A/N: Alright everyone. Last chapter below. Read on. We'll talk at the end.
All characters (except Maddie) belong to S. Meyer. I'm just moving them to the East Coast for a bit.
Chapter 35 – This Is Who I Am
Chapter Song Rec: Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
EPOV
It was late afternoon by the time we reached Hoquiam. The rain, which had been getting steadily heavier as the day wore on, now came down in sheets, blurring the buildings and trees and cars we passed into unrecognizable shades of greens and greys.
I leaned forward in the driver's seat, stretching my neck closer to the windshield to try to make out the street signs, but Charlie and Jake were both more familiar with the area than I was, and they assured me we were almost there. When the red neon sign blurred into view, the red brick and concrete square building - darkened to a muddy brown by the heavy downpour - appeared suddenly through the sheets of rain. I pulled the rental car over into the gravel lot. The small rocks made crunching sounds as they pelted against the tires and bottom of the rental. I parked in the very back before cutting the engine. In the silence, the sound of the rain pounding against the car mixed with the loud cacophony of music from inside the bar, pounding out a disjointed beat only audible to the three of us.
"Now Edward, as a man, I understand why you need to do this, but I promised my daughter I'd make sure you stayed as calm as possible. And Jake here's along for the ride in case Paul gets any ideas about tag-teamin' you."
"Charlie, Bella's request there was pretty general though," Jake pointed out from the passenger seat next to me. He turned to face the Chief in the back seat.
"I mean, you and I not knowing Edward for that long, it's kinda hard for us to know what calm is for him. It could be anything from clenching his hands at his sides, to beating Paul within an inch of his life." He shrugged. "Who are we to judge?"
I could see how Jake and I – now that he'd turned his romantic interests elsewhere – could someday be buddies.
Charlie frowned, smirking. He put one hand up, palm out. "Now, now boys. We're not here to fight with Paul." At our low groans he leveled both of us with a stern glance. "Paul needs to know Bella and Maddie have got Edward here to take care of them now, so he never tries to pull his shit again-"
"Exactly."
"That's what I'm sayin'."
"But," Charlie spoke over us loudly, pausing to draw in a lungful of air. His eyes were dark, and his nostrils flared, making his mustache twitch. Yet when he spoke again, his voice was calm. In a way, he reminded me of Carlisle.
"So long as I'm around, there won't be any fists flyin'. Are we clear?"
Neither Jake nor I answered right away.
"I said, are we clear?" he asked again, raising one eyebrow.
"Yes Chief," I sighed. "We're clear."
Jake sucked his teeth. "Yeah, sure, sure Charlie. We're clear," he sulked.
"Alright then," Charlie said, putting a hand on the door handle and opening it half-way. "Let's get this show on the road."
The bar was dark and smoky. An angry rock band wailed loudly over the speakers when the three of us walked in. Demetri had told me exactly where to find him. Apparently, Paul had a routine of spending his days with cheap booze and even cheaper women before going off to work at the casino, where he'd end up gambling away whatever money he hadn't burned off at the bar.
When Jake tapped me on the shoulder and pointed towards the bar counter, at the wide-shouldered back of a tall, dark haired man that could've almost been Jake from behind, I allowed myself a split second of pity. Shaking my head, I wondered what kind of shit for brains this guy must have had. To have once made a conscious decision to risk Bella and Maddie for this sort of existence. He'd had it all; a beautiful wife, an adorable baby girl, and he'd thrown it away instead of thanking his lucky stars every goddamned day and night.
But in the next second, a skinny dark haired woman in a black tube top and cut-off daisy dukes walked over next to him and put her arm around his neck. She said something to him in his ear and he wrapped his arm around her skinny waist, pulling her into him and digging his face into her chest. She squealed with delight, and he laughed heartily.
All pity melted away. My top lip twisted up; my blood boiled in my veins.
It was just a few days ago that he'd told Bella – my Bella - that he wanted her back. My fists clenched tightly inside my coat pockets, where I'd stuck them to try to keep my promise to Bella and the Chief.
Yet here he was, shoving his face into a pair of skinny tits. He'd never deserved Bella. And the truth was, I wasn't sure if I did either. But one thing I was sure of, I'd cherish her and Maddie until the day I took my last breath, and I'd spend all my time between now and then doing everything I could to make them happy.
And safe.
I made my way over to the stool where Paul sat nursing a shot in one hand, and Daisy Duke's ass in the other.
"Keep it calm son," Charlie murmured from behind me, where he and Jake stopped to wait.
It took a few seconds for either Paul or his handful to realize there was someone standing right behind them. The girl turned around first, and though I kept my eyes on the back of Paul's head, out of my periphery I saw how her heavily made up eyes grew wide. She looked me up and down shamelessly, her big red lips turned up.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" she purred.
This made Paul finally turn in his stool. He caught sight of me and frowned.
"Who the hell-" his eyes flashed behind me, catching sight of Jake and Charlie.
He smiled, ignoring me for the time being. "Well look what the wind blew in. If it isn't my little bro and my favorite father-in-law."
Charlie and Jacob both said something in response, but I had no idea what it was, because at the same time that they were talking I glared evenly at Paul and said through clenched teeth,
"He. Is not. Your father-in-law."
That brought Paul's attention back to me. He studied me carefully before a flash of recognition crossed his features, widening his eyes.
He snorted. "Edward Cullen."
I said nothing.
"Looks like that wife of mine didn't waste any time in running to her rich little boyfriend."
"Your wife?" Daisy asked, pulling away from him. Neither one of us spared her a glance. Pissed off, Daisy sauntered off with an exaggerated huff.
"Think carefully before you call Bella your wife again," I said coolly, loud enough to make sure he heard me over the drums and electric guitars in the background.
His lip curled up. "What the fuck do you want Cullen? You and your entourage come looking for beef?" His eyes flickered back to where Jake and Charlie stood. "What's the matter? You too much of a pussy," he spat, "to come and find me on your own?"
My hands clenched even tighter inside my pockets. My fingers dug into my palms; warm blood ran slowly down my hands.
I snorted. "They're here for your well-being, not mine."
He chuckled. "Oh really?"
I spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm here to make one thing clear to you. That shit that you pulled a few days ago? That. Will not. Happen again. You won't call Bella, you won't come within one thousand feet of her or Madisen, you won't even so much as fucking check her Facebook status from now on."
Paul chuckled again and lowered his head, scratching his nose with his middle finger. He looked back up and picked up his shot glass. From the red tint of his eyes, it wasn't the first one of the evening.
"Or what?"
I stared at him. "Or I'll make sure that trip you took to New York'll end up costing you three to five. From what I've heard, you've already got quite a few problems on your plate." I shrugged. "It's up to you whether you want to add another one."
One corner of his mouth lifted up into a lop-sided grin. He lifted the shot glass to his lips and threw it back easily, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and slamming the glass back down on the counter before signaling for another one.
"You know, all you pretty little rich boys are the same shit," he said, keeping his eyes on the bar counter. "Always thinkin' you can get what you want by threatening with lawsuits and courts and your little crooked lawyers to fight all your battles for you." He looked me up and down derisively and snorted. "Yeah, you're exactly the kind of guy I would've expected my w-" – he smiled – "I would've expected…Bella to end up with. Someone so fucking ready and willing to fight for her honor."
His eyes flashed behind me again. "Take my little brother over there for example. Did you know that he's been dying to be the one to defend Bells' honor for years now?"
"You goddamned son-of-a-" Jake growled from a few feet behind me. I heard some shuffling, and Charlie's voice, trying to calm him down.
I smirked and closed my eyes momentarily, but didn't turn around.
Paul laughed and picked up his new shot. He swirled it around a bit before raising it to me and throwing it back in one gulp. The bartender eyed us warily as he wiped down the counter next to Paul.
"I'm not here to discuss your shitty sibling rivalry or your inferiority hang-ups with your brother. Like I said, I'm just here for one thing. To let you know that I'm here now," – I pulled one fisted hand out from my pocket and pointed my thumb towards my chest – "for Bella and Maddie, and if you ever come near them again," I growled, "it'll be me you'll have to contend with. One way or another. In court, or out. Do you understand?"
His nostrils flared. His lips turned up in a snarl, black eyes glowing in the grey haze of smoke surrounding us. I noticed how heavily he was breathing at the same time I realized that my chest was heaving just as hard.
But Paul wasn't ready to understand.
"You hear that little brother?" he called out, keeping his eyes on me.
The challenge in his expression sent a wave of adrenaline pulsing furiously through my veins.
The truth was, this moment had been inevitable since the day I'd found Bella crying in the back stairwell of our offices, when he'd had her served with custody papers. And the look in his eyes made it clear he had no intention of trying to rectify all the pain he'd caused Bella since the moment he'd entered her life.
"Looks like both of us are out of luck this time, bro," he said to Jake, while still staring at me. "Oh well." He snickered and stood up. "Bella's still young. You may get your chance yet. Then the three of us can get together and swap notes. What'd'ya think?" he grinned widely.
Of course I knew he was goading me.
I'd held back pretty well, actually. I really had intended to try my best to keep it from getting physical. Paul crossed the line the minute he got on that airplane to New York. Every word I'd allowed him to utter between then and now was a testament to my love and respect for Bella.
But this dumb fuck obviously needed the line drawn out for him clearly, so he'd never again forget where it was. For all our sakes.
Out of respect for Charlie, I turned around to give him warning.
Charlie was already behind me. He patted my shoulder twice and leveled me with a steady glare.
"Edward, as police chief I gotta remind you that you start fighting in here, the cops are gonna be called in." He eyed me intently. "As Bella's father, I'll be outside, not seeing anything, and catching up with Hoquiam's police chief when he arrives. Make it quick."
I nodded once and turned back. With a satisfying crunch, my fist smashed into Paul's jaw, knocking him backwards. His head jerked directly over the bar counter when he staggered back, but when he recovered his fists flew in the air, landing a blow against my left rib. I met it with a blow directly against his stomach, doubling him over.
Out of my periphery, I was aware of the huge bartender talking animatedly on the phone, the crowd gathering around us, the rough music still blaring in the background, Charlie walking out, and Jake - standing in the middle of the bar with his feet firmly planted over the dirty floor, his arms crossed rigidly against his chest - making sure this stayed between Paul and me.
Because there are bonds stronger than blood.
Like the indisputable axiom that Maddie was my daughter, as much as she was Bella's. Somehow, across time and space, we'd created her together, and at the end of the day, there would be as much of me in her as there would be of Bella.
And like the fact that the Chief was part of my family, in deed if not yet on paper. Something I'd be working to rectify as soon as I got back to New York.
And the fact that, though Jake no longer had romantic feelings toward Bella, he would always love her. She was his family in a way that Paul, his own blood, would never be.
That was the bond that tied us all together; because no matter what, we all protected our family.
OOOOOOOOOO
It was dark by the time I parked the rental next to Charlie's cruiser at the airport. The rain had subsided somewhere between Hoquiam and here, leaving a cold, foggy night in its wake.
"You get that rib looked at when you get back to New York, you hear?" Charlie said solemnly from the passenger seat.
I chuckled. "It's just bruised Charlie, it'll be fine."
"Mmm," he murmured, smoothing down his mustache with one finger.
Jake chortled from the back seat. He'd been in an extremely upbeat mood ever since we left Hoquiam, despite the small police force that had been waiting outside when we'd finally made our way out of the bar. But they'd let us through without a word, there eyes bouncing all over the place, but never landing on us.
Damn, it was good having a police chief on your side.
"Yeah," Jake snickered, "I'm sure Edward's bruised rib'll heal a lot quicker than Paul's nose. That shit'll never lay just the right way again. It'll totally throw off that face of his." He laughed again.
"Mmm," Charlie mumbled again, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. "Bella's gonna have my head for this. Maybe you shouldn't say anything to her."
"Charlie, I learned my lesson about keeping things from your daughter. It's not worth it." I shrugged. "She asked me to try, and I did. I'm only human."
"Mmm," Charlie muttered.
Jake chuckled. "Listen guys, it's been great, but Leah's waiting for me back home, and I can't wait to tell her how things went down today. She loves a good fight story."
I smirked.
But Jake had had my back today, even more than I'd honestly expected him to. It still felt a bit strange to think of him as anything other than a rival. But it was obvious he was crazy about Leah, and I could tell that what Bella had once said about he and I was true; we could be grow to be good friends one day.
"Jake," I said, turning to face him, "thanks for today man. I want you to know that I really…appreciate you keeping that bar crowd at bay."
He snorted. "Yeah sure, sure, though I gotta be honest with you, I wasn't sure you had it in you. I mean, you're not exactly puny or anything, but fuck - sorry Charlie, I mean shit - Paul's bigger than me."
Both Charlie and I smirked.
"Yeah well, you know what they say, the bigger they are…" One side of my mouth curled up in a grin.
"He sure fell hard!" Jake chuckled heartily. "Got his ass handed to him by the pretty little rich boy!"
I rolled my eyes.
Jake laughed. "Kidding. We cool man?" he added through raised eyebrows.
I knew he meant for much more than just today.
"Yeah. Yeah, we're cool."
He grinned and leaned forward in his seat to pat my shoulder once. "Take care man. Say hi to Bella for me and give my niece a kiss from her uncle."
"Will do."
He opened the car door and headed for the Charlie's police cruiser.
Charlie started to open his door. I cleared my throat. "Chief, can I speak to you for a minute?" For the first time today, my voice shook with nerves.
Charlie's mustache twitched. "Sure," he answered cautiously, closing his door again and facing forward. "What's on your mind?"
I swallowed hard. "Sir, I mean Chief, I mean Charlie," I stuttered nervously, looking straight ahead, both my hands still on the steering wheel. I drew in a deep breath. "Charlie, you know I love your daughter and granddaughter more than my own life."
He exhaled heavily. "Yeah, I've sort of gathered that."
My heart hammered loudly in my chest. "Well, even though it's only been a short- I mean even though it may seem like it's only been- I mean it's been long enough for me- what I'm trying to say is I already know-"
"Just spit it out son." When I paused, he breathed out in exasperation. Out of the corner of my eye I saw half his mustache twitch up. "Look, I know what you're trying to ask me, and I appreciate it son. But you don't need my permission, and if what you're asking for is my blessing, you've had that for a while now, even before the Bruce Banner display this afternoon," he chuckled. "Yeah, it is fast," he confirmed. Then he sighed thoughtfully, probably recalling his own rush into his first marriage. "And under different circumstances, I'd be on the phone beggin' my daughter to hold off for a while, but…look, you've proven yourself to me Edward, even though it's never been me you've had to prove yourself to. But I do see that you're not who all those tabloids made you out to be, and I entrust my family over to you, because I know you'll treasure them the way I do."
"I will sir- Charlie," I vowed with complete conviction. "I do."
We both stared at each other for a few moments.
"Alright then," he finally said. Then he turned and opened his door, stepping out into the fog, and making it clear that those were to be his last words to me for the night.
OOOOOOOOOO
One Month Later:
The large smooth stone fireplace in the middle of the bedroom burned brightly, illuminating the whole room in a candescent glow and providing just enough warmth so that Bella and I lay comfortably and snug under the heavy down comforter on the four-poster bed. Outside the bay window, the heavy snow falling lit up the dark night, making it look like early afternoon rather than late evening. The snow-covered Vermont mountains in the distance stood tall and proud, their white peaks gleaming.
Bella rested on my side, curled into me with her head over my chest. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal, but I could still feel her heart hammering away, the same way mine was, the way it always did when she was in my arms, especially after a session of mind-blowing lovemaking.
I breathed out heavily. "I think we've gotten a better work out this weekend by just staying in this cabin than we would've skiing those mountains."
"Told you," she murmured, running one hand languidly up and down my chest. The light from the fire caught the ring on her left hand, and every time she moved it a prism of multi-colored facets danced around the room. I smiled and brought her hand up to my lips, kissing the tips of her fingers.
"One way or another, I'm going to get you on that mountain again."
She chuckled into my chest, raising the fine hairs over it. "I don't think so. I almost broke my neck Edward!"
"I would've never let that happen," I assured her with a kiss to the top of her head.
Our eyes met suddenly, both wide and aware. "The Olympic Mountains?" I asked.
She grinned widely in answer. "The Olympic Mountains."
I grabbed her shoulders and dragged her gently up to meet my mouth, pulling her top lip between mine before running my tongue along her bottom lip. She opened her mouth eagerly and let her own tongue come out to play.
After a couple of minutes I pulled away enough to look into her eyes.
"Okay. So we've got the guest list, only family and close friends. Now we've got the place, the Olympic Mountains. All we need is a date love."
Bella moved her hands up, to play with my hair. I opened and closed my eyes, humming quietly in contentment.
She waited a while before speaking. "When did Jenks say the next court hearing was scheduled for?"
"The last week of February."
She looked just past me, out the darkened windows, thoughtfully.
"Don't worry love," I said. "Even if Paul doesn't show up, Jenks and Demetri were able to gather enough information to present to the court, making it clear that Paul isn't fit to share custody of Maddie."
She nodded, still gazing out the window. I kissed her jawline softly. "And then we can start adoption proceedings," I whispered.
She smiled and nodded once more, sighing deeply. Finally she met my eyes. "I just wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish…he wouldn't fight it, and make it so ugly. You understand that's the only reason I can't pick a date yet, right?" I lifted a hand up and ran it through her long, thick hair, smiling to let her know that I did understand.
I knew Bella was as anxious to bind herself to me in every way possible as I was. But when we get married, she wanted it to be about the three of us starting our new lives together. Not about court proceedings, and legal battles.
We didn't always like the decisions we had to make – like when I'd gone to see Paul last month, or when Bella had insisted on being there when we'd confronted Tanya - but we always discussed them, and we always came to a decision we could both accept. In the meantime, she wore the ring on her left hand proudly, never taking it off, never hiding it, not even from the press.
Of course, they'd gone batty when they'd realized Bella and I had gotten engaged, but over the past few weeks, the fascination with America's new sweetheart, and with myself, had finally started to die down. I think the fact that that vampire guy had a new movie coming out had something to do with it.
Sometimes I'd catch Bella lying in bed, or over by the sink, or just sitting and reading a book, and suddenly her eyes would go to her left hand, and she'd lift it up close to her face, gazing at it with an awe and warmth that took my breath away. And then she'd turn her hand from side to side, watching as the pretty blue diamond caught whatever light was in the room and exploded into a medley of colors, like the thousands upon thousands of specks of glitter that Maddie had strategically showered the apartment with that day last month.
Sometimes she'd catch me watching her, and her face would break into the most glorious smile, her eyes dancing, sharing all her secrets with me; every single secret I'd been dying to know since that day last August when I'd first laid eyes on her.
I let my hand roam over her face, tracing her dark eyes, running down her small nose, around her plump lips.
"Bella, as long as I have you and Maddie, I know everything else will work out."
She kissed my finger, and then took my hand in between both of hers and placed it on her chest before lowering her head over my chest again and sighing softly.
We returned to the city after spending the weekend in Vermont – Bella's Christmas present to me – and picked up our daughter from my mom's house. As much as we'd missed her, Maddie had been too busy with her nanny and pop to miss us too much.
These past few weeks - since Bella and I had finally come clean with each other about everything, and the press was finally leaving us alone, and Tanya and Paul had been put in their places - had been much more relaxing for the three of us. We were finally free to do whatever we wanted, and so we did.
We took Maddie to the playground, to the zoo, to the museums. We went out for pizza, we ate hot dogs from the corner vendors while strolling through Central Park. We took Maddie to Serendipity for her favorite dessert at least once a month. And we also gave Maddie time with the rest of her eager and willing family, so that Bella and I could have some time alone. Nice dinners (not raw seafood); quiet, private strolls through Central Park; long nights alone in front of the fireplace.
We continued alternating between Bella's apartment and mine. I would always love the city, but Bella had grown used to Brooklyn; its quieter life, the proximity to Maddie's sitter, and even to my annoying sister. It was another decision we'd have to face in the upcoming months, but we'd face it together.
The Clio Awards were held the third Saturday in February. Bella and I arrived with a hugely pregnant Rosalie and her proud husband, and a decked out Alice and her fiancée. Even James, that fucker attended. I had to admit, he had played an important part in the Baby's Bottom campaign the previous year, and his presence no longer bothered me anyway. I'd grown confident in the fact that Bella was mine. And James could eye her on the sly – or what he thought was on the sly, the dumb fucker – as much as he wanted. It would always be me she went home with.
I couldn't blame him for eyeing her anyway, poor fucker. Bella looked unbelievably glorious that evening. She wore a strapless dark blue floor-length ball gown that hugged her curves before flaring out at the bottom. On her neck was her sapphire necklace, and on her ears were the matching sapphire studs. And as always, her engagement ring was the only piece of jewelry on her fingers. Once again, the paparazzi went crazy that night, snapping picture after picture of both of us, and especially of her after she won the Clio Gold for Most Innovative Print Design. My heart was close to bursting with pride, so much so that I didn't even care that for the first time since we started CCW, I had to settle for a Silver Clio. Felix Vega of the Twilight Group got my gold.
You can't win them all.
But I won the most important one, and that's all that mattered.
A few days later, at the court hearing Jay Jenks set up to work out Maddie's custody, Paul was, unfortunately but unsurprisingly, a no-show. Jenks therefore started proceedings to forcefully strip Paul of his parental rights, something we'd been trying to avoid. I looked at Bella across the small table, where we'd been sitting for over an hour with Jenks, waiting for Paul and his counselor to appear. She sighed and reached under the table for my hand, squeezing it between her own.
Yes, there would still be hard times. But we'd get through them together.
A few days later, I came home after a long evening run in Central Park. Running was still a very important part of my life, and it probably always would be. It helped me clear my mind, to be alone with my thoughts, to put things in perspective. Even stupid things like stressful days at work; Rosalie handing off more work to Bella and me in perfect tandem with the growth of her midsection; my sister Alice getting on my case about promising to keep my hair under control for her wedding day. 'Too distracting,' she called it, whatever the fuck that meant.
And my daughter's custody. Always my daughter's custody.
So I ran, mile after mile, feeling the stretching of my limbs, the tightening in my abs, the clearing in my mind. The wind blew against my jaw at the same time that sweat trickled down the side of my face, and against my ribs.
Bella read to relieve her stress; I ran. The rest we dealt with together.
The apartment was quiet when I walked in after my run. We'd already gotten Maddie in bed for the night, in a pretty white canopy bed that had been delivered a few days ago. A few of her toys and books were in her room too; but we'd held off on painting and decorating until we made a decision about where we'd be living.
I turned on the light in the living room as I made my way through the apartment. Bella was probably in the shower, getting ready for bed. I hurried into the kitchen for a bottle of water, anxious to join Bella under a nice hot stream of water. I lifted my sweatshirt over my head, and froze with it over my arms when I caught sight of Bella standing next to the window in her white terry robe, staring out at the brightly lit city skyscrapers beyond, the phone clutched tightly in one hand.
"Bella?" I flung the sweatshirt aside.
She turned around to look at me, surprised, as if she'd been so lost in thought she hadn't even heard me come in. In two quick strides I was at her side.
"Are you okay love?"
She nodded slowly, her expression full of shock.
I looked down at the phone and took it from her hand. Her eyes followed my movements.
"What happened?"
Her eyes came back up to mine. She blinked twice. "That was Jenks."
My heart stopped. "What did he say?"
"He said…" she began slowly, as if she were still too startled to speak. She drew in a deep breath, and continued in a shaky voice. "He said Paul's attorney contacted him late this afternoon."
My fists clenched at my sides. For a split second, I contemplated making a second trip to Washington in the next couple of days.
"He said…Paul…Paul signed the termination papers."
"What?"
Her mouth turned up in a small, unsure smile. "Yes. They were fed-exed to Jenks this afternoon, and we've got to appear in court on Friday, but…but they're signed," she said slowly, as if she were having a hard time believing the words she was speaking. "Jenks went over them. He said they're all in order."
I stared at her, too flabbergasted to say anything.
"He said Paul attached a post-it to the papers. It said, 'I can't give her anything, but I won't take from her.'"
I frowned. "Do you know what that means?"
She looked past me, as if she were remembering something. "Yeah, I think I do."
For the second time in a month, Bella and I appeared in court. Sitting at the small mahogany table once again, she gripped my hand tightly over the table, only loosening her vice grip once the judge confirmed that all papers were in order, and that Paul had sixty days to rescind the paperwork, after which full custody of Madisen Grace Swan would be granted to her mother.
Jenks stood up, adjusting the buttons on his expensive suit before clearing his throat.
"We have one more request your honor. My clients would like to begin proceedings so that Mr. Edward Cullen, Ms. Swan's fiancée, can officially adopt Ms. Madisen Swan once the sixty-day waiting period has expired."
I swallowed nervously. Now it was my turn to hold Bella's hand in a vice grip.
The judge took a look at the additional paperwork Jenks had placed before her, lifting her gaze to me and eyeing me carefully.
"Mr. Cullen?"
I stood up. "Yes your honor."
"You do realize the enormity of such a proceeding. This is not a decision that should be made on a whim."
I nodded respectfully. "I assure you your honor, this is not a whim." I turned around quickly and glanced at Bella. She gave me an encouraging smile, her chocolate eyes full of love and trust. I turned back to face the judge.
"With all due respect Mr. Cullen," she continued, "For the past few years, you and your…escapades have been very prominently displayed for all the world to see. That is not the type of lifestyle I would agree to place a child into."
"I am not that man anymore."
"Alright," she said slowly. "But if you indeed are not that man anymore, I need some assurance from you that you know who you are. A child needs two parents to guide it through life, and you cannot be a guide if you don't know who you are yourself."
"I know who I am your honor," I said, for the first time in my life fully confident of that fact.
"I am not infallible, and yes, I've made a few bad decisions. But those bad decisions do no define me your honor. I'm defined by my dedication to my family, a trait that was instilled into me as a child by my own mother and father. I'm defined by my ability to earn the dedication of those I love. And if you grant us this petition, I will be further defined by my role as father to Maddie- Madisen," I corrected myself. "Because who I am, your honor, is the man that wants nothing more than to have her as my daughter, and her mother as my wife."
For a long time, the judge studied me through scrutinizing eyes, while I held my breath anxiously. But I wouldn't take back a word I'd said, because I'd finally found myself, and I owed it all to my daughter, and my future wife.
A week later, Bella, Maddie and I were enjoying an early spring day in Central Park. It was early March, and the trees were starting to show signs of life again; green buds peaked out of every branch, the grass that had withered, yellowed and dried up over the winter was now morphing into sinewy blades of moss-colored lawn, lush and soft under the blanket we'd spread out. A few dozen other blankets lay spread out on the big lawn this morning; city dwellers, pale from the long winter months, as well as tourists alike all took advantage of the rare warm day, sunning themselves over blankets, passing footballs back and forth, throwing Frisbees to one another and flying kites high over the trees and among the city's pre-war grey buildings, brick and mortar gargoyle statues gleaming under the spring sun.
The sound of Maddie's giggles floated through the warm breeze, and I opened my eyes, lifting my head from where I'd been resting over the blanket. Bella's head was on my stomach, adding an extra layer of warmth.
Maddie was running around with two other little girls about her age, Emma and Julie. Over the past couple of weeks with the weather warming up, we'd met up with them and their parents a few times while hanging out in the park. The three little girls had quickly become good friends, sharing their love for princesses and Dora and chocolate.
I chuckled as I watched my daughter point at a squirrel carrying an acorn up a tree and squeal in delight. I put my head down again and closed my eyes momentarily. The rays of sun glared down over my eyes, leaving a gold-toned impression of Maddie's smiling face burned behind my eyelids.
"She really has fun with those girls, doesn't she?" I murmured quietly, resting my head over one hand and running the other through Bella's soft hair.
"Mmhm," Bella answered.
"I'd rather she play with them than with those pain in the ass boys in Brooklyn anyway," I mumbled, grimacing when I remembered their pathetic mothers.
Bella laughed, shifting her head over my stomach. "You can't keep her away from boys forever Edward."
I smirked, my eyes still closed. "Watch me."
Bella laughed again. Her head left my stomach, and abruptly, the golden rays warming my closed eyes disappeared and total blackness danced over my eyes. When I opened them back up, Bella had the top of her body twisted over me, supporting her weight with one arm on either side of me.
She bit her lip, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Actually, I was talking to Julie's mom the other day."
"About?"
"Well…Maddie'll be starting Kindergarten in September…Julie's mom was telling me about the school Julie and Emma are in. It's supposed to be really good. But the wait list usually starts as soon as you find out you're pregnant, and it's been closed for this September's registration for a while now." She rolled her eyes.
I shook my head. Bella lowered her eyes to my chest. "I uh, spoke to Esme yesterday."
This was all going somewhere.
"And?"
"She's good friends with one of the board members at the school." She bit her lip again. "She uh…she said if we want, she can probably get Maddie registered there for September."
I frowned quizzically. "Where is this school?"
"Not too far. Just a few blocks from here."
"From our apartment here?"
She nodded, a slow smile creeping over her mouth.
I grinned widely. "Well, well, well," I chuckled, "Did Ms. Isabella Swan actually ask for, and accept a favor from her future mother-in-law?"
She blushed and shoved me in the stomach with her arm. I took hold of both her arms and she landed flat on top of me, giggling. I cradled her head in my hands and brought her mouth down to meet mine, kissing her softly.
"So we're keeping our Central Park West address?" I asked when she pulled away.
She nodded slowly with a smile. "We're keeping the Central Park West address." She looked up and scanned the large meadow, Maddie playing with her friends, spring birds flying from tree to tree, the sounds of people laughing and playing with friends and family.
She sighed. "I think I can get used to having Central Park as my back yard."
I smirked, because that was one of the things I'd always loved about where I lived.
Bella's eyes met mine again, and this time they were shining with excitement.
"And I was thinking that" – she reached down and traced my eyes with one finger – "the second Saturday in July should give us just enough time so that we can make sure we've got everything in order; the move, the adoption papers, Rose'll have had the baby, enough time'll have passed after Alice and Jasper's wedding…so…" she finished in a shaky voice.
My heart soared.
"So the second Saturday in July?" I asked, rubbing circles at the nape of her neck.
She grinned happily. "The second Saturday in July."
We gazed at each other for a few wondrous seconds, and then she threw her arms around me. I laughed heartily and she squealed with joy.
OOOOOOOOOO
A few weeks later, Maddie and I were taking a late spring father-daughter stroll in the park. The day before, we'd just finished moving all of Bella and Maddie's things over. The paint had dried in Maddie's new bedroom, full of fairy tale murals of princesses and castles in the middle of a lush, green park, all surrounded by tall pink skyscrapers and purple bridges that sparkled in the sunlight. When Bella showed Maddie her finished room, Maddie jumped up and down, clapping her little hands together loudly in approval.
Now, while my mom, Bella, Alice and Rose were out taking care of some final preparations for Alice's wedding, Maddie and I spent some quality time together. Though I was admittedly nervous about what I wanted to discuss with her today.
We stopped in front of the large pond in the middle of the park. The golden rays fell over it, making it sparkle brilliantly, like thousands of diamonds embedded in the water. I bent down and picked up a few small, smooth pebbles, handing half of them over to Maddie.
I threw one into the pond, where it landed with a small splash, scattering a few drops of water about it. She watched me carefully, and then picked out one of her own pebbles and pulled her arm back, moving it forward quickly and releasing the pebble. She giggled when it landed with a larger splash than mine had.
We alternated turns throwing pebbles in the water.
"So do you like your new room princess?" I asked.
"It's sooo bootiful daddy! Mommy says she's gonna get me a speshow fwame fuh the pwetty pichuh I dwew of me, you and mommy. So we can hang it up ovuh my pwetty bed."
"That's a good idea," I chuckled. "I'm sure that'll be the prettiest picture of all."
She put one finger on her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe. But mommy's paintings are pwetty too," she allowed with a shrug.
I laughed. Then I cleared my throat.
"Maddie princess, you remember how mommy and me explained to you that we're going to get married in a few weeks?"
"Uh huh. And I'm going to be the flowuh gurl. Just like when Aunt Ally gets maawied," she giggled happily.
"Right," I agreed nervously. "Well uh, when mommy and me get married, her last name is going to change. She's not going to be Bella Swan anymore. She'll be Bella Cullen."
She stopped throwing her pebbles and turned to me with a frown. "But she'll still be the same mommy?"
I knelt down in front of her and put one hand on her shoulder. "Yes, princess. She'll still be the same mommy, she'll just have a different last name."
Her little brows scrunched together thoughtfully, her dark eyes never leaving mine.
"How 'bout me daddy?"
I swallowed thickly, tightening my hold on her little shoulder.
"Well princess, mommy and me want your last name to be Cullen too, but it doesn't have to change right away," I rushed out. "You can still be Maddie Swan for a little while longer if you want to. But when you start school-"
All of a sudden her warm little arms were wrapped around my neck. She held me tightly before pulling back to look in my eyes.
"You mean I'm Maddie Gwace Tullen now?" she breathed.
I nodded slowly. "You're Maddie Grace Cullen now."
"Now?" she asked again.
"Yes princess, now." The judge had signed the papers two days ago.
"But it's okay if you forget sometimes, or if you still want to say Maddie Swan sometimes-"
She wrapped her arms around my neck again.
"Oh daddy, now I'm Tullen like you and Aunt Ally, and Nanny and Pop, and Uncoe Emmett and Aunt Rosie, and soon mommy's gonna be Tullen like us!"
I gazed at my daughter, so sweet and innocent, and closed my eyes for two seconds, thanking whoever was up there for the day he'd given her to me, for the day he'd given me a chance to prove myself worthy of her and her mother.
After throwing pebbles for a little while longer, I took her small hand in mine, and together we walked back home, her little silver charm bracelet dangling from her arm and jingling between us as we strolled and talked our way through the park. We'd added a couple more charms since the winter; a penguin – her favorite animal whenever we went to the zoo – and a heart. But even though she still couldn't read it, she always said that the 'Daddy's Little Girl' charm was her favorite, because her daddy gave it to her on the special day when her mommy got the special ring.
I looked down at my princess, and instinctively, her eyes came up to me. She smiled widely and hugged my thigh. "I love you Daddy."
A few weeks ago, Judge Riley asked me if I knew who I was.
I know.
I am Edward Cullen, son of Esme Cullen, mother, grandmother and philanthropist, and of Carlisle Cullen, heart surgeon, devoted husband, father and grandfather.
I am a successful ad executive. I am an avid athlete. I am a man who loves living in the city. Who loves the outdoors. Who's learned to value family over superficiality.
But more than that, I will soon be the most devoted husband possible to Isabella Cullen, and father to Madisen Cullen.
I am the man who will be there for them, always.
This is who I am.
A/N: Alright. We've come to the end of another story. Before I make my thank you speech, I just want to remind you all that we will have 3 Epilogues to this story. At least one will be up next week, possibly two. But I can't make any other promises other than they will be coming soon!
Now my thank yous.
I'd like to thank all my dedicated readers, especially those of you who reviewed practically every single chapter. 8Papillons, Mo'Reading, keyecullen, MyHubbyIsATwilightWidow, amwine, tcrew, edlvr80, twicrazreader, N 2 Tatz, mountainlion718, for the love of cullens, jakbranton, Gillian Aubrey, RingTheBella, Humble4, buffbronze, KristinHazzard, nysue, MaxieMoose, Isabela Is Online, lgk, songhye, LuvCullens, Krazzy Hopeless Romantic, sherryola, cejsmom, hnwhitlock2000, ahlieluvstwilight, janshanr, Brown-eyedCullengirl, Kassiah, leajones, atbatbatb, carebear309, LeechLover81, sexward fan, fiyaaCullen, GorGirl, streetgurl, magaandangels, sherylb, MoniMD, What Obsession17, Missypooh, gitgit, CQCullen, and oh boy, everyone else that reviewed. Please don't be upset if I didn't mention you, my hands are just getting tired. Seriously, I appreciated every single review, those who praised the chapters, those who told me when something honestly upset them, those who caught my errors, etc. All of them. Love you all.
Special thanks to Elliania for my beautiful banner here on my fanfiction page, and to missoli22, for my beautiful banner and forum on twilighted dot net (go see them now if you haven't yet!).
And of course, special thanks to my beta, Danna0724. You were missing for a while baby, but not forgotten. Missed you much and glad you're doing better. Love you lots!
And thanks to Adgroovy, just for being you!
I hope you all enjoyed this story. I sure enjoyed writing it. Hope to see you all again over at 'If We Ever Meet Again.' I've got the next two stories after that one already figured out in my head also, so stick around if you'd like. There's still plenty of crap rolling around in my noggin'!
Thanks!
Patty
P.S. Don't forget to review! And come back for the Epilogues.