Epilogue: Brady

Bella's POV

18 Years Old

"Mom! Edward!" Brady called as he walked into the house on an unusually warm day in early March. I was getting Gracie set up to do a craft in the kitchen while Edward worked on some scheduling in our bedroom.

"Kitchen!" I called back. He called for Edward to come down and then he and Caroline walked into the kitchen.

Edward appeared next and looked at me. I shrugged, telling him I had no idea what was going on.

Brady pulled out an envelope with the University of California Los Angeles stamped on the top. "It came."

The earth stood still for a second. UCLA was his number one choice and although I supported him completely, the idea of him moving eighteen hours away broke my heart. Still, I put on a brave face as he tore open the paper. He was quiet for a second as he read the letter and then he smiled.

"I got in," He said in disbelief. "They accepted me."

I let out a big breath. "Congratulations," I cried as I hugged him.

"Mom, it's only four years," He reminded me. "I'm coming back to Seattle."

"I know, baby. I know."

It was hard to believe that my first baby was about to graduate high school and start college. I still saw him as that bright-eyed, four year old who told me he was going to live with me forever. But he was grown up now and I couldn't have been prouder.

My son was going to get a degree in music with a concentration in music education at one of the best schools in the country. He worked extremely hard in school and on piano and it was all paying off. He was best at the piano but had been dabbling with the guitar for a few years and picked that up very quickly.

Edward was an extremely proud stepdad and music teacher and he was beaming with the news.

"What did you do, Bwady?" Gracie asked from her seat. Brady knelt down next to her and smiled.

"I got into college, Grace."

"College?"

"Uh-huh. I'm going to move to a new city and go to school and learn."

Her bottom lip started to quiver. "You'we going away?"

"Ah," He looked up at us and bit his lip. Gracie had just turned four and Brady was her best friend. This was going to be a difficult transition for her, especially with Caroline moving out as well. "Yeah, Gracie. For a little bit."

"I don't want you to go!" She cried. Edward put his hand on Brady's shoulder and picked our daughter up to try and soothe her. Brady looked at me as Edward took her into the living room.

"I didn't want to make her cry," He shrugged.

"She'll be okay, honey. She didn't nap today, so she's tired."

He didn't seem to believe me. "I didn't think about her when I applied for UCLA. Maybe I should go to U Dub and be close."

"Brady Patrick Black you are not staying in Seattle because your little sister wants you to stay," I told him. "I love that you love your sister so much that you'd be willing to stay but you can't do that."

"Okay," He sighed. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

I watched as he went to find Edward and Gracie and turned to Caroline. She wasn't staying in Seattle either but she was going to be way closer than Brady. The look on her face was a mixture of excitement, proudness, and sadness. This would be the first time in almost ten years that they would be apart.

"You okay?" I asked as I stroked her hair.

"I'm really happy for him...I just wish his number one pick was closer," She admitted. "It'll be hard not having him close."

I nodded. "I know, kiddo. But Brady loves his family so I think it's safe to say that he'll come back after school."

I gave her a tight hug and we went to find the boys and Gracie. They were in the living room and looked like they were having a serious conversation. Brady was on the couch with Gracie in his lap and Edward sat next to them.

"I'll come and visit," Brady whispered as he held Gracie and gently rocked her. "I'll be home for Christmas and summer vacation."

"What about my biwthday?"

He sighed. "I don't think I'll be home then, but we can facetime all the time."

"Evewy day?" She asked excitedly.

"Maybe not every day," He laughed. "But we can do it a lot."

"Pwomise?" She held out her tiny pinky. Brady smiled and pinky swore that he could FaceTime as much as he could. Once Gracie was in a better mood, the older two went upstairs to do homework and Gracie helped me get dinner started.

Edward came to stand behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed my shoulder and I melted into his embrace. I was feeling a lot of emotions but I felt calm and safe in his arms.

"How're you doing?" He whispered as he let me go and helped Gracie make the salad.

I shrugged. "I'm torn between being ecstatic that he got into his dream school and being sad that he won't be closer."

"It'll be an adjustment but he's going to do so well there."

"I know," I admitted. "That's what's helping me keep it together."

"Plus, it's only March. We've got plenty of time with him," Edward smiled as Brady and Caroline came into the kitchen and started setting the table. "With both of them."

Six weeks after Brady got his acceptance letter, I came home to what I thought was an empty house. Caroline was working on her talent show act at school, Gracie was with my mom, and Edward was at the store. Brady was supposed to be at school working on his talent show act and then to Jake's house, but then I heard the piano being played.

I went down to the basement and put my ear to the door.

"All the miles that separate disappear now when I'm dreamin' of your face. I'm here without you baby but you're still on my lonely mind. I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time."

I was torn between giving him his privacy and going in and talking with him. I knew things with his girlfriend of two years, Alyssa had been rocky lately. They were trying to pretend like things were okay, but Caroline told us they were fighting more. They weren't big fights but they were short with each other about little things that wouldn't have bothered them before.

He told Caroline that they were fine and there was nothing to worry about.

"I'm here without you baby, but you're still with me in my dreams. And tonight girl, it's only you and me."

I was about to go upstairs and let him decide when he wanted to talk but then he suddenly stopped playing.

"You can come in, mom."

Busted.

I opened the door and smiled sheepishly at him. "I heard your car when you pulled up."

"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop," I whispered and gulped and turned away from me.

"We broke up," He said with a shaky breath.

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry," I said as I sat down next to him and pushed his hair out of his face. I didn't care if he was eighteen years old, he was my baby and he was hurting so I kissed his forehead and pulled him to my side. "Do you wanna talk?"

He shrugged. "It was a mutual decision."

"That doesn't mean it hurts less," I whispered.

"It's because of UCLA. We both knew that if I got in then I would be leaving Seattle. For so long it was just a dream but when I got the acceptance letter, it became very real."

I hated listening to the pain my son was going through right now.

"And I guess we didn't want to believe that things would change when I moved, but that's not true. I'm going to be eighteen hours away and we'd never see each other. How are two nineteen-year-olds supposed to do that?" He asked.

I nodded. "It would be very difficult."

"We've been bickering a lot lately," He said. "And I think it was some kind of defense mechanism on both our ends because we didn't want it to hurt so bad when it inevitably ended."

"I'm sorry you're hurting, sweetie."

He sniffled. "It sucks. UCLA has always been my number one choice and Alyssa has always supported that. But eighteen hours is really far away, mom."

He didn't have to remind me.

"We skipped the talent show practiced and talked for an hour after school," He told me. "We eventually decided it was best to break up now instead of trying to make it work and end up hating each other.

I hugged him tighter and he put his head on my shoulder. "I know how much you cared about her."

"I love her, mom."

My baby was too young to be in love, but this wasn't the time to tell him that.

I thought back to the day I realized it was over with Jacob. He was my first love and it devastated me. I couldn't imagine being Brady's age and dealing with these emotions. And then I was wondering if he felt like I did when Edward and I broke up and my heart broke even more.

"We're still going to prom together. Neither of us wants to go alone and we're still friends so..."

I kissed the side of his head. "That's a wonderful idea, Brady."

"Can I please be by myself?" His voice broke as he pushed away from me.

I nodded and left him alone in the music room. I went upstairs and called Jake to tell him what was going on.

"Poor kid. His first heartache," Jake sighed.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like him to stay for dinner," I said. "I have everything I need for his favorite meal and Gracie helped me make double chocolate chip cookies earlier."

Jake laughed. "Yeah, of course, he can stay. Do you want me to come pick him up after dinner?"

"You sure? I can bring him by."

Jake sighed. "That would actually be really helpful. I have a late meeting tonight so Leah took Max and Kennedy to have dinner with her parents."

"Okay, after dinner will be fine."

After hanging up with Jake, I sent a quick text to Edward so he was aware of what was going on. He asked if he needed to be home early but I told him he wanted space for the time being. When mom brought Gracie home, she wanted to play dolls with Brady but I told her he was feeling sad.

She immediately ran upstairs to make him a card to help him feel better.

I laughed as she ran away because I knew we had the most amazing and caring children.

When Caroline got home, she went straight downstairs to check on her brother. She wanted to be home earlier but couldn't leave the girl she was singing a duet with. When I went downstairs to give them the cookies, the door was still open and I found myself eavesdropping again.

"I thought we were going to be that couple that lasted after high school," Brady admitted. "Like your dad and biological mom."

Caroline laughed. "My parents went to the same university and got married way too young."

"I didn't want to get married or anything yet," He chuckled. "But it stinks knowing that if we went to the same school then maybe things could have lasted. This sucks."

"I know," Caroline whispered. "Alyssa is always going to be special, Brady. She was your first in a lot of things. And it's okay to be sad."

Before they could get any deeper with their conversation, I made my presence known. I gave them the cookies and asked if there was anything I could do. They both politely declined and I left them alone.

An hour later, Edward came home and Gracie presented Brady with the card. He must have been drained emotionally because he got teary as he looked at the card and gave her a big hug. We ate dinner and we all did our best to try and distract him and it kind of worked.

After dinner, Gracie begged Brady to put her to bed. She always missed him when he was with Jake so this was a special treat for her. Brady, being the amazing big brother that he is, agreed and disappeared to get her in her PJ's and read her some stories.

After she was asleep, it was time to take him back to Jake's house. When we pulled into the driveway, he was in a much better mood. I reminded him that I was always there for him and he gave me a big hug before running inside. I waved at Leah who was standing in the doorway with Kennedy, their two-year-old and headed home.

The end of Caroline and Brady's senior year flew by. Between the senior musical, the end of baseball season, and all of their senior activities it was like we barely had any teenagers living in the house.

They were so busy all the time, but this had always been our lives.

Brady and Alyssa had gone to prom at friends and the next day, I could tell that they'd made the right choice. They had a good time as friends and got to have some closure. My boy looked so handsome in his tux and was so good to his date.

Alyssa was very lucky to have had him as her first boyfriend.

On June twelfth, I found myself sitting on my bed wearing my bathrobe. My hair was curled and my makeup was on, all I had to do was put on the dress I'd bought for this occasion. Edward was staying busy by getting Gracie dressed and ready to go. I couldn't bring myself to finish getting ready

"Okay, she's all ready to go we just need to put her shoes on," Edward said as he came into the bedroom to quickly get dressed. "Bella?"

I sighed. "I don't want Brady to make the same mistakes I did," I admitted quietly.

"Sweetie," He sat down next to me and kissed the side of my head. "Brady is a smart and responsible kid."

"So was I when I was his age," I argued. The fear that he would get a girl pregnant when he was barely an adult had always loomed in the back of my mind. I knew he wasn't me or Jake but I couldn't help it.

And that fear was very strong today for some reason. "I love Brady. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I don't regret having him. But it was hard and emotionally exhausting having him so young."

He nodded, thinking of what to say next. "Bella, we have raised our children the best way we know how. The only thing we can do now is hope they heard us and understand what we went through when they were born."

"You're right," I sighed. "I'm just not ready for my babies to leave."

"Me either. But we'll have the whole summer with them. They aren't leaving for college tomorrow."

"Thank goodness," I smiled and turned to face Edward. He was so handsome. You would never know he was turning forty in a week. His hair had a few greys in them and there were some smile lines around his mouth but he looked almost exactly as he did the day we met. "I love you."

"I love you too," He whispered and kissed me.

"Bleh," Gracie frowned when she walked into our bedroom. Edward kissed me one more time before ushering Gracie out so we could get dressed.

Once we were dressed, we put Gracie in the car and headed over to the football stadium where they were having graduation. I saw Jake, Max, and Leah sitting in the bleachers and we went to sit with them. We were joined by my mom, Phil, and Edward's parents. The graduates only got five tickets and since Brady didn't really know Jake's parents, they graciously stepped aside and agreed to watch Kennedy.

Fifteen minutes after arriving, Pomp and Circumstance started playing. Since their last names were so close together, Caroline and Brady were some of the first to walk onto the field. They looked so grown up in their cap and gown and so happy.

I was so proud of them.

"I see Bwady and Cawoline!" Gracie squealed happily as she squirmed in Carlisle's lap to try and wave at them. They must have seen her because they both waved back and it made her night.

It was a lovely and long ceremony. Their principal spoke along with the superintendent. The class president gave a speech before the Valedictorian and the little ones were beyond bored by the time they started calling graduates names.

When it got to Brady and Caroline's homeroom, Edward gripped my hand.

"Conner David Benton. Michaela Joy Bishop."

"He's next," I whispered to Edward who gave my hand a light squeeze.

"Brady Patrick Cullen-Black."

When my last name changed to Cullen, Brady asked if he could also use that name instead of Swan. I didn't have a problem with it since we hyphenated his name so he could also have my name. Jake also agreed to it so we signed the papers and made it official.

"Go Bwady!" Gracie and Max cheered together. He looked up at the crowd and waved again and I tried to hold back the tears.

They called a few more graduates and then it was nearly time for Caroline.

"Alyssa Lee Coupe. Megan Francis Cross. Caroline Rose Cullen."

"Yay Cawoline!" Gracie cheered loudly. I looked over and the tears were freely falling down Edward's cheek. I brought his hand up to my mouth and I gave him a gentle hug.

"Our babies are graduated," I whispered. He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Since Caroline and Brady were in the beginning, the little ones quickly lost interest again. Carlisle was keeping Gracie busy with a quiet game on his phone while Leah rocked Max in her lap.

After two hours, the principal officially announced the class as graduates and they stood up and threw their caps. I'm so glad Phil agreed to take pictures because I was too emotional to have that job.

After the ceremony, we went to find them on the field. We found Caroline kissing Paul and I had to hold Edward back. Somehow, Paul Westfield had won Caroline's heart and neither of us was very happy about it.

He had a reputation, and even Brady didn't like the idea of them dating. We set rules when both kids started dating and Paul surprisingly stuck to them and had Caroline home by curfew after eery date and we never found them in any compromising positions on the couch.

We had, however, found Brady and Alyssa in a few compromising positions while they were dating.

After the two of them separated, Caroline flew into Edward's arms.

"Congratulations, honey. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks," She smiled. She turned to give me a hug before picked Gracie up. Suddenly, someone hugged me from behind and I turned to wrap my arms around Brady. I squeezed him tightly and could hardly believe my firstborn, my first true love, was graduated from high school.

"I'm so proud of you," I whispered as I held him.

"Thanks, mom. I couldn't have done it without you."

Everyone took turns hugging and congratulating the graduates. After we took some pictures on the field, we made our way to Carlisle and Esme's for a little party. Emmett, Kate, Jasper, and Alice all met us there and we put all the little ones in the guest rooms since it was bedtime.

Esme had decorated the house in blue and yellow for UCLA and red and white for Eastern Washington University where Caroline was going in the fall. There were a few banners and she'd made a joint cake for them, decorated with their school colors and mascots.

For a few hours, we celebrated the accomplishments of our oldest. We celebrated what their futures would look like and Carlisle made a toast wishing them the best of luck as they entered this new chapter.

"This was a perfect night," Caroline sighed as we walked into the house that night. Edward took a sleeping Gracie up to her room while I stayed with the graduates. "Thanks for the party."

"That was all your grandma," I smiled.

"Love you, mom," Brady said as he gave me another hug. His early teenage years were not easy but he'd mellowed out a lot. But, he never hugged me this much and I was happy he was feeling extra sentimental today.

Before we knew it, it was time to move Brady down to LA to start school. Caroline had started EWU nearly a month before so she wouldn't be able to join us. We were leaving Gracie with Carlisle and Esme so we could focus on getting Brady moved in.

Plus, we were going to the drive over two days and that would not be very fun with a four-year-old in the backseat.

Edward and I drove the SUV with a trailer attached while Brady and Jake drove down in the car Jake had gotten him for graduation. Caroline and Brady had been sharing a car since they turned sixteen, but we knew Brady would need a way to get around LA and get back home for breaks. The only stipulation I had when Jake approached me about buying him a car was that it was something modest and safe.

Brady was gifted a silver Honda Civic that only had a few thousand miles on it.

We arrived in LA the day before freshman move in and the four of us we exhausted so we ordered pizza and hung out in our hotel room. I could tell Brady was nervous about the big move so we watched one of his favorite movies from when he was a kid. When that was done, Jake went to his own room and we turned off the lights to prepare for the big day ahead of us.

Early the next morning, we pulled in front of his new residence halls. I had never been to the campus before since Jake brought him here for his tour but it was beautiful.

"Welcome home," I laughed as I nudged Brady's shoulder. He just gulped and nodded as he figured out what he was supposed to do.

We found someone on residence staff and they gave us the move-in instructions. It took almost forty minutes, but we eventually loaded everything out of the trailer and into his new room. Brady had one other roommate, who wasn't here yet, so we took control of the room.

After thirty minutes of getting settled, a new family walked in. Brady and his new roommate, Jason, introduced themselves and then got back to work. After we got Brady almost completely unpacked, we headed on a tour of the campus. He was fidgeting the entire time and I just kept reminding him everything would be okay by gently rubbing his back.

At six o'clock, we joined the other freshman and their families for a welcome picnic. We all got our food and sat down at a table with Jason and his family. Once everyone was seated, UCLA's president gave an encouraging speech and wished them a great first year.

When dinner was over, Jason and Brady were supposed to go to a mandatory floor meeting. We said goodnight and headed back to our hotel. He was hesitant to let us leave but I reminded him we'd be back in the morning.

That night, Edward held me tight as I cried. I couldn't fathom leaving LA tomorrow without my boy. I didn't think I was ready but Edward reminded me that he was here at this amazing school because of everything I did for him when he was growing up. He reminded me that he was studying music at an incredible school because I listened when he said he wanted to learn the piano.

I was having such mixed emotions as we drove to campus the next morning. Edward and I had picked up coffee and donuts for Brady and his roommate to enjoy. We wouldn't be able to stay long since we had to get home to Gracie. Edward gave me a gentle kiss as we got out of the car, telling me everything was going to be okay.

We met Jake and Brady came downstairs to the lobby to get us.

His room was coming along and even though I would have loved to help him, it was time to rip the band-aide off. Edward gave a hug to Brady first and told him he would be happy to help with any of his schoolwork. Jake was next. Jake had never been a crier, the only times I saw him get emotional was when Brady was born, at our wedding, and the day we made our divorce official.

Edward held my hand so I wouldn't lose my mind while father and son said goodbye.

Once Jake said one more goodbye, we decided to walk down to the car so I could have just a few more minutes with him. Jake gave him one last hug and got in his Uber to the hotel since he had a business meeting here the next day. Edward got in the car, leaving Brady and me alone.

"Let me know when you guys stop for the night," Brady whispered as he kicked an imaginary rock. "And when you get home. And don't let Gracie forget about our date in a few days."

"Of course," I smiled and gripped his chin so he would look at me. His big, brown eyes were filled with tears and he embraced me in the tightest hug. I couldn't help it when I let out a quiet sob.

"I love you, mom. Thank you for everything."

"You're always going to be my baby."

He laughed. "I know."

"Now, please...please don't follow in your father and my footsteps. Meet a girl, fall in love, graduate college, and then start your family."

"I promise," He nodded as he leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Make sure my little sister doesn't forget about me."

"I promise," I mimicked him before hugging him one last time. "I love you, Brady."

We hugged for a few more seconds. When I let go, he was wiping his face so he wouldn't look that that freshman. I got in the front seat of my car and rolled down the window to say a final goodbye. Edward started the car, honked the horn, and started driving away.

"He looked so grown up in his room this morning," I mused as I looked out the window as the side mirror. The campus was growing smaller and smaller and suddenly, I couldn't see it anymore

Edward hummed. "He did."

"He's going to be okay," I told myself.

"He's going to be great," Edward smiled as he squeezed my hand. "And he'll be home for Christmas."

I nodded. "And Gracie is going to beg to call him every day."

"Trust me, we won't lose touch."

I brought his hand up to my lips and gave him a kiss. "Thank you for being there for me today. You've been my rock through this entire process."

"What are partners for?"

Edward was the perfect partner for me. The way he loved my child while recognizing his dad was very much in his life amazed me every day.

"I love you," I whispered.

the car came to a slow stop at a red light and he turned to me a smiled. "I love you too."