Chapter Twenty-Five: Something in Your Eyes

Bella's POV

Eighteen Years Later

"Holly Anne McCarty." The principal called out as Holly walked up to retrieve her high school diploma. Another one of my kids was graduated and I couldn't believe it. I looked over at Emmett, wiping away a tear that was falling down his cheek. Emmett loved all four of our kids equally, but when you tell him his girls are growing up...forget it. He brushes it aside and doesn't think about it until someone else brings it up again.

I looked down on the field and saw Holly smiling bright up towards us and I couldn't be more proud. She was graduating top of her class and worked extra hard to get there. When Holly was in third grade, she was diagnosed with dyslexia, making it even harder for her to complete her schoolwork. I couldn't even count the number of sleepless nights Emmett and I spent with her just so she could finish all of her homework. But she did it. She graduated without being in a special-ed class, or any extra help. She did it all by herself.

"Woo! Go Holly!" Our youngest daughter, Adelaide, cheered. Adelaide was only two years younger than Holly, making it easy for them to get along, but even harder to watch Holly go to school. All of our kids were close. Once Holly was born, Liam became the protective big brother and that only got stronger when Adelaide was born. But, Riley, was the protecter of all of them. It was Riley who handled the problems they were having with friends more so than Emmett and I. We were both so thankful to have four, wonderful kids who cared so much about one another.

But the last eighteen years have been anything but a walk in the park. After threatening to take Liam away for good when he was seven, Jacob stepped up and became the father he was before he had his new family. Liam loved Emmett dearly, but no one could replace his dad. I saw an improvement in Jacob immediately. When Liam spent the week with him, he scheduled two nights a week for just Liam. Weather just watching TV with him, or taking his to a ballgame.

But when Liam was eleven, his world came tumbling down. I was dropping Liam off at their house, on Sunday at two-thirty, like it had been for the last nine years and no one was home. I waited in the car with him for two hours before he finally gave up and told me to take him home. He was heartbroken. It was like Jacob didn't care at all. He went upstairs, slammed the door and refused to come down.

But, as I was doing laundry, the phone rang. The phone call that would change his life forever. Jacob and his family had been killed in a car accident. All of them, instantly. Even the six year old girls. Gone. Liam was never the same. He bounced back after a while, he was strong. But, when night came, is when the nightmares began. There were countless nights when Emmett would be with Holly, helping her with homework while I was sitting with Liam until the crack of dawn so he could sleep.

Riley's relationship with Rosalie only deteriorated as she got older. Rosalie had finally met a guy and started a family, but unlike Jacob, she didn't care when Emmett threatened to take Riley away. When Riley was only ten, Emmett got full custody and Rosalie never blinked about it. She got Riley every other Christmas and for two weeks in the summer, but that was all. And as the years went on, Rosalie cut back her time even more until she had no time with Riley. Needless to say, Riley and Rosalie haven't spoken in eleven years.

After everyones names had been called and the caps had been thrown in the air, it was time to go see our new graduate. I walked onto the field, hand in hand with Emmett. Even after twenty years of marriage, we still held hands, looked at each other, and kissed one another as if we were newly weds. The problems that had occurred since we were married only brought us closer together.

"Mom! Daddy!" Holly called out as she raced towards us. She ran into our arms and held on tight, as if she were afraid we were going somewhere.

"Congratulations, Holly! I'm so proud of you." I heard Emmett whisper in her ears. After she let go of us, she continued down the line, starting with Adelaide.

"Holly. Anne. McCarty." I heard a familiar voice call from behind us. I turned around to see Riley with her husband of four years and one year old girl walking towards us. After Riley lost contact with Rosalie, she had fallen into a dark place. She got into the wrong crowd and began doing things she shouldn't have been doing as a sixteen year old. She wouldn't have even gone to college if Emmett and I hadn't forced her and called everyday making sure she was still there.

But then she met Aaron, and things turned around for her. He wasn't the son of a minister, but he was still a high believer and started bringing her to church with him. After she'd been going with him for three months, there was a significant change in her attitude and everything began falling back into place. It took a while for their friendship to grow into something more. They were friends for two years before he even asked her on a date, and then it took a long time for that relationship to grow.

But they're happy. Happier than I thought they would be. They'd known each other for nine years and she'd only had one other boyfriend since going to college. They'd been through a lot of hardships since being married, and nothing was ever easy. She became pregnant shorty after being married, but the baby was stillborn. She was in a depression for six months before Aaron was able to bring her back and agree to start trying again. After that, they'd had five miscarriges before finally getting pregnant and having their little girl, Grace.

"Riley! Aaron!" She said, running towards them. I was so thankful Holly had such great older siblings, especially since Liam and Riley were only half siblings to the girls. I was scarred that once Holly and Adelaide got older, Riley and Liam would begin resenting them, and not wanting anything to do with them. But I was wrong, and happy to admit it. They were each other's best friends, through thick and thin. It was Holly Liam went to after Jacob died when I wasn't at home and it was Adelaide Riley went to when Rosalie didn't even call on her eighteenth birthday.

"I'm so proud of you, kid." Aaron said, giving her a tight squeeze. Aaron only had one older brother, and was so excited to marry into a bigger family. Aaron was the wise, older brother and was there in their troubled times. Liam loved all his sisters and they all loved him, but he would always be a little disconnected to them, ever since Jacob's death.

"Thanks. Can I go back to your place tonight? Please!" Holly begged. They had bought a big house, knowing they wanted a family so Holly and Adelaide became temporary residents for most of the nights in summer and almost every weekend.

"Your mom has something planned at home though." Riley explained and I could see the disappointment in Holly's eyes. "It's gonna be great. Come on." She pressed, taking Holly's hand and leading them to the car. I began to walk, but Emmett still had my hand and pulled me back to him.

"What?" I asked, standing close and looking into the eyes that have made me melt since the sixth grade.

"I love you. Thank you for giving me two wonderful daughters." He said, leaning into kiss me. There wasn't a day gone by that Emmett and I didn't kiss, say I love you, or hold each other. Even after twenty years together, people still ask if we're newly weds...even though we're forty four years old.

"Guys!" Adelaide called impatiently. "Come on!" She urged, as we broke apart. He grabbed my hand again and started walking towards the car. We didn't have the perfect marriage, no matter how in love we were...we fought constantly. But we always came back to each other, and we were even stronger than before the fight. Adelaide was always telling us that's how she wanted her marriage to be; strong and loving. The drive didn't take very long and I couldn't contain my excitement for Holly.

When we got out of the car, Aaron already had her blindfolded and waiting on the porch.

"Is someone gonna tell me what's going on? Is it a new car?" She asked, almost jumping up and down.

"Better." Riley said, unlocking the door. Aaron led her into the kitchen and set her down on one of the island stools. "Okay you can remove the blindfold." Holly carefully untied it, and whipping it off. The look on her face was priceless; disappointment and confusion.

"A cake? Wow. Thanks guys." She said, trying to hide how she was feeling.

"Can I have a piece?" The familiar voice asked, making Holly and Adelaide freeze in their places. Holly slowly turned around to face the voice.

"LIAM!" She shouted, running towards him and into a tight hug. Liam had been over in London with his fiancee, Mallory. After Jacob's death, Liam became very interested in music, particularly the piano. He'd been accepted into Juliard, with some help from Emmett and then went on to obtain his Master's in Music at the Royal College in Music. Traveling was expensive and he and Mallory had rented a place in the city until he was finished with school. We hadn't seen him since Christmas time and it broke his heart telling Holly he couldn't be there.

"What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't come!" She said once all the hello's had been said.

"Well, Mallory and I figured it out. And I had a gig that was planned months ago before I knew the date of your graduation or I would have been there to see you graduate!" He said, hugging her again.

"It doesn't matter! You're here now. Thank you." She said, letting go and turning towards me and Emmett. "You two knew?"

"Of course. Who do you think brought him over here?" Emmett answered, smiling broadly. She squealed and ran into her arms.

"Hi, Holly." Another familiar voice said from the doorway and everyone fell silent. This person was a surprise only I knew about. Holly took a while to let go of her father and turn around to see him. "Congratulations."

"Spencer?" She questioned, tears forming in her eyes. "Spencer." She said, running into his arms. Spencer had been her boyfriend for two and half years when his parents to uproot him and move to Dallas for work. They kept their relationship long distance and they made it work as best they could. But I knew she was hurting every time they logged off Skype or said goodbye on the phone. He'd been gone since November and it was the first time they'd seen each other since.

"You're here. You're really here." She cried into his shoulders.

"Yeah. Your mom flew me out here so I could be here with you. I'm sorry I wasn't at the ceremony...my flight got delayed." She cried, cupping her face.

"I don't care. I don't care about any of that. You're here!" She said again before he kissed her. I could see Emmett tense up just a bit, it's not that he didn't like Spencer, he loved him and called him the 'perfect first boyfriend.' But it was his little girl, he was the same with Riley and he'd be even worse when he found our Adelaide was dating someone.

"Thank you. Thank you so much...best graduation ever." Holly said, hugging me tightly.

"You are so welcome sweetie. You've worked so hard, you deserved this. Your father and I couldn't be more proud." I told her. After all the hello's were said, we all settled down in the living room, listening to stories about London, and passing around Grace. She really was a gift from God.

"So, have you set a date for the wedding?" Adelaide asked Liam and Mallory. They looked at each other, goofy grins on their faces.

"September sixteenth." Mallory said, gripping Liam's hand.

"That's only thee months away." Holly observed, looking unsure. Mallory didn't have any sisters and the two of them had been close, and Holly was chosen to be her Maid of Honor.

"Well, if we wait any longer I won't be able to fit into a regular gown. I'd need a maternity dress." Mallory said, suddenly looking pale. My son had gotten her pregnant before they were married. Although they were engaged, it was nothing final and they were still in school. After everything I'd told him, about what I went through when I got pregnant, he still managed to ignore me and get a girl pregnant.

"You're..pregnant?" I asked, trying not to be angry. "How could you let this happen?"

"Mom, we were safe. We used condoms." Liam tried to defend.

"Didn't you listen to Emmett when he was talking to Riley? Him and her mother used a condom and she still ended up pregnant." I said, standing up and pacing. "Did you not listen when I told you what your father and I went through when we got pregnant? It was hard, Liam. We were still in school, we didn't have a lot of money. We weren't married."

"Mallory and I are engaged." Liam defended.

"Engaged is not set in stone. Engaged means planned to be married. It doesn't mean anything until you say I do."

"Just because you and dad didn't work out and you called off the wedding..doesn't mean it's going to happen to me and Mallory." He yelled, and I couldn't believe it. I had never told Liam what happened between Jacob and I. He was too young when the wedding was called off to understand and I just never thought it was importnant to tell him. "Yeah, dad told me everything. How you two were engaged and you broke it off. How you cheated on him with Emmett!" He shouted.

"Hey, let's calm down. This is Holly's night." Riley said, trying to be civil. She was taking it rather well, considering this is the first time she was hearing of me cheating on Jacob with Emmett.

"I need some air." Liam said, walking outside. I felt terrible. I had just angered Liam, and ruined Holly's night.

"Bella..." Emmett said, rubbing my shoulders. "Yell and scream all you want. But this is happening. They are madly in love and have a date set. You raised him well, he'll figure everything out. Now, you can either be angry about this, or you can be happy you're going to be a grandmother again." He said and we both laughed. Riley was a grownup, twenty-six when she had Grace, but Emmett and I were only forty four years old. It was funny being called a grandparent, but I guess that's what happens when you have your first kid at seventeen.

"I'll go talk to him." I huffed, kissing Emmett on the cheek and walking outside. "Hey, bud."

"I'm not you, Mom. I didn't just sleep with some random girl I just met because I was drunk." He said, and I started to argue with him. "Now I know that you and dad had a relationship after sleeping together, but you might not have. I love Mallory, with all my heart. I'm young, yes. But that means nothing. You and Emmett were together in high school and it wasn't instant but you eventually married him." He told me and I smiled.

"You're going to be a great dad to this baby."

"Huh?" He asked, speechless that I was giving him a compliment.

"I don't approve of you getting a girl pregnant before you guys got married, but I do know that you love her. And I'm happy for you, I am. It was just...a surprise. I thought I scarred you away from having sex until you were...oh I don't know...fifty?" I joked, making him laugh. "Now go back inside and be with your sister." I said, hugging him tightly.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, honey." I told him as he went back inside and Emmett came outside. "Sorry for acting like a child."

"No need to be sorry. I guess I still love you." He joked, putting his hands on my waist.

"You know...I think we did pretty damn good." I whispered, laying my head back onto his chest.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, it took so long...but we both finally got what we wanted our whole lives." I whispered. "I'm really glad Edward started that rumor of us sleeping together." I admitted.

"You are a strange little girl."

"No...if he hadn't of done that...Jess, Rosalie, and Lauren wouldn't have started what they did...you wouldn't have found me." I told him tears forming in my eyes,

"Well, I guess everything happened for a reason. I love you, Bella. Now and forever." I turned around, and looked into the eyes that made me fall for him.

"Now and forever." I whispered, leaning into kiss the man of my dreams.