Well my friends, time to mark another one complete. Thank you for reading this story and loving it so much. I so loved sharing it with you.

Many thanks to Liz and Lady. My gratitude to Mid-Night and her red pen. I would be lost without her. Much love to them all.

Much love and gratitude to YOU. I wish I could hug you all.

And one last time…

Let us hear from Edward.

Some years later…

I woke up, the sound of muted laughter pulling me from my sleep. Bella was curled up against me and I drew her closer, her warmth pressing against my chest; familiar and welcome. For a few quiet moments I stayed, enjoying having her close, until the sound of more laughter had me slipping from our bed and over to the window—I knew the sound of that laughter well.

I glanced at the clock, not surprised at the early hour. It was the day before Christmas Eve and I knew they were all excited for our annual day of going into Toronto, having dim sum and shopping. We had done it every year since Bella and I had met and it was a tradition we all looked forward to. Our children were very adept using chopsticks, although Bella still struggled. I loved feeding her bites with mine, and she told me she found that very sexy. Anything I did that made Bella call me sexy was a good thing in my world.

We would, of course, pay a visit and stare at the beautiful Swarovski tree, and I would, as usual, slip away and buy an ornament. The branches of our tree glittered with the many crystal ornaments I bought Bella every year as a reminder of our day.

They all loved this day and no doubt the younger kids had woken up and Jake and Em took them outside to give us the rare chance to sleep in. Especially Bella—with their schedules, my wife was usually up early and running all day long. She only worked part-time now, as she loved being here when the kids came home from school. Between teaching and the renovations jobs I did, I liked having her home more as well and she was great at the books, scheduling my time, and keeping me organized.

Pulling back the curtain, I watched, smiling, as I took in the sight of all my children on the ice, once again wondering how the years had gone by so quickly.

I still coached, both Jake and Em helping out when their schedules permitted. They loved working with the kids as much as I did. They still played, but only for the exercise and fun.

Jake and Emmett were sixteen now. Both tall and at the stage between being a man and a boy—awkward with their changing bodies, often caught between feeling like a kid while dealing with new feelings and emotions that left them acting like idiots at times. But still they were both good kids and kept out of trouble; they did well at school, worked part-time jobs and were respectful. Bella and I considered ourselves lucky to have such wonderful, well-rounded teenage sons.

Jake still visited with William on occasion but saw his half-brother, Seth, more often; having built a strong relationship with him. He adored Jake and looked up to his big brother, and was a frequent guest in our home. Jake told Bella and me that he felt it was his responsibility to make sure his half-brother had some sense of family other than his distant parents. We followed his generous example and made Seth a welcomed member of our extended family.

Jake had decided very early on, he was going to be a doctor, just like his gramps, and the two of them were extremely close. He spent his free time studying with his favorite sites of medical knowledge; my dad and his favorite Uncle Jazz. He followed them around the hospital, volunteered his time when he could and picked my dad's brain every chance he had when they were together.

My dad loved it.

Emmett, on the other hand, had zero interest in medicine. He loved working with his hands, and he and I spent many hours on renovation projects of various kinds. It didn't matter to him if it was a house or a car. He loved tearing both apart and rebuilding them. His eye for detail was amazing, and I had no doubt whatever direction he took he would end up being successful. My steady son had the same girlfriend he had fallen in love with six years ago. Rosalie Hale moved to town when Em was ten. He came home that day, announced very seriously to Bella he had "found the girl he was gonna marry," and hadn't looked back since. Rosy was a permanent fixture in our house, adored by all, especially Bella, and I had no doubt one day I would call her daughter. Jake, on the other hand, had zero time yet for girls, being far too busy soaking up his beloved medical knowledge. I was fine with that—one son already in the throes of teenage hormones with a girlfriend was quite enough.

Thank God for Bella, her wisdom, guidance and patience. She handled him far better than I ever hoped to; listening and offering quiet advice that Emmett always seemed open to hearing.

With a grin I watched my Katy skate around the ice, her legs carrying her quickly. As I had hoped, she had inherited my co-ordination, but the rest of her was pure Bella. Small and compact with a fierce determination when it came to everything she did. She was stubborn, emotional, funny and loyal. She adored her big brothers and they doted on her. She had them wrapped around her finger from the day she was born. I loved watching her and Bella together; so alike in so many ways it made my heart ache with love. I still loved watching her eyes light up when she saw me and hearing her voice whisper "I love you, my best Daddy."

Her hair had darkened over the years and hung down her back in long waves of curls that flew behind her as she skated, jumping and twirling around the ice. No hockey skates for my girl. She loved figure skating and was very good at it. She lived for her lessons and I loved watching her move around the ice—she was a natural on it.

More laughter had my eyes drawn to the middle of the ice where the twins were huddled. Our little surprises. Charlotte Esme and Garrett Carlisle had caught us off guard when she had suddenly appeared from behind him on the ultrasound during one of Bella's appointments. She had been carrying differently during that pregnancy, full and round almost immediately, but the earlier ultrasound had shown one baby. It was only later we found out it was because one was hiding and there were two babies and not one. There had been many tears and much joy that day, as we listened to the strong, steady heartbeats of both our children together for the first time.

Now approaching six they were forces to be reckoned with and both of them way ahead of the growth and development curve in every aspect of their life. Charley, as she liked to be called, was a tomboy through and through. Always in trouble, her clothes torn and dirty, her wild, bright red hair a mess, her tiny frame constantly in motion; she was without a doubt the instigator of whatever big plan was happening at any given moment. And the cause, I was sure of my rapidly greying hair.

Her brother Garrett was her polar opposite. Charley had started calling him GC when he was about four, and after a while so did everyone else. Tall for his age, quiet and studious, he watched over Charley like a hawk. My soft-spoken son would far rather have his head buried in a book reading than be on some great adventure, but if Charley was going, he would go with her to make sure she was okay.

My group of five were currently having a lop-sided game of hockey; Katy only half taking part as she preferred to skate and twirl, not really caring about a game being played around her.

So it was Jake and Charley against Em and Garrett. Which was funny as hell to watch, since Garrett was more concerned with making sure Charley didn't get hurt, while she was determined to whoop Em's ass and darted around like she was being chased by the devil himself, leaving both Jake and Garrett to do the actual puck moving. She and Em cavorted and teased, Katy twirled and jumped, Jake laughed and Garrett pulled his hair. Hardly a game at all, yet their simple joy at being together made it the most fascinating thing in the world to me.

My family.

They were the reason I got up every morning with a smile on my face, anxious to greet the day. Their love and laughter sustained me, no matter what. I loved them all deeply; especially their mother.

Turning, I looked over at Bella, surprised to see her eyes open, looking back at me. "Hi." I smiled at her. "How long have you been awake?"

She lifted the covers in silent invitation. "Long enough know to I wanted you to come back to bed for a few minutes."

Grinning, I slipped under the warmth, pulling her against me, chuckling at her small gasp when my cold skin met hers. "You asked," I murmured against her neck.

"How long have you been watching them?"

"About ten minutes."

"Why are they up so early?" she groaned.

I chuckled as I pressed a gentle kiss to her skin. "Because tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and no matter how old they are, or pretend to be past caring, they are all excited."

She snorted. "Sort of like you?"

I pulled her tight against me, grinning at her shiver. "Hush, woman. You're just as excited." I smiled down at her, studying her face for a moment. "And tired. Why are you so tired looking, Bella?" I frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Edward."

I lifted her chin, really looking at her. She looked exhausted, and come to think of it, she'd been sleeping a lot lately. "Maybe you should go to the doctor after the holidays?"

She shook her head. "I was actually there yesterday."

I pulled back, alarmed. "You didn't tell me. Bella, what's going on?"

She smiled and reached up, her hand stroking my face in comfort. "Everything is fine, Edward. I'm fine. Really."

"Why did you go to the doctor then?"

Smiling, she reached under her pillow and handed me a folded up piece of paper. Frowning, I turned on the light and opened it up. "Why are you showing me one of the kid's ultrasounds?"

She arched her eyebrow at me. "Should I go get you coffee and try this again?"

I looked back down at the paper, my eyes widening when I saw the date. I sat up, looking down at her. "Bella …"

She smiled. "Your snipers are at it again."

I shook my head. "But we tried and tried …"

"I know. I think maybe it was the weekend away when your parents stayed here …"

I grinned, remembering our weekend away. We hadn't really left the room. At all. "That was a good weekend."

Bella chuckled. After the twins, I had begged Bella to stay off the birth control pills. I had read up on them and didn't like all the side effects from prolonged usage. I started using condoms, but neither of us liked them, and when we wanted one more child, I was happy to stop using them. But for some reason we were unable to conceive. Testing showed nothing wrong with either of us, and eventually we decided to stop trying. We had a houseful of children to love and each other. It had been so long, both of us had stopped even thinking about, more than content with the blessings we had already.

But now …

"Are you okay with this, sweet girl?"

She nodded. "I was a little shocked, but I'm thrilled."

I pulled her against me. "I am too, Bella."

"You get your starting lineup, Edward." She smiled against my neck.

I chuckled. "Quite the age gap between them." I looked down at her. "Is everything okay —you're okay?"

She nodded. "I'm tired, as usual, but good. The doctor says everything looks fine. She'll watch me closely since I'm older now, but she says I'm fine."

Shouts of laughter came from down the hall. "They are gonna freak …"

Bella chuckled. "We'll tell them after the holidays, Edward."

"I hope I can keep a secret that long."

"You're happy?" she whispered, a trace of worry still in her voice. "I know we'd sort of given up and it's been a while since there was a baby in the house." She swallowed. "It's going to be a big adjustment for everyone …"

I wrapped my hand in her hair, pulling her face to mine and kissing her deeply, smiling at the sound of her soft sigh. I loved the fact she still sighed when I kissed her. "I couldn't be happier, Bella," I murmured against her lips. "We'll all adjust and help. That's what we do in this family."

She smiled, her eyes glowing. "I love our family."

I cupped her soft cheek. "Just like I told Jake all those years ago, Bella. We don't love anyone less as we grow, we loved them all more. And I love you, my wife. More now than I did at first, more than I did last week and more than I did yesterday." I moved my hand down to the softened swell of her tummy. "And I will love this child, our child, just as strongly."

Her eyes filled with emotion as her hand covered mine. "I love you, Edward."

I grinned and kissed her. "Hold that thought." I shifted and moved down, pulling up her t-shirt and placing my lips on her tummy. "Hey, little one. It's Daddy. You are gonna love it when you get here. I can hardly wait to meet you. But for now, you stay in there and be safe. Mommy will look after you and I will look after her." I nuzzled her skin softly. "Do me a favor though, kiddo … think pink okay? We need another girl."

Bella giggled into her hand. "Really, Edward?"

I shrugged, dropped another kiss on her tummy, and crawled back up to her arms. "Worked with Katy." I grinned wickedly. "I could encourage another set of …"

Bella clapped her hand over my mouth. "Don't even go there."

I laughed. "Okay. But I'll encourage the pink."

"Fine. Encourage away, Daddy."

"Come here," I whispered pulling her closer. "My firm chest needs one of your nuzzles before we go and face that brood of ours." I could hear dishes and glasses clanking around and I knew Jake and Em were looking after breakfast, so we were still good—for a short while at least.

She sighed as I wrapped my arms around her, enjoying having her close and basking in the news she had just shared with me.

"Thank you," she breathed.

I kissed the top of her head. "For what?"

"For loving me, for our family … for being the wonderful man you are, Edward. I don't know how I was lucky enough to have you, but I'm so grateful to be yours."

I smiled into her hair. She had that wrong—I was lucky to have her. She was the center of everything I did—my entire world revolved around her. Our children adored her and she was a wonderful mother. I couldn't have asked for a better partner or friend. She was everything to me and I would spend my lifetime showing her how much she meant to all of us.

I kissed her again—softly, my lips conveying the true adoration I had for her. With a grin, I slipped my own hand under my pillow and pulled out a tiny box, smiling as I realized just how right this small gift was for her this year. "Since I got mine early …"

Her eyes lit up. We always exchanged a gift in private. And never on Christmas Day. Bella called it her "magical moment," and I loved surprising her by picking a different time each year to give her the gift. I watched as she opened the lid, her eyes widening as she took in the ring I knew she had to have the moment I saw it. I pulled it from the box and slipped it on her right hand. "Our hearts, Bella. This ring represents all the hearts that hold you so dear. You are so loved, baby."

I gently rubbed my thumb over the diamond encrusted, white gold ring that was made up of multiple hearts all woven together. It represented our family so well and as beautiful as it was in the box it was even more so now it was nestled on Bella's finger.

Tears filled her eyes. "Edward, it's beautiful."

"So are you."

I gazed at her, my Bella. My wife. My beautiful girl, best friend, lover and my partner in everything. Desire filled me and her eyes reflected the same back to me. I winked at her, and arched my eyebrow the way she liked, knowing what that did to her. The bed was warm, she was happy, and I was beyond ecstatic.

And I wanted her.

Now.

The brood was going to have to wait a little while longer. Luckily, our door was locked, because I had a feeling this might take a while.

My mouth hovered over hers. "Merry Christmas, my Bella."

Her lips curved into a smile. "Merry Christmas, Edward."

Together. Happy. Many children. They are in a good place to say adieu.

As usual picture on my group page. This story is up for fic of the week on the Lemonade Stand. If are so inclined to vote www tehlemonadestand dot net and give Hockeyward one last shout out.

My new fic will start posting on Sept 15th. It is called Copy Room.

Until then …

Be safe!