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Chapter Twenty Eight

June

"Da da." I say as I sit him down in his bouncy seat that is sitting on the kitchen table. He has just finished his night time bowl of rice cereal and I think more of it has gotten on his bib then in his tummy.

"Edward he just turned four months old a few days ago, he isn't going to talk just yet." Bella says with a chuckle.

"Hush mama, Rory and I are doing our thing right now. Isn't that right little man?" I say. He watches me closely as pull his bib off and try to clean his face and mouth. Of course as soon as I get him clean, the drool starts to fall again and his little chin and neck are instantly covered. Teething really is an interesting mix of water between the cranky tears from his eyes and the constant stream of drool from his lips.

"Da da." I say again. "Watch my mouth little man, da da." I say as I emphasize the movement of my mouth.

Rory watches my mouth as if he is fascinated by the sheer movement of it but he remains quiet as if fixated.

"I know my sweet little drool factory; daddy is a little touched right now." Bella says as she comes over to the table.

Rory's attention instantly leaves me and goes to the sound of his mother's voice and a huge grin lights up his face, a grin that only Bella can produce.

"There's my smile." Bella says with her own smile and Rory starts pumping his arms and legs up and down happily and he begins to babble to her.

"I know little man; tell me about all about it." She says and this only encourages him more. "I'm sure he means well." She answers him as if she can understand all of his sounds and coos. "I know baby, bless his little heart but we love him anyway."

"Hey, him is right here." I say with a huff. I want to be a bit irritated that Bella can get him to talk to her like he does but it is such an amazing thing to watch that I cannot help but be in awe of it every time it plays out.

"Oh don't be such a baby." Bella says as she bumps my shoulder with her arm before she turns back to Rory. I grab her waist and pull her into my lap causing her to giggle the whole way down. The sound of her giggle only excites Rory even more and his arms and legs move around with great energy.

"I'll show you a baby." I say as I attack her neck with my lips. Bella's giggles turn to soft moans and I can't help the smile that plays on my lips at the knowledge of being able to turn on my beautiful wife so quickly.

Upset that his mama's attention had been taken away from him, Rory's giggles stop and he begins to whimper.

"What's the matter my sweet boy?" Bella asks her body turning away from mine and back to our son. "Are your little gums hurting you?" Bella gets up and heads to the freezer to pull out one of his teething rings.

"Alright little guy, I thought we were buds. Did you have to cut into my mommy time?"

As if he knew just what I was saying he stopped his whimpering for a moment and I swear the little bugger grinned at me.

"Here you go sweet boy." Bella says as she pulls him out of his bouncy seat and places the ring into his mouth which he immediately begins to chew on as he clutches his mother hand.

"Little bugger." I mumble with a smile under my breath. No doubt about it, he was a total mama's boy.

In a five day time span there were going to be three significant days for me, well two really more important than the third. The 16th of June would be my first Father's Day, the 18th of June would be our second anniversary and the 20th of June would be my 28th birthday.

I was looking forward to my first Father's Day more than any of the others, not because of what gifts I thought I might get but because of the badge of honor I felt like I would be wearing with the title of dad, daddy or father. They were words that held so much meaning, meaning that I never fully understood until I became one of them myself. I loved my father very much as I did Carlisle and thought of him as my dad as much as I did his twin. I admired them both for the way they loved their children as well as the way they raised both Alice and I, but I never fully appreciated the work they did, the fears that they had to endure, the anxiety over the decisions they made or the overwhelming feeling of love that they had each time they looked at us. I understand all of that now, know that when Carlisle looks at either Alice or I a certain way what it means and it makes me love Edward Sr. and Carlisle Cullen even more than I thought was possible.

Bella, Esme, Rose and Alice had planned a day of golf for the guys as they put it to be followed with dinner at the house.

I was looking forward to playing golf with Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper because let's face it; golf with Emmett is never dull. I was also looking forward to spending time with Carlisle.

The sweet sound of Rory's cooing woke me up Father's Day morning and I couldn't help the smile on my face as I thought it very apropos that he be the one to wake me up today. I could feel him lying on the bed beside me, the warmth his chubby little body threw off radiating beside me.

"Good morning little man." I say as I open my eyes and see him looking at me. He has managed to find his foot and despite his chubby little legs can bring it to his mouth and chew on it much like he does his hands. I know it is just another things he is using to soothe his aching gums but he just looks so dang proud of himself for being able to do this that I cannot help but giggle with him.

"What do you have Rory? Is that your foot. Did my little man find his foot?" I say as I roll over to my side and prop my head up on my hand so I can get a better view of him. I notice that Bella has propped pillows up all around the other side of him.

"Where's mama little man?"

He babbles an answer as if he really is answering me and I cannot help but laugh at his noises. I pull him closer to me so that he is nestled against my naked chest. He is wearing nothing but a diaper and it feels nice to have his soft little skin against mine. I can't help but take a deep breath and adsorb the smell of baby, so sweet and powdery.

He is playing with his feet when he leans his little leg over towards my mouth as if he is sharing.

"Can I have a bite?" I ask him as I take his wet little foot into my mouth and softly nibble on his toes. "It tastes just like pizza, no wonder you are feasting on it." I say as a nibble some more which causes him to squeal in delight.

The smell of fresh brewed coffee and ham and cheese biscuits fill my nose and I turn to see Bella standing in the doorway to our bedroom with the beautiful angelic smile that only my Bella possess.

"Happy Father's Day daddy." She says as she walks over to the bed and places the coffee mug and plate with biscuits on the bed table next to me before leaning in a kissing me softly on the lips.

"That may be one of the best sentences I have ever heard." I say with a smile.

"Did you wake daddy up?" Bella asks Rory.

"He did and he even shared a little bit of his breakfast with me."

"That's my sweet boy." Bella says as she leans over me and takes Rory's foot and begins to blow raspberries on to it. The sounds of delight that come from his little body make both Bella and I laugh.

"Should we give daddy his gifts?" Bella asks Rory as she pushes herself back up and walks over to the closet.

I sit up and pull Rory in between my legs. He is beginning to sit up on his own but it usually only last for about a minute and then he crashes over without something to support his sides. You can see the frustration in his eyes when he falls over because he really seems to want to sit up and watch the world around him. With the exception of when he is laying chest to chest with Bella or when he is being feed he likes to be held so that he is looking out at the world, his little eyes always wandering around him taking in every little thing that he can.

Bella comes back over to the bed and places three wrapped boxes in front of me; there is a fourth one that she keeps beside her. The first is several DVD's that I have wanted and can use in my classes, some old and some knew. The second is a picture frame with the words My Daddy at the bottom and a black and white photo of me feeding Rory a bottle while we sit in the glider in his room. It's beautiful and I cannot help the catch in my throat as I look at the image in front of me. The third is a very thin box that holds a picture of a jogging stroller.

"What's this?" I ask.

"Well it was too big to hide in the closet so it's down stairs in the mud room. I thought you might like to take Rory with you on your morning runs sometimes when he is awake."

"It's perfect baby." I say as I lean forward, careful to hold onto Rory as I move and kiss her.

I lean back and Bella pulls the fourth gift into her lap, holding onto it for a moment before she places it in my hands, then taking Rory into her arms and turning him around so that they are both looking at me. She is watching me with tenderness and I cannot help but be intrigued by her look alone.

I rip off the wrapping paper and lift the lid off the box, pulling back tissue paper. My hands move to pull the object out until I realize just what it is. I pause for a moment, trying to make sense of the gift before me.

"H…how?" I manage to choke out.

"Esme. It was one of the things she and Carlisle kept when they packed up your house after they passed away."

"But…how did…" My words are cut off by my tears as I pull out a plaster plague. It is a mold of my dad and my hands. I remember it being one of the things my father and I did when I was five. It was a little project that mom had us do together and then she put our names above our hands. The little square is now a rectangle and beside my dad and my hands is a tiny little imprint of Rory's hand with his name above it. There is a brass plate at the top that says Three Generations of Cullen.

"I found a guy who was able to take the original and add it to a larger piece and then I added Rory's hand."

I stare at the piece of plaster that I was holding in my hands, my fingers tracing Rory's tiny little hand than moving over to my own hand. Finally I trace my dad's before I nestle my hand into the mold of his own. It fits perfectly.

"My hand is the same size as dads." The tears are falling freely down my cheeks now as the knowledge that I have my dad's hands takes hold of me.

Bella takes Rory's hand and places it on top of mine that is still nestled against my dad's.

"And one day, Rory's will be the same size as well."

"Bella…I…thank you so much for this. It's just…thank you."

"You're welcome baby." She says as she stands up pulling Rory to her hip before she leans in and kisses the top of my head.

"You have about twenty minutes before you need to get ready to go meet the others. Be sure to eat something ok." She says before she leaves me alone to gather my thoughts and memories.

"Happy Father's Day dad. I miss you. I love you." I whisper.

Golf with Emmett and the others is just what I need to sooth my heart. Dinner with my family while holding my little man makes it even better.

Two nights later, Esme and Carlisle come over to watch Rory so that I can take Bella out to dinner for our anniversary. Two nights after that, our family comes over to the house for dinner and to celebrate my birthday.

All in all it is a perfect five days.

July

My summer with Rory has been amazing so far. We spend our days together doing whatever we want and our nights wrapped up in Bella.

Rory has started sleeping more at night but has become an early riser. He likes to get up around 5:00 am for his first feeding and has started staying up for a bit after his feeding. Since Bella is working and not me I always make sure I get up with him. Bella tries to argue with me that she normally gets up at 5:30 anyway to get ready to go into the bakery but I just ignore her and let her have her extra thirty minutes.

I feed Rory and get him ready and then we walk with Bella to the bakery before using the jogging stroller to take my morning run that always takes us over the bridge. I used to run with my buds in, losing myself in the music and the feel of my feet pounding on the pavement. Now I let the sounds of Rory babbling to himself be my music and inspiration to move forward. He is sitting up on his own now at five months old and I learned quickly that he prefers to be sitting up so he can see all around him. He always seems to get the most animated in his sounds when we are on the bridge and I cannot help but smile to myself when he does this.

After our run we stop back by the bakery for breakfast. Rory is eating baby oatmeal, rice cereal and pureed fruits and vegetables now so his breakfast usually consists of oatmeal with a different fruit each day. Bella likes making his food and is looking forward to when his menu expands beyond the current one.

After leaving the bakery we head back to the house. Rory is usually ready for his morning nap and I take a shower while he is sleeping. Once he wakes from his nap the day is ours and we can do as we please.

It is a routine that we have fallen into quickly and with great ease and I love every minute of it.

"What are you guys up to today?" Bella asks as she feeds Rory his morning blend of pureed mango and bananas.

"Rory and I are going to take Charlie to The Charleston Museum for his birthday."

"I can't believe big man is seven now and will be going into the second grade. Where did the past three years go?" Bella asks as she wipes off Rory's mouth.

"I don't know sweetie, but they have been the best three years of my life." I say with a wink.

"Do you hear that Rory, daddy is so sweet mama could just eat him up." Bella says as she gently rubs Rory's bib across his mouth. Rory's little hands smack down on the tray of the high chair Bella keeps at the bakery.

"Is that a promise Mrs. Cullen?"

"And just like that he goes from sweet daddy to naughty daddy."

"I'll show you a naughty daddy." I mumble under my breath.

Even though I cannot see her face I can tell Bella is rolling her eyes by the shake of her head. She doesn't miss a beat though as she lifts Rory out of his high chair and snuggles into his neck before kissing his little cheeks.

"Be good for daddy and Charlie today my sweet boy." She says as she puts him back in his stroller.

"Be good for Rory and Charlie today naughty daddy." She says as she kisses my cheek and hugs my waist.

"We'll come by and see you later ok. Love you."

"Love you too." She says before she walks back into the kitchen and we head back to the house.

"Are you excited about going into the second grade?" I ask Charlie as we stroll around the museum and look at the different exhibits that tell the story of Charleston.

"I think so."

"Why only think so?"

"They give you homework in the second grade. That is like a big deal."

"That is a big deal big man, that means they think you are growing up and that you can handle learning more."

"I know and I like that, but it also means less time playing and that part of growing up stinks."

"Can't argue that point with you there buddy, it does stink not having enough time to play."

"I hope Jessica and Jordan will be in my class again. It was nice last year having them in the same class as me. We got to play together on the playground all the time. Of course that stupid head Martin picked on me and called them my girlfriends." Charlie says with a huff.

"Hey buddy, no calling anyone a stupid head ok?"

"Daddy calls him that too."

"He does?" I ask him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah he did when I told him about what Martin was saying. Mama fussed at him though."

"I think your mama is probably right to fuss at daddy for doing that, we shouldn't call people names even if they are acting like what you want to call them."

"I guess. But later on when they didn't know I was listening mama called him a stupid head too." He says with a giggle. It takes all I have not to laugh as well.

"You know Martin is just upset he isn't as cool as you right? He wishes he could be friends with all three of you, but since he acts like a not so nice head he can't be right?"

"Not so nice head? Really Edward that is the best you can come up with." He says with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey!" I say as I reach down to tickle him but he's too fast for me and gets away.

"Enough of the old people stuff, can we go to Kidstory now?" He asks.

"Old people stuff uh? Why I ought to throw you over my shoulder and tickle you until your teeth fall out of your head." I say as I try to reach for him again.

"Silly, your teeth won't fall out of your head from being tickled upside down?"

"Oh yeah, let's see." I say as I finally get him and place him over my shoulder tickling him. He squeals in laughter and this of course causes Rory to do the same. We are a loud bunch suddenly and I can feel the eyes of several of the other patrons on us but I don't really care.

"See I told you my teeth wouldn't fall out." Charlie says between fits of laughter.

"Maybe not." I answer him as I put him back down on the ground. "Let's go check out Kidstory."

Charlie does a mini fist bump with Rory and then heads us towards that part of the museum.

Kidstory is an interactive area of the museum where kids can play with replicas of toys that children played with 100 to 200 years ago; they hear stories about life on plantations, the Gullah people, about dying threads with indigo and about planting rice and cotton. They can color and climb, move things around with their feet or hands and just enjoy themselves while they learn.

Everything that Charlie does he wants Rory to be a part of. He helps him push around rice as I hold him. He gives him toys to hold as he tells him all about what the toy does and what its name is. He reads as best as he can, the plagues that goes with each exhibit.

It is so sweet to watch him interact with Rory the way that he does and I cannot help the pride I feel for him.

"Aren't they just adorable together?" A high pitched voice says from behind us. I turn to see a woman about who looks to be about ten years older than me standing there watching us. She is entirely too overdressed for the museum in her leopard print blouse, black skirt and heels. Her hair sprayed so much there is no way it would move even in a Cat 5 hurricane and she has on enough jewelry, makeup and perfume for every woman in Charleston.

"Thank you." I say as politely as I can before I turn my attention back to Rory and Charlie.

"And what a polite daddy they have too. Polite and so very handsome." She says and I swear she draws out the word handsome in a sorry attempt to be seductive.

"He's not my daddy." Charlie says as he glares at the woman.

"No?" The woman asks and her eyes light up like she has hit the jackpot on a slots machine.

"No he is my uncle Edward, but he is his daddy." He says as he points to Rory. "And he is married to my aunt Bella who is the most beautiful woman in the world next to my mama."

"How nice for her." The woman says as her smile drops.

"Yep and he loves her very much so stop trying to flirt with him because he doesn't like you. His Bella is not only beautiful but she makes the best desserts and she doesn't stink." Charlie says as he puts his hands on his hips.

I don't know if I should say something to Charlie for being rude, bust out laughing or sweep him up in my arms and kiss him for saying what I really want to say to this crazy woman.

"Well I never!" The woman huffs. "Someone needs to teach that boy some manners." She says as she looks at me like she expects me to punish him in front of her.

I am about to defend Charlie when there is a loud crash a few feet away from us. We all turn to see a boy who looks to be about ten standing over a pile of what was once a very elaborate house made from wooden blocks and sticks.

"Damn it Bobby can't you give me five minutes of peace." The awful woman shouts as she rushes over to the boy.

"I told you it wasn't glued together." The boy says to his mother with a sneer.

"Ma'am, we do not allow that kind of language in this room." One of the museum guide says. "Now please ask you son to clean up the mess he has made and I ask the two of you to be on your way."

"Do you have any idea of who I am?" The crazy woman yelled.

"No and to be quite honest ma'am it doesn't concern me. What does concern me is making sure our exhibits are intact for all the children to admire and they don't have to worry about hearing ugly words being thrown about them while they are trying to play and learn."

"When my husband hears about the way you are treating me he will no longer donate money to this sorry excuse for a museum."

"All the better for the other patrons." The guide says with a voice so dismissive I want to shake his hand for standing up to this troll of a woman.

"You son of a…"

"Is there a problem here?" A very bulky security guard asks as he walks upon the scene interrupting the troll's tirade.

"Yes there is James, if you could please escort this woman and her child out of the museum and make sure they never come back."

"Gladly Mr. Greene." The security guard James says as he takes a hold of the woman's arm and leads her and her son out the door. Her shrill voice can be heard all the way down the hall screaming something about when Bobby's dad gets home.

"I am terribly sorry for the disturbance today. Please know that we do not tolerate that kind of behavior here and neither she nor her child will be allowed back here again." Mr. Greene announces to the crowd before he turns to a group of workers who begin to build back the house Bobby knocked down.

"What a couple of stupid heads." Charlie says and I cannot help but agree with him.

Bella of course loves the story and the fact that Charlie told the woman off. He was rewarded with lots of kisses which he tried to shrug off and lots of cookies and two cupcakes which he happily took.

August

"He climbed and he climbed and he climbed, and as he climbed he sang a little song to himself. It went like this: Isn't it funny how a bear likes honey? Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! I wonder why he does? Then he climbed a little further…and then just a little further."

I pause my reading and look down to see Rory fast asleep. I put Winnie-the-Pooh down on the table beside the rocker and slowly stand up to put Rory in his crib.

Our chubby little six month old has had a busy day of rolling over, sitting up and lunging his body forward as he tries to crawl. His little belly is full of sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and applesauce, all lovingly made and pureed by his mama.

At six months old he is babbling like there is no tomorrow but still not saying a word. I swear I heard him say dada the other day but Bella tells me otherwise. The drool factory has stopped for now as his bottom two teeth have come in. He uses them to chew his way through Nilla Wafers and Ritz Crackers. He is eating real oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, vegetables and fruit for lunch and dinner and the occasional bit of meat that Bella can blend into oblivion so it is soft enough for him to eat.

He has a bottle in the morning when he first wakes up and Bella is still breast feeding him before he goes to bed. It is their bonding time together still and I know it means the world to her to have those quiet moments with him.

Rory has developed such a personality and his hazel eyes take in every sight and sound around him. He loves to take bathes, everything he can pick up goes straight to his mouth and he is sleeping through the night now.

He smiles all of the time, even in his sleep. He adores his mama and lights up when she is near. He listens to me as I talk to him about our family or some other subject. He loves music and watching the ceiling fan. He hates hats and having his nails clipped. His little temper doesn't come out often but when it does, ear plugs are our only solace while he works out his frustration.

At twenty pounds our little man isn't so little but a roly poly ball of love. His laugh is infectious and his baby smell is divine. Every day is a new learning experience for him and about him and I feel like the luckiest dad on earth that I have been able to spend the past few months with him learning as he does.

Classes start back up for me in two weeks and my all day Rory time will be coming to a close. It saddens me very much to know these days are limited. I know I will have next summer to do the same thing and while I will enjoy that time just as much, it will be different. He will be older; he will be talking, walking and running. He will be a different baby from what he is now. I want that to come, I want to spend that time with him like that next summer, but now, now I want my time with him as our little roly poly angel.

I guess this is one of the hardest parts of being a parent, wanting to keep them as babies forever while wanting to watch them grow at the same time.

"So you decided to make it your first movie to teach this time around?" Bella asks as she sits down beside me. She has just put Rory down for his afternoon nap on the Monday before classes start back up for me.

"Road to Perdition? Yes and I am looking very forward to showing it and discussing it with my new students."

Bella and I had watched the movie the night before but had not really had a chance to talk about it like we normally do because Rory woke up screaming and pulling on his ears from another round of teething.

"And why is that Professor?"

"Because it is just a perfect movie in my view point."

"So teach me the reasons why it is a perfect movie."

"Well first of all it was filmed by the person who the class is based around." One of the classes I was going to teach this semester was looking at the work of the late great Cinematographer Conrad Hall.

"Second it will be neat to teach the class in reverse. To show his last film first and work my way back to his early stuff. There are so many things I want to discuss with them."

"Like what baby, show me, pretend I am one of your students."

"Really?"

"Yes sweetie, really."

"Ok well let's start with the use of color. Not sure if you remember but everything starts out sort of bleak and dark, from the weather being cold, snowy and dark to the dark corners of the houses, the brothel and the warehouse. But as the movie progresses and the relationship between the two gets stronger, the scenery changes just as the seasons do. Their relationship mirrors that, from seemingly cold, distant and lost to blooming, warm and happy. Just like winter to spring."

I paused for a moment to see if I still had her or if she had gotten bored with me yet, but she just watches me, absorbed in the way I was teaching her. God I hope my students look at me with this same passion.

"There is the scene when the older Michael realizes what he has to do in order to protect his son and the struggle he must go through in order to do so. The moment when the younger Michael realizes what his father is about to do. The way the reflection of the rain against the window shadows on his face and it looks as if the father is crying which truth be told he probably is at least on the inside."

"That is a beautiful image." Bella says with a sigh.

"It really is. That image is one that was a signature of Hall's. The things he could do with rain. From Perdition to American Beauty to In Cold Blood. He was famous for them and it happened really by mistake. He was filming a scene for In Cold Blood where one of the killers' talks about what it was like for him growing up. He is standing so close to the window that the rain that rolls down the window is rolling down his face as well and he looks like he is crying. It wasn't until thye played back the scene that they realized the beauty and power of this happy mistake and they knew they had to keep. It became Hall's calling card and he never failed to deliver."

"Then there is the scene when the elder Michael guns down the men he needs to kill in order to protect his son. Of course it is in the rain, but there is such beauty to the scene, almost like a dance complete with music and everything. The scene is violent yet there is no blood and it is not over the top. And then when it focuses in on Newman's character and realization dawns on him the way the music changes it is just so…so perfect in my opinion."

Bella takes my hand, encouraging me to go on.

"Of course there is the scene when young Michael must decide if he is going to shoot the gun or not. Here watch this." I say as I pull the scene up and hit play. "See the way his faces goes from light to dark because of the way the curtain moves in the window but really what it is showing is the struggle that he is going through the movement from dark to white from good to evil. It just says so much, expresses so much and is so very beautiful."

"Of course there are the different stories about fathers and sons. You see the struggles of all of the men as they deal with those relationships, from disappointment to betrayal to love. It's just so perfect."

"So you really like this movie?" Bella says with a chuckle and squeeze of my hand.

"Yeah I guess I do. Sorry." I say with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Hey don't ever apologize for your passion my love, it's one of the things that I admire and love the most about you." She says as she leans forward and kisses my lips.

"I love everything about you." I whisper against her lips. "From this little curve below your ear." My lips meeting my words. "To this little dip in your shoulder to this lovely little crook of your elbow.

"Edward." She whispers in that voice that brings me to my knees every time.

"Every part of you." I whisper as I continue my journey of showing my love with my lips.

This of course takes me all afternoon until Rory wakes up from his nap. It takes Bella three times.

After finishing the final draft of the four different syllabuses' I will be using for the upcoming semester I look at my clock to see that it is 10:15. Bella is in Rory's room nursing him before he goes down for the night.

I head upstairs to kiss our little man good night and I pause outside of the door as I hear Bella talking to him.

"You should have seen your daddy today talking about the movie. He has so much passion when he talks about movies and it is so amazing to watch. I see that same passion in him when he talks about you little man. I hope there is never a moment of doubt in your mind that your daddy loves you, because he does with all of his heart. He is such a great man, Rory and we are so lucky to have him. I know it sounds crazy my sweet boy but I see so much of your daddy in you. You may look like me, but you are your daddy, I can just tell it. From the smile that he always puts on my face to the calm that he brings me, all of those things are in you too Rory. Someday some very lucky girl will fall in love with those things in you just like I did with your daddy and she will be loved like no other in the world."

Bella's words grow quiet as she starts to hum softly and I know that Rory must be drifting off to sleep.

My heart is filled with so much love at this point; so much awe at the words my wife as shared with our son.

"Good night my sweet boy." She whispers and I use that as my cue to enter the room.

"Down for the night?" I whisper.

Bella shakes her head and leans in to kiss his cheek on more time.

"I'll leave you two to your good nights."

She squeezes my hand as she walks by but I cannot let her go. I pull her close to me and looking into her eyes I give her my heart with four little words.

"I love you Bella."

"I never doubt that." She says with a soft smile before she leans in and kisses me just as softly.

She turns to look at Rory one last time and then leaves the room.

"All of those things your mama said about me little man, I feel for her a hundred times over. I'm the lucky one sweet boy. I wish you sweet dreams Rory. All my love little man, all of my love." I say as I lean down and kiss his cheek.

I quietly turn to leave but turn back one last time to glance at my sweet son nestled in a slumbering state. My eyes drift from him to the picture of Bella and me on our wedding day that hangs to right of his crib and let out a contended sigh.

Yes, the luckiest damn person in the world.


A/N: Road to Perdition (2002) Directed by Sam Mendes and starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law. Like Edward there are so many things I can say about this beautiful movie. It is the story of a family man (Hanks) who just happens to be a hit man for an Irish crime family in 1931. In my opinion it is one of Hanks best roles and also a perfect one for the late great and utterly amazing Paul Newman. To me it is the perfect movie, from the writing to the directing to the acting to finally the amazing work of Conrad Hall who was a genius when it came to shooting a film. This was the last one he did before he passed away and he won his fifth Oscar for it shortly after his death. If you ever get the chance or have the desire to I recommend watching one of his movies like Road to Perdition or American Beauty or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or In Cold Blood one time for the film itself and then for a second time for the sheer beauty of his work. He had a truly gifted eye. I tried very hard not to give too much away about the movie in Edward's lesson so please forgive me if either of us did.

Thank you all again for all of the love. Please let me know what you think. I look forward to your thoughts and stories and always love reading them.