Chapter 36: Fatherhood

I opened my eyes, hearing Little One's squeals and Bella's beautiful laughter. If I had to guess, I'd say the other sounds I heard were their footsteps, running quickly into the bedroom.

"Daddy! Momma gon' get meeeeeeee!" Sofia shrieked, suddenly on top of me and crawling under the covers as the air rushed out of my lungs.

I moved my legs, making sure I had put boxers back on last night. Good. Having my two and a half year old daughter see my junk wasn't on my to-do list today. No, today was a celebration. Little One was officially Bella's daughter in the eyes of the law. As of yesterday, the judge granted it and all the papers had been signed.

"I know you're in here," Bella sang, smiling as she came into the bedroom. "Is that lump on your chest moving?"

I shook my head. "Nope." I poked the lump on my chest and Little One giggled softly. "Just a pillow."

"Oh yeah? Last time I checked, pillows didn't giggle." She came closer, grabbing a handful of the blanket

I lifted it and Little One looked up at me, grinning. "The jig's up, baby," I laughed as Bella pulled it off, tickling her sides.

She continued to tickle our daughter as Sofia slid off of me and begged for my help. I decided to help Bella instead. You know, united front and all. Even though she told us to stop, Little One's squeals of delight showed she fucking loved this, and I did, too.

"Do I win?" Bella asked as I blew a raspberry on Sofia's belly.

"Pee!" she said, kicking her legs.

We both stopped and pulled away before she pissed on our bed. Our kid was smart, though, so she might have been faking it.

"Tell Momma she wins, Little One," I said, sitting her up in my lap.

She put her face in her hands, continuing to giggle as her red curls bounced while she shook her head. Yeah, red hair, green eyes . . . she was the spitting image of me. She was so fucking cute, and she knew it.

"O'tay!" she said as I softly tickled her sides again. "Momma, win!"

Bella leaned over, kissing her cheek over and over before picking her up and getting off of the bed. "I thought so," she laughed. "Now, let's go pee while Daddy gets dressed for our fun day at the beach!"

"Yay!"

I chuckled softly, listening to Sofia go on and on about the beach as Bella carried her out of our room. Though Little One didn't know the importance of what had happened yesterday, Bella and I did. Bella was not only my wife now, but also the mother of my child.

We had married a few months ago on April fourth — exactly a year after I had asked her to marry me — in a small ceremony here in Forks. Bella didn't want a big event, so we just invited our family and close friends. Honestly, I didn't care how big it was or where we married as long as she said yes by the end of the day. It was perfect and fucking hilarious, thanks to our daughter. I could still see Little One walking down the aisle in front of Bella, throwing the flower petals at people instead of on the floor.

"Go have Daddy help get your beach toys while I get dressed, okay?" Bella asked as she and Little One came back into the bedroom.

Little One ran to me, and I picked her up, tossing her a little as she squealed. "Are you excited for the beach?" I asked.

She nodded feverishly." Yeah! Pay sand?"

I kissed her cheek and nodded. "Yep, we're going to play in the sand, so let's go get your toys."

Bella closed the distance between us, wrapping her arm around me. I leaned down, kissing her softly. "Give me ten minutes, okay?" she asked. "We had pancakes earlier with lots of syrup, so her sugar high is still in effect."

"Pancakes? Why didn't I get any?" I asked, looking at Sofia. "Did you eat them all?"

"You aseep, Daddy," she said in all seriousness. "Momma say no get dem."

I jutted my bottom lip out and she just patted my face, saying, "sowy." Of course Bella just laughed her ass off, but I seriously wanted Nibbles' pancakes. I had slept in this morning since I didn't get home until almost three last night. After Little One's adoption was granted, I got a call from Emmett, asking for my help at Olympic Medical Center. He had fully taken over for Dad this year — who had decided to work part-time at a free clinic while enjoying his retirement.

It was nice to still get to work in the bigger hospital sometimes, but I really loved Forks. My hours were more regular, which meant I had more time to spend with my girls. Also, I realized my skills were needed much more here. In my first week alone, I saved an eight-year-old boy's life by performing emergency surgery. Surgery that wouldn't have been performed in time if they had tried to take him to Port Angeles. I had never thought small town medicine would be my calling, but it was.

It made me happier than I ever was in Port Angeles.

. . . . .

"What do you want to do first, Little One?" I asked, looking over to her as she held Bella's hand while I carried all of her shit down to the beach.

"Um . . . sand!" she said, grinning.

I nodded. "Sandcastle it is."

After getting our umbrella set up on the beach — because, amazingly, it was sunny — Bella helped Little One get her shorts and shirt off before lathering her up with sunscreen. Sofia was amused for a while, playing with the sand and — not really, but she thought she was — helping me build a sandcastle. It turned out to be just a lump that she wound up destroying while she giggled.

That was one of my favorite sounds in the world, and I'd do just about anything to hear it, which was why I surprised her by scooping her up into my arms. "How about a swim, Little One?"

"Yeah!" she said as Bella slid water wings on to her arms. "I yike simin'."

I kissed her cheek, and then we went to the shore. She stood with the waves just barely covering her knees, holding my hand as she played. It was so fucking cute to see her jump to try and miss the wave, and she went on and on about wanting to see the fish. I blamed Charlie for that, actually. Pornstache had corrupted my daughter into thinking fish were cool, thanks to the boat trip she had taken with him and Bella a few weeks ago.

I made sure I was working on the day that was planned.

"She's having the time of her life," Bella said, smiling up at me as Little One sat down, so the water barely covered her legs when the waves came in. Splashing was one of her favorite things to do.

I nodded. "She is, and what about you?"

"Me? I love this." She wrapped her arm around mine, leaning her head against my shoulder. "Every single day with her is a blessing, and I'm so thankful that she's really mine now. You're amazing, Edward. I can't even begin to express how much I love you and her."

I grinned, watching Little One freak out over finding a seashell. "And we love you."

"Is pwetty, Daddy!" Sofia said, holding it out for me.

I leaned down, smiling as I took it from her. "Yeah, it is pretty, just like you."

I didn't know what the future held, but as long as it included my gorgeous wife and beautiful daughter, I couldn't wait to find out. They were my life, and every day I spent with them was a blessing.

Fatherhood was the best thing that ever happened to me.