A/N: Yet again I am amazed at the response this story is getting. I'm still getting story alerts from new people almost every day! The reviews are wonderful and I look forward to reading them and received opinions from you. Thank you so muh for all the support. We'll be wrapping this one up in a few more chapters though. It's sad, I know. But even as it is, this story is longer than my original outline planned it out to be. I had originally planned on 23 chapters. Can you imagine?

Anyways - Chpater 26 is kind of a filler, but I hope you still enjoy it.

I'm going to vent right now...feel free to skip this part. I've been unable to update my story for the past 3 weeks...yes that's right I've had this chapter written for 3 weeks and can just not post. I started sending emails to my readers who have set up alerts to let them know and the POOF! I can now update...grrr...I have so many cuss words flowing through my head right now it's not even freaking funny.

Chapter 26

EPOV

I was awakened the next day with Bella tracing an unidentified design on my stomach. I hugged her closer but kept my eyes closed, unwilling to acknowledge we would have to get out of the bed eventually.

"Morning." She sighed.

"Did you sleep okay?" I asked finally opening my eyes. She wasn't looking at me though. Her head was resting on my chest but she watching herself draw the design on my stomach.

"More than okay. You wore me out." She laughed.

"Ditto…pretty sure we're going to have to have a repeat of last night very soon." I said and even I noticed how husky my voice sounded as the scenes replayed in my mind. From the bed to the shower, to not even making it out of the bathroom and using the counter, and then me sneaking up on her when she went down to her kitchen for a late night snack.

"I especially liked our kitchen romp. Which reminds me…I will have to clean today."

"I can help since I'm the cause." I suggested but got no response. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She shifted within my grasp so she was more on her stomach and could look at me. I didn't see any sadness in her face, but that didn't mean something wasn't wrong. And if something wasn't wrong, there was still definitely something going through her brain.

"I'm perfect. I'm just so happy. I had no idea I could be this happy…I've never been this happy before and I can't believe it's really real. I thought for sure I'd wake up this morning to find it had all just been a dream. I'm afraid I'm going to end up doing something that causes me to wake up and I'll be right back where I was just 4 months ago." She laughed. "Things like this don't happen for me. I've always been the girl who's life has never been what she wished for and now…I've got just about everything I ever wanted in life..."

"Bella I…I wish I could give you the one thing you're missing." I interrupted.

"I'm okay with not being able to have a child of my own. I've come to terms with it already. I tossed around the idea of a surrogate but I don't think I'd be able to handle that so that I'm just going to live vicariously through my best friends." She smiled.

"So what is your life missing now?" I asked as I place a gentle kiss on her lips.

"All the superficial stuff that doesn't matter when it comes right down to it; I've always wanted a red sports car," she said then winked at me before continuing, "and I want to take a trip to Italy before I can't enjoy the carb loaded food anymore."

"I do believe we can take care of both of those items."

"Only if Lilly comes with us to Italy. I wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled then shifted again and started to get out of bed. "Come on let's get up and shower off the smell of sex or we'll never hear the end of it from Emmett."

I laughed but followed her lead and joined her in the bathroom for one more round before cleaning up.

We had just gotten dressed and were starting to straighten up the mess in the kitchen when the whole gang walked into Bella's. Without knocking.

"Edward Cullen you've been holding out on me!" Rose yelled from the front door. I had no idea what she was talking about and apparently my facial expression showed my confusion.

"Your car." Bella whispered. "Rose is a huge car fanatic."

Well that was a shocker. Jazz? Yeah I could see that. Emmett? Definitely see the possibility of a car freak there. But Rose? No way.

"What else don't I know about these people?" I chuckled.

"Not much more than that." She said as everything appeared in the kitchen, Lilly announcing their arrival.

"Am I old enough to ride in the car yet daddy?"

"No." Rose quickly answered but at least then looked bashful for answering Lilly's question so haughtily.

"I think that we can probably make that happen…you will be 8 in a couple of months." I smiled at my daughter.

"I know! Can we go watch TV?" She asked pointing to Alex and Janie. I laughed at how grown-up my daughter sounded and nodded my okay for them to go ahead and then watched as the 3 kids ran out of the kitchen.

"So…did Bella get to ride in the fancy ass car last night?" Emmett asked wiggling his eye brows. Jasper snorted a laugh but quit when he got smacked.

"If only we'd tell you." I said as we finished straightening up the kitchen.

"Smells like sex in this kitchen." Alice said out of nowhere causing everyone to laugh out loud.

"Eh it's clean. You'll live." Bella smiled. "And don't even try to stand there and act like you and Jazz have never gone at it in the kitchen at 3 in the morning."

"It's how the twins were conceived actually." Alice said straight faced but then cracked a smile. "We brought over everything for a cookout if you're up for it." She continued like we hadn't just been talking about kitchen sex.

I had to laugh at the insanity that was my life now. I knew exactly how Bella felt about happiness. I had thought I was happy with Tanya and at the beginning I was happy, but not happy like I am now. Life was perfect...well almost perfect.

I knew there was only one thing that would make life absolutely perfect but it was too soon to go there with my relationship with Bella, even though that was exactly where I wanted it to go and where I knew it was going.

"So Bells…Chuck called me last night." Emmett said smiling.

Who the fuck is Chuck? My thoughts began racing. Bella had never mentioned a Chuck before. Was he an ex boyfriend that still called Emmett cause they were friends? What did he want? It would just be my luck that an ex would show back up into the picture trying to win her back.

"If he ever hears you call him Chuck he'll shoot you and then say he was disrupting a criminal act and create evidence to support it." Bella laughed.

"I'm his favorite! He would never do that to me."

"Actually…I'm his favorite." Alice chimed in as she danced around the kitchen getting things ready to barbeque.

"That's true. I'm pretty sure if Jasper wasn't in the picture and he was twenty years younger he'd try to get Alice to date." I laughed.

"If your father was twenty years younger and I didn't have Jasper, I would date him! Charlie is the rugged outdoorsy type…a real man's man."

"I suddenly feel less than adequate." Jasper mused with a lopsided grin.

"Oh your father." I laughed out loud finally catching up with the conversation.

"Must have been some hella good sex if your brain cells are that dead." Rose quipped.

"Phenomenal sex if you must know." Bella chimed in and winked at me. "So…since my father calls my friends more than me, how's he doing?"

"Great! He'll be here in about…two hours." Emmett said checking the clock on his phone.

"WHAT!" Bella panicked.

"That's why we've decided to have the cookout." Rose shrugged. "I can't believe he didn't call you first."

"That's just Chuck." Jasper laughed as he used the new nickname.

I was still stuck on the fact that Bella's father was on his way to the house for an unannounced visit. I didn't have anything to worry about meeting the parent but it didn't' change the fact that I suddenly became very aware of the fact that the woman I was dating's father was on his way over and I still looked like I had spent the evening having sex. Sure I didn't smell like sex anymore, but I was still wearing my clothes from the night before – minus the shirt since it wouldn't button now.

"Lilly, I've got to run home for a little while. Stay here with Bella and everyone." I called to my daughter as I turned to Bella. "I have to change…I'll be back soon. Love you." I said as I kissed her.

"Uh…okay. Love you too." She said as I quickly made my way over to my house.

BPOV

As I watched Edward sprint out of my house and next door to change, I couldn't help but laugh at him. He had absolutely nothing to worry about with my father and yet there he was freaking out about meeting him for the first time.

Watching him walk away also made me think of something else.

"Hey Jasper…what's the market like for houses right now?" I asked thoughtfully as I helped Alice get the food ready. I wasn't looking directly at everyone, but I distinctively heard a small gasp come from one of my best friends. I chanced a quick glance out of the corner of my eye. She had stopped chopping vegetables and had her tiny mouth slightly agape but wasn't saying anything, which both scared me and made me smile.

"Market's not bad right now, not great, but not bad. Why?" He asked nonchalantly having not picked up on what his wife had.

"Just wondering how much luck someone would have selling right now, that's all." I shrugged stealing another glance at Alice who hadn't moved a single inch and then Rose figured it out.

"You selling or is he?" She asked as I turned from away from the counter and Alice did the same.

"Well…we haven't discussed it actually. It's just watching him leave this morning just seemed wrong. I didn't like it." I shrugged.

"I think we could sell Edward's house quicker than yours and there wouldn't be as much work to get his house ready as it there would be to get yours. You've personalized so many things plus you've been here 7 years and he just moved in. You're more settled. It'd just make more sense to put his house on the market. Now…having just moved though, he won't make any kind of profit on selling – he'll be lucky to breakeven on the mortgage."

"Right." I said as I nodded.

"Your house is bigger than his…more room for Lilly to have her own space." Rose said.

"I'm sure Lilly will be okay, but you should ask her before asking Edward. We know Edward won't mind, but Lilly might. She should have an opinion on this as well. Make her feel part of a family again. Make her feel like her opinion matters." Alice suggested.

"That's a good idea." Jasper said.

"I have to agree…are you sure you're ready for this step?" Emmett asked.

I didn't even really have to think about his question or my answer. I knew it immediately. No. I wasn't sure if I was truly ready for that step. I mean hell we've only been actually dating for two weeks. It was crazy to ask him to move-in with me. It was stupid. It wasn't logical. It wasn't the right thing, but damn-it if I didn't want to wake up next to him every morning.

You know for someone who was afraid to get involved I sure as hell fell hard and fast for the thing I was trying to avoid.

I never do anything half-assed. All or nothing that's my motto apparently.

"Do you guys think I'm crazy for wanting this already? I mean am I truly ready for it? Just a month ago I was freaking out over the thought a relationship and now I want him to move-in with me. What the hell is my problem?" I laughed.

"We can't make the call on whether you're ready or not. Only you know that for sure, but you better make damn sure you are before you ask Lilly what she thinks, because if you ask her what she thinks and she loves the idea she'll get her little heart broken if you decide you're not ready for that yet." Alice said with a certain tone I knew all too well.

"You don't think I'm ready." I said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"Honestly, no. Give it another month or so. You're relationship with Edward is anything but typical so it's not odd for it to run a different course than most relationships, but that doesn't mean things should be rushed. I think this whole moving-in together will happen gradually anyways. And it will include Lil." She smiled.

Alice made perfect sense of course.

"You're right. Thanks." I smiled right as Edward reappeared in the kitchen carrying, not only a case of beer, but what appeared to be an overnight bag. Alice raised one of her eyebrows at me but didn't say anything.

"I brought some beer…wasn't sure what kind your dad liked though, so if New Castles aren't good, I'll get something else."

"Dude…have I ever told you you're like my best friend." Emmett said as he grabbed the case from Edward. "Plus New Castle is Chuck's favorite."

"You guys better cut it off with the nickname before he gets here." Rose laughed.

"Who's Chuck?" Lilly asked from the doorway of the kitchen.

I was beginning to think we were going to have to get a bell or something for her. She had a tendency to sneak up on us and that might lead to overhearing conversations that she shouldn't. Fortunately this one was okay for her to hear.

If I am being completely honest with myself, I'm excited to introduce my dad to Lilly. He'll adore her and she'll have him wrapped around her little finger instantly. Charlie would never say anything to me, but I know he's wondered if he'd ever get to be a grandpa. And sadly this would be the closest he'd get to it.

"It's Bella's dad." Edward smiled at his daughter.

"Cool! When will he be here?"

"Soon squirt." Emmett chimed in looking at his phone again before opening one of the beers. She nodded then turned to leave again before stopping and turning back around.

"Can we watch a movie?"

"Of course. You know how to work my TV and DVD player?" I asked receiving a nod of the head. "Okay, you know what you can and can't watch right?"

"Yes." She sighed and rolled her eyes, which earned a narrowing of the eyes from Edward, but a laugh from everyone else.

"Make sure whatever you watch that everyone wants to watch it." Edward said as Lilly disappeared again. "I can't wait until she's a teenager…" He sighed sarcastically.

"She won't be too bad." Alice laughed but then stopped and got a serious look on her face.

"Oh no…" Rose and I both said.

"So when is Lilly's birthday?"

"August 23rd. Why?" Edward cautiously replied.

"No reason." Alice sang then went back to getting the food ready ignoring the question looks from Edward.

We all busied ourselves with different aspects of getting the lunch ready, but mainly the women stayed in the kitchen and the men worked the grill out back.

The kids stayed in front of the TV watching their movie, but as soon as it was finished, Alex made his way out back with the guys and Janie and Lilly joined us in the kitchen area. We spent our time talking about Alice's designs that were a hit with a big name designer. They had originally wanted her to just sell them the designs and they would put the clothes out under their label, but Alice decided against that and now they were in the process of creating a separate line specifically for Alice's designs.

Rose instantly wanted in on some of the modeling action as did Lilly and Janie. I refused to be her living pincushion for fittings and whatnot, which earned a disapproving glare from every single one them.

I was put on Vanessa duty and I was carrying her around the kitchen while Rose and Alice messed with Lilly and Janie's hair, when my doorbell rang. It was about 1 in the afternoon and based on the timeline given to me, I knew it was Charlie.

"Hey pops!" I greeted when I opened the door.

"Forget to tell your father something?" He grinned looking at Vanessa before giving me a half-hug and gentle kiss on the forehead. "Hey Bells."

"This little beauty if Vanessa and she belongs to Rose and Emmett. Come on in, I'll have one of the guys get your bag and take it to the guest room so just leave it right there. Us girls were just gossiping in the kitchen."

"Lead the way then." He said then started heading towards the kitchen.

"Charlie!" Alice and Rose both exclaimed and then attacked him with hugs while he laughed.

"So good to see you girls too." He smiled as he hugged them back and then glanced around the kitchen spotting the other two.

"Charlie, you remember my girl, Janie. She's a bit bigger than when you were here last." Alice laughed as she pulled her shy girl close to her. "Janie, you remember Bella's dad?"

A nod of the head was all she got in response.

"I remember you too, little one." He chuckled. "And so who do you belong to?" He asked as he turned to Lilly. "I don't remember anyone having a teenager."

"I'm not a teenager yet! I'm only seven and three quarters. My name is Lillian Claire Cullen. But you can call me Lilly. My dad's name is Edward and he's a doctor. He works with Bella and they're dating." Lilly said and then gave a huge grin to my dad who was obviously shocked at either Lilly not being shy or the fact that she just introduced herself as my boyfriend's daughter. I wasn't really sure and before any of us could talk anymore, Lilly continued. "So can I call you Grandpa Chuck? Uncle Emmett said I should ask you."

I'm positive if my father had been drinking, it would have spewed out of his nose. I was shocked but trying not to laugh as was Alice and Rose. Only Emmett would turn a little girl against my father. It was the only way anyone would ever get the okay to call my father Chuck.

"Lilly Cullen, you can call me Grandpa Chuck all you want." My dad smiled down at Lilly.

"Yay!" Lilly said then hugged him around his waist. "Let's go out back so you can meet my dad." She said as she started to drag my dad out of the kitchen. I reached for a beer out of the fridge and started to follow.

"Yes, let's go meet your dad." My dad said as he looked over his shoulder to me. I gave him a sheepish grin but handed him the beer, hoping for some sort of peace offering. He just shook his head at me, but gave slight grin.

I turned around and motioned for Alice and Rose to join for support, but almost ran into them since they were right behind me.

"No way we're going to miss this!" Rose exclaimed.

"It's going to be epic!" Alice laughed as my dad stepped out the back patio door.

"Chuck!" Emmett yelled throwing his arms up over his head.

"Emmett, my gun is in my car." My dad said tossing a glance to Edward who visibly got paler and swallowed hard. Charlie shook hands with Emmett and Jasper who were just laughing at the exchange before turning completely to Edward who hadn't moved an inch since my dad appeared.

"Grandpa Chuck…" Lilly whined as she pulled him towards Edward. Her name got chuckles out of Jasper and Emmett but they too were trying not to laugh anymore than they already were.

"So you must be Edward."

"Yes sir." Edward managed as he stuck his hand out for my father to shake. Surprisingly my father did just that.

"Lovely daughter you got here." My dad finally said cracking a smile and then ruffling Lilly's hair with the hand that wasn't still gripping Edward's.

"Thank you sir." Edward said then watched the only buffer he had disappear down in to my yard off the deck with Janie and Alex.

"You know who else has a lovely daughter?" My dad asking raising an eyebrow in challenge. Edward just nodded his head knowing that my dad meant me. "Good. Remember that because that gun is loaded."

"Dad!" I said then slapped his arm as I rolled my eyes. "Enough of the tough guy act."

"I have to! You're my only kid." He laughed loudly which relaxed Edward. "I had to scare the kid at least a little."

"Kid?" We all scoffed.

"You're all still younger than me…therefore kids." He said as he took another drink from the beer. "Now, who do I have to thank for the beer?"

"Edward." Jasper said tipping his bottle towards Edward.

"Hmph…damn that means I have to like you now." My dad said with a roll of his eyes but a smile.

"I planned it that way." Edward said taking a sip as well.

"Well that wasn't as dramatic as I thought it was going to be." Rose sighed. "Very disappointed Charlie."

"Sorry Rose…I can put the tough guy act only so long before Bells reads me the riot act. Now, how about you girls leave us be so I can get to know him better without female interruption."

"Behave." I said before the three of us disappeared back in to the house.

EPOV

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Charlie turned back around to me with a look on his face that I couldn't describe, but I knew I was in for the Spanish Inquisition.

"Pull up a chair Edward…let's chat." Charlie said as he took a seat around the patio table. I followed suit even though my brain was telling me I should probably be prepared to run if needed. "I have a few questions for you."

"We all went through this, just so you know, and we weren't even dating Bells." Emmett stage whispered.

It didn't help me feel any more relaxed. I didn't want to slip and reveal that I had caused his daughter a ton of pain in the past.

"So…you're a doctor. Where did you go to school?"

First question right out of the box…

"I went to UCLA." I said not offering that I knew Bella back then.

"Big school…did you and Bella know each other then? You look about 35."

At this point Jasper and Emmett turned their backs on the conversation.

"Yes, I knew Bella in college. We had a majority of the same classes together. We even put a study group together."

Might as well get it all out there now. I thought as I all but chugged the remnants of my beer.

Charlie eyed me for a second but then continued calmly. "I'm not blind son. You and my daughter have a history…this relationship is relatively new since I know Seth didn't leave the practice until March, but the look you both hold in your eyes for the other suggests something that's been around for at least a few years. I don't want to know what happened in college to make you go separate directions, but I do know I have not seen my daughter this happy in her entire life. There will be repercussions if you hurt her."

"I understand sir completely."

"You're smart Edward. You've raised a beautiful girl so I know you're not all bad and I kind of like you so don't make me follow through with my threat." He smiled. "Now tell me about your Lilly."

The rest of the day went without any problems. We all sat around and talked; Charlie regaled us with stories of a young Bella and some of his comical police stories. The children kept themselves busy in the back yard as we all kept an eye on them. Charlie was an instant hit with Lilly as well as Vanessa and Charlie was loving every minute of it.

As well Bella, but the joy of watching her father play with Vanessa and interact with Lilly was tainted with the sadness that was still haunting her. She would get over it eventually, but no matter what she had told me earlier today, she was not over it yet.