Thanks to everyone for the reviews and favorites/alerts. Also, thank you especially to my readers who didn't give up on me, and came back even after I disappeared for a while. I'm really hoping and aiming for a thousand reviews sooner or later. They're more than eight hundred, so I'm more than half way there; thanks to all of my wonderful readers. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: All characters in this story and the Twilight Saga itself belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any songs in this story. I merely own the plot of the story.

Chapter 20: Tiny Heart

Two Months Later…

Wincing, I opened my eyes slowly, my hands almost instinctively moving down to my kicked stomach; the baby stopped kicking as soon as I put my hands on my stomach. I yawn lightly, pushing the covers off my body as I sit up in bed. I looked down at my large, eight-month pregnant stomach, smiling a little, never having regretted my decision to follow through with all of Edward and Tanya's plans. My smile fades away as I think about Edward and Tanya, the ex-spouses, or so I've been told by Alice and Rosalie.

Alice and Jasper are the same as always; a happily married couple with no real problems. Rosalie and Emmett had their baby boy – Emmett sure was proud that his 'male genes' took over – some time ago, and they named him Dale Henry Cullen, after Emmett's middle name, and after Rosalie's best friend's son, Henry, who had reminded her so much of Emmett when they had first met.

I wiped away the tears rolling down my face with my left hand. A rough piece of metal on my ring finger came across my skin, making me wince a bit. I held out my hand, looking down at my hand, scrutinizing Edward's engagement ring on my ring finger. More tears began leaking from my eyes as I remembered what had happened that night that I left.

The little black velvet box opened as it fell, breaking apart into two pieces. The top piece had a name engraved in the fabric, "Isabella Marie Swan." The bottom piece of the box had an engagement ring; full of little, sparkling diamonds with a greenish-brown stone in the middle. It was the color of our eyes. This engagement ring was for me.

I stared at the box, and more importantly, the engagement ring, in shock and fear before looking up at Edward. I began shaking my head furiously, mouthing "no, no, please, no" over and over again as he picked up the broken box and the ring quickly, and ran over to my truck. He put his hands on the window, as if he wanted to claw his way through it to get to me, his eyes pleading with me to get out of the truck, to come back to him.

"Please, Bella, please. Don't go, don't leave me. I-I'm sorry. This – the ring and telling Tanya that it's over – is your birthday present. I only gave her a final kiss, that's all. After cheating on her and leaving her, on your birthday too, it's the least I could have done for her," he pleaded with me, begging me to not leave.

I just continued to shake my head, staring at him with wide eyes as I started up the truck as fast as I could, putting on my seatbelt. After putting the truck in drive, I slowly put my foot on the gas, driving away from the house with Edward following me. His hands remained on the window, and he jogged with the drunk as I began to speed up.

"Bella! I'm sorry, please, don't do this. I-I just… I'm sorry… At least take it, I beg you, please," he shoved the engagement ring through the small crack between the top of the car door and the window, chasing after me as I started to go faster, driving away from him until I could barely see him in my rear-view mirror. I saw him panting in the middle of the road, on his knees, begging to the nothingness of air, and mouthing that he loves me repeatedly.

I sighed, and thought to myself, this is getting me nowhere…

After Edward had shoved the ring through the crack in the window, I had decided to wear it ever since. I wore it when cooking, cleaning, eating, sleeping; just about anything I did, minus bathing and taking showers. I wished so badly thought I could go back, sometimes, and get out of my truck. I wish so badly that I would have told him that I'd marry him, and that I forgive him. Maybe then, I wouldn't be so alone, but then again, I still have the baby, at least.

Then I recall all of the pain and sadness that he put me through, and I'm semi-happy that I didn't accept his apology.

I sighed again, carefully leaning forward and getting off the bed, wobbling over to my bathroom. Looking at myself in the mirror, my plain, brunette hair looked like a mess; my brown, boring eyes seemed to be filled with nothing, emptiness, and my clothes were baggy and unattractive.

I guess one could say that I wasn't in the best mood since I left Forks, and moved into a hotel near my mother's house in Jacksonville, Florida.

Grimacing, I fixed up my hair a bit, and used the restroom, taking a quick, warm shower. Afterwards, I walked out back into the main part of my hotel room, switching on the television to the news as I looked over the room service food options. Trying to be healthier, especially with being in my eighth month of pregnancy, I decided to get an omelet, yogurt, and a glass of orange juice, with some grapes and an apple.

I laid back in bed, waiting for the food to get delivered to my room as I watched the weather channel. Such excitement, considering it's almost always sunny and hot in Florida, and if it's not, it's murky and raining with a lot of humidity.

Sooner or later, the food got delivered to my room, and I began eating, switching the television channel to Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network was just about the only thing, besides my baby's frequent kicks, calls from Alice and Rosalie, and the visits to and from my mother, that could get me to really smile. The shows on Cartoon Network were just so stupid, that they were hilarious.

I was interrupted from watching television and eating when the phone began ringing. Sighing, I secretly wished for it not to be my mother. Ever since I moved down here, she'd been begging me to move in with her instead of living in a hotel.

"Bella, it's not safe for a woman to stay alone in a hotel in Jacksonville. Especially not for a pregnant woman! Please, come live with Phil and I. He really doesn't mind; you can ask him yourself," she stated with begging eyes, her hands folded in front of her, resting on her knee.

"You and Phil are newly-weds. I'm not going to intrude on that. I know you both want alone time with each other, instead of spending time with your pregnant daughter. And, I have asked Phil. He said that it was alright if I stayed with you two, but I know that he wants alone time with you. It's alright, and I will be fine by myself, mom," I had declared back to her, hoping for her to leave it at that.

I answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Bella! How are you?" Alice exclaimed back as I laughed lightly at her excitement.

"Hungry, but otherwise, I'm good. And you, Alice?" I responded back, continuing to eat my food.

"I'm good, like always. You're still eating healthy, right? I don't want to have to go down there to shove healthy food down your throat."

"Yes, I'm still eating healthy, Alice. Omelets, orange juice, fruits. Lots and lots of vitamins."

"Okay, good, just making sure…"

There was a moment of silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, but I did have a question, although I was afraid of asking it. But Alice knew what I had wanted to ask. I wanted to ask it all the times that she called, but I never would. Alice would just kind of know the question I wanted to ask, so she would just answer it without me having to ask.

"He's fine, Bella. I mean, as fine as he can be. I guess he's the same as he's been since you left. He always tells me to tell you that he's sorry, that he loves you, wants you and needs you to come back. He asks about the baby; how she's doing and what not…" she murmured into the phone, sighing lightly when she finished. I could just imagine her looking at her hands with a sad expression, her phone between her ear and her shoulder.

"So, there's nothing new to let me know then?" I asked, chewing on a piece of my omelet slowly. I was happy that Edward didn't hate me, and that he at least cares about the baby still.

"Well…" Alice hesitated.

"Well, what, Alice? Did something happen?"

"Edward got his house back, and Tanya finally moved out after they worked out all of the divorce papers. Tanya came by once to pick up something that she forgot, and told Edward that…she didn't want the baby anymore. I don't know how this is going to work out, Bella. If Tanya doesn't want the baby, and if you and Edward aren't together…then who is going to take the baby? Since Tanya took her name off the document for her to be the mother of the baby, then Tanya won't get her. Either you or Edward would get the baby. If Edward decides that he doesn't want her either, which I doubt he will, but there is always a chance, then you'd have to either keep the baby, or give her up for adoption. If you don't want her, then Edward gets her or gives her up for adoption. If neither of you want the baby, then she automatically goes up for adoption…"

"So you're asking if I want the baby." I stated directly to her. It was pretty obvious that she was asking if I wanted to keep the baby or not.

"Do you?"

"Of course I do, Alice! It's my baby. Why would I not want to keep her?"

"I don't know, Bella. I was just making sure. I mean, none of us have ever been through this, and Edward was worried about it all, and so was I, along with everyone else."

"Just…Alice, can you tell Edward something for me?"

"Depends what it is. If it's something that might break his heart even further, I'm not sure, Bella…"

"Just tell Edward that I do want the baby. Tell him that we can share her. I'll be the mother, in place of Tanya, and he'll be the father. We just…won't be together."

"I can tell him that. I'm sure that he'll be happy that you're willing to be there for her, and willing to let him be the baby's dad. Though, I'm not too sure he'll enjoy hearing that you two won't be together. You do know that he is sorry, and that he loves you, right?"

"I know, Alice. I love him too. I just…can't get over it that easily. We've been best friends for basically forever. He has broken my heart more than ten times. You can't expect me to get over it that quickly."

I could hear in the background of her phone, "Alice, do you know where the lotion is?"

"Jasper wants lotion. I wonder what for, Alice?" I chuckled gently, finishing up my breakfast, and getting up off the bed cautiously to clean my plate in the mini-kitchen the hotel had in every room.

"Bella, shush. Geez, I didn't know pregnant women were so perverted," she responded, laughing with me, "But, I do have to go now. Talk to you later?"

"Of course, and remember to tell Edward what I said."

"I will. Bye, keep eating healthy." There was a click, and then the phone died out. The beeeeping sound of the phone-line came on, and I hung up, sighing.

I was alone again. With nothing to do but work out, eat, call my friends and family, and visit Renee. I could shop for the baby, but I'd just have to move all of the stuff up back to Forks when I moved back.

Yawning, I decided to get back in bed and listen to some music. I put in my headphones, pulling the covers over my body, and cuddling into a pillow. I placed my hand on my stomach as the baby kicked against me roughly, causing me to flinch. The baby didn't kick anymore – I've never actually felt her kick against my hand – as I rubbed leisurely and tenderly. I thought about everything that has happened over the past nine months; eight of which I was pregnant.

I've never wondered whom I would have children with in the future. I just always thought it would be with my husband. Not with my best friend.

A best friend whom just got divorced with his now ex-wife, and I'm in love with. But as I looked down at my enormous stomach, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision I had made eight months ago. Even if the father is far away in Forks, Washington and I'm in Jacksonville, Florida.

The baby kicked constantly. Until I put my hand on my stomach. The baby did not kick anymore. It wouldn't kick for me because it didn't like me. It just couldn't see how much I loved him or her. How my beating heart makes its tiny heart beat.

But no matter how much this baby hates me; no matter how little I know about taking care of a child, I was going to have beautiful baby, and be a mother to it, because the real mother didn't want it.

Tiny heart, stuck inside yourself,
When will you open up?

Your lips touched every hand but mine,
In the shadows you slept fine,
When will you get back to me so we can rest?

When you choose me, I'm waiting for you,
Always waiting.

-Tiny Heart:Flyleaf

There ya go. I hope everyone liked this chapter, and that it was up to everyone's standards.

Also, I am aware that another version of Tiny Heart has been released on the new album from Flyleaf. The one that I used in this chapter, is the first version, and not the second!

Please, review! Ask any questions, and I will answer them the best that I can.

-J