AN: Well, this is the end for this one, although I haven't ruled out a futuretake. What would you like to see?

If you've come straight here to Epilogue 2, make sure you read Epilogue 1 first

Heartfelt and everlasting thanks to MeteroOnAMoonlessNight, who beta'd this at the last minute, and to both Midnight Cougar and ghostreader24 who's valuable suggestions made the epilogues work. I have no idea where I'd be without these three, so thank you from the bottom of my heart

For every review that made my heart beat faster and caused a little squeak of excitement, thank you. For those of you who followed or favorited and haven't yet left a review, let me know what you think. A word or a smiley face is absolutely as wonderful as a 50-word review.

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Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. If it was me, I'd never let Edward go


Boyfriends of Christmas Past Epilogue 2

Summary

A trip back home for the holidays shows Bella everything she didn't know had been missing from her life.

Epilogue Part 2

Edward

I was happy to be working today, since I had no desire to be in a room full of oohing and ahhing women, even if one of them was my beloved Bella. Instead, I was sitting on top of the roof of the house I was renovating for Alice and Jasper with him and Emmett.

When my phone flashed Bella's name just before four, I answered cheerfully. "Hello, sweetheart. How's the party going?"

"Edward." Instead of Bella, Mom's worried voice shot straight to my heart. "You need to get to the hospital; Bella's gone into labor. We'll meet you there."

I hung up, shoving my phone in the pocket of my jacket. "Fuck!"

"Edward, what is it?" Jasper asked.

"It's Bella; she's gone into labor, and I need to get to the hospital."

With my heart in my throat, I practically slid off the roof. Almost before I finished speaking, I was running for the truck, Jasper following closely behind me.

"Wait up, Edward. We can take my truck, and I'll drive you. You're not in any condition to be behind the wheel."

I changed direction and climbed into the passenger seat and fastened my seat belt, my leg bouncing impatiently. Jasper turned over the engine and sped out of the driveway and onto the highway in the direction of the hospital.

"Hurry, Jasper, please."

The drive to the hospital was no more than fifteen minutes, and Jasper made it in under ten, coming to a halt outside the glass doors. Before he'd turned off the engine, I was out and heading past reception to the maternity wing.

"Please let them all be okay. Please let them all be okay." My mind chanted the words over and over as I skidded down the tiled corridor to the Labor and Delivery reception.

"Bella Cul… er Swan." I stuttered over her name, as in my mind, she was already a Cullen. I waited impatiently as the receptionist looked up the details on her computer. "Hurry, please."

"Down the corridor, to your left, then it's the second door on the right. She—"

"Thanks," I said, racing away before she'd finished speaking.

I pushed open the door to room 10C to find Bella leaning over with her elbows on the bed, and Mom rubbing her back.

"Bella, love, are you okay? Are the babies all right?"

She groaned, then blew out a breath and stood upright. "I'm fine, Edward, and so are they."

Mom stepped back, and I pulled Bella into my arms, kissing the top of her head. Relief flooded me now I was with her and I could see she was safe. "Has the doctor been in yet?" I asked.

"No, but reception already called Dr. Banner. We've only been here ten minutes."

"Thanks, Mom. Where's Daisy? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, though I think she was a little worried when we left in such a hurry. Alice and Jess are still at the house, and they're taking care of her for the moment. I'll pick her up and take her home with me as soon as I leave here." She rubbed Bella's arm. "Do you want me to stay, sweetheart? Daisy will be fine with Jess and Alice for a while."

"I'll be fine now Edward's here, thanks, Esme. Can you explain what's happening to Daisy, please? Tell her I'm okay, and Daddy's with me, and that we'll see her soon."

"Okay, Bella. I'll leave you two, and don't worry about Daisy. She's excited to meet the twins."

No sooner had Esme left when Dr. Elizabeth Banner arrived, a nurse trailing behind her. "Good afternoon, Bella, Edward. I hear your water has broken, Bella. Can you tell me what time that was? Are you having contractions yet?"

"Hi, Dr. Banner," Bella answered. "It broke around three-thirty this afternoon, and my contractions are about ten minutes apart, but they're pretty strong already. I think they've been going on for longer than just an hour or so because I've had a backache most of today."

"Okay, Bella, it does sound like you're in active labor. Edward, can you help Bella into a gown, and situated on the bed?" She turned to Bella again. "Nurse Black will take your vitals, and I'll be back shortly to examine you. Sound okay?"

Bella nodded. "Hi Rachel, how are you? I haven't seen you since Lauren and Jake's wedding."

"I'm great, thanks, Bella. I've been a lot busier, now I'm a registered nurse. And," she added happily, "Paul and I moved in together. We have a place in Port Angeles now."

"Yeah, Jake mentioned that a while ago. Sounds like it's going well."

Another contraction hit, and Bella stopped talking to concentrate on coping with it, squeezing my hand. As it passed, Bella let out a deep breath, and Rachel handed her a gown.

"It is, thanks, Bella. Are you okay, sweetie?" When she nodded, Rachel continued. "I'll leave you to change and be back in around ten minutes to take your vitals." She smiled, patted Bella's hand, and left us in privacy.

Rachel returned ten minutes later, as promised, checking Bella's pulse, blood pressure, and temperature. She asked a few questions about the contractions, then left us alone to wait for Dr. Banner to return.

I sat on the edge of the bed, taking her hand, which immediately tightened on mine, another contraction starting. Instinctively, I looked up at the clock on the wall, timing it, and brushing my thumb over the back of her hand until the intensity lessened.

She let out a breath. "Fuck, that hurt," she exclaimed. "I forgot how much."

"You doing okay, Bella? Is there anything I can do?"

"Can you fill the cup with ice-chips, please? I have a feeling I'm going to need them."

At that moment, the door opened and Dr. Banner stepped inside. "Right, Bella. Let's see where we're at, okay?"

After a quick but thorough exam, Dr. Banner stripped off her gloves. "Well, you're definitely in labor, Bella. About four centimeters, so almost halfway there. We'll monitor you closely, so if we run into any difficulties, we can be ready for that C-section."

"How likely is that, Dr. Banner? I really want to do this, if I can."

"The reasons for your C-section with Daisy were not for any physical problem with you or the baby. It was purely because of the threatened complications preeclampsia can cause; we discussed those reasons at the time. This time, you're healthy, your blood pressure is normal, everything is fine. Twins are usually born early, so I don't think there's anything for you to worry about."

"What about the twins? Will their lungs be developed enough? Are they going to be okay?"

"Thirty-seven weeks is considered a normal age for twins, and yes, their lungs will be okay. Try not to worry, Bella. We'll keep a close eye on you and these two babies. Now, are you ready for an epidural?"

"Not yet, thanks. I want to do this without it for a bit longer."

Dr. Banner assured us she wouldn't be far away, and for Bella to speak to the nurse when she decided it was time for pain relief. Baby number one, our little boy, was in position for his birth. Our other little one was a breech at the moment, but Dr. Banner assured us that once there was more room, he or she would turn, and if not, she would help the baby along.

Even though Bella now had two babies to birth, everything seemed so much easier on her this time around. With Daisy, she'd been on bed rest for the last eight weeks because of the stress she'd been under with the impending trial that never happened.

Despite the relief that came with Alec's change of plea, Bella developed dangerously high blood pressure, and to prevent preeclampsia, she had to stop work long before she was ready. Dr. Banner insisted that if she didn't rest completely at home, she would have to spend her remaining pregnancy in the hospital being monitored. It was a stressful time all around.

"Shit." Bella's exclamation brought me out of my musing.

"What is it? Can I get you anything?"

"I'm okay, Edward. That one was longer and more intense." She looked at me. "I really want to do this without medication for as long as possible. With Daisy's emergency C-section, I felt cheated somehow, and I missed out on so much; this time, I want to feel it all."

"Whatever you want, Bella." I moved until I was sitting beside her, pulling her into a hug. "We can do this however you want; I'm with you. Just don't let yourself get too tired, especially since you have double the work to do."

"How about we go over the names we've looked at for baby two? The notebook and the baby name book are both in my bag."

I collected the two things, opening the notebook to the lists we'd made. "Okay," I said. "Girls' names."

Reading down the list, we had Violet, Lily, Rose, Willow, Leilani, Fleur, and Poppy—all flower names to fit in with Daisy. Then we had Sophie, Dakota, Tessa, Faith, Chloe, and Amelia, although the list wasn't exhaustive.

"I still like Lily-Rose," Bella said. "But, none of the girls' names seem quite right. Maybe subconsciously I know baby two is a boy?"

"I'm still not sure saddling a boy with my old-fashioned name is a good idea, but I like it shortened to Teddy."

"I know; that's what Alice went with for the baby shower. We had a teddy-shaped cake and a teddy bear picnic theme for the food. Besides, I love the name Edward, and I love you." She reached up from lying back on the pillow to kiss the edge of my jaw.

I couldn't deny having a son named after me left me with a warm, gooey feeling inside, but telling anyone would be giving up my man-card. So I changed the subject.

"For baby two, if it's a boy, we have William—"

"We can't use that," Bella interrupted. "Lauren and Jake want to name their baby after his dad, Billy."

"Oh, okay, that makes sense. So, we have Flynn, Jamie, Isaac, Oliver, Charlie, Jackson, Zachary. Noah, Nicholas."

"Hmm, what's your favorite?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I want something different. I like Zachary. Maybe with Flynn or Charles? What do we have for Teddy's second name?"

"I thought either Charles or James. Dad would be over the moon if we chose Charles for either." She wrinkled her nose. "I know he's your dad, but I can't imagine using Carlisle."

I laughed. "Neither can I, and I think he'd probably agree."

A sharp intake of breath interrupted our talk as another contraction hit, this one lasting longer than the last. When it was over and Bella relaxed, I passed her the cup of ice chips.

"That was a good one, wasn't it? Do you want anything for the pain yet?"

Over the course of the next few hours, Bella's contractions were closer together and longer, and eventually, she gave in and asked for the epidural. From then on everything progressed faster, and just before nine, she felt the urge to push. At ten-thirty, Edward Charles Cullen made his way into the world with a loud cry.

He already had a full head of hair, a cross between mine and Bella's, and of course, his eyes were blue. I cut the cord separating him from Bella, and only had a short while to hold him as baby two was already on their way.

While we'd been admiring our firstborn, baby two had done as was expected and turned the right way round, now in the birthing position. A few pushes later, and our second baby was here.

"Well," Dr. Banner cooed as she handed the baby to Bella, "you have another baby boy."

"Hi, baby." Bella's gaze was loving. "Don't you look exactly like your brother? I can see we're going to have a job telling you apart."

Dr. Banner, meanwhile, had delivered the placenta. "They're identical twins," she declared. "The only difference at the moment is their body weight."

"Are they both okay?" Bella asked.

"They're perfect," Dr. Banner confirmed. She held out her arms for him and gave him over to the nurse to check and weigh, then handed him back. "Ten fingers, ten toes, and everything looks fine for both your boys. Good weights for thirty-seven-week twins, too."

Dr. Banner looked at us for confirmation of the names.

Edward spoke first as he gazed at his two sons. "I'd like to change the names, Bella."

"What are you thinking, Edward?"

"How about Nicholas Edward and Noah Charles Cullen? They're Christmas babies, so the names fit their early arrival. We'll still have Edward as you wanted; we can even call him Teddy if you want to keep it, and Charlie in honor of your dad. What do you think?"

Bella thought for a second then nodded. "That's perfect, Edward; I love both names. Nicholas and Noah Cullen."

"Okay," Dr. Banner said. "Nicholas, born at ten-thirty weighs in at five pounds three ounces, and Noah, born at ten-fifty-eight is not far behind at four pounds twelve ounces."

"Will they have to stay in the hospital?" Bella asked anxiously.

Dr. Banner shook her head. "As long as they feed properly, there won't be any problem, but we'll keep them under observation for a couple of days just to make sure."

~ oOo ~

Mom brought Daisy in to meet her brothers, then Alice and Jasper arrived, followed by Emmett and Rose. Long after the nurses and Dr. Banner left us alone, and when all our visitors had left for the day, Bella and I sat as close together as possible on the bed, each of us holding a precious baby boy.

"They're so beautiful, Bella, just like their mother," I said softly. "I love you."

She leaned into my side, resting her head on my shoulder. "I love you, too, Edward. Thank you for the way you love me and our children, for the life we have, and for the future happiness we'll have. I'm sure life will hand us more drama in that future, but I'm so blessed."

Nicholas, quietly awake, gazed at her with his clear, baby blue eyes.

I hesitated, unsure if it was the right time to broach the subject, and took a deep breath.

"There's only one thing that would make this absolutely perfect, Bella." I stopped to swallow my nerves.

Bella looked up at me again. "What is it, Edward?"

"Will you marry me?" I blurted out. Internally, I rolled my eyes. Nice, Cullen. Not exactly the most romantic proposal.

Her mouth dropped open, and I was reminded of when I asked her to move in with me. "We can have a long engagement, whatever you want," I added hesitantly.

A smile crossed her face, then she let out a giggle, and I knew she was remembering the same thing. She sighed. "Oh, Edward. There is no world in which I'd ever say no. I love you, so, yes, yes, of course, I'll marry you."

She leaned in, her lips touching mine. When she drew back, I whispered the words back. I lifted my arm to bring my Bella closer still. With Noah nestled in the crook of my other arm, fast asleep, I kissed the top of her head.

"There were times when I doubted I'd find you again, but I never lost hope. Hope that one day, I'd be in the right place, at the right time, and hope you'd still love me, and we'd finally have a life together."

"I never dreamed I'd be blessed with so much love, and it's because of you, and Daisy, and now our boys. You know," she said, raising her head to look at me, love shining in her eyes, "I had to kiss a lot of frogs to find my prince, and all those breakups and boyfriends of Christmases past were worth kissing to find you."

~ oOo ~

The End

AN: I have a couple of stories in process right now, and of course a hundred plot bunnies hopping around in google docs, and my head asking me to write

Put me on alert if you want to make sure you don't miss Secrets, Lies, and Dead Ends and The Price of Betrayal

See you soon