night light we walked to our bedroom together.
Isabella began to get undressed and I leaned against the wall and watched her. When she removed her shirt she stopped and turned to me with a smile on her face.
"Like the show?"
"Best one in town." I reply and she giggles, that damn giggle. It was simply something about when Isabella did it that was just always so sexy.
"Do you think we're making the right decision? I mean I know you wanted us to wait, until the baby was born but…" I quickly walked over to her and pulled her against me so that she could understand the seriousness in my tone.
"He belongs here with us, you know that and I know that. If God didn't want us to take him now, he wouldn't have showed up in our lives now. Aren't you the one who believes in fate?"
"You don't?"
"I didn't until I met you. Now I know that things happen when they are meant to happen not when we want them to."
"Maybe we can hire Penelope full time, at least until everyone is more comfortable."
"Will you be comfortable with that?" I ask her knowing how she felt about a Nanny being around our children too much. She was always feared that it would seem like the Nanny was doing more of the parenting if we hired one full time.
"She'll be here just for help, and we'll need it."
"Alright, I'll let Sofia know that I'll be taking fewer trips to New York."
"Edward…"
"…Isabella, they are my children too. If we are really doing this I need to be home more." I tell her and she nods her head as she bites her lip.
"What are you worried about chéri, tell me. If you're not sure about adopting Ethan now we can think about it some more."
"No, no. I'm sure about adopting him, as sure as I am about having this baby. But I just can't shake this Orlando situation, I mean would we be putting an innocent boy life in jeopardy?" She asked me and that was my same fear. Were we doing this for the right reasons or selfish ones?
Isabella POV
I looked at my watch again and I knew that I was running late. Traffic was horrible today and Seth was beyond irritated with everyone on the road. When we pulled into Eclipse parking lot the press was outside waiting. I swore it was like they never left the places they knew Edward and I went to frequently. Seth climbed out first and then opened my door. The minute I got out of the car they came running over to me and screaming my name. Seth quickly pushed them all back as they shouted out their questions.
"Bella what do you have to say about Faith saying you are too stuck up to appear on her talk show?" One of the reporters asked and this was the center of the press. It was out that Faith and Mac had a show coming out, and it was no secret that the rest of the Masen family refused to go along with the show. Faith put out that it was Edward and my fault that no one in the family would go along with her bull shit of a show.
"I say that I wish her and Mac the best of luck with their new show." I reply refusing to feed into the media or Faith's bull shit. She wanted to have it out with me and I wasn't feeding into it. They asked me a few more questions but I ignored them as I proceeded to go inside. Seth opened the door for me and before I walked in I turned to him.
"Edward is picking me up because we are going to the foundation later."
"I'm picking him and the girls up and bringing them here."
"Seth you haven't had a day off and…"
"…and this is my job Bella. You know I think of all of you as my family so your safety is important to me."
"We think of you as family too Seth, which is why we feel that you having time to yourself is important." I tell him and he smiles at me.
"I can't leave any of you unprotected and Jacob and Emmett can't be everywhere either."
"Then maybe it's time we hire more detail."
"We tried that before remember?" Seth asked and I rolled my eyes. I didn't think any of that counted. The situation was different then, Edward had to go to China and Emmett had to go with him. Seth was sick so that would have left me and the girls without any protection. Seth, Emmett, Edward and I interviewed people for days. No matter what, one of them found something wrong with whoever we interviewed.
"Then let me interview them."
"Edward would never let that happen."
"You let me worry about Edward." I inform him and he just nods his head. I kiss his cheek and tell him to just take it easy. Edward and I would be fine with the girls alone. The foundation was private property and after we left the foundation we were going home, which was a gated community. When I said all of this to him, he smiled and said,
"There's no arguing with you about this, is there?"
"Nope, I'll call Edward. You go take the rest of the day off." I tell him and he thanks me and leaves. I walk inside and the moment the hostess spots me she smiles.
"Bella, your guest has arrived. I took her to the Cullen table as you asked." She told me and I thanked her then walked over to the table.
I saw Makeena sitting at the table looking at the menu and drinking from her glass.
"Makeena I'm so sorry I'm late."
"Oh Bella it's alright, it's good to see you again." She says standing up and I give her a hug then take my seat.
"It's good to see you too." I tell her as I sit down. The waitress comes over and I give her my drink order. When she walks away Makeena smiles at me and asks,
"So your sister in law Emily called and said you have a job offer for me. I have to admit; when I got the phone call I had a bit of a fan girl moment." She tells me and blush covers my cheeks as I smile at her.
"Well that makes me less nervous about what I have to ask you." I tell her and she laughs and tells me I have nothing to be nervous about. I explain to her about the show and that Chad and the station would feel more comfortable if we had a third host.
"So basically what I'm asking you is if you would like to be the third host on The Ladies?" I ask her biting my lip as I wait for her to answer me. She looks surprised, then confused then I couldn't read the expression on her face.
"Me? Really?"
"Yes."
"I don't know what to say." She says looking completely stunned by the job offer. I could understand her surprise since no one knew that we were looking for a third host.
"Please say yes, I mean you would be a great addition to the show. I already talked to Alice and Rose the producer and they agree with me."
"I've always loved the work you do. When you were on Wake up America you brought intelligence back to morning television. Your work with the Cullen Orphanage foundation, the way you support your family, even you're modeling with Lady Elegant. So forgive me for sounding like a crazy fan right now, but I absolutely look up to you and would love to work with you on the show."
"That's great!" I practically yell and she laughs. I tell her that I looked up to her as well and thought that she did great work as a humanitarian and model. We sat and talked for a while longer as we shared lunch. I called the CEO of the station before I called Chad about wanting to hire Makeena as the third host. Something just told me that there was more behind Chad requesting Victoria as the third host.
"Bella what can I do for you?" The CEO Amun asked as his voice came in over the phone. I explained to him my concern about hiring Victoria and he explained that we needed a third host before the show aired.
"I understand that, which is why I've met with Makeena Daniels today."
"The super model?"
"Yes, and I asked her if she would like to be the third host."
"What did she say?"
"That she would love to." I tell him and I hear the stupid grin in his voice. He tells me to let her know she has the job and that he was willing to meet with her tomorrow afternoon to negotiate her contract. After talking to him I then called Chad, who did not share the same enthusiasm about hiring Makeena and Victoria not getting the job.
"Why did you go behind my back?"
"I did not go behind your back…"
"Yes you did, I had a third host all lined up for this job."
"Yes, someone that Rose, Alice or me did not like. I mean you wanted to hire my ex-husband's mistress. The man tried to kill me and you wanted to hire his mistress." I snap and then try to pull my anger back in.
"This is about you having to be in control just like your damn husband…"
"…keep in mind my husband can get you fired with just a phone call. Goodbye Chad." I say and hang up. Makeena smiles at me and I apologize.
"No need to apologize Bella. Chad sounds like a tool."
"He is, maybe that's the next position I'll try to fill." I reply and we both laugh. We continue to eat lunch and I tell her that she can come and meet Alice and Rose tomorrow at my house.
"Momma!" I hear the little screams belonging to my little girls. I look up and see them running over with my gorgeous husband walking behind them. He grinned at me when our eyes connected. I got up from the table and hugged the girls when they reached me.
"Were you girls being good for daddy?"
"Yes, but he got mad because he had to chase Queen Elizabeth again." Keiara said looking back at her father and Edward approached and placed a kiss on my lips.
"That's because some little girl thought it would be fun to let Queen Elizabeth out to play tea party."
"She was thirsty." Kiah said with a pout and I smiled and ran my fingers through her thick curls. I turned to Makeena and smiled.
"Makeena you remember my girls Kiah and Keiara."
"Yes I do, hi girls."
"Hi." They both said dryly as they molded more into my leg. I smiled then introduced Edward to her and she shook his hand.
"It's really nice to meet you."
"You too, Isabella has been talking my head off about why you were so qualified to be the third host on the show."
"I'm just thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her, she's amazing." Makeena said and I blushed again. It was hard enough taking praise from Edward but from other people still embarrassed me.
"Yes that she is, I'm a very lucky man to be married to her."
"Alright you too, I'm going to turn tomato red if you keep this up. I'm just like everyone else."
"I'm sorry Bella; I'm sounding like a fan girl again right?" Makeena said with a laugh and I joined her. It was really weird having someone look up to me so much.
"Don't worry, while telling Edward about you yesterday I sounded like one too." I reply and we both laugh. I was just thankful she was going to take the job and Victoria was gone out of my life once again.
"Chéri we have to get going." Edward told me with his hand firmly on my low back. I nodded my head and told Makeena that I would see her tomorrow. I let the waitress know to put the bill on my tab and thanked Makeena again. As we left the restaurant the paparazzi came running. Edward picked up the girls and we quickly walked to the car. He put the girls in their buster seats and I buckled them in. He opened my door and I climbed in next.
I wasn't sure what one of the paparazzi asked him but I saw the look on his face. He walked over to the man and whatever he said made the man turn completely red and back away. I've seen Edward do this a lot in the course of our marriage and the first time I witnessed him scaring someone this much with just words was James in my old apartment parking lot.
I remembered when I asked what he said to James that day he smirked at the memory and said, "I told him that if he ever came anywhere near you again I was going to castrate him and feed it to him." It still gave me chills when I thought about it. I knew that Edward had a side to him that no one wanted to see and I was thankful that me and the girls were the reason that side of him rarely showed, unless someone did something towards us.
Edward climbed into the car and slammed the door behind his self. Without saying a word he started the car and quickly pulled out of the parking space. I reached over and rubbed his thigh gently. I watched his face soften as he turned and glanced at me.
"Please don't let them get to you." I say and his jaws clench and unclench. He looks back at the road but I keep my hand on his thigh. I knew now wasn't the time to ask him what the man said so I would save it for later.
When we arrive outside of the foundation there are more paparazzi there. This wasn't actually surprising what was surprising was that they apparently knew Edward and I were considering adopting a little boy from here. Edward looked pissed off as they continued to ask us questions.
"Are you adopting a boy because Bella hasn't given you a son?"
"Does this mean that Bella is having another girl?"
"Is it true that the little boy is your secret love child Edward?" The questions continued and it took everything I had to get Edward inside along with the girls.
"Momma what is a love child?"
"Nothing you need to worry your little head about. What have I told you about listening to the people out there?"
"To not to because they are big poo poo heads." Keiara answered and I smiled satisfied. I kissed both of their foreheads and turned my attention to my still pissed off husband. I cupped his face between both my hands and made him look at me.
"Together we are united and undefeatable."
"I'm going to kill whoever leaked that information about Ethan…"
"No killing, but I may be kicking someone's ass for leaking information about him." I tell him and he smiles at me. His arm wraps around me as he pulls me closer to him.
"My pregnant wife will not be fighting anyone."
"Fine I'll get Rose to do it." I reply and he laughs then lowers his lips to mine. We share a sweet kiss and break apart at the sound of Helen's voice greeting us.
"Helen would you like to explain to me how the media knows about Isabella and I adopting Ethan?" Edward asked her ignoring her greeting. She looked surprised herself though I wouldn't put it past anyone in here for leaking that information. The media paid good money to get information on Edward and me so this wouldn't have been any different.
"I have no idea how they found out Mr. Cullen." She answered and I studied her face for a moment then looked away. When I noticed Arianna walking over I all of a sudden knew just who told the media about Ethan. I walked away from Edward and the girls and approached her.
"What did you tell them?"
"Tell who, what?" She asked with a hint of humor in her eyes. She wasn't fooling me; I knew it was her that leaked that information to the press.
"Don't play with me Arianna you know what?"
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't there was no crime committed." She replied and I took a step towards her just as I heard Edward call my name. I damn near growled at her as I felt his arm slide around my waist. She was messing with my child. Ethan may not have been our child legally yet but he was going to be and that was enough for the momma bear in me to want to rip her head the hell off.
"Arianna, do you know anything about the media finding out about Ethan?"
"No Mr. Cullen. But I assure you if I did I would let you know." She answered then smirked at me. I didn't trust her and the sooner we got Ethan out of here the better. I knew it would only be a moment of time before the press had his name a picture and probably the information about his biological parents.
"Isabella and I take pride in our foundation being discreet with the adoptions here, so the fact that there was a leak gives us great concern."
"Of course it would Mr. Cullen."
"So this is why we will be launching an investigation to find out who broke their oath to uphold the privacy of the children and the adoptive parents."
"Wait an investigation?"
"Yes."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Unless you know who it is and are willing to tell me then yes it is very necessary." He answers and this time it was my turn to smile. She turned five shades of blue as she looked from me to Edward.
"Momma look his name is Ethan." I hear Kiah say coming over to me as she and Keiara were holding Ethan's hand. I looked at Edward wondering if he introduced the girls to Ethan; he must have read the question in my eyes because he shook his head no.
Kiah held Ethan's lion in her other arm and Keiara wore his hat on her head. I swore it brought tears to my eyes looking at the three of them standing there.
"Can we adopt him momma?" Kiah asked me with a pout
"Ethan would you like to share our momma and daddy with us and peanut?" Keiara asked him with her father's smile on her face.
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