Okay, sorry I haven't posted in about a week now. This week has been really crazy for me! Ill try to post more often now, but I'm not guaranteeing anything! Anyways, enjoy! and comment! :)

~20~

Over the next few days, I tried to be as strong as I could for Leila. When I had gone to pick her up from day care that day the nurse called, I was as cheery as I could be, not showing a single tear or sad grimace. I wanted to go as long as I could without her knowing how sick she was. I didn't want her sickness to run her life. I still wanted her to live her life to the fullest and enjoy all that she could.

Leila had several more blood tests done, but the results hadn't come in yet, although I knew deep down inside me what they would say. It was no use getting my hopes up to see them crash down again in front of my eyes. That would only make the outcome worse.

I decided to let Leila continue to go to school. She didn't seem to be showing any signs of sickness yet and I didn't know how much longer she would have to go to school. I continued to go to work and try to block out the truth that lurked inside me. I wanted to be as distracted as possible, and thankfully, that was very much possible with work.

I took on more tasks and parties to plan, thinking that the more I busied myself, the less I would have to wake up and face the music. Only Alice knew what was really going on, and she was very much concerned.

"For God's sake, you're going to kill yourself!" she screamed at me.

"I'm not," I muttered monotone.

"Bella," she yelled, taking my arm which was hurriedly throwing stuff in a big, "You can't do this to yourself!"

"Do what?" I questioned.

"Exhaust yourself!" she shouted.

"I'm not exhausting myself," I retorted, "I'm just trying to get my mind off things."

"By killing yourself in the process?" she scowled, "Oh yeah, you'll help Leila a whole lot if you're dead!"

"Well, that will be better than my little girl dying!" I screamed back, making Alice shut her mouth and walk out of the room. That was the last time she ever criticized me for working too much.

Edward continued to come to the hotel for his meetings, or maybe at this point, it was just to see me. I would see him walking toward me down the hall and I would hurriedly turn around and walk the other way. It was cruel, but I just didn't want to deal with him and his newfound fatherly instincts to go and claim his daughter.

Finally, one day, he had me trapped. I was in my office, where I barely spent any time as of lately, when I heard the door slam shut. I looked up from my desk to see Edward scowling at me. His hair was a mess and there were bags under his eyes. I could tell that he was restless and under a constant strain.

"Excuse me, I have a meeting to go to," I muttered walking toward the door, but he stood in my way, practically growling at me.

"You're not shutting me out anymore," he mumbled.

"Please, I have work to do," I pleaded, "We can talk later."

"Oh what does that mean? Twenty years from now?" he said sarcastically.

"Please don't do this to me now," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"Make me hate you!" I yelled, "I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I run around all day, I barely sleep at night, my daughter is sick, and I feel like I have thorns coming at me from all sides! I don't want to add your shit to the mix!"

"Bella," he pleaded, "I can help you. We can help each other through this."

"You have nothing to get through!" I yelled, "She might share your DNA, but you don't even know her!"

"And who's to blame for that!" he retorted.

"Look, I'm sorry," I muttered, "But you'll have to pick your custody battles at some other time."

"I want to get to know my daughter," he choked, "before it's…before it's too late."

I sighed and knew I had no other choice but to grant him his wish. It would be a lot less stress in the long run; to not have to carry the burden all on my own.

I let my face fall into my hands and sighed, "I wouldn't even know how to bring you into her life."

"Please, just let me meet her," he pleaded once again, his voice hoarse, "If you decide it's not best for her, than I will abide by your wishes and simply walk away."

I nodded, releasing my hands from my face, and mumbled, "Fine, we can try, but it has to start slowly. I don't want to cause her anymore stress."

He closed his eyes and sighed, whispering "Thank you."

I nodded and walked back over to my desk, picking up the phone. When the familiar cheery voice picked up, I mumbled into the phone, "Jacob, can you pick up Leila from school? I have things to discuss here. I will be along later."

When he hung up, skeptical of my tone and words, I turned back to Edward, "Meet me here at 4. Right now, I have to get back to work, but I want to talk to you more before I bring you to meet Leila."

His lips turned up in a sly smile and he muttered, "I will, thank you."

I simply nodded and walked out of the door to get back to work, worried at how Leila would react to a new male figure in her life.

My hands were shaking as I walked five steps ahead of the man behind me, trying to unlock the door. I paused before opening it, looking up to the face of Edward. I met his green eyes which were full of anxiety. I could only imagine this moment for him. It would be the first time he would ever meet his daughter.

"Please remember what I said," I mumbled to him.

"I know," he whispered back and I hoped to God that he would obey my wishes. We had eaten dinner at one of the hotel restaurants after I was done working and I told him the basics of Leila, how hard I worked to take care of her and her own personality. I also warned him that he was not in any way to mention to her that he was her father. I wanted to bring him into her life slowly. She was only four, and I didn't want to overwhelm her in anyway. She couldn't handle too many things.

I finally got up my nerves and opened the door to the apartment. I walked in first, Edward following close behind me. We walked down the tiny hall way slowly, voices of laughter filling the air, as we got to the living room where Jacob sat tickling Leila on the floor.

"No, Jacob stop," Leila screamed through her laughter.

"Wow Jake, don't kill her," I muttered through laughs at the doorway of the living room. Both Leila and Jacob looked up from the floor to me and Leila bounded for me; her long brown curls bouncing as she ran.

"Mommy!" she yelled cheerfully.

"Hi, sweetie," I cooed, lifting her up into my arms. I side glanced at Edward to see him staring at her in awe. Jacob stood in front of me, curiosity and worry written all over his face.

I put Leila back down to the floor. She seemed to not have noticed Edward or didn't care. She smiled back up to me brightly, her green eyes dazzling. "Hunny," I started sweetly, "I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. This is Edward." I put my hands on her shoulder and turned her to face her father.

She still kept her smile plastered on her face, and when he didn't make any motions or say one word to her, she took it upon herself to say something. "Hi," she said joyfully, still smiling.

Edward continued to stare at her in awe and at last, his face broke out into a smile. "Hi," he muttered back. "It's," he said clearing his throat, "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," she replied politely, a little unsure as to what to do.

"Leila," I said taking initiative, "Why don't you go play with your toys on the floor while I talk to Jacob about something."

"Okay," she said to me and then turned to Edward, "Do you want to color a picture with me?"

Edward stood there aghast, his smile spreading wider across his face and he finally nodded, "Sure."

He slowly followed Leila over to the coffee table where two boxes of crayons and three coloring books littered the surface. "Here," she said handing him a Strawberry Shortcake coloring book, "You can color Strawberry and I'll color Pocahontas."

"Okay," he muttered, crouching down on the floor next to her.

Leila busied herself in her picture, but continued to babble on to him. "Jacob colored Cinderella before. We have coloring contests, and then Mommy decides whose is better. Jacob always loses 'cause he doesn't know how to stay in the lines."

I watched as Leila continued to prattle on and Edward would often throw a meaningful praise at her as he intently listened to her stories. I watched as both of their matching smiles and green eyes lit up the room. I looked at them and I knew that they belonged together.

Jacob stood next to me from the doorway and he quietly whispered to me, "He's her father, right?"

I looked up at him in shock. How could he know?

"I'm not as stupid as I look Bells," he laughed.

I smiled to him and smiled, "Yes, he's her father."

"You're doing the right thing then," he whispered, "She deserves to know her real father."

"I hope you're right," I muttered and suddenly we were interrupted by Leila's cries of excitement. "You finished your picture already?"

Edward laughed to her, "I guess I'm just a fast colorer."

"Mommy look, he finished his picture," Leila cried to me.

Edward continued to laugh and I waltzed over to where they were both sitting on the ground. "Wow, he's even faster than Jacob."

"I know," she cried again.

"Well," I started, "It's time to get ready for bed Leila."

"Okay," she muttered in defeat.

"Say goodbye to Edward," I told her.

"Bye, thanks for coloring with me," she said to him politely.

"Bye," Edward muttered back sadly. I know he didn't want to leave her yet. "It was fun."

As he got up off the floor, Leila shouted to him, "Don't forget your picture!"

"You can keep it," he laughed.

"Okay," she agreed, "You can have mine then." She hurried over to him and stuffed her picture of Pocahontas in his hands.

"Thanks," Edward said smiling down at the picture, "It was nice meeting you. I had fun."

"Bye," she said once more, "Come back and we can have more coloring contests!"

"I will," he laughed again to her. "See you later, Leila."

I walked him down the hallway to the door and he turned to face me. "Thank you Bella." His green eyes were full of joy and excitement and I felt my heart warm up at his thanks.

"You're welcome," I muttered back to him in happiness and he leaned down to throw his arms around me in a loving embrace. My heart sped up and I felt all of the love for him I kept locked in my heart flood through blood stream again. He left with one more smile to me and walked down the hall.

I turned back to the living room where Leila was waiting for me. "Mommy," she started in wonder, "Can he be my friend too?"

What choice did I have anymore? Edward had to be a part of her life. She wanted him and he wanted her. It was time to unite them at last and I felt as though a huge weight was lifted off of me. I wanted things to work out for all of us, and from the dazzling green eyes and smile that lit up the world in front of me, I somehow believed that it would.