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.
