I do not own anything Twilight.

"Good evening beautiful," I say as I wrap my arms around the girl before me.

"Good evening, Dr. Cullen. What brings you here?" she asks as she turns in my arms.

"I wanted to see you," I confess and place a kiss on her cheeks.

"I'm glad you wanted to see me. I was wondering when I would get alone time with you, doctor." she flirts and wraps her arms around my waist.

"Well let's not waste it standing here," I suggest. "How about we take a walk?"

"Sounds good. I was thinking of going to the dock for some air. I wouldn't mind your company." she says as she turns to lead the way.

"Sounds like a plan Ms. Denali," I say and take her hand in mine.

When we arrive at the dock I remove my shoes and place my feet in the water. Tanya follows suit and leans her head on my shoulder.

"Your family is such a joy," she whispers. "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun."

"I'm glad you had a good time. I know they enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you." I say as I recall my parents praise of what a wonderful woman she was.

"Your mom absolutely dotes on you. She asked me if they were taking care of you here." Tanya laughed lightly. "Of course I told her that you were well taken care of. She had her doubts though. Something about the food and health."

"That's my mother for you. She doesn't think anyone can take care of her boys like she can." I laugh remembering that Esme packed our lunches for us until senior year of high school. She didn't think the "junk" that they served at school was good for her boys.

"Well, she's a mother. Mothers worry and coddle their kids."

"Was your mother like that?" I ask her because I want to know a bit more about her family.

"Oh no. My mother was kind but she believed we were capable of taking care of ourselves. She was too busy with work, the club, or any new hobby she picked up." Tanya laughs but I could tell that her mother's indifference makes her sad.

"I'm sure she loves you." I try to comfort her.

"Oh, I know she does. It's just the way she is. I think it's the way her mother raised her so it's all she knows. I'm okay with it. She wasn't always there for us but she made sure we were taken care of and she always knew what we were up to. "

"Change of subject. How did you enjoy our outing?" she adds and I understand that she doesn't want to talk about her mother anymore.

"I had a nice time. I was a bit worried that Gabby would be hesitant when meeting someone I was...dating." I say because we weren't exclusively dating but we were "dating". "She seemed to be okay though and that made me happy. My parents enjoyed spending time with you and that made me happy too."

"I'm glad you were happy. It's all I ever want for you Dr. Cullen." she smiles up at me.

I wrap my arms around Tanya and we sit in silence for a while longer.

"Tell me what you are thinking," I whisper.

"I'm thinking that I could get used to this. Spending time with your family, spending time with you while watching the stars in silence. It's so easy to be with you." Tanya says with a sad sigh.

"I know what you mean. It's easy being me with you and letting go of all my worries."

"Edward, I don't want this to end," she whispers and grips my shirt.

For a few minutes, I have no words for her that will portray how much she means to me. How much this time I've had with her has shown me that my life has been so different than what I planned.

"No matter what happens next, I want you to know that I'm happy that you are here.I don't regret anything." I whisper and hold onto her.

"Me too, Edward. I will never regret my decision to come here. It led me to you." she looks up at me and then places her lips on mine before pulling back.

Suddenly she moves onto my lap and wraps her arms around my neck as she deepens the kiss. I bring my hands into her hair and hold her body against mine until there is no space.

All too soon, she pulls away from me. "I'm...not sorry I did that." she chuckles and moves to sit next to me.

I smile at her and we sit in a comfortable silence as we both try to catch our breaths. This kiss was so different than the other's we've kisses were chaste and spoke about our feelings for each other at the moment. However, this one said so much more. And what it said terrified me…

"I think we should be heading back. It's getting pretty late and we have to be up bright and early for confessionals tomorrow." Tanya says as she stands up.

"Right. Confessionals." I tease and roll my eyes.

I can tell the girls hate the confessionals as much as the guys. Sitting in front of the camera and spilling your guts about your feelings was torture.

Heading towards the front of the house, I turn and notice Bella sitting in the garden. Tanya also catches sight of her and gives me a small smile.

"I guess my time is up." she jokes and turns to me.

"Don't say it like that." I start but she places a finger on my lips to shut me up.

"I will see you in less than 48 hours, Dr. Cullen." she smiles at me.

"I'll see you soon," I say and place a kiss on her cheek.

When she enters the house I turn and head towards Bella.

"Is this seat taken?" I ask as I take a seat next to her on the bench.

"Edward!" she exclaims in surprise. "You startled me." she laughs.

"I apologize." I grin and laugh. "What are you doing out here so late?" I ask.

"It's very crowded in there tonight," she says as she points to the house.

"There are only six of you in there. It's less crowded than before." I laugh.

"Not crowded with people. Crowded with emotions," she explains. "Emotions are running very high tonight. It's the last night with you and every girl in there knows that. Three will be left with broken hearts and three will possibly become Mrs. Cullen. They all care deeply for their guy and are terrified of what awaits them. It's stifling."

"They...are you not included in that Bella?" I ask her focusing on that last sentence.

"Yes," she exclaims, whipping her head toward me. "I am. That was the wrong word." she smiles at me.

"I'm glad to hear that. I am sad to know that you are all feeling that way. It feels the same for us." I tell her. "Within 48 hours we will be welcoming three of you into our lives, permanently. It's not something we take lightly and it hurts us to know that we will be breaking the hearts of three of you girls. It is not easy for us either."

"Oh, I think we all know that. As hard as it is for us, it's harder for you three. Jasper and Emmett are choosing the women that will become, not only their wives but also the mother of their children. That is a huge commitment in itself. You, however, are choosing a woman that will become your wife, and the mother of your children, and Gabriella's stepmother. It is not only about your life but also the life of the beautiful little girl that calls you daddy." Bella says as she watches the waterfall. "It won't be an easy 48 hours," she whispers.

I sit staring at the water as it falls because I am at a lost for words. Bella has taken every worry and every thought that has crossed my mind and explained it so clearly. This wasn't only about me finding someone to love and to love me. This was about finding that and also someone that would love my daughter as if she was their daughter. Someone that she could turn to when she needed a mother's hug, a mother's kiss, a mother's advice, a mother's love.

"Edward…" she starts and turns to me. "I want to tell you something."

"Okay." I nod and wait for her to ask her question.

"Do you remember when you picked me up for our date in Puerto Rico?"

"Yes, I do. I remember you were sad."

"You saw that?" she seems surprised when she asked.

"Yes, I notice everything about you Bella. I can't help it." I give her a small smile.

She blushes and returns my smiles sadly. "Well, I was thinking about my neighbor back home. She was this very nice lady that lived next door since I was a baby. She used to babysit me when I was a child and she was the one that encouraged me to put my words onto paper. She was like a grandmother to was 90 and was very old but she was tenacious. She used to tell me the best stories, but my favorite was the one of how she fell in love with her husband. See, they were young when they met and from the very first time they saw each other they fell in love. She said that when he looked at her or touched her she would feel, what felt like an electrical current, run through her body. She said she knew no one would ever make her feel that way. She was right. After her husband passed away she never found another love like theirs." she explained and then tears flowed down her cheeks

"She sounds like a wonderful lady. To have loved that way is a blessing. Not everyone finds a love like that." I say as I wipe her tears. "This story makes you sad."

"On the contrary, it makes me very happy. I'm sad because, before you picked me up, my father had just called me to tell me that she had passed away." she sobs and buries her face in her hands.

"Bella," I say as I grab her underneath her legs and place her on my lap. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, wrapping my arms around her. "If I had known, I would have made sure you could say goodbye. Why didn't you tell me?"

"For a second, I wanted to just go back and say goodbye but then I thought about her words before I came here. She told me that I had to let love in, to not give up on the possibility of finding love, no matter what. If I were to go home, it meant giving up on you, on us." she whispers and looks at me "I don't want that.I never want that."

"You want the love she had…"I confirm as I look down at her.

"And so much more. So many things I never knew I wanted. I want to be a wife, a friend, a sister, a daughter in law, but most of all a...mother. I want you, your family, your name but most of all I want Gabby." she says with conviction in her eyes.

And for the first time in my life, my heart shatters into a million pieces. Not from heartbreak but from the abundance of love that shoots through it. But in seconds, that very same heart is pieced back together as I feel all of the strings weaving it together. The strings that come from the words this beautiful, amazing, kind, wonderful woman has spoken. Words said with such conviction, such sincerity... such love. Love. Bella loved me...my family, but most of all...my daughter. My girl.

"Bella you don't…" I started but she placed her lips on mine and wrapped her arms around me.

Instantly, I laced my fingers through her hair and brought her closer to me. When she opened her lips and swiped her tongue across mine I let her in. Removing my lips from hers, I traced them over her eyes, her nose, across her jaw, down her neck. She tasted like lavender and the hint of salt from the ocean water.

"Edward…" Bella moaned softly which made me move up towards her lips again.

I lift her and place her legs on either side of me. Bella laces her finger through my hairs and as I did a moment ago, traces her lips across my jaw, down my neck, and across to whisper in my ear. "We should stop."

"We probably should," I whisper as I kiss her neck and pull her closer to me.

"Edward…" she moans breathlessly and arches into me. "We need to stop," she whispers and with less conviction pulls back and untangles herself from me.

"I'm sorry." I apologize and look at her with a smile.

Her hair is a tousled mess, her lips plump, and her face as bright red as a rose. She looks absolutely stunning.

"Never apologize for that." she looks at me sternly. "However, you need to go because one more second and I won't let you go," she explains and sighs.

"I agree. I need to go. I will see you in a few days, my...Bella" I smile and kiss her once more.

"Have a good night, Edward." she smiles.

With that smile and that kiss on my mind, I make my way home. Bella's story from earlier and Tanya's words tumble in my head that night. But as I fall asleep one thought is the loudest.

In less than 48 hours one of them will accept to be my wife, my partner, my best friend, but most of all….a mother to my daughter.