Title: Living Life

Summary: When Edward fell for Bella he knew his life would change forever, watch as he navigates this life with just love and a plan.

Rating: M because we all love our OCD lovin'

Pairing: It's always going to be an E/B story

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own these characters. Although I wish I did.

Chapter 14 – Edward
Boys Night Out

"We are the champions" Seth sang as we walked out of the stadium. He and Charlie had their arms wrapped around each other as the group of us walked towards the car. There were six of us in total, Dad, Charlie, Seth, Emmett, Jasper and me. And despite it being a bit awkward at first with Emmett I was really enjoying myself. Bella's father was becoming less intimidating the more time I spent around him when he was drunk. He seemed more willing to admit he didn't hate me when he had a couple of beers in him and the more times I was around him, I became more confident. It was helping me look like a man worthy enough to marry his daughter.

I know he already told me I could go ahead and do it but I wanted to make sure he didn't change his mind and he was assured that I was strong enough to care for his daughter.

"Oh shut it." Dad told him and I laughed.

"Don't be a sore loser Carlisle." Charlie told Dad as we walked towards the taxi rank, we wouldn't all fit into one car and most of us had been drinking.

We had gone to the baseball game tonight and the Mariners had hammered the Cubs, in a way that made me cringe. But it was just a friendly game so it wasn't too bad.

"So gentlemen, who is up for heading to a bar?" My Dad asked us. Charlie seemed up for it straight away fishing into his pocket to call Sue.

"Sure" Jasper said. "Just let me call Ali." He said quickly causing us all to chuckle as he started fishing for his phone in his pocket.

"Well Rose went to her parents with Parker so I'm in the clear." Emmett explained although he seemed to be a bit off. Maybe he was feeling awkward because this was the first time he had hung out with me in over a year or something, but there was definitely something going on in Emmett's head. He had been quiet all evening.

"I'm up for it" Seth said so everyone turned to me.

Oh gosh, a bar? Not exactly my comfort zone but I would be with four men who I felt pretty comfortable around so it wouldn't be too hard. My palms were sweating a bit. I looked towards Jasper who gave me a reassuring smile. He had really been a great friend in the past year and I don't know what I would have done without him. Plus he was always willing to give me that little extra push that I sometimes needed. Bella would be more inclined to let me go at my own pace when trying new things; Jasper was more likely to nag me until I did it.

Emmett noticed my exchange with Jasper and for a second I saw him look a bit angry, was that jealousy? I wasn't going to speculate on that though and let it ruin my night though.

Looking around at the group that had assembled with me tonight I decided that going to a bar wouldn't be too difficult a feat.

"Yeah" I said nodding and I felt Charlie's hand clap on my shoulder encouragingly. At first I had been so intimidated by Charlie, but in the past year we've both realised we both had Bella's best interests at heart and that made it easy to form a friendship. Plus Charlie didn't care that about my other stuff as long as it didn't hurt Bella, he had made that very clear from day one. "I just gotta..." I began and he nodded.

"Let her know our team won." He teased and I rolled my eyes.

I pulled out my phone and dialled Bella's number.

"Hey you how was the game?" she answered sounding somewhat tired.

"It was good. We were slaughtered." I said and Dad cursed under his breath while Emmett murmured something about being robbed.

"You better not be pulling my daughter into that 'we' crap Cullen. She's a Mariners girl." Charlie said and Bella chuckled.

"I'm going to follow the advice of the man with the gun." She said and I laughed.

"How was your night?" I asked her.

"Alright, I had Landon and Blake tonight; Alice had to work late so I got Blake to help me with some baking while Landon did some assessment tests on the computer. He's actually doing really well."

"That's great." I said "So what are you doing now?"

"Just typing up some stuff for the centre, I'm doing the want ad. I need to start lining up a staff." She explained. "What about you? Are you on the way home or...?" she asked.

"Well we were actually thinking of hitting up a bar." I explained.

"Look at you out socialising, making friends." She said and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I'm related to two of them" I answered.

"Edward has friends, Edward has friends." She teased me and I laughed. "Okay well if you're going out I'll probably be asleep when you get home. I'll take the key out of the back of the door." She said.

"Okay, see you later Love." I told.

"Love you" She called. "And remind my father he is no longer a bachelor and that he must behave. This means I don't want to hear tales of drunken debauchery." She added.

"I will, love you too bye." I said before hanging up.

"So you allowed out?" Dad teased me.

"Are you?" I asked back.

"Touché." He said and I laughed.

"Charlie I've been told you have strict instructions not to engage in any drunken debauchery." I told him.

"That girl is always trying to ruin my fun." Charlie said as Jasper chuckled.

"Let's go boys, hand your permission slips to the teacher on board." Seth teased as he hailed up a mini-van taxi cab.

"You're just jealous Seth." Jasper said.

"Why? I have a girlfriend. I'm just not whipped like you poor fuckers."

"Ten bucks says he has doves at their wedding because she tells him it's romantic." Charlie murmured to me.

"I'll take that bet." I said and he chuckled as we climbed into the cab.

Seth could be the biggest sap when it came to his girlfriend Claire. She was out tonight with her friends, the only reason he didn't have to call her was because he had been texting her all night. He liked to think he was tough but he wasn't.

Jasper gave the driver an address to some bar and we chatted about the game as we made our way there. While the others talked I filled Jasper in about Landon. Jasper could joke with the best of them but when it came to his boys he was fiercely protective and proud of them. To find out Landon was doing so well was amazing for Jasper and I'm sure it added to his night.

Once at the bar we ordered beers and commandeered a table near the back.

"So when are Angela and Ben flying in?" Jasper asked me.

"The week before Christmas." I explained.

"Landon has been bugging me about seeing Abby." He explained and I laughed. Despite the age difference Landon and Abby had become friends over the summer when we had all vacationed together up in my parents' cabin.

"Ooh are we seeing a Cheney- Whitlock wedding in the future?" Charlie teased and Jasper paled.

"Don't even joke about that. If Alice and Angela heard about that... they are crazy... and not to mention Bella. She's the worst." Jasper said.

"I resent that." I told him.

"Edward you have to admit she can be somewhat insane." Jasper said.

"Yeah but only I'm allowed comment on it." I said and Charlie looked at me "In my head, where she'll never find out I did." I added quickly and my Dad chuckled.

"Can anyone say whipped?" Emmett asked and I laughed.

"Yeah I am." I admitted "But I have to say it gets a lot easier once you admit that you actually don't own your own balls." I said taking a sip of my beer.

"So Edward, not to sound like a woman but when are you going make an honest woman out of that girl of yours?" Dad asked again me and Charlie glared at my father.

"Is Mom like paying you or something? Every time I see you, you ask me. I've already told you but you won't accept it." I told him.

"You know how you fix that Edward?" Emmett asked.

"How?"

"You make an honest woman out of her." He said and Seth nodded "And then they'll stop bugging you."

"Yeah right, Bella and I will be married two minutes and Mom will be expecting a grandchild." I said and Dad seemed to think about it for a second before nodding.

"But its okay, my new sister is baby crazy, your Mom will be nothing compared to Bella." Seth said and I nodded at that.

"That is very true." I said.

"Hey, hey, hey. That 'girl of his' is my baby girl." Charlie said pointing to his chest when he said 'my' "He can take his sweet ass time in getting married as far as I care. As long as there are no grandbabies out of wedlock, right Edward?" Charlie asked me. "Edward and I have had discussions about this many a time."

"Yes Sir" I said.

"You do at least have a plan though? Right?" Jasper asked me.

The irony that on what was my first boys' night out ever and we were talking about marriage proposals and babies was not lost on me. Weren't we supposed to be talking about sports and our respective partners in another way? Granted I didn't want to hear it because two of the people there tonight were married to my mother and my sister, but wasn't that the social norm?

"Yes but if I tell you, you'll tell my sister and then it's not a secret anymore." I told him and he seemed to be thinking about it before nodding. He then turned to Seth to talk about something while I nursed my beer. I wasn't a big drinker and I didn't want to waste my Sunday with Bella, sick in bed so I was pacing myself.

Happy that the focus was now off me I sat back in my seat and just calmed myself. It was really crowded in this bar.

I began feeling a bit claustrophobic and was looking for an out when I noticed my brother.

Emmett was leaning back in his seat looking dazed. He wasn't talking to anyone and was just sitting facing straight ahead, almost as if he was in a trance.

"Em?" I asked him causing him to look up. "Want to go outside for some fresh air?" I asked him and he nodded. The others were all in the midst of conversation and Emmett looked like he could use the fresh air too. Jasper and Seth had known each other for awhile now, seeing each other at things with me and Bella. Dad and Charlie were also fairly close, so Emmett was the odd man out tonight and it showed. He seemed to just want to get out of there. We grabbed our coats and walked out of the bar past the smokers and breathed in the cool crisp air of winter. "Something on your mind?" I asked him.

"Just hearing you talk about marriage and babies... it's still a bit weird for me." He said. "To me you're still 'never going to marry, never going to date' Edward Cullen. It's what you said for so long, it's still strange to hear you talk about an alternative, where you're planning marriage and babies." He said shaking his.

"A lot has changed Em" I told him "But there's something else bothering you." I said knowing him too well, we may not have talked for over a year but I did know him for twenty seven years previous to that. "Did something happen with Rosalie?" I asked. I knew they were having some problems, and that they had been trying to have another baby. I just hope they were working through them.

"She's pregnant." He said before looking back at his feet.

"Wow that was..." I said before stopping myself, unsure at what to say.

"Quick right? It is quick? Like Parker is going to barely be one and then we're going to have not one but two more babies."

"But weren't you trying to have another baby?" I asked him.

"Yeah just one, not two!" He exclaimed before looking up apologetic.

"It's twins?" I asked him and he nodded, the words he was saying actually sinking in. "Woah... But congratulations." I added.

"Thanks." He said. "I'm still processing though. Like we didn't think it would work so quickly, you hear about all these couples who have to 'try' and have a baby so we thought we would start and nothing would happen until the spring maybe you know? We are that bit older now. But it's just so fast. And then I think look at you, he's got it all planned out. He knows what he's doing and where he's going. I used to be that brother and now it's you. I knew that I wanted kids close together with a woman I loved but all this is happening so fast. It's scary."

"As I said, a lot has changed." I told him and he nodded.

"I think it's really only getting to me now, how much has changed." He said.

"It will work itself out though Emmett. You and Rosalie have what nearly eight? Seven?" I asked.

"She's two months pregnant" He said.

"Yeah so you have seven months to work this out now" I said and he nodded before we stopped talking. I leaned against the wall just enjoying the quiet. After spending the night out, with people it was nice just to have a moment to myself.

"So you're getting married?" he asked me, breaking the silence. He seemed to want to get his mind off of Rose and the babies.

"I still have to ask her." I explained and he nodded. "But yeah, I'm hoping this time next year we'll be months away from the wedding." I told him.

"When you going to do it?"

"After New Years, I think she knows something is coming so I'm trying to throw her off. She knows I will propose but I want to catch off guard." I said "I may not be spontaneous but I don't want to be predictable." I added. Bella had begun with dropping hints and trying to get it out of me when I was going to propose, I wasn't giving in though.

"Well if you need any help setting things up I'm happy to help" He said shoving his hands in his pockets. "Edward?"

"Yeah?" I asked turning to face him.

"I am so sorry, for everything." He said.

It was the first time he had said it. Well to me, my Mom had told me of times she had spoken to Emmett and he had told her he was sorry but he had never actually said it to me.

I didn't know how to respond. For so long I had pushed aside this thing with Emmett. Honestly I was too busy getting out and having a life and enjoying myself for the first time in the past year. I didn't sit at home and think about it all the time.

But that didn't mean I didn't have any questions about what had happened.

"Why did you do it?" I asked him.

"Honestly? I was scared. Rosie and I had just met each other and now there was a baby. And we weren't getting on so great at the time after what happened with you and me in Vegas, she thought I was being really whiney so I was just going to break it off and then she drops this on me. Edward when we had to go to that Doctors appointment for the first time we had to think of all our medical history and when we realised how likely autism was we freaked out." He said looking straight at me. "You have no idea how terrifying that was."

"But I'm not autistic, so why blame me?" I asked him. "Seriously Emmet it wasn't my blame to take. Heck it wasn't anyone's blame to take but somehow I still got landed with it. Just a couple of weeks previous you were the one telling me you were going to help me, and that you were going to make sure I got the help I needed. And then in one night my brother was gone. I didn't have him anymore. Oh and I don't know how terrifying that was? Emmett last year Bella told me that it's possible that I could pass on my OCD to my children. Do you know how scary that was?" I asked getting pissed off. I remember the day Bella told me that it was possible and how terrified I had been. But she calmed me down, like she always does. "I want to know why I got the blame." I said. Speaking of calming down what I wouldn't give to have her right now.

"Because Rosie spent her whole life making sure her brother Riley never got the blame for anything. No one is ever say anything bad about Riley to Rose and she couldn't bring herself to do it when the time came and unfortunately you were the closest target to hit." Emmett said. "We just got so caught up in everything and its only recently the weight of this really hit me. I called you sick Edward, I'm your big brother. I punched so many people out in high school and college for making fun of you, I was always the one who refused to treat you like a China Doll and then I just up and change."

"Yeah you did." I said. "Emmett I hurt myself last year after the fighting with you. And that happened before you knew Rosalie was pregnant. The night Bella found me... I just I don't want to know what would have happened if she didn't." I said and he nodded. "What you did... it took so much out of me." I said.

"No wonder you and your girlfriend hate me so much." He said looking at his shoes. "Edward that night in Vegas I was just so... drunk. You have to realise as hard as it was for you growing up, how hard it was for me and Alice." He said. "We didn't understand why you were the way you were and Mom and Dad never gave the answers. We were so afraid about what your future was going to be like. And then when Alice met Jasper you just stopped talking to her, I was afraid you were going to cut me off. And then I was frustrated because you wouldn't let me help you. I'm your big brother Edward, I'm supposed to help you and you wouldn't let me."

"I was trying; you just wanted to do it your way. You weren't ready to let me go slow. You forced it your way." I told him.

"Because it was the only way it was going to work." He said.

"No it wasn't Emmett. Look at how Bella did it. Do you think she helped me by making me hate myself?" I asked him. "No, she did it by letting me know there wasn't anything wrong with me. That she loves me despite my flaws. That's how you're supposed to do it. No by putting me down." I told him.

"I get that now." He said "Edward you don't know how badly I want to take it all back. I wish I had done it the right way. That Rosalie and I worked together and helped you the way we should have. Then maybe you would have met Bella by just hanging out with me and Rosalie. And then we could be the way you and Bella are with Alice and Jasper right now."

"So you are jealous of my friendship with Jasper?" I asked him.

"Of course I am. First he takes my sister and knocks her up and now my brother. Jeesh I hate the guy." He said.

"He didn't take Alice, he married her. Just like you did with Rosalie when she got pregnant. The only thing different is Alice won't take shit from him and he knows it. You let Rosalie get away with murder Emmett." I told him.

I really couldn't believe we were doing this standing outside a bar, in the freezing cold, in December. Like seriously why did he have to bring this all up now.

"Edward what do you want me to do? I love her." He said. "I can't help what she says; I'm not going to leave her just because she does."

"Emmett you're talking like I don't understand Love. I do get it. Do you know I nearly broke up with Bella after Thanksgiving last year? That's what you did to me. I nearly lost her because of you and Rosalie." I told him.

"What?" he asked me looking up at me "You nearly broke up with Bella? Bella who is perfect for you and everything you need in a partner? You nearly broke up with her because of me?" he asked me.

"Yeah" I said nodding "I didn't want to let myself think what had happened between you and I was real so I didn't talk about it and that pushed her away from me. She cried herself to sleep for about three weeks and I still couldn't bring myself to open up to her." I said "You are just so lucky she is so patient and so kind. She held on as long as she could, and waited for me to get back to normal. And then she told me about how alone and isolated she felt from me. You did that to us. Our first Christmas together and Bella had this thing over her head the whole time."

"I'm sorry okay." He said. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I want you to know what you have to apologising for Emmett. And I want you to know why it's going to take a long time before I'm comfortable with you again."

"I'm really happy you found her. You deserve her." He said.

"I really don't need you to tell me that Emmett." I said shaking my head. "I've learnt to do a lot of things by myself these past couple of months and your acceptance is something I can definitely live without." I told him.

He was quiet after that, he didn't say anything but I knew there was something else that he was itching to say.

"What?" I asked him.

"So help me God don't you ever think of leaving her again you idiot." He said and I looked at him shocked. "Do you know how much she has helped you?" he asked me. "If you ever break up with her, I will have no problem handing you over to her father. She's too good to let her slip through your fingers."

"I know, and that's why I'm going to ask her to marry me, so I can make sure I never let her go. Those couple of weeks nearly killed the two of us. She was just so upset and then her ex started bugging her again, it was just horrible. But I fixed it. I know I am so lucky to have her." I told him. "And I have you and Rosalie to thank for that." I told him.

"Hardly" He said with a snort.

"No, if it wasn't for you two I never would have met Bella." I explained. "I met her the day Rosalie sent her over with some tax work and dockets. And then you arranged for her to be my cat sitter." I added.

"Did I ever tell you how I met Rosalie?" he asked me and I shook my head. "Don't read too much into this okay but I was out one night and I saw these two beautiful women. So I did a coin toss in my head and decided to go with one instead of the other. It was Bella." He said

"What?" I asked him. "She never said anything..." I began feeling confused when he stopped me.

"She turned me down so fast I almost didn't realise it had happened." He explained. "What was it she said to me...? 'If I wanted a steroid junkie, I'd date a test lab monkey. At least they would have a higher IQ.'" He said and I laughed. I could imagine Bella saying that. "But she then said she had a friend who was into big arms and that night I went home with Rosalie." He said.

"So you tried to flirt with my future wife?" I asked him.

"In all fairness at the time the possibility of me hitting on your future wife was equal to me wearing heels to work." He told me and I nodded.

"She never told me." I said.

"She promised me she wouldn't." He said. "When I got with Rose. She said she would like her friend to think she was second choice. I was drunk when I made the choice."

"See even when people are douches, she's nice to them." I said "There could be hope for you to get in her good books. You know once you get into mine." I added.

I may sound like a wimp but talking about Bella made me miss her.

"I think I'm just gonna get a cab home" I told Emmett.

"I'm going to head inside." He said and I nodded.

"Tell them I'm going?" I asked.

"Yeah sure. Listen, can I call you sometime this week?" he asked me.

I thought about it for a minute before nodding.

"Yeah okay, maybe you could over for dinner or something. I'll talk to Bella." I told him.

"Cool, I'm going to talk to Rose." He said. "We need to work through some stuff."

"Let me know how that goes." I said as a cab pulled up at the curb.

"Yeah" He said.

I waved briefly before quickly climbing into the cab. I gave my address to the cabbie and then sat back with a sigh.

When the cab pulled up outside my house, I quickly paid and climb out, thankful to be home. The light was still on upstairs as I put my key in the door. When I walked inside Bella appeared on the landing.

"Hey Babe" She said walking down the stairs. "You're home earlier then I thought you would be." She said as I put my keys in the bowl by the door.

Once she was down the stairs I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her too me tightly.

"God, you're freezing, were you standing outside for a long time." She said but I held onto her. "Baby is everything okay?" she asked me.

"I talked to Emmett." I told her.

"And?" she asked leaning back.

"Can we talk?" I asked her and she nodded. I shrugged my coat off and hung it in the closet before following her into the living room. She was sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket.

I sat down beside her and pulled her onto my lap.

"What's up?" she asked me, her hand sneaking into my hair and gently scratching my scalp.

"He said he did it because he was frustrated" I told her.

"And what do you think about that?" she asked me.

"That it doesn't justify what he did."

"Good because it doesn't" She said.

"He did apologise though" I told her. "I just I don't know."

"You don't have to figure it all out tonight Babe." She said. "You do this at whatever pace you want, don't let him rush you. You were the one who stepped up and said you wanted to fix this first, so you do it your way." She said and I nodded.

"Yeah, I did say maybe we could have dinner next week?"

"With me and Rosalie there?" she asked and I nodded. "Ah you must want to clean blood out of the carpets." She said.

"We need to start somewhere Bella; it worked with Alice and Jasper." I reminded her and she sighed.

"Because Jasper is not a psycho." She said and I chuckled. "But if it's what you want I'll do it."

"I love you" I told her and she smiled hugging me to her.

"I love you too." She said kissing my lips. While we were kissing though I remembered something else Emmett had said while we were talking.

"So were you ever going to tell me that my brother hit on you?" I asked her and she pulled back looking confused.

"Um... what?" she asked me.

"Emmett said he hit on you but you turned him down, before sending him off to Rosalie." I told her.

"Oh my God, I had completely forgotten about that." She said. "How drunk was I that night?" she asked herself I was assuming seeing as I didn't know her back then. "Why did he tell you that?" she asked.

"It just came up, you honestly didn't remember? One of your better insults Love. You told him a monkey would have a better IQ." I told her and she chuckled.

"I've turned down a lot of men in bars in my day I'll have you know." She told me and I looked at her shocked. "Okay not many but still... It wasn't the first time I had done it."

"Comforting" I told her sarcastically as she snuggled against me.

"I obviously have a terrific sense of judgement though. Look at it this way I got the smarter, nicer, sexier brother." She said kissing my neck.

"Oh really?" I asked her.

"Uh huh" She said and I chuckled. "Fine don't believe me." She said rolling her eyes "But it's true."

"Uh huh" I said.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" she asked me and I shook my head. "Do you want to go to bed?" she asked.

"It's late... but I'm not really tired Love."

"I was hoping you would say that." She said standing up off the couch smirking.

"Oh really?" I asked finally understanding what she meant.

"Yeah" She said holding out her hand. I stood and practically pulled her up the stairs.

So maybe my relationship with my brother wasn't great right now but with Bella around I knew I was able to do it. She knew how to talk me down so that I didn't sit in my own head all the time and I think that's why we worked so well together.

She wouldn't let me dwell on the bad things and helped me move closer to the future, our future. Together.

So... is that what you all thought that conversation would be like?

Let me know what you all thought. Review Please.

Love The Irish Cullen