Chapter Twenty-Six: We'll Make it Through

One Month Later

June 15, 2018

"Look at this," I smiled as I showed Edward my phone. We were stopped at a red light with our caps and gowns in the backseat. He turned his head and laughed.

"He looks so much bigger," He whispered. Esme and Carlisle had gotten one-month pictures taken of Alex and had just got them back from the photographer. He did look bigger. Not much bigger but I could tell he'd grown a lot in only thirty days.

I smiled. "He looks like you."

"He is a handsome guy," Edward winked as the light turned green and he started driving.

It had been a difficult month. Between adjusting to not being pregnant, being a couple, and being without Alex we'd experienced a lot of different emotions. It was strange not being pregnant and not being responsible for another human being. I felt kind of lost without a baby to protect anymore. And not being able to wake up and cuddle our baby was difficult. More difficult than I ever imagined it would be. I cried myself to sleep for two and a half weeks after we left the hospital. I felt helpless, but knowing Edward was there made everything easier.

The transition from pregnant friends to a couple was easy. We knew everything about each other and the only real change was the physical aspect of our relationship. We were finally allowed to be ourselves when we were together and it was kind of freeing. I loved being able to hold his hand or kiss him without wondering what it would do to our friendship if I took it too far.

The school gossip mill was all over our relationship for the past month. People said he was with me so I could support him financially. Others said that we were trying to get pregnant again so we could play house. We mainly ignored everyone. We only had a month left and none of them were with it.

But when Tyler called me a slut a week ago, Edward lost it. He shoved him against the locker and threatened to kill him if he came anywhere near me again. I begged him to stop and he let him go before he got himself into trouble. I knew there was only a week left of school but I wanted to enjoy the last week with him.

Then Tyler told his parents Edward threatened him and they told the cops.

Dad handled it. Edward and my dad were slowly forming a trust between each other and they were starting to form a relationship. But, dad still had to do his job. Edward was put into an anger management class and had to attend eight court-mandated therapy sessions. Dad said it was the best he could do since everyone was lying and said Edward attacked Tyler unprovoked. Edward and I both understood and I thanked my dad.

Eleven months my dad probably would have tried putting Edward into jail.

When we got to the school, we met the other graduates in the cafeteria. We walked over to Angela and Ben and I extended a handshake to Ben. He was named Valedictorian a week ago which everyone thought I would get. Including Ben. Although I'd kept up with my school work while pregnant, I ended high school with a cumulative GPA of 3.95. Ben ended with a perfect 4.0. Mom went ballistic and it kind of sucked because I'd been the top of my class for four years.

But Ben was sweet about it. He told me I could give the speech I'd started writing the summer before senior year. I hugged him and told him that I didn't earn the rights to give a speech to a graduating class. He did. I was happy for him. He deserved this moment in the sun.

"Can you believe we're here?" Angela asked as we put our gowns on.

I shook my head and grabbed Edward's hand. "It's hard to believe we're actually done. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and Charlie's going to tell me it's time to get dressed for school."

"It's just a ceremony," Edward shrugged, but I knew him better than that. At the beginning of the year, he didn't think he would graduate and he was okay with that. But since we spent so much time together and I usually did homework when we were together, Edward put in just enough effort to bring his GPA up enough. He tried to act like it didn't matter, but it was a big deal to him.

"Well, I propose a toast!" Ben clapped his hands together.

Angela laugh. "We don't have anything to drink, babe."

"We'll get a drink from the water fountain then," He shrugged. "Anyway…to the graduating class of 2018! It was one hell of a year."

"And I'm glad it's over," Edward muttered.

"Here! Here!" I agreed as he pulled me to his side.

A few minutes later, one of our teachers was lining us up in ABC order. The worst part of graduation was I was forced to sit next to Jessica and endure listening to her cry about how high school was over.

Talk about dramatic.

It was a long ceremony. The superintended talked about the present for thirty minutes, the lady calling the names couldn't read and said most kids name wrong and the class president decided it was a good time to pull a dumb prank. The only good thing about graduation was Ben's speech. He subtly (or not so subtly) talked about going into the real world and becoming better people because of it. He reminded everyone that high school drama would be irrelevant in the world and it was our time to shine and not drag other's down to make us feel good about each other.

I had a lot of respect for Ben after his speech.

When everything was said and done, Edward and I met back up again and found my family in the crowd. I wished Jake, Sue, and Leah could have come but they had Dakota's dance recital that night. I hugged my dad tightly and couldn't help but smile when he hugged Edward too. Edward was shocked, but I knew it was something he had been craving since he was fourteen.

A grown man's approval.

"I liked Ben's speech a lot," Alice told me as we walked to the parking lot. We were all meeting at my house for a little celebration. "I think it put Lauren and Jess in their place."

"They didn't get it," I sighed. "At least Jess didn't. She kept saying the drama was what made high school fun."

Edward snickered. "How were you ever friends with them?"

"A lot of people showed their true colors this year," I glared at my mother who was walking ahead of us. "I guess I was just naïve before."

Edward squeezed my hand as we reached his truck. We said goodbye to my family and got into the truck. We took a detour to get to my house and made a pitstop at Edward's new apartment that was close to the school. It was a small, studio apartment but compared to his run-down house it felt like a palace. He'd gotten the keys before graduation and we were moving him in tomorrow.

He claims he told his mom he was leaving but I wasn't sure if I believed him.

She didn't deserve to know.

"This is all yours, baby," I whispered as we sat on the carpeted floor. He smiled and turned his head to kiss my cheek. "You earned this."

"It's small," He observed.

"You worked hard for this moment, Edward. It's about so much more than where you're living."

He nodded, trying to take everything in. "One day…I'll buy you a house."

"Really?"

"With a backyard, so our kids have somewhere to play," He continued. "And I'll hang up my drawings so we don't need to pay money for artwork."

"It sounds perfect."

He smiled. "And we can be the couple that holds family barbecues in the big backyard where our kids can play with their cousins. And your dad, Jasper, and I can grill while you and your sister drink wine and watch our kids play together."

"Sounds like a good life, Edward Masen."

"We'll get there."

"We will."

"I'll make sure you have everything you need. You and our kids will be taken care of."

I used my pointer finger to turn his head to look at me. I smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "I can't wait for our future."

"I love you," He whispered kissing me again.

"I love you too."

July 20, 2018

"What'd you wish for, baby?" Leah asked after Dakota had blown out her candles. Dakota turned and squished her face at Leah. "What?"

"I can't tell you what I wished for," she explained. "Then my wish won't come true."

We all laughed. "You're so right. I'm sorry."

"Can we eat cake now?" She jumped up and down. Sue swiped the cake away from the four-year-old so she wouldn't stick her fingers in it again and started cutting the cake. She gave the birthday girl her piece and then everyone else at the party got some. Dakota's birthday party with her friends from preschool had been earlier this afternoon at some bounce place. It was just family at this one.

Dakota didn't care though because she got two cakes.

Edward and I took our cake to one of the picnic tables they set up on the beach and sat down. It felt like an eternity ago when he brought me here to try and cheer me up. That should have been one of my clues that he loved me. He said he didn't even bring Rosalie here and they'd been on and off for years.

And Leah and Sue telling me he loved me should have been my second clue.

I glance over at Dakota who's playing with one of the little boys from their neighborhood. She was laughing as they worked together to build a sandcastle. And then they started throwing sand at each other and Dakota ended up in a puddle of tears.

Edward winced as she cried.

"Adoption was the right choice," He mumbled.

"Oh?"

He nodded and rolled his eyes at me. "Look at Leah. She's exhausted and her kid is crying at her own birthday party."

"It takes more than love to raise a child."

"You've always known that huh?" He asked and I smiled. "We have enough love."

"We do."

"So, one day…"

I leaned in and kissed him. "One day."

We stayed at La Push until the fire died down and the air started to chill. It was the middle of July but it was still Forks. It was chilly once the sun went down.

"You coming back to my place?" Edward asked as we got closer to my house.

I sighed. "I promised my dad I'd sleep in my bed at least four times a week."

"You're almost nineteen."

"And when I go to college I'll spend the night at your place every night when I'm home," I assured him. We didn't discuss me moving to California in August. Neither of us could bear the thought of being apart so we were avoiding the conversation. It was something we did a lot so we'd need to work on that as our relationship grew.

But we just wanted to have a good summer together.

"I'm holding you to that promise," He laughed as he pulled onto my street. We both unbuckled our seatbelts and he walked me to the door like he always did. I had no idea Edward was such a gentleman, even after we got to know each other.

"Love you," I smiled as he held me. I pressed up and kissed him.

"I love you."

"And I love curfews," Dad laughed as he opened the door and promptly ruined our moment. I rolled my eyes, gave Edward one last kiss and then followed my dad inside the house.

He did the same thing when I was dating Emmett so I knew it wasn't because he disliked Edward.

"I'm an adult, dad," I sighed as I sat down on the couch. "When we get married are you going to pop up in random places and do that?"

"When you get married?" His eyes grew wide. "Did he propose?"

I stared at him. "We're eighteen years old and have been dating for two months."

"So? You've been through a lot."

"No, he didn't propose," I rolled my eyes. I looked around and something felt different. I couldn't smell what mom made for dinner, the kitchen was perfectly clean like when I left this afternoon and I had a weird feeling. "Dad? Where's mom?"

"We need to talk," He bit his lip and sat down next to me.

"Is she okay?"

"Your mom is fine," He promised.

I swallowed hard. "Then, where is she?"

"The bed and breakfast in town,"

"What? Why?"

He took a deep breath and grabbed my hand. "Bella…"

"Dad, what is going on?"

"Your mother and I are getting a divorce."

I couldn't breathe. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach and knocked the wind out of me. Divorced? They were happy. I mean they had their problems but every couple had problems. They weren't thinking clearly and they were making a rash decision.

Obviously.

"What?" I asked. "No, you're not."

He nodded. "We are, Bella. We're meeting with a lawyer this week."

"But…you're married."

"Bella…"

I cut him off. "You made vows, dad. Whatever is going on I'm sure you can figure it out."

"We've been trying to figure it out for months, honey. We're not happy."

"What issues?"

"Bella, it has nothing to do with you."

"Tell me the truth, dad!" I screamed as my eyes filled with tears. "What happened?"

He closed his eyes. He didn't want me to know. "Your pregnancy brought out an ugly side in your mother."

"It's my fault?"

"No!" He exclaimed. "No, this isn't your fault."

"It was my pregnancy…"

"Bella, this isn't your fault," He repeats but there are so many thoughts going on in my head. My parents loved each other. My dad loved my mother despite all of her flaws. This was too much and I stood up from the couch and grabbed my keys off the hook near the front door. "Where are you going?"

"Edward's," I tell him as I slam the door behind me. I get into my car and am barely able to see through the tears as I drive across town. I park in the small lot and make my way up to Edward's door. I knock loudly three times and he swings the door open after a few seconds.

"Hey," He smiled. He hasn't registered that I'm upset yet.

A tear streamed down my cheek. "Hi."

"What's wrong?" He pulls me into his apartment and hugs me. I cry on his shoulder unable to actually say the words. He just holds me and lets me use him as my own personal tissue. "Hey, what happened?"

"My parents are getting a divorce," I choke. "It's my fault."

"I know that's not true."

"Dad said that my pregnancy brought out an ugly side of my mother he didn't know existed," I repeated my father's words. "If I hadn't gotten pregnant…"

"Then the ugly side would have eventually come out."

"Alice was an accident," I blurted out as he walked us over to sit on his bed. "But I was planned."

"Oh," He nodded. "I need a little more context, babe."

"My mom didn't want kids. Alice was an accident and I don't know if they talked about having an abortion or giving her up for adoption but they kept her. Obviously."

"Okay."

"My mom didn't want kids at all but they got pregnant with me on purpose," I cried. "She loved my dad and knew how much he loved Alice and how much he wanted more kids. She loves my dad."

He sighed and wrapped his arms around me. "Sometimes loving someone isn't enough. Bella, they probably have a lot of issues that were never addressed and everything just built up."

"If I hadn't gotten pregnant…"

"Then we wouldn't be together," He reminded me. "And Alex wouldn't be in this world and the Cullen's would still be looking to start their family by adopting. There's a lot more good that came from your pregnancy than you even realize."

"She moved out," I sighed. "Or at least she's staying at the bed and breakfast until she can move out."

"She wants him to have the house for you and Alice," He sighed as I leaned in and snuggled into his side. "I'm so sorry, baby. I know how much this hurts."

And he did know. He knew too well how much this sucked.

"You think my mom's going to start drinking?"

He chuckled. "Your mom is far too uptight to become an alcoholic."

"You're right."

"It's going to be okay," He told me. "Who knows. Maybe this is what your mom needs to show her what's important and what's not."

"You think this will bring us closer together?"

"Maybe," He shrugged. "Or she'll at least pretend to care a little bit better."

I looked up at him and fell in love all over again. He was so good to me and I didn't deserve him. He still had so many unresolved issues when it came to his own parents' divorce and yet he was comforting me while I cried about mine.

I smiled as I gripped his cheeks between my hands. He chuckled as he did the same and wiped the tears from my face. I leaned in and kissed him and pulled him down onto the bed. He gave me a sexy smile as he rolled on top of me and pinned me down to the bed. He leaned down and kissed me again, using his tongue to part my lips. I moaned as he deepened the kiss and bucked my hips.

"Shit," He mumbled as he kissed the corner of my mouth and then my jaw. I wiggled beneath him as I reached for the hem of his t-shirt. He pulled back to remove his shirt and smiled as he got right back into position.

"Edward," I whispered as he attacked my neck with his mouth.

"Huh?" I was sure he wasn't really listening right now.

"I want this."

"Uh-huh." Yeah, he wasn't listening.

"I'm ready," That got his attention and he removed his mouth from my skin and looked up at me. Even though we'd been dating for two months and already had a child together, we hadn't had sex since the night of the party. The month following me giving birth we were told to not even think about it by my doctor. And other than that, I didn't exactly feel very sexy and we were both in a funk because of the adoption. And over the course of this past month, we had done other things but we didn't want to have sex until we were ready.

We really weren't ready or in the right state of mind the first time. We wanted to cover all of our bases this time. We needed to emotionally be ready to handle it.

"What?" He asked gently.

"I love you. And I want to do this."

"Bella, you're upset," He whispered. "I don't want to do this because your emotions are all weird right now."

I smiled and gave him a kiss. "You know what this reminds me of?"

"What?"

"The night I fell in love with you. Back in December," His face twisted in confusion. "You made me feel safe and important and like I wasn't alone."

He smiled. "You're sure?"

"As long as you have condoms," I laughed. A week after giving birth, I asked my doctor what the most effective form of birth control for me was. She suggested an IUD because I wouldn't have to worry about remembering to take the pill or go get the shot. An IUD would last for at least three years. Neither of us wanted to risk getting pregnant again until we were ready so I left the doctor's office with the IUD in place.

But I was still a little nervous about its effectiveness so I wanted to use condoms just to be safe.

He smirked at me. "Top drawer," He assured me as I pulled my sundress off my body. Edward looked at me and gulped. He started kissing my neck again and grinding into me. He felt so fucking good already we weren't even naked yet.

He reached around and unclasped my bra and I felt the wire go weak. He slowly pulled the straps down my shoulders and threw it onto the floor with my dress and his shirt. He licked his lips hungrily as he kissed my collar bone and used one of his hands to massage my breast. I bucked my hips in response and smirked at him when I felt his raging hard-on under his PJ pants.

Edward left a trail of kisses on my skin until he reached my nipple and gently bit down.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed as he sucked and bit and swirled his tongue around my sensitive nipple. He was so good at this and I thought I could come just from him doing this. While he was busy with my boobs, I slid his pants and boxers down his legs…freeing his huge cock. I reached out and grabbed his dick and he hissed.

"Bella," He breathed as I stroked him. "Shit." Unwilling to wait any longer, he rolled off me to grab the condom from his drawer. He tore the foil packet while I pulled my panties off. I watched as he covered himself with the latex barrier and pulled him back on top of me when he was covered.

"I love you," He whispered as he gave me a soft kiss. There was so much hunger and passion between us but he still took the two seconds to remind me of that fact. I smiled and gave him another kiss.

"I love you," I said.

"You sure about this?" He asked and I nodded. "This is going to hurt a little. Just let me in."

I nodded as he started to gently push inside of me. It stung a little bit, but no pain compared to childbirth so this was nothing. I bit my lip as I felt him to continue to push in and he peppered my face with kisses.

"I'm in," He said as he pushed the hair out of my face. I nodded, telling him it was okay to continue and he started thrusting his hips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held me close as he pushed in and out of me.

Fuck, it felt so good.

"Shit," He mumbled as he shut his eyes. He was hitting my clit with his pelvis every time he thrust inside of me and I was already starting to pant. He grabbed my one my breasts and pinched my nipple through his fingers and I could feel myself getting close.

"Fuck, Edward," I threw my head back as I felt my budding orgasm. I felt it in my toes as he hit my clit with his pelvis and it just grew and grew and grew. Finally, I felt like I was going to explode and dug my nails into his back. "Fuck! I'm coming!"

"Yes," He growled as I came. He pushed in and out of me for a few more seconds before stilling. His face scrunched together as he came and after a second, he collapsed completely on top of me. We were both covered in a thin sweat and breathing heavily.

"I love you," He reminded me as he pulled out. He rolled away from me to remove the condom and came back with a few tissues for me to clean myself up. We threw the stuff into a trashcan and he pulled me to his side. "You okay?"

"I'm great," I giggled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm with you," He said as he kissed my forehead. "Of course, I'm okay."

I sighed. "I hope you know I didn't come here to use you for an emotional outlet."

"I do know that," He said. "I'm your boyfriend. I'm here for you whenever you need me. No matter what it is."

"Okay."

"Even if you need to use me for sex," He said. "I'm always okay with that."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, Fabio."

"It's going to be okay," He whispered. "Your parents will be okay. And it's not your fault."

"Promise?"

He kissed my hair. "Yeah. It's what's best for them, Bella."