A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.

Wow! You all really don't like Bella! LOL I don't blame you though. Be sure to see my notes at the end of the chapter.

Without further ado, here is what all of you have been waiting for!

x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"So," he started, "Now that that's out of the way, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay. What's up?"

"Are you in love with Riley?"

x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Riley?

I had completely forgotten about him.

It may sound pretty shitty of me, but it's true. Besides, Riley is on set somewhere making women (and men) of all ages swoon. While he has been nothing but sweet and great the past couple of months, he's not what, or I should say who, I want. That person is sitting in front of me holding my hand.

"Um."

"It's okay, Jasper. I understand if you do. I wouldn't expect you to be alone forever. Someone was bound to steal your heart." he said with a disappointed smile.

"I'm not."

"You're not what?"

"I'm not in love with Riley."

I watched as Edward's eyes softened and a smile slowly spread across his face.

"That's why I sent you that email. I care about Riley, but something just wasn't right and I couldn't put my finger on it. I was so stupid, but it looks like we have something else in common."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought I could forget about you by being with him," I said with an awkward laugh.

"So I haven't lost you forever?"

I brought our entwined fingers up to my lips and lightly kissed the back of his hand.

"No, you always had my heart, Edward."

He shuddered as I pulled him close. As soon as I wrapped my arms around him, I buried my nose in the crook of his neck. Edward's body trembled, but I held him tighter. My eyes filled with tears as it suddenly hit me that I was here with Edward, holding him, and he still wanted me. A quiet sob escaped my lips as tears trailed down my cheeks and onto his shoulder. He pulled back and lightly swiped his thumb across my tear streaked cheeks.

"I love you, Jasper. I always have and I always will.

For the first time in a long time, I felt complete. I reached up and placed my hands on either side of his face, just savoring him for a moment. His vivid green eyes looked deeply into mine and I felt as if our souls were reconnecting and binding themselves together once again.

Leaning in, I stopped just short of his incredible lips and whispered.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that. Fuck, I love you so much it hurts."

Without a second thought, I crashed my lips into his. My entire body screamed with joy as I held him close and worshipped his mouth. His hands settled on my waist where he rubbed small circles with his thumbs. I never wanted to let him go and I was more determined than to keep this beautiful man with me always.

He was mine and I was his…forever.


One year later…

I walked into the house and was overcome with the delicious smell of dinner wafting through the air.

"Hello? Anybody home," I called out.

Just then a little ball of energy ran towards me. "Jassy!"

I smiled widely and scooped her up in my arms. "Hey darlin'! How are you doing?"

"Fine. Daddy's making dinner and I'm coloring. Come see!"

There was no way I could refuse, so I set Alice down and she dragged me into the kitchen by my hand. As I entered the kitchen, my heart swelled as I watched Edward chopping vegetables and throwing them in various pots and pans. I can barely boil water, so all of this fancy chopping and simmering and julienning goes right over my head. He slowly turned around and greeted me with the most beautiful smile in the world.

"Hey, love," he said.

"Hey, babe."

"Dinner will be ready soon."

He walked over to me and lightly kissed my lips. I would have gladly deepened the kiss, but a little girl tugging on my slacks brought me out of my lust-induced fog.

"Jassy, look!"

She lifted up the picture she had drawn while I smiled and told her it was wonderful.

"Look! That's me, you and Daddy!"

I squinted my eyes and looked closer at the drawing our little one created. The two bigger stick figures appeared to have their arms wrapped around the other's shoulders while the shorter stick figure with long hair stood between us.

"It's great, Ali! Can I take this to my office where everyone can see it?"

Alice beamed as she nodded her head. I swept her into my arms again and began to blow raspberries all over her face. She squirmed and giggled before she wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "I love you, Jassy. You make Daddy happy."

I struggled to keep my emotions at bay as my eyes teared a bit. I looked over at Edward who seemed to be glowing, a smile stretching from ear to ear.

"I'm glad I make Daddy happy, sugar. I love you too," I whispered, not taking my eyes away from Edward.

x~x~x~x~x~x~x

After we decided to give our relationship another shot, I immediately wanted Edward and Alice to be as close to me as possible. Edward was a little apprehensive moving Alice to a big city, but I assured him we would find a nice place that wasn't smack dab in the middle of city life. Edward agreed to stay with me for a couple weeks, while Alice stayed with his parents. We used that time to reacquaint ourselves with one another more…intimately and look for the perfect place to live. We managed to find a quaint cottage in Glendale and instantly fell in love with it. While I started the process of purchasing the home, Edward sent out applications to various schools in the area. I had no doubt he would be able to find a job teaching music. He's an incredible musician and any school would be lucky to have him. He eventually found a great job at the KIPP Academy of Opportunity. After his final interview, when he was offered the job, he returned home walking on air. He couldn't stop talking about all of the exciting things he had in store for his students.

In the midst of planning domestic bliss with my domestic partner, I made a point to contact Riley and tell him what happened between me and Edward. He didn't seem too surprised and told me he always felt I kept him at arm's length. At first he thought it was to protect myself from getting hurt, but now he realized it was because my heart still belonged to another. I felt horrible. He truly cared for me and I hated that I hurt him. He's a great guy and I had no doubt that he would find someone just as a great to love him.

About a month after we closed on the house, Edward and Alice packed all of their belongings and joined me in California. I was ecstatic, but also a little nervous. Alice liked me, but I wasn't sure how well she'd take to me on a permanent basis. I needn't have worried. Alice was a bouncing ball of love and happiness from the start. She thought moving to L.A. was a big adventure and took to the new environment and our new family instantly. I couldn't imagine Edward not being in my life, but I also couldn't imagine not seeing that little girl's big brown eyes and smile every single day. She truly was a joy.

Edward and I fell into a very comfortable routine together. It was as if all those years apart had never happened. I was more in love with him now than I had ever been and he showed me, in every way imaginable, that he felt the same.

It's amazing how your life can change so drastically in the blink of an eye. Who would have thought all those months ago when I decided to send that innocuous email to Edward we would now be together and happier than ever. I'm so glad I took a chance and am so incredibly thankful his love never wavered.


To: jwhitlock(a)emailco(dot)com
From edwardacullen(a)emailco(dot)com
Subject: Just Because
Date: March 13, 2012 12:04 p.m.

Hey, love.

I know I've never mentioned it, but I wanted to tell you how unbelievably grateful I am to you for writing that email two years ago today. Your kind act not only set the wheels in motion for our reunion, but also allowed me to take long hard look at myself and the type of life I wanted to live. I thank God every day that you're here loving me and making me strive to be a better father, partner, and man.

I love you with all my heart.

E

The end.

x~x~x~x~x~x~x

*sniff* I can't believe it's over! I have really enjoyed writing this story and I'm glad I could share it with all of you. Your reviews have been incredible and they always brought a smile to my face. Thank you so much for supporting this story and loving the characters as much I do!

For those of you who can't get enough of our Jasper and Edward, I've decided to write a few outtakes so you can get glimpses into the guys' past (remember Edward having to use "extreme measures" to wake Jasper up in the morning *giggle*) and future. Bella's decision to leave Alice behind will also be explained, so be on the lookout for them! I'll post them with this story, so if you're interested, make sure you have Bittersweet in your story alerts.

If you haven't watched the film, Waiting for "Superman", I highly recommend it. You will never look at education in the United States the same ever again. It was from that movie that I learned about the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools. They are incredible charter schools that foster learning and success in each of their students. I knew my Edward would find teaching children about the wonder and beauty of music at these schools very rewarding. If you'd like to learn more about KIPP, please see the link in my profile.