Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Twilight Saga. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: We got back from Chicago yesterday. We had a great trip, adjusting plans for the weather and hitting Shedd's Aquarium instead. When we were driving back to the place we were staying in the NW suburbs, I actually got to see the building I chose for Cullen Steel HQ when we drove past it. My hubby was laughing because I got all excited. I know…it's sad, but I thought it was only fitting when I had just written this chapter a couple of nights before. Anyway, it was cool. We had a great trip and now that I'm home, I'm posting this chapter today and the Epi on Thursday if I have time (It's my son's ACTUAL birthday, so we're going to go have some fun) then I will post first thing Friday. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks to my beta pal, AgoodWITCH for getting these back to me so quickly, as always. She's been such a great support through this whole story. Thank you for all of the great reviews and support yourselves. Thanks to you guys, this was my third story to ever break one thousand reviews. It means more than you can know!
Teaser for the epi will be up on my blog acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com.
It All Comes Together
It was awkward for the first few weeks, but soon we fell into a consistent pattern. Edward put every ounce of energy he had that wasn't focused on Cherie and I into getting better, letting Marcus continue the fantastic job he was doing running the company until Edward was completely healed and ready to take on the business front once more. He had already confided in me that he planned on keeping Marcus on as CFO, making the two of them essentially run the company as partners. As Edward said, it was the least he could do to repay Marcus for how hard he had worked while Edward was away.
Weeks turned into months as we kept a close eye on what was happening on the European Front. It was nerve wracking knowing that the country's focus was split between two opposite sides of the globe, but with Emmett and Jasper still in peril on that front, we watched for every bit of news with baited breath.
The fear and concern melted into pure joy on May 8th, 1945 when the official announcement came through. They were calling it VE day, the day the Allies proclaimed Victory in Europe. Hitler had been backed into a corner and the war on that side of the globe was over. Alice, Rose, and I held one another as we wept in relief. With any luck the boys would soon be coming home.
Our joy was only shortly lived when whispers came through the channels that the troops, and in particular the pilots might be moved to the Pacific Front to bolster the offensive against Japan. The girls were living in terror, as the unbearably long wait for letters had gotten even longer. No word for weeks and weeks had them on the verge of hysteria when one day a knock came at the front door of the Lake Shore house. It was a Saturday and Edward had taken Cherie to his parents place to visit for the day while I spent some time trying to cheer my friends. Alice and Rose were upstairs when I rushed to open the door and froze with my mouth hanging open.
A slow smile spread across my face as I yelled out from the doorway. "Alice and Rosalie, I think you need to get down here RIGHT NOW!"
I beamed at the boys with a smirk and wink. They both seemed terrified as they clutched their hats in their hands, their bodies taking up the entirety of our front porch. I could hear the footsteps coming down as the girls grumbled.
"What on earth are you yelling about down here B…" Rosalie halted mid sentence and froze at the base of the stairs as she stared at the two men standing on the front stoop. I stepped further out of the way only seconds before my two best friends took a running leap at their men, hanging from their necks like monkeys as they screamed and cried.
I wept quietly as I watched the exchange before walking up the stairs to my room to grab my pocketbook and my shoes. When I came back, they had moved to the living room, both girls draped across their men, whispering quietly. I stepped into the doorway with a happy smile.
"I'm just going to walk down to Esme and Carlisle's to visit with Edward and Cherie and let him know you boys are home. Uhm…we won't come home until around Cherie's bedtime at seven, so make yourselves at home."
I could feel the tingle in my tomato red cheeks, the boys having matching shades while my girls just smiled appreciatively. Without another word, I turned and walked out the front door to stroll toward my husband's parents' home in the bright June sunshine. When I approached the building, I saw everyone sitting outside. I could hear Cherie's laugh even over the noise of the streets around us.
I stood a few dozen feet away smiling as I watched Edward and Cherie laughing and playing together, Edward spinning in crazy circles as Cherie ran around him, her curls bouncing with each step. Finally, Edward made a big production of catching her before sweeping her into his arms to kiss her cheek sweetly. I sighed as my daughter curled up into her father's chest, a bright smile shining from her face.
It only last a few seconds before Cherie saw me and squealed reaching in my direction chanting 'Mama!' Edward turned slowly, smiling when he caught sight of me. I rushed to his side and hugged him, rubbing Cherie's back gently.
"What are you doing here? I thought this was a girls' afternoon."
I beamed up at him and kissed his chin. "It was, but then when two flyboys back from Europe appeared on our doorstep, plans changed pretty drastically. I, uh, told them we would keep ourselves scarce until Cherie's bedtime at seven."
Edward sucked in a long steadying breath before mumbling a quiet prayer and kissing my forehead. Finally everyone in our little circle of influence was home and safe.
It was two days later before the two couples emerged from their rooms again and Edward was able to greet his best friends and brothers in arms. They shared a hearty breakfast laughing and joking, every one of them looking and sounding more free than they had in years. It was a beautiful sight to behold.
Once they had spent a decent amount of time having fun, Edward leaned forward resting his chin on the heel of his hand. "Okay gentlemen. Down to business. Have you decided where you are going to live now that you're back? I know when we met up two and a half years ago, you both planned to head back to your hometowns. Has that changed or do you still plan to do that?"
Both men flushed as they rubbed the back of their necks anxiously. "Well, I can't take my Rosie away from her life with Cullen Steel now. She's done so much and is so happy with her career. I can't steal that from her, so I guess we're going to be settling around here."
Edward smiled and nodded. I glanced behind me at Rose who was working alongside Alice and Sue to wash dishes while I wrangled Cherie. If she were a light bulb, she would be burning brighter than the one's above Wrigley Field. I was happy for her.
A few seconds later, Jasper's southern drawl responded in a similar fashion as Alice squealed a little and ran to hop onto his lap, kissing his cheeks and thanking him. Jasper laughed good naturedly as he beamed down at his fiancée. He would move heaven and Earth to make Alice as happy as he just had, and he would do it again in a heartbeat in order to see that smile on her face…you could just tell.
Edward smiled, sitting back with crossed arms and an amused expression on his face. "Well, gentlemen, unless you have other employment options lined up, I would sincerely like you to consider coming and working for me. I could use a discerning mind like Jasper's to help weed out those who don't have Cullen Steel's best interests at heart, and I can't think of a better marketing mind than Emmett's. What do you say, guys? You want to work with us in corporate HQ?"
Both guys stared in surprise before the swallowed deeply. "Yes! Absolutely!" both said almost completely in sync. We all laughed before the boys settled in hashing out details as far as salary and expectations. I smiled having sat in with the meeting with Edward to run the idea past Marcus and hash out the details.
Marcus was thrilled to have more dependable staff behind him and Edward, who was going to be returning to work next week after his cast was removed. We had discussed many things, including my role in Cullen Steel now that Edward was back and I was no longer the majority shareholder. It saddened me to know that I was going to be irrelevant and would no longer be needed at work. I told the guys as much in the meeting when they both went into a tizzy insisting that I was a valuable member of the team and that I was needed at Cullen Steel as much as anyone else. My role was never truly defined, but to know that they wanted me with them so badly made me say yes without a second thought.
Everyone was excited for the future laid out before them as wedding plans were made and new homes were found for our new corporate power couples. The coming months were going to be stressful and busy, but they were going to be so very worth it.
We spent the rest of the day catching up with Jasper and Emmett, watching them as they played excitedly with little Cherie. They felt just as attached to her as everyone else because they had watched her grow up in pictures right along with Edward. Toward evening, we set up the projector to take part in Edward's favorite activity. We sat for the next three hours watching film roll after film roll of Cherie growing by leaps and bounds upon the celluloid.
Cherie sat in Edward's lap, as always, pointing to the screen squealing "Meeee," and "Share" earning chuckles from her audience. As the films wore on, she eventually melted into her adoring father's arms falling into a deep contented sleep. After about half an hour, I moved to pick her up and settle her in bed.
Edward grumbled as I lifted her away complaining about his cast and how he was going to do that himself once he was free of it. I smiled and ran my hand down his cheek before kissing it and carrying our baby girl up to her room. I changed her clothes and laid her gently in her crib, the gentle blue light of the moon illuminating her face. So much had happened in her lifetime, and yet so much was to come and from this point on, both of her parents would be there to see it all happen.
She sighed and rolled over, her tiny hand tucking under her pink cheeks, her long eyelashes resting upon the rise of her cheekbone below them. In that light she looked like the angel she truly was. I was still standing there watching her as Edward came up behind me, tucking his arms around my waist with a sigh.
"She's so beautiful, Bella. You did such a great job there."
I giggled curling my fingers with his at my waist and leaning back into his shoulder. "No, sweetheart, that right there we did together."
He chuckled kissing my neck before we slowly walked toward our room, the rest of the house dark and resting for the night.
"So when are we going to start trying for a little brother or sister for her?" Edward asked as his nose grazed my neck making me whimper.
"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Cullen, we've been working on that since the night you came home. I'm pretty sure it's up to God now."
He chuckled huskily, turning me toward him as we shuffled toward the bed. "How about we give him a hand?"
"After you, Mr. Cullen."
He groaned, bunching the material of my skirt up to my hip and grazing his hand along the edge of my underwear. "No, Mrs. Cullen, you will definitely go first, maybe more than once."
I laughed as he threw me onto the bed and covered me with his body. It was still awkward with the cast, but we had learned to work around it. In one short week, it would no longer be a hindrance.
"I love you, Edward."
He smiled down at me, pushing my hair behind my ear, and caressing my cheek with a fingertip. "I love you too, my sweet Bella."
And with a long passionate kiss, we resumed the quest for baby number two.