Sigh…it's the end of the road for 'Painted'. I honestly didn't see this coming! Things have been moving so fast in the story and I just looked at the outline and it was then that I realized I only had one more chapter planned! I'm trying to make this one extra long for you, and I want it to span over a few months or maybe any years. We'll just have to see how this goes!

I have been meaning to update 'Best', but I just haven't been able to get around to it. I'll work on it and hopefully I can get the next chapter out tomorrow night.

So one last time, thank you to every single one of you for your love, ideas, support, compliments, criticism, thoughts, and reviews. They mean a lot to me and thank you also for sticking through this entire story, even when things got bad.

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BPOV, The Birth and Visiting:

The moment his cries met my ears, I was immediately able to relax. Our son was here, and he was healthy. I was in a haze as I watched Edward cut the cord, and watched as a nurse took our baby to get him all cleaned up. Edward returned to my side, smiling. "Hey, B." He whispered, kissing my forehead and pushing my sweaty hair out of my face.

"Hey." I said softly, letting my head drop back onto the pillow in pure exhaustion. I felt so…drained. "Is he okay?" I asked groggily, picking my head up and trying to get a look at my son.

Edward laughed and kissed me softly on the lips, framing my face with his hands. "He's perfectly healthy, love." He said, just as the nurse approached with a tightly swathed blue bundle in her arms. "Here he is." He murmured, and took our son from the nurse carefully. Edward pushed the blanket back slightly and kissed the top of the baby's head, not even bothering to contain the huge smile that was on his face. "He's perfect, Bella." Edward said to me, his voice low and laced with love and reverence.

I held out my arms and Edward gently handed me our son. And the moment that our baby was placed in my arms, I started to cry. I was so happy. It was unbelievable that I have a son, unbelievable how amazingly well my life has worked out. I had my husband and my son and a wonderful family and an apartment that Edward and I owned. We had everything that we needed and wanted. "Oh my god, Edward, I can't believe this." I said, kissing the baby's pudgy cheeks repeatedly.

Newborn babies are not all that cute. They're red in the face and caked in white stuff and their heads are a little pointy. But my son is beautiful just in the fact that Edward and I created him together. "Oh…he's so beautiful, so beautiful." I whispered, and Edward stroked my cheek gently. "I think he'll have your hair…look at this." I carefully ruffled the dusting of light brown hair that dusted the top of his head.

"Hmm, looks like it." Edward mused. "Do you want me to go get our parents and Alice and Jasper and Emmet?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah, sure. Only three at a time, please." I said serenely, not wanting to be overwhelmed.

Esme and Carlisle had been staying with us for the last week and a half, but my parents had both come when we let them know that I was in labor. My dad had come from Port Angeles, Washington, and my mom and my stepfather had come all the way from Jacksonville, Florida. I hadn't seen my parents for about a year, and I was anxious to see both of them again. Ever since Edward and I had gotten married, it was a little easier for me to see why my parents had split up. They didn't love each other like Edward and I did. If they had stayed together just for me, they would have been miserable and hateful towards each other. At least this way, they could be happy.

Edward kissed each of us, and then headed outside into the waiting room. First to join us were Esme, Carlisle, and Ed, all of them looking very excited. "Oh…" Esme was at my side first, and she kissed my cheek and then kissed her grandson's nose. "He's adorable." She said softly, and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear for me. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Edward and I said in unison.

Carlisle stepped forward next, and he kissed my cheek as well before gently touching the baby's cheek. "Esme's right, he's adorable. What's his full name?" He asked, smiling at me and Edward.

"Gavin Anthony Cullen." I said softly, cradling Gavin to my chest. At the mention of my son's middle name, Esme gently touched Carlisle's shoulder, a sad smile on her face and a glassy look in her eyes.

"He sure is amazing." Ed said, giving Edward a hug and then patting my shoulder, smiling proudly as he looked at his first grandson.

"Would it be alright if I held him?" Esme asked, and I nodded quickly, kissing Gavin's forehead before carefully holding him out to my mother in law. "Aw…so perfect." She said, holding him in her arms. "You know, he looks almost exactly like Edward did as a baby." She mused, and Ed stepped forward, looking over his ex wife's shoulder at Gavin.

He cocked his hand to the side, nodding. "He does. Bella, it looks like you have another troublemaker and heartbreaker on your hands."

"Aw, never." I laughed, reaching out and taking Edward's hand in mine.

"I was never a heartbreaker, and only a little bit of a troublemaker, dad." Edward protested, although he couldn't stop smiling, and neither could I.

Ed and Carlisle and Esme all laughed, and Esme passed Gavin off to Carlisle, who held him for a while before handing him to Ed. We visited for several more minutes before Ed handed Gavin to Carlisle and they left, promising to come back and visit again. Carlisle and Esme would be staying with Edward, Gavin, and I for the next month, so they would be seeing plenty of their grandson. However, Ed would be leaving early tomorrow morning to head back to Vegas.

After the three of them left, we had a few minutes to ourselves before my mother, Renée, my stepfather Phil, and my father Charlie came into the room, smiling widely and calling out their congratulations. Renée was at my side in an instant, holding her arms out so that she could hold her grandson. Laughing, I put Gavin in her arms and watched as her face soften and her eyes lit up. I never got to see much of my mother, and I liked seeing her so happy. I was also glad that I had finally given her a grandchild that she could love and spoil like no other.

"Where did you come up with the name?" Charlie questioned as Renée handed Gavin over to him. Charlie had a rough and tough exterior, but he just melted with his grandson in his arms.

"The first name we just got from a book." I explained, not taking my eyes off of my baby. "We both loved it right away. And his middle name…is a little more complicated. Carlisle, who is with Esme, lost his son as an infant. His name was Anthony, and Edward and I just felt like we owed Carlisle something. Plus, we love the name and had a big debate about if it should have been his first name or his middle name. Obviously, we chose it to be his middle name in the end."

Renée laughed as Charlie handed Gavin over for Phil to hold. "Well, honey, he's a gorgeous little baby." She said, kissing me on the forehead and putting her arm around my shoulders. "Congratulations to both of you, I know you're going to be wonderful parents.

"Thank you, Renée." Edward said, and Renée put her arm around his waist, squeezing gently.

"Yes, thanks mom. We appreciate it." I said honestly.

The five of us talked for about half an hour, but then they had to leave and head back to their homes and they wouldn't see us again for quite some time. After tearful goodbyes, the three of them left and headed off in their different directions, and Alice, Jasper, and Emmet came into the room, toting offerings of balloons, stuffed animals, and presents.

Alice's squeal pierced my ears, but I just laughed and offered her Gavin, and Edward quickly warned her to quiet down and stop jumping around while she was holding his son. Jasper held him as well, but Emmet refused, saying that he didn't want Edward to have to kill him if he accidentally dropped Gavin or something. At that, Edward immediately handed Gavin back to me, and I laughed, loving that it was my job to keep him safe.

Nursing (One Week Old):

"Am I doing it right?" I asked nervously, and Esme looked over at me, nodding.

"Bella, you're doing great. He knows what to do." Esme assured me, and I sighed, tightening my arms around Gavin as I nursed him.

I exhaled as he latched on and successfully nursed. I was so scared of messing up…it was terrifying. Edward and I finally had Gavin, and I didn't want to do anything wrong. I knew that I couldn't protect him forever, but I wanted too. He was my baby, and I didn't want him to grow up any faster than he needed to. He was only a week old and I already felt like he was slipping out of my grasp and growing up, when I really had eighteen more years of him being mine and Edward's responsibility.

Feeding (Six Months Old):

"Gavin! Gavvvv!" I cooed at my son, making funny faces at him as we laid on the couch. I was lying back on my back and Gavin was perched on my stomach, playing with the ends of my hair and cooing back at me, also mimicking some of the faces I was making.

Right then, Edward came in the door, done with work. "Hey." He said, leaning over the side of the couch and kissing me and then tickling Gavin's round little belly. "How's my little guy doing?" He asked, kissing the top of Gavin's head. Gavin giggled and kicked his feet, looking up at Edward with a cute little smile on his face. "I'll be right back." Edward promised, retreating into the bedroom.

Sure enough, he remerged seconds later shirtless with a different shirt in his hands. "Wait." I paused him before he put his new shirt on. "I want to see your tattoo's…how are they healing?" I asked, and Edward stepped closer.

"Pretty good." He said, and I examined the two new tattoo's.

One of the was right under his tattoo of my name, over his heart, and was beautifully done in the same flawless font, bearing Gavin's name and birth date. Also, on his arm was a vine of ivy. Dripping from one of the leaves was Gavin's name, and my name also hung among the leaves, and Edward's name did as well. It was our family tree. And hopefully, over time, there would be another addition.

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ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO. Yep, I didn't have enough time to finish it all up tonight so the last chapter will be posted either tomorrow night or Thursday night.

Thanks once again.

Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie