EPOV

"I don't think this is going to work out after all." Bella huffs.

I roll my eyes. "Well, there's no going back now. It was your idea, and now we're stuck until we figure things out."

She throws a stack of papers at my head, and they flutter to the ground, joining the chaotic mess that used to be my well-organized and always tidy office.

"The offer still stands," I say, and she rolls her eyes.

"Shut up. I will not take your office and stick you in a closet."

I gather the papers she threw and put them back in order. The "closet" she's talking about is the storage room attached to the laundry room. It's cold and dank with no windows, and it could use some TLC. I'm willing to do anything to make Bella comfortable.

She waves her hand in my face. "Were you even listening to me?"

"I'm sorry."

"What if we catty-corner the desks? That way we can have our own space to work, and we'll be back to back so no distractions."

I map out her idea in my head, and she's right. Instead of working side by side like we'd originally planned, this would work out in our favor. "Okay, I'll get back to work on your desk while you unpack your stuff."

We get back to work, and it doesn't take long for me to get frustrated and start cursing IKEA. The instructions say one thing, but the shit in front of me is saying another. We were hoping to get the office squared away before we pick Marley up from school, but somehow boxed ourselves in. I'm too old to play; the floor is lava.

Bella finishes filling her new filing cabinet and joins me on the floor. We find a tutorial on YouTube and manage to get her desk together before the alarm goes off. "Time to go. I'll try to finish this up after Marley goes to bed."

Bella shakes her head and helps me to my feet. She doesn't say anything until we're in the parent pick-up line. "I don't know how I'm going to feel after … This is uncharted territory. I've never gone through and shared Hope's things with anyone." She swallows thickly. "I don't know what state I'll be in after."

I grab her hand and kiss her fingers. "I'll be with you either way. The office can wait."

The back door flies open, and Marley comes scrambling in. She thanks the monitor and pops up between our seats for kisses.

"Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, Muffin. You're in a good mood."

"Oh, I am." She buckles her seatbelt. "I'm in the goodest mood."

Bella chuckles. "And what, pray tell, has you in the goodest mood?"

"Well, we get to have one more show and tell before the end of the year party. Miss Aimee said I get to bring Pooka in, but you got to sign some papers."

"We'll do that right when we get home."

We're headed to the park for a playdate with Marley's best friend Leah and her family.

Leah's dad was deployed a couple months ago, and she's been having a tough time, so when her mom, Sue, called to set something up, we jumped at the opportunity. Marley doesn't have a lot of kids to hang out with outside of school, and she loves Leah. It's a win-win situation for both families.

It's our first playdate, and I think Bella might have googled or something because she packed a cooler full of snacks and drinks as well as a bag of park-appropriate toys to keep the girls entertained.

Sue managed to snag the best picnic table closest to the playground with the perfect amount of shade. She's already set up a blanket for her twin boys, Jared and Paul, who are around eight or nine months old.

Leah comes running over as soon as she sees Marley, and they take off, straight for the jungle gym.

While they run around like chickens with their heads cut off, Sue catches Bella up on the latest mom-drama, seeing as she's new to the PTA.

"You're going to want to steer clear of Rebecca Black. Her son Jacob is a biter, and she tries to sink her teeth into all the class dads." Sue side-eyes me. "Married or not."

Bella laughs. "Noted."

I find great interest in the baby carrots and ranch while Bella tells Sue all about our trip to the zoo and what a nightmare Jacob was.

Marley and Leah come rushing over, hair a mess and cheeks flushed with excitement. "Daddy, will you come push us on the swings?"

"Of course." I set down my plate and peck Bella's cheek. "Duty calls."

She giggles and turns back to Sue.

"Ladies," I offer them my arms and lead them to the swings.

Leah is a quiet little thing, but she's also the sweetest. I'm glad she and Marley have hit it off because I couldn't imagine Bella enjoying a playdate with the Black family.

The girls are screaming for me to push them higher when I look over and find Bella and Sue sitting on the blanket. Bella is crouched over one of the twins, tickling him, and I can hear his laughter from clear across the playground and—

"Daddy, higher. Please." Marley squeals breathlessly.

Eventually, the girls grow bored and abandon me for the monkey bars. That warm feeling in my chest continues to grow after seeing Bella with the baby. It doesn't hit me until I'm sitting across from my girls at Mike's and hear an upset baby let the world know about their discomfort.

I'm experiencing the same thing I did before I got the call to buy an infant car seat and head to Seattle.

I've got baby fever.

~MM~

Marley has always enjoyed a good walk down memory lane. I often find her looking through photo albums, and we talk about the past often.

She's excited to see the things Bella kept from before she was born. One of the boxes arrived late or we would have taken a look while Marley was recovering from surgery.

When Bella pulls out a plaster cast of her belly, Marley freaks. She runs her hands over the bump and asks questions in quick succession.

"What did it feel like when I was in there?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Were you really that fat?"

Bella laughs. "Feeling you inside my belly was amazing. At first, it felt like bubbles, and then, when you started growing, I could see one of your hands or feet pressing against my skin." She points to a spot. "You really liked to stay right here." She moves Marley's hand to a different spot. "And it didn't hurt unless you were playing in my ribs, and yes, I was fat." She kisses her cheek. "But that just meant you were really healthy."

I'm looking at a fleece blanket with Marley's first name embroidered in the corner. The fabric is baby soft, and it's beautiful, but I don't think I'll ever get used to the idea that Marley wasn't always Marley.

"Oh, so pretty." Marley breathes, running her fingers over the letters. "It's got Hope's name on it."

A single tear falls down Bella's cheek, and she's quick to wipe it away. She silently asks for the blanket and clutches it tightly, burying her nose in the fabric. Her eyes are closed for a moment, but when she opens them, she hands the blanket to Marley.

"I think Hope will be happy to have her special blanket back with her."

"Really?"

Bella reaches out and caresses her cheek. "Yeah, precious. Why don't you go get her, and we'll see how she likes it?"

Marley rushes up the stairs, and Bella looks up at me with a sad smile.

"Are you sure?"

She nods. "It's time to put the past where it belongs. It's time to let go of some things."

Marley bounces down the steps. "Will you help me wrap her up like a real baby? I think she's cold."

Bella helps her while I grab another box.

While we empty boxes of memories, Bella starts putting items in three separate piles. One for storage, for things she can't bear to part with. One pile will be gifted to Rose and Emmett, who found out that Marley was correct and her new baby cousin is a girl. It's the last one that makes my heart hammer in my chest.

There are unisex clothes and other baby items and toys.

When I ask her what that pile is for, she smiles. "The future."