Chapter 38 – The Best

Bree

In all my life – of all my biggest dreams and most spectacular wishes – never did I ever imagine life could be that perfect. From the first time I saw his Cullen poster, I knew I was destined to be with Edward, but for him to actually be my dad, and to find my real mom and have them be married too, was just so much more than I could have ever hoped for.

Not only was my dad like the best guy ever, but I quickly learned just how magnanimous and exquisitely marvelous my mom was too. They really were perfect for each other, and I was so happy they were reunited after longing for each other for so long.

But there was still one major hardship in my life.

"Hey, what's wrong?" my mom asked after she introduced me to one of the café waiter's daughters.

Maggie was super sweet, and I didn't have a doubt we would become kindred spirits, but I just hated the way we were introduced.

"You told her I was your daughter, Bree," I mumbled, not wanting to sound ungrateful, but my bitterness on the topic had been wearing on me for far too long.

"Yeah, you are my daughter," my mom said, not understanding my issue.

"But then you said my name was Bree," I said with a sigh.

"Oh, honey," she said before kissing my temple. "That's your name."

It wasn't a new topic. In the six months it had been since I met my mom, I must have complained six-hundred times about how much I hated my name. It just never felt right, and since learning about my history of being stolen straight from my poor mother's womb, my hatred for my name only intensified.

"It's the name of cheese," I grumbled. "If I go to school this fall, all the kids are going to make fun of me, just like they did in all of my old schools."

"Nobody is going to make fun of you," she tried convincing me, but because my life was driven by fate, that was the moment Uncle Jake walked through the café with a big box in his hands.

"I picked up the new stock of cheeses," he announced. "I got Cheddar, Jack, Provolone, Gouda, Feta, and Brie."

I turned to glare at my mother the moment he said Brie. It was more than a coincidence that he came in with all that cheese the moment we were discussing my name. It was a sign. "My name was never supposed to be Bree! I got to change my last name, why can't I change my first name too?"

Mom sighed. "Let me discuss it with your dad, and then we can talk about it as a family, okay?"

I smiled. "Really?"

"No promises," she said with her finger raised.

"Okay, no promises," I said excitedly. I was so excited that I was nearly bouncing in my seat with anticipation. Could it be possible that every single desire I ever had would come true? Once I lost 'Bree', I could finally become the girl I was always meant to be once and for all. I just knew it.

I promised myself that I wouldn't nag my mom anymore, but after a few days passed and she never mentioned it, I decided I would politely bring it back up.

"So?" I said at dinner that evening.

"So what?" my dad asked.

"So did you talk about letting me change my name?" I asked them, somewhat losing my will to remain patient and polite.

My dad smirked, which made my mom smirk too, but they both quickly became serious.

"We have discussed it," my mom told me.

"And?" I asked with the butterflies in my stomach becoming violent as they tried to escape through my chest.

"Hey, whatever happened to you wanting a puppy?" my dad asked, changing the topic. I scowled at him, so he chuckled. "Okay, why don't you tell us what name you would like to be called."

"I've always loved Cleopatra Devine. Wouldn't that be cool?" I asked, automatically answering his question without even thinking about it.

"Um, how about, no," he replied, not even pretending to consider it.

I huffed. "Then what name can I have?"

"Well, we were discussing it," Mom said while looking at my dad. "What about Breanna?"

I scrunched my nose. "Breanna? That's just like Bree but with an Anna added."

"Breanna, was actually my grandmother's name," my dad said unexpectedly.

"Really?"

"Really?" he confirmed. "And she was my most favorite person for a long time. I just called her grandma, so I actually didn't even realize that was her name until I was talking to one of my cousins on the phone last week. I don't know about you, but that's pretty much fate, if you ask me."

I bit my bottom lip as I considered it, just like I saw my mom doing so many times when she was thinking hard about things. Then I looked at my mom.

"What were you going to name me? You know, if I never got stolen from you and all," I asked her.

"Um… Oh," she said, suddenly lost in thought.

"What is it, Love?" my dad asked her gently while rubbing her leg.

"Nothing, I just realized that I have a little memory book for you," she said to me.

I smiled. "Really?

"Yeah, it's really just a notebook full of thoughts I had while I was pregnant with you. Then I put it in a box with a little blanket Alice had made for me with your name on it – Or, I should say, the name I was planning on naming you."

"Can I see it?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's in one of the storage boxes I never unpacked after moving in here. Let me see."

Mom went to find the box and brought it back for me and my dad to see. Inside she not only had a book of her thoughts, but also a picture of her holding her belly with me inside it, and the blanket that had a name stitched onto it.

"Carlie?" I questioned.

"Yeah, it was what I always called you… after my dad. But, when I found out that he was the one who took you from me, I guess I was just so hurt and angry that I was glad I never got to name you that."

I traced the stitching with my finger as I thought about it. "But it's still the name you called me while I was in your tummy," I said slowly.

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"But if you guys were together back then, you probably wouldn't have agreed on Carlie?" I asked both of them.

"We would have if it was important to her," Dad told me. "I actually like Carlie. Carly Simon was one of my mom's favorite singers. I listened to a lot of her songs growing up, so I probably would have been stoked with the idea of naming you that."

"Okay, then maybe my name should be Carlie Breanna," I decided.

"But honey, what my dad did," my mom started to say, but I interrupted her.

"It doesn't matter; it isn't about him. It's what you named me, and what you called me, and my dad likes it too. I think that's what my name should be. Carlie Breanna Masen," I said, letting the name roll off my tongue and smiling to myself because of how good it felt. It was right; I was sure of it.

"I'm just not sure I could call you that without thinking about the horrible thing my father did," my mom said softly.

"Then don't call me that. Keep calling me Bree if you want; it would still fit because of my middle name being Breanna. I've known lots of kids that went by their middle names. But when I start school, I want to tell people my name is Carlie."

My parents looked at each other, but they refused to agree. It was something they wanted to discuss without me, which I thought was unfair. It was my name; I should get to be part of the conversation. Then again, very few people got to pick their own names, so I guess it was fair after all.

Another couple of weeks passed, and every time I asked, they kept telling me they were still thinking about it. Just when I thought they had forgotten, however, I got the best birthday present a girl like me could ever ask for.

"Happy Birthday!" my parents said, waking me up far too early that morning. I probably would have been grumpier had it not been my birthday, but I was so excited to celebrate it for the first time in my life. Not only were my parents taking me to a special breakfast, but later I was going to have a real party. Like with balloons and party favors and everything. I practically planned the entire thing myself – with their help, of course.

"Is it time to go already?" I asked eagerly as I sat up in my bed.

"We wanted to give you something first," Mom told me. They both came and sat on my bed besides me, and handed me a big yellow envelope. I had no idea what it was, but I really didn't care either. Having them both there was the best present I could ever have.

"Open it!" my dad encouraged when I just kind of stared at it for a while.

"I never had a real birthday present before," I told them, which made them both look sad.

"Well, this isn't a regular birthday present. You'll get those later at the party," my dad told me.

"Oh. What is it then?"

"Take a look inside," my mom insisted.

I did just that and was surprised to see it was a piece of paper. My first thought was that it was a homemade birthday card, but when I pulled it out, I realized it was so much better and I automatically began crying.

Both of my parents cried with me, and we all hugged each other as I looked at my brand-new birth certificate. "Carlie Breanna Masen," I read out-loud. It even had my parents' names listed under my parents' names, which for me, was even more special than the legal name change.

It was official – I was theirs, and they were mine. No one could ever change that or take it away from me again.

It was the most perfect day of my life. Breakfast with my parents was great, and the party was so special. Claire and her mom came, and they brought her mom's new boyfriend, Sam. As another incredible twist of fate, Sam was the very same man who had helped get me off the streets, and gave Vickie and Riley the tickets to take me to see Cullen. Without him I might have never got the chance to meet my dad, so I couldn't have been more grateful for him. Sam too was surprised to see me, and even more surprised to learn who my dad was.

"I guess you knew where you belonged," Sam told me with a smile.

"I told everyone," I agreed.

"That you did!" he said with a laugh. "I'm so glad you made it home. I worried about you for a long time after that day."

"That was the first day of my real life, because that was the day I got the ticket to meet my dad!"

My parents were excited to meet Sam as well, and Emily was happy to finally meet my mom. They all seemed like they were going to be great friends, just like Claire and me.

When the party was finished and everyone went home, my parents had one more big surprise for me.

"Well, open it," my dad said as I held the small wrapped package in my hands.

"You guys already gave me my new birth certificate, and a new cellphone to call Claire, and a necklace, and really cool headphones. What more could this be?"

"You won't know if you don't open it," my mom said with a goofy face.

I laughed at her. "Okay, but I really don't think there is anything else I want…. Except this! Oh my gosh!" I screamed after opening the shirt that read 'Best Big Sister'. "Do you really have a baby in your tummy?" I asked as happy tears rolled down my face.

"Yep. I'm already four months along," my mom said. "We would have told you sooner, but the doctor wasn't sure if everything was going to be okay. But everything is going great, and we thought you deserved to know."

"I'm so happy!" I said while hugging them both. "I'm going to help with diapers and everything."

My parents laughed at me, but I was serious. I couldn't wait for the baby to come and for our family to be a family of four. It was truly the best day of my life…