A/N: Thanks for the love and support you all have given this story. I had a great time writing it.

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6 Years Later:

I sat on the couch in the living room staring at an old picture Alice had tagged me in on Facebook. It was from right after I'd moved to Wild Turkey. I'd been so nervous and scared to move away from everything I'd ever known but in the end, it had been the best thing to happen to me. I'd met my best friends and my fiance after moving there, and I wanted more than anything to move back.

Senior year of high school, Edward and I had both been accepted to several colleges in Alabama and several surrounding states. After some long talks, we'd decided to attend North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was a little over three hours away by plane, but we'd wanted somewhere new to start the next chapter of our lives. It has been terrifying yet exhilarating to move so far from home, but it had been worth it. We both loved Raleigh and we loved the school we'd attended. However, now that we'd graduated, I was longing for home and for my family.

The year I'd started college, Charlie and Sue had married and I'd gotten a mother and a brother. My own mother hadn't contacted me since junior year of high school, and Sue was more of a mother than Renee ever was. I was beyond thrilled to have her and Seth in my life, and I missed seeing them.

I also missed seeing Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice. Sure, we were only a plane ride away, but plane tickets were expensive. Emmett and Rose had gone to school in Mobile and had graduated last year. Emmett had gotten his teaching degree and was currently teaching math at one of Mobile's high schools. Rose had gotten a business degree and was currently working at a local mechanic shop until she could afford to buy her own. They'd bought a small house in Mobile and had regular Sunday brunches with Esme and Carlisle. I had to admit I was a bit jealous.

Alice had gone to college in Macon, Georgia and was going for her Master's Degree in Psychology. She wanted to be a therapist and I thought she'd be great at it. Jasper had decided to forgo the college route and after much discussion, had joined the Navy. He'd done his four years and was now attending the community college in Macon. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but he'd gained quite a bit of experience working maintenance on the ship he'd been on and enjoyed fixing things. The two of them had a cozy little apartment and had recently gotten engaged.

As for Felix, well, he'd changed during our senior year of high school and not for the better. He and Marcus had gotten real into drugs and partying and halfway through senior year, Felix had taken off. He'd been listed as a runaway and had never come back. Charlie still kept in contact with Felix's grandparents, checking in to see if they'd heard from him. The last time they'd heard word from Felix had been four years ago. It saddened me to think about it, but it made me miss my family that much more.

"What's got you thinking so hard?" Edward asked, coming up behind me and placing a kiss below my ear.

Sighing, I leaned back and looked up at him. "I want to move back to Wild Turkey."

He came around the side of the couch and sat down beside me. "Me, too," he said quietly, pulling me onto his lap. I let out a sigh of relief when he agreed with me. The last thing I'd wanted to do was cause an argument. We'd had plenty of those over the past six years, and I'd hated each one.

"Dad was just asking me last night if we were coming for a visit anytime soon. He and Mom miss us," he told me.

"Well, I guess we should start looking for jobs then, huh?"

Edward had started off pre-med, but halfway through his freshman year, he'd realized that he hated it. Unsure of what he'd wanted to study, he'd begun taking a variety of classes before settling on a degree in Forestry and Environmental Resources. While getting his degree, he'd done an internship with a state park and loved it. He wanted to become a park ranger, and I fully supported him.

I'd gotten a degree in elementary education and had spent the past twp months trying to find a job teaching. So far, it hadn't worked out well. It was Sue who had told me that Wild Turkey Elementary was looking for a third grade teacher, and I was more than interested. I'd been waiting to see what Edward thought about moving back before I put in my application.

Once our decision was made, we applied for jobs, did interviews over the phone and sat around impatiently waiting to hear back from our prospective employers. A week and a half later, Edward got the call that the park ranger job was his if he wanted it. He told them yes right away and we began to pack our stuff. I was more than a bit bummed that I hadn't heard back from the school, but I tried to not let it get me down.

As soon as Edward had called his folks to let him know we were coming back, Esme had begun searching for a place for us to rent. They'd offered to let us stay with them, but we'd vetoed that idea. We enjoyed our alone time and I wouldn't feel right doing certain things in their house. Thankfully, his parents had understood and Esme had begun the search. A few days later, she'd called to tell us that she'd found a small house for rent right down the road from Charlie. We gladly took it.

As we packed up our small apartment, I was amazed at the amount of junk we'd managed to accumulate in the past four years. It took several trips to get everything put away in the moving truck and by the second week of August we began our drive back home. Two days, countless bathroom and food breaks, and one flat-tire later, we drove across the bridge and past the Welcome to Wild Turkey sign. I sighed with relief knowing that we were back home. Before going to check out our place we stopped by the Cullen house to let Esme and Carlisle know we had arrived.

"Oh, my babies!" Esme yelled as she rushed out of the front door and wrapped us both up in hugs. I hugged her back with all my strength and it really hit me how much I'd missed her. She'd become a second mother to me since the beginning and I'd missed her. Carlisle was next and his hug was just as fierce. We stayed and talked for a while before heading to my old house. Charlie and Sue had been thrilled to see us and offered to help us move in, but we declined. We wanted to spend our first night back in Wild Turkey alone.

With hugs and promises to see them the next day, Edward and I drove down the road and around the block before pulling our car and U-Haul into the driveway. I'd seen this house many times before over the years, but hadn't paid much attention to it. It was a small two bedroom house set back from the road and surrounded by woods.

"Welcome home, Bella," Edward said, giving me a grin before sweeping me off my feet in a hug and whirling me around.

…...

It took us a few weeks to finally get settled in but once we were, it felt wonderful. Edward had started work right away and he loved it. I just loved seeing him in his park ranger uniform and I'd taken the time to show him my appreciation more than once. I still hadn't found a job and was growing increasingly frustrated and bored. The elementary school had hired someone with more experience and I couldn't fault them that, but how was I supposed to gain experience if I couldn't get a job? It was a catch-22 for sure. I'd applied for jobs in Riverton as well, but seeing as how the school year would be starting in a week, I wasn't hopeful.

Eventually, I got a job working part-time as a library clerk in Riverton and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't really happy. Oh, I put on a good front to everyone but deep down, I was feeling a bit low. Rose was the first one to catch on and demanded that I tell her what was wrong. So over drinks one night, I did. I told her how I felt I was letting myself and Edward down and how I felt I wasn't contributing enough to our household. Being the smart woman that she was, she told me to talk to Edward. I knew she was right.

Later that night, I sat down with Edward and told him how I felt. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I explained to him how I was letting us down. With a shake of his head, he picked me up and held me close.

"We're doing just fine, love. Please don't beat yourself up over this," he begged, and I nodded, resting my head against his shoulder.

Over the next few weeks, things seemed to be going better. I was working a few more hours and I wasn't as upset or worried. Then it all started again. My hours at the library dropped back down to twenty and my mood was all over the freaking place. Not too mention that everything I ate seemed to come back up and I was afraid I was getting sick. We couldn't afford for me to be sick and take time off of work. Yes, Edward had a trust fund but he wasn't allowed to access it until he turned twenty-five, and we didn't want to rely on that anyway. We wanted to make it on our own.

Friday afternoon, I'd gone over to visit with Sue while Charlie was at work and she immediately noticed I was feeling well.

"Sit," she ordered before getting up to get me something cold to drink. She came back with a glass of sprite and a cup of coffee for herself. One whiff of that coffee had me running toward the bathroom and throwing up my breakfast.

Once I came out of the bathroom, Sue made me rest on the couch while she ran out to the pharmacy real quick. I didn't ask why she was going and I honestly didn't care. I just hated feeling so miserable. Less than ten minutes later, she was back and handed me a small bag. I took it from her and looked inside, my eyes going wide and I let out a gasp.

"No!"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you sure?"

Thinking back, I couldn't remember when my last period was and I realized that Sue just might be right and that made my stomach roll. I couldn't be pregnant. I just couldn't. We couldn't afford that right now. So with trembling hands and a queasy stomach I made my way to the bathroom. Three minutes later, I was staring at two different tests. One with two pink lines and one with the word pregnant in bold letters. We were so fucked.

A little after seven that night, I was standing in our living room, pacing back and forth and trying not to throw up. I was terrified to tell Edward and was so scared that he was going to be angry. As soon as I saw the headlights of the car pull into the drive, my stomach leaped into my throat and I bit my lip hard enough to bleed.

"Hey, sweet girl," Edward said as he came in. Walking over to me, he wrapped me up in a hug and planted a kiss on my lips. It was our usual greeting, but he must have realized something was wrong. He pulled away and asked me what had me so upset and nervous.

"I fucked up," I told him quietly as I stared at the floor. His fingers tilted my head up until I met his gaze.

"Fucked up how?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant!" I wailed before bursting into tears. Two strong, warm arms wrapped around me and pulled me in close.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly, and I couldn't tell if he was upset or not.

"I took two tests and they both said I was," I mumbled, my fists gripping the front of his shirt.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," he told me, leading me over to the couch and pulling me down onto his lap. I curled up into him, relieved that he didn't seem angry or upset with me. I wouldn't have blamed him if he was.

"How can it be okay?" I cried. "I've gone and messed everything up. We can't afford this."

"Oh, my sweet girl, you didn't mess anything up. It took two of us to get into this predicament. You didn't get pregnant by yourself. But, we will figure this out. Sure, it's a bit sooner than we'd planned, but I don't care. All that matters is that you're having my baby," he told me before placing his lips gently against mine. Our slow, soft kiss quickly turned passionate and before long Edward was carrying me to the bedroom and showing me just how much he loved me.

A few days later, the doctor had confirmed what the tests had and it looked like I was roughly nine weeks along. It was a bit too early to tell everyone but at the same time, it was hard to keep it quiet. Once we'd gotten over the initial shock of things, we'd been ecstatic. Edward couldn't wait to tell his family and I was fairly certain mine knew. Sue couldn't keep a secret to save her life, so I was almost one hundred percent positive that Charlie knew.

So that Sunday over brunch, Esme knew something was up. Edward had a huge grin on his face and he kept piling food onto my plate despite my protest. Eventually, Esme called him out on it.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We're pregnant!" Edward exclaimed and a blush took over my face the second everyone turned to stare at us. I hated being the center of attention so I buried my face in Edward's shoulder. The shocked silence didn't last long, and I was quickly engulfed in hugs from everyone and I let out a sigh of relief that no one was mad. Esme couldn't get over the fact that she was going to have a grandchild and was beyond happy for us.

Six months later, I pushed Ryan Cullen into the world after twenty-three hours of labor. I swore at that moment, he would be an only child. As I held him for the first time and looked into his little face, I couldn't believe the love I felt for him. But it was watching Edward with him that melted my heart.

Five More Years Later:

"I can't believe my baby is going off to school," I told Edward with a sniffle as I watched Ryan walk into his kindergarten classroom. It was his first day and Ryan had been beyond excited. Our boy knew no fear. He loved to learn, loved to read, and loved to talk. He was going to do great, but that didn't stop me from being sad that my little guy was growing up so fast.

"He'll be fine, love. Besides, you'll be just a few halls away," Edward told me with a gentle smile as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"I know," I said as I leaned up and gave him a quick kiss before waving goodbye. Class would be starting soon and I needed to make sure my third graders didn't destroy the room. After Ryan had been born, I'd stayed home with him for the first two years and then a teaching job had opened up. I'd gone back and forth on whether or not to accept the position and Edward had been more than supportive. He'd told me to do what I wanted and he'd support whatever decision I made. So, I'd decided to take the position and I'd never regretted it. I loved teaching and my third graders were amazing. They were so bright and full of life.

My day passed by quickly and at lunch, I stopped by the kindergarten class to see how my boy was doing. I peeked through the window and saw him sitting at a round table coloring with some other kids. I could see his mouth moving and knew he was talking up a storm. I had a feeling we'd be hearing about that.

By the end of the day, I was more than ready to see my boy and apparently so was Edward. He was standing outside my classroom door waiting for me and together we walked toward the kindergarten's room. The kids were lined up outside the door with their backpacks and lunch boxes and my little boy lit up when he saw us. He broke formation and ran toward us, his arms out and he threw himself into our arms. We hugged him tightly, smooched him much to his embarrassment, and then let him go.

The whole way home, Ryan talked and talked about how awesome his first day was and I was relieved that he'd enjoyed it so much. I had a feeling that would probably change once he hit high school.

"How about we stop by Nana and Papa's so you can tell them all about your day?" Edward asked, and Ryan's face lit up.

Minutes later, we were pulling into Esme and Carlisle's drive. I spotted Charlie's car as well as Emmett's and smiled, knowing most of the gang was there. Alice and Jasper had moved to Montgomery a few years back and it was nice having them a little over three hours away. They weren't able to make it to town for Ryan's first day of school, but I knew they would most likely Skype with him later.

As soon as the car was stopped, Ryan unbuckled his seatbelt and began to climb out of his booster seat. The second Edward opened the car door, Ryan flew out and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him up the steps and through the front door.

"I had the best day ever!" he yelled as he made his way to the living room with us following behind him.

"Well, tell us all about it," Carlisle said, picking up Ryan and putting him on his lap. Immediately, Ryan launched into his story and told everyone about his day. A tugging on my skirt had me looking down and picking up my youngest.

"I wanna go to school," Neil said, giving me a pout.

"You will soon enough," I told him, giving him a squeeze. I hated that my boys were getting so big.

We'd decided after Neil, we'd try for one more and I was currently four months pregnant. This was going to be our last.

Emmett and Rose had four girls much to Emmett's horror. He was constantly surrounded by Barbies, baby dolls, and princess themed toys. I found it hilarious. There was nothing quite as funny as seeing Emmett in a dress having a tea party with his girls. Emmett was still teaching high school math and Rose had opened her own garage specializing in classic cars.

As for Alice and Jasper, they had a little girl who was a year younger than Rose and Emmett's oldest. She was a quiet, soft-spoken little girl who had Jasper wrapped around her finger. Alice had her own practice as a therapist and absolutely loved it. Jasper had gotten a job working maintenance at the Montgomery court house and he enjoyed it. As long as they were happy, I was happy.

But, I had to admit I was a bit jealous that they all had daughters. I was hoping this one would be a girl but so far, we hadn't been able to determine the sex. We had a shy one on our hands.

Five months later, we welcomed another little boy into our lives, Conner. Both Ryan and Neil were thrilled to have a little brother, especially Neil. He'd been adamant about not having a sister. He thought girls were icky, except for those in his family.

…...

"Why can't Conner come swimming with us?" Neil asked as we spent an afternoon at the beach.

"Because he can't swim," Ryan said and I could almost see him roll his eyes as if to say duh.

"Well, he's gots to learn sometime," Neil said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Ryan, daring him to argue.

"Baby, he's not going to go swimming with you right now. Give it a few years," I told Neil who pouted before nodding and then begging Edward to take him in the water. Making sure Neil's waterwings were on securely, Edward took the boys out into the gulf. There was nothing my boys loved more than swimming. They were both like fish and since I was off during the summers, the boys and I spent a lot of time at the beach.

Cuddling Conner close and gazing out across the beach, I marveled at how wonderfully my life had turned out. I had three adorable sons, a fantastic husband, and an amazing family. I couldn't ask for anything more.

...

a/n: The end. Thanks for being awesome readers!