Chapter 12: The Sweetest Thing
By:
Crash Hale
POV
: Bella

"I know," I whispered, responding to Alice and keeping my eyes on my babies and the man that held them in his arms.

I couldn't believe it either; Aiden fell asleep on Emmett's chest without so much as asking for me. Evan surprised me even more by snuggling up to Emmett's side to lay down. He had been so cautious all day that the sight made me smile, knowing he was coming out of his shell. It was amazing. They had both taken on such a liking to him, after only a day, and... I was happy about it.

The only problem I had was the slight twinge of jealousy at the fact that they didn't just need mommy anymore. They had this whole other person now. I squashed it quickly, because with parenthood, comes selflessness. I had to accept this... for them.

"I should put them in bed." I sighed slightly, knowing the three of them couldn't just lay there all night.

Alice nodded, placing a hand on my shoulder before she walked away, leaving me to it. I continued to watch the three of them as I walked over, "Emmett?"

"Hm?" He sighed, sounding so content. I smiled when I saw his arms tighten on their small bodies, the way mine usually did when it was time to let them go.

"I need to put them in their cribs. And you should get home," I told him. It was time for it. We had a great day together. We got somewhere today; I was slowly starting to believe him now. He wouldn't take them from me, but he'd also want them for himself, it was obvious already that he was attached to them.

I could share, right?

"Okay," He finally whispered as I moved his arm from around Evan so I would pick him up. I held Evan close as he slept, watching Emmett as he stood with Aiden, wrapping his small arms around his father's neck. I felt guilty for making them part.

We walked to the boys bedroom together and laid them down. I thought about how all day Emmett had helped me with them; nap time, lunch and everything in between. You could tell that he was born for this. Just like I was.

We may have made these boys, but it seemed that we were made for them.

"I'm glad I thought to give them a bath and got them ready for bed before the DVD," I smiled, loving the way he watched them. He seemed so comfortable here, between my, I paused and shook my head, between our boys; Like he belonged here, like they were three of a kind.

Emmett continued to watch the boys, his eyes moving from one to the other, before finally looking at me. He smiled and looked down, scratching the back of his neck and letting out a deep breath.

"You have fun today?" I asked.

He looked a little tired from being awakened from his nap, but other than that, he seemed okay. I wasn't sure how today was on him. I mean, I could tell he was happy, but there was no way of me really knowing.

"I don't think I've ever had more fun." He told me, his smile growing wider.

We stood there a second, unsure of what to do next, so I walked to the door and waited for him to follow, standing there and watching him lean in to kiss their foreheads, noticing he moved their hair back the same way I always did.

This was so surreal. It felt like life was moving in slow motion, just to make sure I understood this was where my it would all change. Hopefully a good change.

I walked Emmett to the door and we stepped out front.

"Thank you for today. It meant more than you can possibly imagine." He told me seriously, pulling his keys from his pocket.

"Of course," I nodded with a smile.

"Can I stop by tomorrow, after work maybe?" He asked.

"Yeah," I nodded again, "just give me a call beforehand."

"Okay, thanks." He smiled again, making me realize how much the boys looked like him with every one of those pretty dimpled smiles.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," I said, crossing my arms as he began to walk away, wishing me a goodnight.

"Goodnight," I gave him a small wave as he got into his car and then walked back into the house, pressing my back into the door and taking a minute to catch my breath. Things were changing so fast, I felt like I had been running all day, suddenly extremely tired.

Thankfully Alice and Jasper were in their bedroom, so I checked on the boys once more before escaping into my bedroom and getting an early night. I wasn't in the mood to explain to them what was going on. I wasn't really sure what to say yet anyway.

I slept surprising well that night, awakening to cries from the monitor by my bed. I quickly sat up, rushing into the boys' room and picking Evan up as he cried for his mommy.

"Shhh," I hushed, holding him close and moving around the room, "What's wrong? Huh, baby? Don't worry, mommy's here now." I closed my eyes and kissed his soft hair, letting my lips sit there, smelling in his scent.

His cries died down a little, but he still sobbed lightly, probably just a bad dream. It happened every once in awhile, but I was lucky, they hardly ever cried. They were both happy kids.

I looked over at Aiden's crib, seeing him sitting there, looking worried for his brother, or maybe even upset because Evan was. Their moods always affected the other.

"Hey, baby." I gave him a smile, leaning in and brushing his hair back with my fingers, still holding Evan, until his sobbing stopped.

He wiped his face, just pushing the slobber around more, then looked at me like nothing was wrong. I loved that about children, it was so easy for them to get over things.

"Mama!" Aiden finally demanded attention when he noticed Evan was okay, "Up!" I shook my head and sighed with a smile, reaching in and helping him out. We all held hands and went into the kitchen to have breakfast before their morning bath.

Jasper and Alice were rushing around the kitchen, both having slept in late. They managed to kiss the boys hello, hand me a coffee and then kiss the boys goodbye. I sat with the boys and helped them eat while I drank my coffee, thinking of yesterday; Emmett at the table with us. It felt comfortable.

My iPhone buzzed from across the table and I reached for it, smiling when I saw a text from Emmett. He must be missing the boys.

How are the boys this morning? How are you? - Emmett.

I looked up at the boys, deciding to surprise Emmett with a photo. Sometimes photos were better than words, at least I though so.

I laughed while looking at the photo I was spending; Aiden was almost eating his hand off while shoving food in his mouth and Evan was holding his out, as if studying it.

Very hungry, I see. What about you? Still love me even though I didn't bring you coffee this morning? - Emmett.

Tease.

I took a deep breath, texting back.

No. I guess I love Alice this morning. She made my coffee. I'll see you later. Have a good day. - Bella.

"Okay, boys. All done?" I asked.

With excitement, Aiden accidentally knocked his food over, "Oops, mama." He giggled, covering his mouth.

I cleaned up after them, reading my text before taking them down from their chairs.

Thanks. You too. - Emmett.

I cleaned the boys up, and changed into some clothes for the day myself. The day went on like any other, only today there was a lot of "daddy" talk. Aiden mostly, asking where Emmett was, and Evan even asked me shyly once.

They couldn't possibly be used to him after only a day. It was sweet that they liked him so much though, made things easier, at least for them to adjust to the whole thing.

The boys finally took their nap, allowing me time to workout, shower and dress in yoga pants and a white T-shirt.

My cell rang as the boys called for me too. I answered on my way into the bedroom. It was Emmett, asking when it would be okay that he come over.

I told him any time was good, and there was a knock on the door by three in the afternoon, shocking me as he stood there, still in his suit, untucked and without the tie and jacket, his hands full of Toys 'R Us bags.

"Daddy!" Aiden yelled, running into Emmett's legs.

Emmett's face light up, looking down at Aiden, "Hey, buddy. Missed you."

I pulled Aiden away from Emmett, so that he could walk in with the bags and sit them down.

"Did you like... even work today?" I asked with a laugh. He seemed shopped out. It was weird seeing anyone other than Alice with this many shopping bags.

"Kinda," He shrugged, "There's more in my car." He said.

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped slightly, looking at my living room, the boys already digging into the bags.

"Hey, little man." Emmett went over to Evan, messing up his hair and then placing a hand on Aiden's back as he kneeled down by them. "You like that one?" He asked as Evan pulled a toy out of it's box.

Evan nodded and looked down, holding the toy tight to his chest.

"Say thank you, boys." I told them, still standing where I had been all along, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"Thanks!" Aiden threw his arms around Emmett's neck.

Emmett laughed and held him close, hugging him in return.

"Thank you," Evan said softly, looking at Aiden and Emmett hug. Emmett turned to him and kissed the top of his head, rubbing his back.

"Should I go get the rest?" He asked them.

"Yeah!" Aiden said, finally letting Emmett go, studying another new toy with Evan.

I ran my fingers through my hair, watching the boys and then looked at Emmett. He told me he'd be right back as he walked back out the front door.

He returned with more bags and then held a finger up, "One more thing."

Okay, now he was overdoing it. I think he bought out the whole store by the looks of it. The boys were swimming in new toys on the living room floor, laughing and having fun.

Emmett returned with a somewhat large box, closing the front door behind himself and coming to stand with me. He watched the boys with a smile for a second before turning to me again. I was about to explain to him that this was way too much, when he started speaking first.

"The woman at the store said this was the best. I'll show you." He told me, unpacking it now to reveal an extremely nice... and expensive, may I add, stroller for two. It seemed easy enough to put together, because he did it in no time.

He started explaining how the wheels worked and what made this stroller so much safer than the others. I was stuck for words, the boys yelling with joy for every new toy they got their hands on and Emmett still explaining it all to me.

"I..." I started, but stopped, not sure what to say.

"And see?... It even has a place for your coffee... right here," He gave me a charming smile, making me swallow while trying to think of what to say. Okay, I know he was trying to be sweet and teasing me about the whole I-think-I-just-fell-in-love-with-you coffee thing from yesterday, I'm pretty sure I'd never live that down, but this was insane.

His smile died down as he watched me. I was afraid that he was about to get upset at my lack of excitement. But really, the boys were excited enough for us all.

"This is... really, really sweet, Emmett... But you gotta slow down, okay?" Everything was happening so quickly, and I had no idea how to take it all in.

I decided to explain before I upset him, "It's just that, the boys aren't used to... this, not even at Christmas. I think you just tripled the amount of toys they own... I know you want to spoil them," God knows he could, "But just try do it in smaller doses next time... Okay?" I asked, biting my lip.

My chest hurt a little, knowing he was only making up for lost times. I'd probably be reminded of this often; reminded that this was the way that it was because of me and my decisions, but I would try not let it upset me. It would not help anything.

He nodded in understand, not seeming too upset.

"It is sweet though. They're having the time of their lives over there." I smiled when I saw how happy my boys were, "You should go join them." I told him.

He put his hand on my shoulder for a second, giving me another smile before going over, down on the floor with the boys.

"What's this?" I heard Aiden ask, trying to pull something out of a bag. He finally just ripped the bag off the box.

My eyes widened again as I walked over and looked down at everything, but mainly the box Aiden was now sitting on.

"You got them a Wii?" I asked.

Emmett just nodded.

"You know they're two, right?" I asked with a laugh.

"I know... I guess I didn't think it through as well as I thought I did... I originally wanted to get them an Xbox, it's way more fun than the Wii, but the guy at the store said that he's never sold an Xbox for a two year old before, so I figured a Wii was the safer bet." He explained himself, now helping Evan unwrap something, "There you go, buddy." He messed up his hair.

I sat down on the couch, having a nice view of the three of them playing now, pushing hair from my face and letting out a deep breath. He was such a big kid himself, having as much fun with the toys as the boys were.

Evan and Aiden were laughing at him as he pretended to be shot in battle while they aimed toy guns at him. They were practically climbing on top of him, laughing harder when he scooped them both up and held them upside down.

"What do you think, mama, can we go outside?" He asked me, both boys giggling.

He was really good with them, it amazed me how much so actually. It was really heartwarming to watch.

"Yeah, yeah... I'll open the door." I walked ahead of them and laughed as he took them outside, chasing them around the big backyard playfully, until they both grabbed onto his legs and held on tight. These two didn't need toys to have a good time; They just needed daddy.

I left for a minute, in need of my camera to capture this. I wanted to remember today and I think Emmett would like it too. With my camera in hand, I walked back out to the backyard, taking a few dozen shots as they played together.

I could tell he was a good guy by the way he treated them, and by the way he was treating me. It was easier to believe, as the minutes with him went by, that he really did just want to help, wanted to know them and be here. It was nice with him here.

I loved watching the boys with him. It was different to watching them with Jasper or Jacob. Although they knew Emmett for a lot less time, they still seemed to sense that he was more to them than any other man. They had always been smarter than other kids their age. I guessed they took after daddy there too.

"Be careful, guys!" I called out once they were both hanging off his back. I took another couple of shoots and sat my camera down, deciding to go over.

I laughed as I took Aiden from Emmett's back, hugging him tight as he held on around my neck, being a sweetheart and kissing my cheek, leaving a slobber mark. Emmett laughed at me as he carefully moved Evan over his shoulder and into his arms, all of us settling down.

"Should we get Emmett a drink?" I asked the boys, "I think you all need a break." I didn't want Evan over doing it. That's the last thing we needed right now.

"Apple juice, apple juice." Aiden told me as we all walked back inside.

"Hey, guys!" Alice smiled cheerfully as we entered the kitchen.

Aiden reached for her and I handed him over, quickly going to get us all drinks as Alice and Emmett began a pleasant conversation about the boys.

Jasper entered the kitchen minutes later, kissing my cheek and nodding a hello at Emmett.

"Hey, man." Emmett nodded back, and that was that. Well, at least Jasper didn't say anything. I could tell he was wary of Emmett for some reason.

"I was thinking about ordering in tonight... Like Italian maybe. You want to stay for dinner, Emmett?" Alice asked, looking over at me to make sure what she asked was okay.

"That sounds nice. Thank you." He gave her dimpled smile. I really liked how much he seemed to be smiling today. And I realized that so had I.

"Great! Aiden and I will make a call." She told us as I handed her Aiden's sippy cup, "Won't we, Aiden?" I heard her say as she and Aiden left the kitchen.

Emmett sat down with Evan in his lap, kissing the top of his head as I sat Emmett's water and Evan's sippy cup down before them.

"Just so you know," I quickly put in, "Ev has asthma."

"Wow," He said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously while watching Evan take his drink, "me too." he finished quietly.

Wow, was correct. Any hopes I had of this being something that would just pass with age for Evan went right out the window. He got asthma from Emmett, and I had never known. Of course, I had no way of knowing until now. But the doctor was wrong, this wasn't something that would just pass with age.

"Oh," Even I could hear the sadness in my voice as Emmett kissed the top of Evan's head again, treating him real gentle now, maybe even looking guilty of the fact that he had passed this onto our son.

It would be okay. I'd take care of my babies and nothing would ever happen to them. We'd take care of them together and they'd be safe and healthy as long as we had a say.

"Want a drink, Jaz?" I asked, looking away from Emmett and Evan finally.

"No," He shook his head as he moved around the kitchen, "What's with the living room full of toys?... And I think I saw a Wii as well." Jasper asked.

I laughed while shaking my head at Emmett. He just shrugged and kept speaking quietly to Evan who would nod or smile back at him.

"Emmett here went a little overboard." I smirked while he smirked back now.

I looked to Jasper and saw him giving us a weird look. I bit my lip and decided he was right. I was acting a little too comfortable with Emmett so early on. I should stop.

"Okay, it will be here in half an hour, guys." Alice called out.

I called back our thanks and Emmett and I took the boys back down to the floor to continue playing with the toys until the food arrived. Emmett had all three of us laughing the entire time and I was having as much fun as the boys were, but I knew that was just because my boys were so happy.

The food arrived and Jasper and Alice set everything up. I had never been this thankful for Alice's chattiness; she spoke to Emmett about her work, about Jasper's, about mine and about his business. It felt a strange talking about a multibillion dollar company and having the owner of it all at your kitchen table, feeding your children.

But he wasn't just any old billionaire; He was the father of my children, and that was the only thing that mattered to me. This man was a lot better than I gave him credit for. Almost too good to be true.

Emmett helped me bathe the boys and get them ready for bed, helping put them down before I walked him out the front door again.

"You must be exhausted," I sighed. He was still in his dress shirt and pants, looking like he had been dragged through countless playgrounds with the boys.

"No... You do it everyday, right? You don't look exhausted." He stated, scratching the back of his head; A sign of tiredness.

"Well, I've been doing it for awhile." I told him.

"Yeah... I guess I have to get used to it." He smiled to himself, "Hey... Look, I'm sorry if I overexcited them with all the toys and stuff. I hope I didn't make your job any harder. And I hope Evan's okay." He apologized.

"Don't be sorry. I like seeing them that happy. But next time, I think you'll be enough. They have a great time with you."

He seemed so happy with my statement, his face lighting up slightly and looking less tired, "Yeah? I have a great time with them too... They are... more than I could have ever asked for. I feel really lucky when I'm around them."

"I know the feeling, so do I..." We could stand here all night talking about how great the boys were, but he needed to be on his way.

I quickly explained about Evan's asthma over the last few years. Emmett told me it got better with age. He never had many attacks now that he was an adult and he assured me Evan would be alright. After all, Emmett had asthma his whole life and he was fine. I was grateful for the talk and felt a little better about the whole thing.

"So..." I took a deep breath, not sure if we were done talking or not.

"I was thinking we can grab some coffee in the morning, just catch up a little. I have a meeting at ten tomorrow, so I don't need to be in until about nine thirty. Are you free? The boys can come along, or I could bring the coffee here if that would be better for you." He asked.

"Ah, yeah, tomorrow would be good actually. Alice has Fridays off so she likes to hang out with the boys anyway. Should I meet you somewhere?" I asked.

"I can pick you up. How's seven thirty? Too early?"

"Oh, no. It's great. I'll see you then." We said our goodbyes the second night in a row. It felt a little more natural tonight. Not as new as last night.

I walked to the living room to clean up all the toys and take them into the playroom. Alice and Jasper were talking quietly on the couch, stopping when I entered. I smiled at them and began to pick up some of the toys.

"You've been smiling a lot tonight," Alice said in a somewhat teasing voice.

I shot her a look before continuing my clean up, walking back and forward from the playroom and the living room a couple of times before they stopped me.

"Bells, we haven't even talked, I mean really talked, for a couple of days. What's going on with Emmett and the little ones?" She asked, turning away from Jasper while he kept his arm around her waist, both of them giving me their attention.

I sat the stuffed toy I had just picked up into my lap as I sat down, playing with the soft fabric, "They're just getting to know each other... But they already love each other, it's the sweetest thing. I never thought I'd feel so happy watching the three of them, but I also never though he'd be like this... He's so excited about everything. He's a good guy. It's easy for me to see that now." I looked up at them and finally stopped smiling, "I just regret keeping them apart now, knowing how close they already are. They could have had him all along, if it wasn't for me." I hoped that one day, when they were old enough to know what happened, they wouldn't hate me for it.

"I know, honey. But you can make up for it now... Just," she paused and sighed, "we just want you to be careful, okay? I don't want you to get hurt. This is all such a big deal, so much legal stuff will be involved now." Alice said, her eyes showing her worry. She had been with me through everything, this affected her too.

"No, not really." I shook my head, believing Emmett was trustworthy when it came to that, "We're doing everything privately. No court involved." In a sense at least. All the money stuff was being done through his lawyers and he wasn't asking for any legal right over them... yet...

I knew it was too soon to think about that, but I would and I'd let him know when I was ready to take that step.

Alice gave me a kind smile and nodded, "Just be careful. And remember I'm here, we're here, if you need us." I knew they were, they had always been.

"I always need you, Ali." I returned her a smile, "Thanks, guys. I love you both."

I had noticed how strange Jasper was being. He didn't like Emmett and I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because of that night, because I left with Emmett when he told me not to. There were lots of reasons really. But those reasons honestly didn't matter. He couldn't sense how I was feeling, how Emmett was feeling and how much the boys loved him already.

"I'm just gonna finish cleaning this up and go to bed, I'm tired." I told them, excusing myself from the short conversation.

I finished putting all the new toys away, including the pretty awesome stroller, smiling to myself as my fingers moved across the coffee holder. I sighed and closed the play room behind myself.

The boys were fast asleep, so I gently kissed them once more, pushing their soft baby hair from their foreheads as I did so. I looked back at my angels for a little while longer before making my way into my own bedroom.

I woke up early, having had a good nights sleep. I took a quick shower, dried my hair, put some mascara on and dressed in some skinny leg ripped jeans with one of my simple gray v-neck Kings of Leon T-shirts, throwing on a black cardigan. I figured it was just coffee, no need to dress up.

I got the boys up and ready for their day before handing them over to Alice. She prepared their breakfast while I put a load of laundry in, waiting for Emmett to arrive.

He arrived just before seven thirty, asking if it was okay he say good morning to the boys.

"Of course," I walked him over and watched as he kissed them hello. Aiden kissed back, showing his excitement and Evan said a soft hello, wrapping his arms around Emmett. Evan closed his eyes and sighed softly, and then he smiled and looked up at me. I gave him a wink and then kissed them goodbye.

"I'll be back soon. You have fun with aunty Ali. Be good." I pointed at them and pulled a silly face I knew they liked.

They laughed and went back to eating. Aiden starting to talk with his mouth full, "Ah! Eat your food first, baby." I reminded.

He quickly ate, sipping his juice before starting again, "Daddy come back with mama?" He asked.

Emmett and I looked at one another, he let me answer, "No, baby. Daddy has to work, okay?" I kissed him again, giving Evan another as well, then quickly hugged Alice.

Emmett dragged behind me, still waving at the boys, then finally joined me outside. He jogged in front of me and opened the car door for me, "Thanks." I smiled and slipped into the soft leather, running my hands down the seat, remembering the last time we were in a car together.

This car was different to the old classic he had back then at the club. This car was for grown business men, but it was still very nice. I decided not to comment on the car, thinking it might get awkward.

"Starbucks sound good?" He asked as he pulled out of my driveway.

"Perfect," I smiled at the thought of coffee. It was safe to say that it was one of my addictions.

"So... Who are the Kings of Leon?" He asked, looking down at my T-shirt before back at the road before him.

I looked down too. The writing was small, but still readable, "Oh, Kings of Leon, just a band I really like." I shrugged, "They're awesome." I added, feeling very underdressed while he sat by me in his Armani suit.

"I'll have to check them out." He said.

"Armani?" I asked, motioning to his suit.

He laughed slightly and gave me an odd look.

"What?" I asked defensively.

"This isn't a bad thing, I swear. But you don't seem like the kind of girl who knows a designer by looking at the suit." He said, and he was right.

"Well, I do live with a designer. I guess Alice rubbed off on me. Her favorite thing to do in high school was guessing what stores everyone shopped at... Yep, lots and lots of lunch breaks spent listening to her determine that no one in Forks knew how to dress themselves..." I trailed off, realizing I was rambling.

After a moment of silence, he spoke up again, "Well, you were right; it's Armani... Here we are." He said, pulling into the parking lot.

He asked me what I wanted and went on inside while I got us a table outside. My iPhone rang as soon as I sat down. I answered right away, seeing it was Jacob.

He was just checking in, telling me the money from my recent sales was in my bank account. I told him I'd be in later today, we agreed to have lunch together, so I'd see him later and we could talk a little. So much was new in my life and he was always good to talk to.

By the time I was done, Emmett joined me with two grande cups of black coffee.

"Thanks,"

"You gonna fall in love with me again this morning?" He teased, laughing as he sat down and placed his keys and blackberry on the table.

"Am I ever gonna live that down?" I asked, feeling the heat in my cheeks.

"Nope." He told me, sipping his coffee.

I rolled my eyes and huffed before drinking my own.

"So, did you manage to get any rest last night, or did the boys wear you out too much yesterday?" I decided to change the subject as soon as possible.

"Ah... Not really. It's crazy, I can't stop thinking about them. It's the most intense love. I've never felt anything like it before..." He explain.

"Yeah, I understand... When I first felt them kick, it was like... indescribable... All I wanted was to protect them..." I trailed off again, remembering how intense the love I first felt for them was. It was so natural and warm now, comforting and what I knew the best in this world.

"What was it like? The pregnancy I mean." He asked, watching me with great interest. I could hear a sense of longing in his voice and suddenly felt like I wanted to share it all with him, wishing I could give him more than that.

"Kind of..." I searched for the words for a second before continuing, "scary and beautiful at the same time. I guess at first it was scary, knowing my body would go through this huge change over the next seven months or so... but it quickly became all about them and I could hardly care if I gained a hundred pounds as long as they were okay..."

He was smiling and listening, but I could see some of that same sadness he seemed to be carrying the other day return.

"Plus... I had to pee like every two seconds. I drove everyone insane." I laughed and he laughed with me.

"I was lucky, other than the fact that they were a little early, which is actually common with twins, everything else was fine. Alice had me on this healthy diet," I sipped my coffee, remembering that horrible diet that didn't include caffeine, of course.

"It was horrible." I finish, placing my cup back down on the table as he took another sing of his again.

"Also... My back hurt like hell, and my boobs felt like they weighed a ton..." I bit my lip again, blushing.

Fuck, Bella. Think before opening that mouth of yours!

He just smiled and told me he was sorry.

"They're okay now..." We both laughed at that too. I suddenly felt very aware of my breasts. It was odd.

"I just... I want to know all about them. It's like, I need to know... You know?" He narrowed his eyes, asking me to give him all the answers.

"You will... I'll tell you whatever you want to know... Cool?" I needed to be forgiven for what I had done to him and my babies. Hopefully I could help with this at least.

"Thanks, Bella."

"Thank you," I told him.

His brow pulled together and he asked, "Why?"

"For being better than I thought you would be..." I shrugged, hopping I didn't sound like a complete bitch. But it was true. He was better than I could have ever hoped. I could just feel all my fears slowly melting away. Sure it might be slow, but it was still a great start.

"Well, you're welcome, I guess."

His blackberry buzzed, and he quickly looked at it while I watched him, knowing I'd forever be amazed by those familiar blue eyes and dimples, blonde hair and naturally innocent yet cheeky face.

"Everything alright?" I asked.

"Yeah... just Jess, my secretary, reminding me about the meeting... but I still have time, as long as you still want to talk longer."

"I do... I want to know about you... I don't really know anything," It was scary, we shared twin boys and hardly knew anything about each other.

"I know, I don't know you either... Crazy, huh?" He raised his eyebrows and sighed.

I nodded and waited for him to tell me something, anything he wanted.

"Well, when we met, I was... different. I didn't really have any responsibilities back then. I understand life more now, it's not all about me and what I want."

I nodded, understand what he meant well.

"I'm sorry... about your grandfather. I read about it when he died... Were you close?" I asked, swallowing hard, realizing by the look on his face and the pain that returned to his eyes, that they were indeed close.

"Umm," He cleared his throat and nodded, "Pops raised me. My parents died when I was five, and my grandmother died before that also, so it was just us two... Very close." He nodded and cleared his throat again.

"I'm so sorry," my heart hurt for him, seeing how much he had been through alone, especially taking over such a huge company as his grandfather was taken from this world.

Of course I read about it all as it happened, but it was so different hearing it from the man himself; It was so much more real this way.

I reached my hand over and he let me take his into mine, squeezing it and thanking me before I let go again.

"So... How about that Wii? You gonna kick my ass at boxing or bowling or something?" He laughed, avoiding anymore serious conversation. I think that had been enough for this early on anyway. We had the rest of our lives to talk and get to know each other.

It was nice knowing that he'd be here from now on.

"Me?" I asked, "Ah, no. I don't kick ass at anything." I laughed. I was the biggest loser at those kind of things.

"Besides photography, of course." He corrected.

"I guess so." I smiled, taking my cup and finishing off my coffee.

"Well, I'll teach you a few of the games and then maybe you can beat Alice and Jasper when they play with you." He winked, causing my smile to widen.

"Sounds like a plan." I agreed, knowing he'd never be able to make me good enough to beat Jasper. Alice, maybe.

We stayed a second longer, until he finished his coffee too, then drove me back to the house.

"I'm going to cook dinner tonight," I knew he probably wanted to see the boys again, more than the short time he had this morning, "you're welcome to join us if you want. About seven."

"I would really love that. Thank you."

"Okay, so I'll see you then." I gave him a smile before getting out of the car and waving goodbye.

He drove away and I walked back into the house to spend some time with my boys and Alice before meeting up with Jacob for lunch.