Good Morning, Dears!

So glad you all loved the arrival of little Duckling! The chapters from here on out will mostly skip ahead a little bit, so be sure to check dates if you get confused.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Edward

June 20, 2023

Cambridge, England

I wake to the sounds of crying.

Even though I haven't slept in almost a month, it's still one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard.

I move to the bassinet in our room, scooping up my daughter; Birdy Roe Cullen. Not that she's been called that once since being born. Bella has adamantly stuck to calling her Spawn, while I can't seem to shake calling her Duckling.

Bella is passed out in bed still as I bring my daughter into my arms, carrying her out to the living room. "Hi, Duckling," I whisper. She looks up at me with her mother's chocolate eyes. "Are you feeling hungry?"

It's about time for a feeding, and I don't want to wake Bella, so I move to the fridge, grabbing a bottle. I start to get it warmed as I gently rock Duckling in my arms.

She starts crying louder, and I glance at her, sighing. "Okay, fine. You win."

I start humming, and almost immediately, she quiets. Just like her mother, my Duckling melts for Brown Eyed Girl.

I get the bottle heated up, testing it out on my arm to make sure it's not too hot before I head into the living room and settle on the sofa.

Despite the fact that she's less than a month old, I can already see so much of my wife in my daughter. Birdy is spunky, and seems to like to fuck with us for no reason. If I had to picture Bella as a child, Birdy is exactly what I would imagine.

Even though I know she's hungry, my daughter fights the bottle until I start singing again. It's tedious, but it does bring a smile to my face when she finally settles in, her little eyes gazing up at me as I feed her.

God, I fucking love her.

Life is infinitely better with her.

I hear a small noise and look up at Bella to see her yawning as she walks out of our bedroom. "Hey," she says, stretching. "Happy Birthday."

I smile at her as she comes across the room. She leans over, pressing a tired kiss to my lips before she plops carefully on the sofa beside us.

"I'd offer you a birthday blow job, but princess likes-to-be-up-all-night has taken my will to live."

I laugh as Bella stretches out, her eyes closing as she tilts her head back on the sofa.

"We'll bank it," I tell her. She snorts, not opening her eyes.

"Keep singing," she requests. "We like it."

It's true, and I'm happy to oblige when I see it works to put both my daughter and my wife back to sleep.

I gently move the bottle away, setting it on the coffee table. I bring Birdy to my shoulder, burping her softly. When I'm done, I stand up to take her to our bedroom.

"No," Bella whines softly. I look at her. "Come lay with me."

We have a bed that fits us comfortably, but instead, I stretch out on the sofa. Bella shifts so I can lay flat, and then she crawls on top of me. We carefully rest Duckling on my chest while Bella wraps a protective arm around her.

In moments, we're all asleep again.

I wake to the sound of my phone ringing. Bella groans, but a second later, she's climbing off me and scooping up Duckling. I sit up, rubbing my eyes and reaching for my phone.

"Yeah?" I croak, answering the call.

"Damn. Were you asleep?"

I squint out the window where the sun is bright.

"Emmett?"

"Happy birthday, man."

I lean back on the sofa as Bella settles with our daughter in her arms next to me. I'm momentarily distracted when Bella pulls a boob out to feed her.

"Thanks."

"Dude," Emmett snaps. I blink and look away from Bella.

"Huh?"

He laughs. "You sound exhausted, man. How are things at home?"

I have the dopiest smile on my face as he asks. "They're great. She's amazing."

Emmett hums. "I can't wait to meet her. I bet she's going to be just as batshit as her mom."

I don't know if I should be offended or not. Emmett laughs and I shake it off. "Yeah," I say, glancing at Bella, who looks like she's trying to teach our three week daughter how to swear. "You're probably right."

Emmett and I catch up for a bit until he passes the phone to Rose. She's kind with her birthday wishes, but I know it's Bella she's really interested in talking to. So as soon as we're done, I hand the phone to my wife while I scoop up Birdy in my arms.

"Come on, Duckling," I coo at her. "Let's go do something wholesome, like read a book without any sort of swear words at all."

Bella throws a sock at my retreating back, and I can't help but flash her a grin over my shoulder.

I honestly don't even care if my child grows up swearing like a sailor. It'll really only make her more like her mother, which in my mind, is a really fucking awesome.