Thank you for reading! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the first chapter!

This story doesn't have an update schedule while I'm still working on Ineffable, but I'll try to not make you wait too long between updates.

… …

"I'm so glad you guys could come," Charlotte said, beaming as she let the three of us into the house. "How is parenthood treating you?"

"Pretty good." I watched as Edward took Mila out of her carrier, willing myself not to fuss over them. This was the first time we'd have her around Edward's whole family at once, and while I knew rationally that everything would be okay, it was hard not to be nervous. "I think we've been blessed with a good baby, though."

And we really had been. Of course, Edward and I would always be biased about our sweet baby girl, but we really did find that Mila was pretty easygoing for a newborn baby. She had found her lungs more in the past week, but could be soothed fairly quickly. If the crying couldn't be stopped by a feeding or diaper change, then she usually could be calmed down by some time in the rocking chair or by hearing our voices. Edward spent a lot of time reading to her, and that worked better than anything to comfort her.

"We were just getting ready to sit down and eat," Charlotte informed us. "But I need to hold her first!"

Edward reluctantly transferred the baby over to her Aunt Charlotte, and everyone else quickly gathered around.

Rosalie came to my side, hugging me immediately. "How're you doing, Momma?"

"Okay," I answered truthfully. "Exhausted, but so obsessed with her. It's been less than two weeks and I still can't believe how much I love her."

"Aw. Well, she is pretty cute. But we're really glad you guys came tonight- I'm sure it was hard."

I agreed, telling her how comfortable the three of us had been at home, living in our little bubble.

Carlisle and Emmett both claimed the baby for a few minutes before Esme and Charlotte ushered us into the dining room to start dinner. Emmett sat down with Mila still in his arms, then quickly realized his dilemma.

"Let me take her so you can eat," I said, holding my arms out. "She'll need to nurse again soon, anyway."

I smiled down at her when I sat back down in my chair, and inhaled her sweet baby scent. I had actually missed her when she had been just across the table, and having her back in my arms felt so good. I had become a master at eating one-handed while holding Mila in the past thirteen days, and did it now without issue.

After nearly two weeks of almost always being home with just Edward and Mila, it was a little strange to be with a larger group again, but I knew we'd be getting used to it again soon. Everyone was in a good mood celebrating Emmett's birthday, and it was a fun dinner and nice to be around all of them again.

"Let me take her," Edward said after we had all finished eating dinner. I knew that he missed her just as much as I had earlier, so I transferred her into his arms just as Esme started serving the cake.

I still hadn't gotten used to how much seeing him with her made my heart melt, but I hoped I never would. It made me see Edward in a whole new light, and appreciate him more than ever.

… …

"Oh, gross," Edward said wrinkling his nose. "Mila, how do you manage to make such a mess in your diaper?"

I muffled a giggle, but just like him, I was still disgusted by her diapers.

"Ugh. You need a bath," he told her. "Bella, I'm going to sponge her off."

"I'll come." I put my phone down, and followed them out of the patio.

We went into the laundry room, where we were still using the utility sink to give Mila sponge baths.

"Oh, um…" Edward paused, looking over at me. "I think her umbilical cord fell off…at least I hope that's what this is."

He held it up for a moment, then tossed it onto the counter, obviously grossed out. We both looked at her belly, and a grin spread over his face. "But look at that cute little belly button!"

Mila just wriggled, seemingly oblivious to this new change.

"She's changing so much," I said with a sigh. "It's kind of sad."

"I know, Bella. But at least it just keeps getting better."

I had to agree- I felt sad and nostalgic over how much my baby was already growing in the first few weeks of her life, but at least she was happy and healthy, and she brought so much happiness to our lives.

Now that we were able to give Mila her first real bath, I went and got my phone so that I could capture the whole thing. Luckily, she seemed to like the warm water, and as soon as Edward wrapped her up in a towel, she was content- ready to be nursed and then rocked to sleep.

… …

The milestones just kept coming.

She was starting to make noises other than crying, and now she actually looked up at me while I breastfed her. Edward and I were both there to see her first smile, and she was even starting to hold her head up on her own.

The first time she slept through the night was a huge relief, although I still couldn't resist checking in on her often.

Tonight was no different, and I got up to check on her shortly after midnight. But her crib was empty, so I poked my head into Edward's room. Sure enough, was he in bed with her sleeping on his chest.

"She seemed kind of fussy when I went to check on her earlier," he explained quietly. "Nothing major."

I didn't even hesitate to crawl into bed with them- it had become more and more common in the past few weeks. Edward still had Mila on his chest, and one of his hands rested on her back. But he reached out and put his other arm around me, and his fingers ran through the ends of my hair, soothing me. I couldn't remember ever being so comfortable before.

Mila was sleeping soundly, and I couldn't stop looking at her. She was a month old, and she had already changed so much. And not only had she changed- we had changed, too. I felt more at peace with myself than I had in a long time, and I felt like motherhood had opened by eyes. I had gone for my first counseling appointment since Mila's birth just last week, and was happy about the progress I'd been able to make. I had been a little shocked when Edward had told me that he'd started going to a counselor two months before Mila was born, but I was happy- not only that he had decided to go, but that he had talked to me about it.

Maybe the two of us had been in an odd place for a while, but looking back and seeing that we were making attempts to better ourselves while also co-parenting a newborn baby made me feel content with the current state of things. Seeing Edward as a father to Mila had only strengthened my feelings for him, and we each knew that the other wasn't going anywhere.

We had plenty of time.

… …

"You're sure you don't need anything else?" Edward asked, surveying all the things I had loaded into our cart.

"I think I'm set." I double checked my list, trying to ease some of my nervousness.

I would be missing the first two weeks of the semester, but my start date was inching closer. I still hated to think about having to leave Mila and the crazy amount of work I'd have to do to catch up and stay on track, but I had wanted this for a long time and I had faith in myself that I could do it.

School supplies and groceries filled our cart, and now I was satisfied that we had gotten everything we'd come for. "We're all set. Want me to push the cart?"

"Nah, that's okay," Edward said easily. He had Mila against his chest in a sort of sling that Charlotte had gotten for us. It was perfect, since we liked to be close to the baby and she seemed to love it, too. "Mila likes to push the cart."

She did look pretty content, but I was sure it was because she was so close to her daddy. So I let them be, happy that he would be staying home with her for another moth- I knew she'd be just fine with him and it made the idea of being away from her a little easier.

We passed the greeting card aisle on our way to the checkout, and I hesitated. "Go on ahead and get in line- I just need to grab a couple of thank you cards really fast."

Mila was already a month old, but I figured it was better late than never to send out cards to thank people for the gifts, love, and home cooked meals we'd received since she had been born. But I should have known it would take me time to pick out the cards I wanted, and I had only grabbed two of them so far when Edward texted me saying that he was already checking out.

I cursed under my breath- I didn't mind that he had gone ahead, but I hated that he was paying for all my school supplies and groceries for lunch. And knowing him, he would refuse to let me pay him back. So I quickly grabbed several more cards and started to book it to the checkout lines.

"Bella?"

I turned, and came face to face with Chelsea.

Great. I was feeling better about myself than ever, but seeing Chelsea definitely wasn't great for my confidence. I was still carrying stubborn pounds of baby weight, and I probably looked like I'd been hit by a train.

"Hi, Chelsea. It's nice to see you," I said. "Are you here visiting Emily?"

"You, too. And no…I work at the university now. I thought maybe Edward would have told you. We're in the same department."

"Oh, he hadn't mentioned it."

She smiled politely. "I haven't seen him around the office while the rest of us have been preparing for the semester to start. Do the two of you still spend a lot of time together? I'm hoping everything is okay with him."

"Yes, he's fine. He's, um, well he's on paternity leave…"

Her smile froze slightly, and I saw her look me up and down. "Oh. I didn't realize he had a baby."

"Bella."

I turned again, and this time it was Edward I saw. He still had Mila in her sling, and the cart was full of bagged items. "I wondered what was taking you so long," he said. "Hi, Chelsea."

"Hi. Bella was just telling me you're going to be on paternity leave- I had no idea."

"My graduate assistant will be handling my classes until next month."

"I see. Congratulations on the baby."

"Thank you." Edward and I spoke at the same time, and Chelsea's smile tightened further.

"I really should get going. But congratulations again. And Edward- I'll see you next month."

She walked away, and Edward rolled his eyes. "That was weird as fu-"

"Not in front of the baby!" I cried, covering his mouth.

"Bella, she's asleep. And I think she's gonna hear it eventually."

I crossed my arms over my chest indignantly. "Not from me."

We went and purchased the cards I had picked out, and I had to fight Edward off to pay for them myself. We were back in the car, Mila strapped in safely, before I brought Chelsea up again. "So, you're right. That was weird. You guys are friends, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, we knew each other in graduate school. She started teaching at a university in Ohio, so we never saw each other. But I'd still call us friends. That was just…odd."

"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked, thinking about the day, months ago, when I'd see her at Edward's office.

"Same time you did- in my office, when you and I were still trying to figure things out."

We both brushed it off, especially when Mila started wailing for her next meal.

Back at the house, Mila had fallen asleep in her crib, and the house was peaceful and quiet. I was sitting out on the patio, basking in the warmth of the beautiful sunny day. Edward joined me after a few minutes, and I didn't protest when he sat next to me and leaned his head on my shoulder.

"Things are quieting down a little bit, aren't they?"

"For now. Then it's back to school in no time."

"I know you'll be busy…not just with Mila, but because you'll be working hard at school. But I was hoping we could go out to dinner, just the two of us. I know it'll be the first time we both leave the baby, so it doesn't have to be right away. I just want you to know that I've been thinking about it, and I haven't changed my mind."

I smiled down at him, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. "I'd really like that."

… …

"Bye, Momma."

Edward was waving Mila's hand for her, which she seemed to get a kick out of.

"Bye," I replied, but instead of walking inside, my feet remained planted to the floor.

Mila reached her arms out towards me, and I could have sworn I felt my heart break right then and there. "Hey," Edward said gently, letting her grab his hand instead. "She'll be back soon- it's going to be just Mila and Daddy today."

"I don't want to go."

Edward sighed, coming closer and pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I know, Bella. But it's only for five hours, and we'll be right here to pick you up and take you home when you're done. I'll send you updates, and the day will be over before you know it."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I kissed her soft cheek, but I steeled myself and took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll see you guys this afternoon."

"Hey." He caught my arm, then reached up to wipe away the tears that had slipped down my cheeks. "I know it's hard. But you've got this."

I hugged him tight, gave Mila one last kiss, and then was on my way.

… …

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