Chapter Sixty-Six: Bella
June 3, 2025
Cambridge, England
The hall where the ceremony is being held is ancient.
Well, okay, maybe not ancient, but it's fucking old. So old that it's a pain in the ass to bring a stroller inside.
So instead of fighting some dumb-ass medieval stairs, I park the stroller near the door and crouch down to look my daughter in the eye.
"Okay, Spawn. This is a serious place where serious things happen. When we're done, I'll run with you all over the lawn, but we have to be respectful inside, you got me?"
She gives me a stubborn little look and I sigh. I reach for her, unclipping her from the stroller.
Almost immediately, she tries to get out of my arms.
"What did I say?" I grunt, securing her in my grasp.
"No!" she screams. It's right in my ear, and my eyes screw shut as I wait for the ringing to pass.
"Looks like you have your hands full."
I turn, and almost burst into tears when I see Alice and Rose walking up to me.
"Birdy!" Rose says, immediately taking my child into her arms. Spawn melts into Rose, nuzzling her.
I glare at my daughter.
"Hi," Alice giggles, pulling me into a hug. I hug her back before turning to Rose and offering her a hug too. Spawn has the audacity to try to push me away.
Rose snickers. "Girl is opinionated, just like her mom."
I huff. "I'm not a dick," I mutter. Alice and Rose both raise an eyebrow and I roll my eyes. "Shut up."
Before I can say anything else, I catch sight of Jasper and Emmett, as well as Esme and Carlisle. Everyone has made it out for Edward's graduation, and I want to cry with how proud I am of him. I've been pretty weepy all week, so it's not too surprising it shows up again now.
We all hug, and Spawn gets the appropriate amount of fawning and attention to satisfy her before we head inside.
I'm grateful I have a whole group around my daughter to keep her placated and calm through this ceremony.
We're just sitting down when a hand lands on my shoulder. I look up and actually burst into shocked tears when I see my dad.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, yanking him into a tight hug. He grunts in surprise.
"I wasn't going to miss this," he says chuckling and patting my back. I pull back from him, wiping my eyes. Beside him is Sue, his girlfriend of a couple of years now. I reach out and hug her as well.
"I didn't think you were coming out," I say when I finally pull away from them. Dad shrugs.
"I had some time off, and we figured we could help you pack up."
I bit my lip, trying to stop the insane smile that wants to spread across my face. Edward has been offered a job teaching in Seattle. We're planning on moving this summer. When dad found out, he'd immediately started looking at houses of his own in the area. I was excited to be going back to the states, to be able to see my dad whenever we wanted.
I can't believe how much I missed him.
I pull dad into another hug, squeezing him tight. "Thank you," I whisper.
Dad presses a kiss to my hair. "Anything for you, kiddo."
...
The ceremony is long, and mostly in Latin. Birdy has a host of adults to keep her entertained, but even they start to not be enough for her. She's starting to get fussy, and I'm about to take her outside to run around, when people start shifting around, preparing to walk for their diplomas. I reach for Birdy, taking her out of my dad's arms.
"No!" she shouts.
"Kid," I grunt, pulling her onto my lap. I wrap my arms around her waist, holding her on my lap like she's in a car seat. She struggles a bit, but I start bouncing her on my lap, making her laugh. A few people turn to look at me as she gets louder and louder, and I flip off one little old man who is glaring at me. Birdy can laugh or she can scream; my daughter has no other settings.
Thankfully, they start calling names, and most attention returns upfront. I can't see Edward from where we are sitting, but I'm grateful our last name begins with C. The moment he's walked, I'm taking my daughter outside.
I whisper sing to Spawn as I bounce her on my lap, trying to keep her entertained. She's getting louder and louder, and I think I'm going to have to cut out a little early, when finally Edward's name is being called. I see him climb up the stage, and our whole group bursts into loud cheers. We are so much louder than anyone else in the ceremony has been, but none of us cares.
Spawn looks up when we start making noise, and climbs in my lap, looking over the crowd. There is a brief lull in the noise and in that exact moment, Birdy screams.
"Daddy!"
Everyone in the hall looks our way, and I look up to see Edward with the biggest smile I've ever seen spread across his face. A few people around us laugh and cheer with Birdy who is now calling for Edward. He shakes hands with everyone before making his way off stage. I know he's supposed to head back with the other students, and now that Spawn is worked up, I have to take her outside. I gather her diaper bag and secure her in my arms as I head outside.
It's a gorgeous day out, and as soon as the doors are closed behind us, I set Spawn down. She sprints off, running toward the grass as I set her diaper bag down on the stone path nearby. I start heading after her when I hear the hall doors open. I look up, but before I can even process what's happening, Edward is grabbing me and pulling me into a deep kiss. I giggle against his lips, my hands wandering over his robes to grab at his ass. He laughs, pulling back from me.
"Congratulations," I say, squeezing his ass. "I'm so fucking proud of you."
His smile is bright and it leaves me breathless. "I owe every-fucking-thing to you," he says, leaning down to kiss me again. I grin, my arms snaking up to wrap around his neck.
"Daddy!"
We break apart just as Spawn charges us. Edward drops to his knees, taking her into his arms and blowing raspberries on her cheeks. She shrieks with her joy.
"Don't you have to get back in there?" I ask him, motioning toward the doors. He looks up at me, standing with Spawn still in his arms.
"I do," he says, nodding. "But I had to see my girls."
He reaches out to me, and I wrap my arms around him, trapping Birdy between us. She giggles, trying to push me away as I lean up to kiss him again.
"All right," he chuckles, breaking our kiss when Spawn starts yanking on his hair. "Let's get back in there."
I hold my arms out for Spawn, but Edward shakes his head. "I'll take her."
I watch him in surprise, but can't deny that right now, Spawn will do anything for her daddy. It's a phase that I know will pass because usually, she and I are thick as thieves.
"All right," I agree, grabbing her diaper bag. We head back inside, pausing before we have to separate again. I look up at him, grinning and yanking him down for one more kiss. "I absolutely love you, Dr. Cullen."
