AN: Happy New Year! So sorry for the delay in the posting of this chapter. I was swamped during the holidays, but I hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and experienced lots of memory making moments with the ones you love.

I want to again thank everyone who reached out to me after the last update. Your kind words and support meant so very much to me. Getting back to work with this story has actually been the best kind of medicine, and you all have played a role in that as well.

Another big thank you to my beta, myonlyheroin, she's amazing and I am so lucky to still have her on board as we progress towards the finish line with our family of five.

Turn the Tide

Chapter 26

*Bella*

It had been thirteen days since my surprise birthday party, which ended with a trip to the ER.

Making it twelve days since my D&C.

My emptied body was finally beginning to feel somewhat normal again, and my appetite was also starting to return.

I'd actually lost almost ten pounds in the last week and a half.

Bright side to terrible things, Mrs. Cullen.

It had been a hectic day at the Cullen house. In fact, the last time I had seen Edward, after a short lived argument this morning, was about an hour ago in his study. He had been busy on the phone, discussing the itinerary for the press tour he would be leaving on in just three days. Because of that, he hadn't even noticed when I'd peeked in to check on him.

Mrs. Coupe was in the playroom with the kids keeping them happy and busy, so I could go rest on the deck with my sketch pad before starting dinner, and Garrett… well, he was still doing a good job at staying hidden, thankfully.

The outside deck had, without question, become my "safe zone" and preferred spot at our beach house. My backside now had its own indentation permanently imprinted into the cushion of the long swing that sat in the shade at the corner of the wooden planks.

For the last week and a half, I'd practically lived on that swing. Some nights I would spend hours there alone with my pencils in my hands under the moonlight until my eyes would finally beg me for sleep.

Bree's mom would be dropping her off in about an hour to stay with us for the next few days until her dad left for his trip. I was feeling extremely anxious over the thought of seeing her again. Edward and Garrett had teamed up to distract her, the morning after my birthday party, in order to get her to leave the house and head home to her mom without me having to face her before I was ready.

I now felt a little more prepared for the conversation we still had to have, but I was also thinking a quick shot of whisky would help me get through it, feeling a little less fragile like.

When I walked into the living room to raid the liquor cabinet, before heading outside, I was surprised to see Garrett standing at the window staring blankly out towards the sandy beach.

Something was obviously on his mind.

I instantly attempted to quietly turn myself around in order to retreat back to the other side of the house before he'd notice he was no longer alone in the room. Instead of using my stealth like ninja skills, I accidentally ran my shoulder smack into the corner of the wall and let out an impulsive yelp.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance. It is nice to see you've strayed from your usual comfort zones of the house though."

I forced a smile and nodded my head. "I was going to go draw a little before I start dinner."

"Dinner? Does that mean you're eating again as well? Oh, happy day!" He was smirking, and the sight forced me to roll my eyes.

"I'm progressing, okay? It's still better if I not talk about any of it… we're going to have to sit down with Bree tonight, so I need to keep it all bottled up for just a little while longer." I warned, avoiding his eyes.

"Absolutely understandable. Your wish is my command, my lady."

And like that, things seemed to fall right back into place again.

"What's on your mind? You're obviously not standing here thinking about the weather outside." I questioned after crossing my arms in front of me.

He forced a laugh, and nodded his head firmly one time before leaning against the windowpane behind his back.

"My mom is sick. I have to leave in the morning to head home for a few days. Edward isn't too happy with me at the moment."

So that's what had caused my husband's terrible mood earlier.

I took a step towards Garrett and pulled at the hem of my sleeve, "Is- is it serious?"

He shrugged and turned back around to look out the window. "My dad wouldn't tell me much. He just told me she was asking for me, and he bought me a round trip ticket to come out for a couple of days in hopes of it cheering her up a little."

I frowned, wishing he had more information to go on. It wasn't very fair of his dad to keep him in the dark when it involved his mother's well being.

"How long will you be gone?" If he was leaving in the morning, I seriously doubted that meant he would be back in time to head out on the press tour with my husband.

"Five days. Edward is bringing in a replacement to go with him. He's pretty ticked I tossed this into his lap at the last minute."

"Really? It's not as if you planned for it to happen." I lowly snickered.

My eyes wandered past him towards Alice's house.

I could see Jake sitting on the porch with his guitar in his lap and his hands working the shiny wooden neck and metal strings. It was no secret that my ex had been having a hard time since moving into our best friend's home.

Even with Alice being absent from it while she was getting cleaned up in rehab.

Leah had sent me a text the other day, offering her condolences for 'our loss'.

I hadn't replied.

It was very likely that if I'd started a conversation with her, it would have ended with me begging her to take Jake back, and that wouldn't have been fair to her,or Jake for that matter.

I just couldn't stand seeing him look so melancholy,even from where I'd secretly watch him at our bedroom window a few times a day.

It was truthfully starting to really get to me.

"Have you talked to him since he got here?"

And apparently Garrett is back to taking up residence in my head.

"I haven't talked to anyone since that night." I grumbled, more to myself than to anyone else.

"You're talking to me."

I rolled my eyes and instantly found my bottom lip between my teeth as I tried to come up with a witty response.

Nothing came.

Baby steps, Bella.

"Changing the subject. I'm sure James has been riding your ass, since he's been ordered to leave mine alone."

Garrett chuckled and shook his head in agreement, "You have no idea. I've pretty much met my gallery quota though. I only have that one larger canvas to still finish up. I can't believe our show is right around the corner. I swear this has been the fastest four months of my life."

"Five, but who is keeping track?"

"Apparently, you are, my lady."

I glared at him, and let out a huff, "Back to that, are we?"

"It never left, you just took a timeout." He teased, bumping into me with his shoulder. Just then, Maddie came running into the room with Aidan following closely behind her.

"Mommy! We hun-gry!" she declared, in typical Madison fashion, complete with the back of her hand being placed at her forehead for the full dramatic effect.

Something she had learned from her older half-sister.

"Oops. Looks like you won't be getting that doodle time in before dinner time, Momma B. I'll let you get to it then. I need to go out and pick up some gaudy L.A. themed souvenirs for my family, and then get back here to finish packing my bag. Edward said he'd take me to the airport in the morning. If I don't see you before then, just remember to keep at it, Bells. I want to see that same smile you're currently sharing with me still here when I return."

I laughed and impulsively nudged him with my closed fist, just as Edward rounded the corner, catching the end of our exchange.

"Hey, I'm about to head out. I probably won't be back till later, unless you need me here for something?" Garrett stated as he began to make his way towards my husband, who had remaining positioned in the doorway of the room.

"No. I'm fine here. I just got everything worked out with Riley to join me for the press tour. You'll be happy to hear he's not looking to return permanently, so your job should still be here for you when I get back in town."

I continued to nonchalantly listen to their conversation as I made my way into the kitchen to go ahead and start getting everything out to prepare dinner for my family.

Something I hadn't done in almost two weeks.

"I'm certainly grateful to hear that. I really don't mean to leave you in a lurch. Like I said, though, I can absolutely have my dad change my ticket to have me meet you wherever you'll be in a couple of days."

"Nah, it's fine. It wouldn't be fair to Riley. He's committed to doing the whole trip. Plus, you deserve some time off. I've been working you ragged these last couple of weeks. I'll see you in the morning, Garrett. Enjoy your night."

I watched them slap hands, and then redirected my attention back to the uncooked chicken I'd pulled out from the fridge. Edward came up from behind me and slowly wrapped his hands around my waist to rock my body backwards to rest up against his solid chest.

"I'm sorry about yelling before. I just had a lot going on, and you caught me at a bad time. I don't want to fight with you right before I leave."

I closed my eyes and nodded my head, silently agreeing with him before finding the right words, "I don't want to fight either."

It was simple, but it was the absolute truth. Deep down, I was dreading him being away from us for so long and I knew that was part of the problem.

"I pulled out of the Cameron film."

I spun around in his arms and pressed my hands firmly into his chest, "You what?! What do you mean you pulled out?"

"It's all taken care of. James is ticked beyond belief, but I don't give a damn. When I get back from this tour, you and the kids will be my only priority until you beg me to go back to work. There will be other movies down the road. I just don't want to come home, after being gone for two weeks, to have to then rush down to New Orleans to begin shooting again. This has all been too much, too soon… for all of us."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

Tears were instantly welling up in my eyes.

"Plus, co-starring with Victoria Rachelle would have probably put me into an early grave, or a mental hospital. Let's be honest."

I laughed at his statement and buried my head against his chest while my arms wrapped themselves tightly around his body. "You didn't have to do this," I somehow got out between my relieved and happy tear filled sobs.

"I know, but it was the right thing to do. I told you at the beginning of all of this that you would always be the most important priority in my life. I hate that I have to leave you now, after everything that's happened, but I want you to know, when I come back… I promise, it will be you, and only you, that will have all of me. At least, until you start to feel smothered."

I laughed again and shook my head, "That could never possibly happen. Not in an infinity worth of years!"

I'd borrowed that last line from Bree.

He smirked and placed his finger against my cheek bone to brush a happy tear away from dampened skin. "Your happiness is everything to me. Without it, I feel just as lost and miserable as I did before that night on the subway car when our eyes first met."

"I see the Cullen cheese is on the dinner menu tonight."

"And you know you've missed it, Carebear. "

I nodded adamantly, then threw myself upward into his arms where he instantly lifted me backwards off my feet to set me on the counter top. I stared into his eyes and felt the beating of my heart increase against my chest as I realized what this would mean.

So much stress.

So much anxiety.

It had all been taken away in a matter of seconds with just seven simple words.

I hadn't even been aware of how debilitated I had become, anticipating him being away to work on that movie, with her, but now all of that unease was gone.

Edward had known though, he'd been aware.

Because of that he made the selfless choice to make it all better… even though that meant he'd have to suffer James' wrath, and pass up an obscene amount of money paired with a once in a life time role.

Those simple facts alone had just helped me fall in love with him all over again.

When Jane arrived with Bree, I hid in Edwards office.

I was not ready to deal with that awkwardness yet, sharing a room with Edwards ex.

Mostly because I was fairly certain that Bree's mom felt at least somewhat of a twinge of satisfaction when she'd learned we'd lost the baby. Jane wasn't a terrible person. She'd just made it terribly obvious, to everyone except her wife, that she'd never truly expected to have to have to fully let go of her ex-husband, or that he would move on without her.

Which, still to this day, surprised me.

I heard the chirp from the alarm travel down the hallway, signaling that the front door had opened and closed again.

My hands were now busy pulling at my fingertips in my lap while I sat on the leather sofa pushed up against the largest window of Edward's office.

Bree would be running at full speed into the room any moment now.

She was a creature of habit, which was why we were both able to orbit so well around one another.

"Momma Bella! There you are! My father, YOUR HUSBAND, told me I'd discover you in here." She'd said every word as if she'd rehearsed it a dozen times in her head, but never once looked me in the eyes.

"What was that? I'm not sure I heard you right, Bree."

That was the passive prompt we would use in order to get her to locate our face when she'd need a gentle reminder while talking to others. Once she'd processed my words, her eyes slowly raised upward from the ground to meet mine.

Almost instantly her brows furrowed and I sat up straighter in my seat.

I felt myself relax a little more when Edward entered the room and placed his hands over her shoulders to give them a loving pulse.

"The glow is gone, Momma Bella. You're not shining bright anymore. Why is this?"

I felt the tears well up in my eyes. This time, I was the one desperately searching for something else, anything else, to look at.

"That's what we needed to talk to you about, princess. It's why you were unable to say goodbye to Momma Bella the morning after her party."

"She was sick. You said she was sick. Is the new brother or sister here already? They are not in your belly anymore. Let us find them then? This is no time for hide and seek!"

I was completely mute and unable to offer up anything in the form of words, or even a sound for that matter.

"Honey, lets sit down with Bella." I watched Edward guide Bree towards me. They both took a seat on the sofa, and Edward leaned across his daughter to take my hand into his. "Sometimes, when people are expecting something to happen-" he paused and looked up into my eyes, but I quickly glanced away, not wanting to see the sadness on his own face. "Sometimes, something happens when a baby is growing and a reset button has to be pushed."

I narrowed my eyes, wishing he wouldn't stray from the script we'd both gone over last night.

I didn't think sugar coating this for Bree was the right way to go.

Yes, she had a wonderful, and very overactive imagination, but with this… I felt like we needed to be straightforward and matter of fact with her, or else things could get turned around rather quickly and I could end up having a lot more questions thrown my way down the line.

"We are humans, daddy, not robots. We do not have reset buttons."

And this was why we needed to just be honest with her.

"There is no more baby in my belly, Bree. The baby stopped growing and went away." Where my strength had come from, I had no idea. All I knew was that I needed to be strong for my step-daughter because she needed to see that I was going to be okay, which to her, would mean we would all be okay.

"So, then… where did the baby go? There is no baby store to just take it back."

I took in a deep breath and nodded my head, wishing I could take her hand into mine, but I knew better than to cross that comfort zone with her right now. Her mind was probably moving a million times a minute trying to understand what we were telling her.

I honestly, in this moment, wished we were a religious family, because it could have made things so much simpler for her to just accept and move on from.

She was just a kid. With any other kid, though, I could just feed her a story about a stork or a cabbage patch where babies are grown ,but that wouldn't work here. Not with this. This could not be treated as a make believe fantasy because that world was meant for happy things that could make Bree smile. Not the kind of things that would make her sad, or uncomfortable.

"That baby could not join our family right now because something wasn't right. Perhaps.. maybe… we…" I looked up at Edward, but he offered nothing but sadness from his eyes. "It just wasn't the right time for a new baby to join us yet, sweetie."

"Well, I know that. It is supposed to take nine months for a baby to cook in a mommy's belly. Ten to be exact, but most people do not include the first month. Google told me that. Google is always right."

I forced a smile and nodded my head, "You're absolutely correct, but there will be no new baby even a couple of months from now. The baby that was in my belly is gone. It's not in there anymore."

She tilted her head to the side and stared down at my stomach where my arms were now crossed in front of me. "But it will be back, so it's okay to wait a little longer. Waiting makes things more special." The way she said it, so matter of fact like, it caused me to pause and take in a deep breath, then close my eyes to prevent her from seeing the fresh tears that had filled them.

"Yes, we hope so too, Bree. We just want to make sure you understand what this means and that you don't have any other questions. This is not something Momma Bella is going to be able to talk about once we leave this room, because it makes her a little sad right now, and we don't want Momma Bella to be sad. If there is anything else you want to ask, though, now is the time." Edward finally said, breaking the awkward silence that had taken hold of the room.

Bree sat there quietly, her eyes jetting up and down, and all around the room. Her brain was currently working in overdrive, so there was no telling what would come out of her next.

"I… I think I want you to not be sad anymore, Momma Bella. That baby will come back when he is ready. I know this. It's okay to not be ready for something sometimes. Everything always happens when it is supposed to, never too soon, because that's just how it works. You have to have patience." She stopped to take a breath, then scratched at the top of her head, "It's like what you told me, daddy. When I was little-er, I did not want to learn to talk. It took extra time for me to find my words, but you told me, when I was finally ready, that I never shutted up since! Now I have ALL the words I could ever need."

I couldn't help but laugh at her heart warming comparison.

"You're right, princess. You can't rush greatness. You've certainly proven that fact."

I looked up into Edward's eyes again and wiped away the fresh tear that had escaped past my lashes before sharing a truer smile with him, signaling I was still doing okay.

Bree had actually put things into an entirely new perspective for me.

She still surprised me sometimes… How someone so small, and still so innocent to the going ons of life could always seem to have such a profound outlook and way to express herself when that used to be such a huge hurdle for her.

Edward was right.

Bree was the absolute perfect example when it came to taking a deep breath and just waiting for a storm to pass. Because once it did pass, it would always leave a brilliant rainbow, bright enough to take the darkness and ugliness away.

At least until the next squall.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Are we feeling a little better now that Edward has decided to put his acting career on hold after his press tour? Next update will probably take about two weeks to post. My daughter's 5th birthday is coming up, so we've planned a trip to Disney to celebrate. Between that and party planning life is a little nuts this month. 'Till then!

*Reviews make me smile.*

*As thanks for helping me smile, I will pay it forward with an outtake that will include Edward's conversation with his ex wife when she dropped off Bree at the house.*