Unplanned Perfection Outtakes

by littlecat358

These are the "deleted scenes" if you will, of Unplanned Perfection. May include other character POV. Please read the story before the outtakes, otherwise there might be some confusion.

2. Outtake 2: Esme POV

AN: Well, it was all ready so I figured I'd go ahead and post it. Just remember that I may be behind on my regular chapter this week.

I know the outtakes don't get as many readers, but I want to thank you to everyone reading and reviewing. This is Esme's POV that extends all the way up to when Bella and the Cullen's go to Seattle for Bella's birthday. If you haven't gotten that far, you might want to wait to read so you don't get any spoilers. :oD

This does not cover everything, but it does cover quite a bit.

Thank you to Mollie, for doing her fabulous beta'ing, as usual. :oD Thank you to Melee03 and Lexie2516 for pre-reading.

Disclaimer as usual: I don't own.

XXXXXXX

Outtake #2: Esme's POV

"Are you coming back?"

Carlisle poked his head into the room and looked at me expectantly. "I thought maybe we could have a glass of wine and watch a movie in bed."

I glanced down at the sleeping child in my lap. My hands were making their way through his thick bronze locks.

So much like his father.

"I'll be there in just a minute." I smiled.

How did we get here?

I was sitting on the guest bed in the room that we'd made up for Charlie while the kids were in Seattle celebrating Bella's birthday. My back was against the headboard and my legs stretched out in front of me. My grandson was curled into my side, his head having slumped from my chest to my thigh. His body rose and fell with each heavy breath.

My grandson. Wow.

I could honestly say that I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I'd be a grandmother so young. Well, maybe in my wildest dreams. When Emmett and Rosalie first started sleeping together I was certainly worried. My eldest son wasn't exactly the most responsible teenager on the block. I sent Carlisle in to talk to him after I caught the pair half-naked on the sofa in the basement.

At least they were only half-naked. I'm pretty sure if I had gotten there five minutes later I would have seen what no mother should ever see. He was sixteen. Emmett was only too happy to inform us that Rose was on birth control and there would be no little Em's running around any time soon. They intended to go to college and get married first. It both pleased me and frightened me that they had it all planned out.

When Alice was eleven, she started her period. Her cramping was horrible and there were days when she just didn't want to get out of bed. After nearly a year, Carlisle and I sat down and discussed putting her on birth control. It wasn't an easy decision and in the end, we asked Alice if it was something that she wanted. Carlisle went over all the possible effects with her and that was followed by the birds and the bees discussion. Alice was mortified, but it made Carlisle and I feel better to know that she was informed even if the thought of her becoming sexually active scared the crap out of us. And when she and Jasper became intimate five years later, she came to me. I wasn't necessarily happy about it, she was my baby girl, but I was confident that she was being responsible.

I didn't know exactly when Edward became sexually active, but I knew he was fairly young. He wasn't as open with us as the other two. He got the standard talk when he was thirteen, but I was never sure how much he actually paid attention. I think he was just trying to escape as soon as possible while Carlisle was explaining female anatomy. I suppose that's the problem with having a doctor as a father; the sex talk is always much too informative for a young teenager.

I rarely worried about him, though. He was my thinker; my responsible child. At least, I thought he was. I knew that he had a steady stream of girls paying him attention from a young age. He hit a huge growth spurt the summer he turned thirteen and by the time he was fourteen, he looked more like a man, than a boy. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the company he was keeping.

I'd always known that he had a crush on Bella. I saw it the very first day Alice brought her over. Edward was completely stunned. So much, that my incessantly talkative little boy became speechless. Carlisle and I had a good laugh over that. They were just kids and she was the first girl that he had ever had that kind of reaction to. It was cute.

Over the years though, when I thought they would have become friends, they went in opposite directions. As I watched my own children grow, I also watched Bella Swan transform into a lovely young lady. She was shy and polite and had a wicked sense of humor once you really got to know her. I caught Edward watching her on more than one occasion. I thought for sure that he would make his move, but instead he brought home that wretched harpy. Her hands were all over him in every inappropriate way possible and I couldn't wait for the day that he figured out what a horrible person she was and dropped her.

It was when she informed me, with an air of smugness, that she would be joining Edward at Harvard, that I began to get concerned. The girl had her claws in my boy and was refusing to let go.

Leaving Forks was such a hard decision to make, but all of our children would be out east and I couldn't bear to be so far away from them. Emmett was already at MIT, Alice was heading to the New England Institute of Art and Edward to Harvard. I believe they planned to end up in the same place even though they denied it vehemently.

I knew that one day we would come back, so I asked Carlisle to hold on to the house. If nothing else, I wanted to retire in Forks. He just smiled and held me as I bawled my eyes all the way to the airport.

I thought about Bella often over the years. I knew that Alice had been heartbroken that their friendship had fallen apart after we left. She had no idea what she had done to make their friendship dissolve, but Tanya had put ideas in her head that maybe it was never really very strong to begin with. The little bitch.

I often considered having Carlisle call Chief Swan on some other pretense to make sure that everything was okay, but I didn't. As much as I adored Bella, I had to believe she had her reasons, even if we didn't understand what they were. I believed that my children were adults, and as adults they had to learn how to manage their own lives. I gave Bella that same respect. God, how I wish we had made that call. How much time could we have saved?

When Edward finally threw Tanya out on her tail for trying to get pregnant, Carlisle and I threw our own little party. My husband was very appreciative of my enthusiasm that evening.

I thought that maybe Edward would finally find a girl he could have a healthy relationship with. I didn't necessarily want him to settle down; he was still so young, but four years of being with a girl who was a manipulative, catty little liar, had taken its toll on his whole preconception of relationships. I had a strong suspicion that neither one was faithful during those years.

I didn't ever meet them, the girls he "hooked-up" with, but Alice and Emmett were constantly teasing him about them. He'd just shrug, looking bored with the conversation, and ignore his siblings. He never cared for any of those girls. He ran to them whenever he was stressed out or angry. That was how he dealt with his emotions.

He pulled away during the years. I didn't know why and it hurt my heart. He was physically there, but emotionally, he was completely disconnected. I asked him time and time again what was wrong; I begged him to talk to me. But every single time, he told me he was fine and I was over-reacting.

When Alice told me that she and Jasper wanted to head back to Washington after graduation, I couldn't help but be excited. I loved Boston, but it wasn't home. Our home was sitting empty and cold, devoid of life back in Forks.

Emmett had graduated the year before and had spent a year-long internship at an architecture firm in Boston, but he too was ready for a change. He put in his two weeks' notice and he and Rose started packing up their apartment to follow Alice and Jasper back home. My family was once again relocating.

I didn't know what Edward was planning on doing. He said that he had put in some applications to medical schools and would be traveling around to see what it was all like. I don't think he really knew what he wanted. At graduation, when he should have been celebrating, he looked so. . . lost.

Several weeks later, I got the phone call that changed my life.

"Mom?"

"Hi, sweetheart. How was your trip? Are you all settled back in Forks?"

"Uh, yes, we are. The trip was fine."

Her voice sounded odd and she wasn't chatting my ear off. Something was wrong. This was Alice, she rarely let trivial things upset her. I was automatically concerned.

"What's the matter, honey?"

"Do you think that you and Dad can fly over here?"

"Uh, well, I'm sure we can, what's wrong?"

"There are some things that we really need you here for."

"Some things? Sweetheart, can you give me a clue?"

"Not really. You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

And important it was. I had no idea what to pack or how long we'd be there so I brought everything essential for a longer stay. My mind was racing with possibilities and I wanted to scold Alice for leaving me in such a state.

But when we got there, she assured me that everything was fine. The minute she told me that she'd reconnected with Bella I knew something was off. She glanced at Jasper nervously when she told me that Bella would be coming over for dinner.

I don't think I ever could have been prepared for what Bella revealed. She had a child. Not just a child, but Edward's child. Our grandchild. Shit.

Honestly, it was all very difficult to wrap my head around. For the first few minutes, as Carlisle questioned her, I sat in silence, thinking back to when they could have possibly been together. Did he know? Had she told him? Had he just left her assuming she would take care of it? Oh my God.

My heart nearly exploded out of my chest when a very disturbing thought occurred to me. Bella was frightened; Alice said that it wasn't Bella's fault. I couldn't believe that Edward would actually assault her, but that is what it had sounded like. I immediately felt guilty for doubting him when Bella denied it.

I really wasn't one to swear that often, but I was in shock. I was angry. No, I was downright pissed. How could she do that to us? If this was just a matter of her embarrassment over the fact that she and Edward had slept together, she had no right to keep that baby from us, from him.

But hearing what my son had done to her. How was my baby even capable of something like that? I knew that he wasn't innocent. I knew that he treated girls poorly. I'd made my opinion known to him on more than one occasion. He'd just laugh and tell me that they liked him that way. In truth, I couldn't say that he was wrong. But if I had known that he had treated Bella that way, I would have put my foot down. She wasn't like those other girls. She was practically a part of our family.

Both sides were warring. My anger at her for keeping such a secret against my sympathy that she felt that she had no other choice. I didn't know how to feel about Chief Swan either. He wasn't a scared teenager; he was an adult.

That evening, after Bella and her father had left and Alice and Jasper had gone to their room, I sat on my bed in complete disbelief.

"How could he sit by and let all those years pass without telling us we had a grandchild?" I asked my husband. "He's the chief of police. Is that even legal?"

"I don't know, Es," he sighed, running his hand through his hair.

I thought about it for a couple of minutes; tried to put myself in his shoes. How must he have felt about his only child, his little girl telling him she was pregnant? She had hidden Edward's identity from him for almost two full years. His anger must have been paramount.

What if it had been Alice? What if Jasper had treated Alice like that? What if she begged us not to tell? Would we have done the same? Possibly. I'm pretty sure that Carlisle would have hunted the boy down and murdered him with his bare hands. At the end of the day, it was Bella's decision; her deception.

And Edward? I didn't even know how to feel. I was devastated.

"What did I do wrong, Carlisle?" I sobbed.

"Oh, baby, you didn't do anything wrong," he sighed, sitting down next to me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I did; I must have. How did I not see it? I should have paid more attention to him."

"Es, Edward is a good man. He may not act like one, but he is, deep down."

I sat up straight. "I can't keep this from him. I won't."

Carlisle looked me in the eyes and took a deep breath. "You don't have to. But I think that maybe you should give Bella the chance to tell him."

"Why?" I snapped. "Do you think she's actually going to do it? What if she runs, Carlisle? She's kept that child away from us for this long; she's capable of taking him away again."

My husband shook his head. "Are you listening to yourself, Es? This is Bella we're talking about. This isn't Tanya. She's not evil, she's not vindictive, she's scared."

"Fear is a powerful emotion, Carlisle. She said she wanted to run away with him. That she would have gone on and raised that little boy without any of us in his life. How can you not be angered by that? He's your grandson too."

"I'm not excusing what she's done, Esme," he frowned. "Obviously I am upset over it or I never would have accused her of. . ." he paused and took a deep breath. "I never would have reacted the way that I did. Now that I've had a chance to think about it, I can see it differently. I'm just saying, look at it from her point of view. From what I saw, they never really interacted other than when they had to. Whatever was going through her head, I'm pretty sure she wasn't intending to lose her virginity to Edward, much less in such an aggressive manner."

"Oh, God," I cried.

Carlisle pulled me to him and pressed his lips against my head. "We need to be level-headed about this, baby. God knows that when Edward finds out, he's not going to be." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's going to be really, really angry."

"I know," I whimpered. "I don't blame him."

"I do."

I glanced up to look up at my husband in shock. "What?"

"I mean, I won't blame him for being angry. He has every right to be angry, we all do, but he's the one who got himself into this mess. She's not telling us the whole story. I could see it in her eyes that whatever he did to her hurt her both physically and emotionally, and he never made it right."

"She never gave him the chance."

"He had at chance; he obviously didn't take it. If he had taken the initiative to make a simple apology she might have felt comfortable enough to tell him."

"Are you putting this all on him?"

"Of course not, Es. Regardless, Edward deserved to know. They both made stupid, fucked up decisions." He rubbed his eyes.

I nodded. "How do we do this, Carlisle? How do we move forward?" I begged, completely at a loss.

"We need to let Bella pace it. She's skittish, defensive, and holding in a lot of emotion. In her eyes he is her child, not Edward's, not ours."

"That's not fair."

"No, it's not, but we need to be supportive of her. She holds all the cards right now. Edward is strong. It'll be a shock for him, but he'll survive. Bella is going to go into protective mode and if she feels like she needs to keep him from us, she will."

"This is so not the reaction I wanted to have when learning that I'm going to be a grandma," I whined.

Carlisle chuckled. "You already are a grandma, baby."

"I have friends who have kids his age," I huffed.

Carlisle nuzzled his nose against my neck. "You're the sexiest grandma that I have ever met," he murmured. I turned my head, pressed my lips against his, and let him comfort me for the next several hours.

XXXXX

Seeing Charlie for the first time was a surreal experience. As he ran towards us I almost couldn't catch my breath. He was beautiful. He was perfect. He was definitely Edward's. How Bella thought she was going to keep him a secret forever was beyond me.

I wanted this. I wanted him. I could support her. I would help her through whatever was coming her way. I knew it was going to be a challenge.

It devastated me to know she had been alone. No one should ever be alone when welcoming a child into the world. I remember how scared I was when I had Emmett. My first husband was with me, holding my hand. We were so young; just like Bella, however, we were married and we had each other and when I held that baby boy in my arms, when I came home for the first time, my husband was with me, supporting me.

I spent the next week getting to know her again. The girl we had once known was still there under a very thick skin. She seemed like she was always on edge, never fully relaxing. I knew it was because she was waiting for Edward. He had called the minute he found out where we had gone.

"Ma, what the hell?"

"Edward," I scolded.

"Sorry, but you all move back to Forks and don't even tell me where you're going. Are you trying to ditch me?" He laughed, but there was an edge to his voice.

I needed to tell him. I wanted to tell him. But not like this. He deserved more than to be told over the phone that he was a father.

"No, sweetheart. We just. . .Well, we came back to help Alice and Jasper get settled and, well you know how I've always loved it here." Could he hear the nervousness in my voice?

He huffed loudly. "A little heads up would have been nice is all I'm saying. I guess I'll head over at some point."

"Some point?"

"I don't know, Mom. I'm looking at maybe going to school at UW, so I suppose I should probably check it out."

"Do you know when?"

"Not exactly. I'm going to look at a few other schools, but I'll get there eventually."

"Okay, sweetheart, just be careful, okay?"

"I always am."

Not always, sweetheart.

I also spent time getting to know Charlie. He was smart and funny and absolutely adorable. He actually had a lot of Edward's mannerisms. Not ones that could be learned, those, he definitely got from Bella, but those that were more genetic in nature. The way he played the piano made me want to cry.

Needless to say, I almost peed myself when I walked into the kitchen and found Edward talking to Carlisle. It's not that I wasn't happy to see him, but he just took me off guard. And seeing him made me want to tell him about Charlie even more. But Bella had begged and pleaded to be able to tell him herself.

When Alice came home later that day, I nearly attacked her with questions.

"Do you know when she plans to tell him?" I asked tentatively.

Alice shook her head. "No, mom, I don't. As much as she's been trying to prepare herself for this, I don't think she was ready for it."

"Do you think she's going to run away?"

Alice shook her head and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"No, she won't. I think part of her wants to, but. . . no."

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this from him, sweetheart."

"Give her one week, mom. One week. If she doesn't tell him, then we can, but. . . I just don't want this to go badly."

"Oh, it's going to go badly," I laughed humorlessly. "You know your brother. And this is. . . this is going to break him."

The thought of Edward's reaction when he found out what Bella had done pained me to my very core.

Alice groaned. "I don't know how to soften the blow, Mom."

"You can't, honey. This is between Edward and Bella. I just hope Charlie doesn't get hurt in the process."

Watching Edward with Bella the day of the barbecue, it was obvious to me that there were unresolved feelings. When they wandered off I was so sure she was going to tell him. And maybe she was, but then we got that phone call saying that Chief Swan had taken Charlie to the hospital. My heart was in my throat and beating so fast I was sure I would have a heart attack.

We hadn't even gotten to spend much time with him. Could fate really take my grandbaby away before we got to know him? And seeing the look of confusion on Edward's face told me that he had no idea what was going on. My heart broke for him.

As I waited for word, I was sure I wasn't going to make it. I almost slipped three separate times. Edward must have thought I was crazy, but the thought of him losing his child before he even knew of his existence nearly destroyed me.

The words were on the tip of my tongue when my Carlisle finally called telling me that everything was okay.

"How could she not tell him, Carlisle? What if Charlie hadn't been so lucky, what then?" I was pacing around our bedroom in my pajamas while my husband sat on our bed in nothing but his scrub bottoms, watching me. He didn't respond to my ranting; he was well aware I wasn't looking for him to actually answer any of my questions. I was simply venting my frustrations.

"I mean, seriously, I've always adored Bella, but right now I want to wring her neck. Look what she's done to me. I'm so agitated that I can't even appreciate my half naked husband waiting patiently for me to settle down and come to bed."

Carlisle chuckled. "Es, love, come to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Is she going to tell him between now and then?"

Carlisle sighed. "I don't know. Probably not. She's focusing on her son right now."

I turned to face him. "If it were you and everyone knew, but no one told you that you had a child, how would you react?"

"I imagine I would feel angry, hurt, betrayed."

"Exactly. How, as a mother, do I justify keeping this from him?"

"You don't. You've given her one week, right?"

I nodded.

"Then give her that week. If she hasn't told him by next Thursday, we'll sit him down and tell him, regardless."

XXXXX

Edward left for Seattle the next day and Bella confirmed that the moment he got back, she would tell him.

To say I was nervous as we waited in the basement with Charlie was a gross understatement. I didn't know exactly how Bella planned to tell him, but I was okay with whatever she decided just as long as it was done. But my stomach dropped when I saw the look in his eye. The realization, the shock, the devastation. I didn't see the fury, but I knew it was coming. Carlisle waited just long enough to make sure that Charlie didn't understand what was going on before he sprinted up the stairs after them.

The basement walls were soundproofed, but I could still hear my son's voice through the open door, which meant that that he was yelling. I pulled Charlie up to the sofa and began singing to him so that everything was drowned out completely. Within a few minutes he was fast asleep.

When Bella came back downstairs, her eyes were completely lifeless. Like someone had stolen her spirit. I tried to comfort her. My son was a good man. He had been lost for so long, but he had the capacity for so much love. I really had hoped that once the shock wore off he'd embrace Charlie. . . and maybe even Bella.

Edward didn't come home that night. I knew he had found some girl to take away his pain and while I wasn't surprised, I still wished he had taken another route for purging his emotions. We all tried to convince him to come home and face it. We wanted to help him and to be there for him. Well, most of us did. Rose, of course, did nothing but call him names and ask us if we really expected anything different.

I usually appreciated their relationship of constant bickering and nasty teasing, but the girl was on my last nerve.

"Shut up, Rosalie," I growled. "If you cannot or will not find a way to be of any help or provide comfort in this situation, then I suggest you either shut your mouth or leave the room."

I don't believe I've ever seen my daughter-in-law as shocked as I did at that moment. She was silent for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, when he finally got home, I thought that I would be able to rationally sit down and speak with him. I was wrong. He was my son and I loved him, but the moment that he even suggested that Bella should have terminated that pregnancy because he wasn't ready to be a father, I almost lost myself.

I had spent my entire adult life showing my children how much I loved them; providing everything that I could so they would grow up healthy and strong; loving and gentle people. Carlisle had not only stepped into the role of father, but he genuinely loved all three kids. We were not yellers and we did not discipline with physical punishment. Obviously I had failed. I understood my son's anger, but I had no idea how he could show such indifference.

"How could he even suggest that?" I screeched. My poor husband was once again at the mercy of my mixed up emotions.

"Esme, if you can't calm yourself and let this play out the way it's supposed to, I'm going to start medicating your coffee to help you relax," Carlisle threatened.

I knew he was kidding; making his point. And he was right. No good could come out of me being worked up and ticked off.

Days passed. I heard from Bella regularly, but she was so hesitant to bring Charlie to the house for fear that she would only be throwing it in Edward's face. I understood, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

Carlisle had told me that he and the chief had some words. Apparently it did get slightly heated. Chief Swan was livid over Edward's behavior, while Carlisle was upset that we were so carelessly disregarded. He felt that their friendship was close enough that the chief would have come to us. In the end, Carlisle assured me that they had worked things out and agreed that they would do whatever was necessary to make sure that Charlie was the focus.

I had heard about Edward's demand for a paternity test and knew full well that it was one of those things that he spit out without thinking. He couldn't deny that child. I knew he hadn't gotten a great look at Charlie but there was no mistaking the look in his eyes. There was a tornado of emotions playing out in his head. I just wished he would let them out; preferably in a non-destructive manner. Maybe he just needed the time to process the situation.

I couldn't tell you the number of times I had to scold my other children and their partners for their rude comments and snide remarks. They weren't helping the situation.

"Carlisle?" I said, one evening as we were making dinner.

"Yes, sweetheart?" he asked mindlessly.

"What do you think about fixing up the apartment over the garage?"

He looked up from chopping a red pepper. "Uh. . . for what purpose?"

I pursed my lips together. "I thought maybe I could ask Bella and Charlie to move in."

My husband started choking on thin air. "What?"

"Chief Swan's house is tiny for all of them," I explained. "Bella and Charlie are sleeping in the same bed."

"That's her decision," he said, shaking his head. "She was the one who decided to move back in there."

"Because she doesn't have any other choice, Carlisle. Where is she going to go? She's got nothing. She's not working and she doesn't have much money saved up."

"And what about Edward, Es? He has not come to terms with this situation."

"He doesn't have to," I snapped. "Regardless of if he decides to take responsibility for Charlie, that baby is our grandson and I will not turn my back on him."

"So you want to parade Bella and Charlie around in front of him? What's that going to achieve?"

"I'm not going to be parading them around. If he's that uncomfortable he can find somewhere else to be."

He stared at me. "Really, Esme?"

I sighed. "I don't know how to feel. I want Charlie to be close. Why is it wrong to want that? We've already missed so much. I want to support Edward through this, but how can I do that if he says no? If he turns his back on this?"

"I don't think he will, baby. Just give him time."

I shook my head in defeat.

"You can ask her," Carlisle said, cupping my jaw. "See if she would even be interested. Bella is independent and used to doing things on her own. And after Edward's accusations, I don't think she's liable to accept anything from us."

I nodded and we finished making dinner.

The following day, a very large truck pulled up to the house with the words Rainbow Play Systems on the side. Alice had informed me that she had bought a swing set for Charlie to put in our back yard. I didn't mind so much. It felt like hope; like maybe things would get better. If I had known what my daughter had purchased I would have vetoed it in a heartbeat. The thing was enormous.

I stared in shock as the men began assembling it.

I'm going to kill my daughter.

"What the hell is that?" Edward asked, coming up behind me.

"Uh. . ." I practically whimpered.

I felt him stiffen when he realized without me telling him. He abruptly turned and I heard him mutter "You've got to be fucking kidding me," under his breath.

I got the nerve to ask Bella to move in and was sorely disappointed, however not surprised, when she essentially turned me down. She wanted to wait for Edward. She did relent to allowing Charlie time to spend at the house while he was out though so I felt like I had won a minor victory.

I loved having my grandson around. We tried to keep his toys out of the way, but occasionally Edward stumbled upon them. His constant grumbling was not encouraging for me.

We all waited anxiously for those test results. Not that we didn't already all know, but for some unknown reason, my son needed written proof.

One afternoon, Alice came screaming into the house waving around an envelope.

"It's here, it's here, it's here," she yelped, jumping around like a grasshopper. My heart jumped up in my throat and stayed there until the moment Edward read what was on that paper. I wasn't sure what emotion I was expecting from him, but I don't believe that any mother is ever prepared for what I saw in his eyes. It was almost as if someone had ripped out his soul and stomped on it.

I knew right then, that there was so much more going on his head than simply not wanting to be a father. I just didn't know what it was.

Carlisle and I agreed that from that moment, we would let Edward decide. Bella had given him a time limit, which made me angry. She really had no right, but I pushed aside my irritation for the sake of keeping the peace. I tried to understand what she was doing; protecting Charlie from the possibility of a father who could not or would not be constant, but it was difficult. I had no idea how we could embrace Charlie in our lives without excluding Edward. I wasn't willing to give up either.

That first night, when Edward came home from the clinic to find Charlie and Bella over for dinner, things changed. I watch as Edward examined his son from a distance. I saw every little twitch of his lips. I saw the nervousness and worry that he had said or done something wrong. I watch his eyes as he flickered from Bella to Charlie and back to Bella again. I thought that maybe he was coming around, letting his guard down; until I told him that I had asked Bella to move in.

Then he returned to that boy who kept a wall up around him, saying hurtful things that I knew he didn't really mean. I couldn't help but scold him. When he behaved like a child, it was my instinct to treat him like one.

I lifted my head when I heard the piano, glancing at Carlisle, who was smiling to himself as he helped me clean up from dinner.

"It's only a matter of time," I whispered. "He's going to fall in love with that child."

I knew he would eventually, and when Bella almost fell, and his arms automatically encircled her, I dared to wonder if their relationship could become more than just co-parents; perhaps they could become friends as well.

Carlisle and I encouraged Edward as much as we could without pushing him. Although my husband was confident that Edward would make the right decision, I worried about it immensely. I knew he was trying. I could see it; he wanted to spend time with Charlie and although he appeared afraid, he managed quite well.

And then he did. He made the right decision. He came home from an outing with Bella and Charlie and just spit it out.

"I told Bella I want to do it," he said shoving a piece of bread in his mouth. I was making croutons and my boys could never resist plundering the bread before it actually went into the oven.

I glanced up, not really thinking about what he was saying.

"What do you want to do, sweetheart?" I asked distractedly.

"Be a father for Charlie," he responded quietly.

That definitely got my attention.

"Really?"

He nodded. "How can I not, mom? I mean, he's my kid and he's amazing. He looks so much like me and yet he's so much like her." There was awe in his voice and it made me smile.

I laughed. "That's the power of genetics, honey."

"It kind of freaks me out."

"Yes, well imagine how I feel. I can remember you being that age, Edward. Sometimes it's like being in a time warp."

"I asked her to move in."

What?

I froze solid.

"To the apartment; like you said. I think it would be a good idea. . . if I'm gonna. . . do the dad thing."

I put the cookie sheet with the bread cubes into the oven and turned to face him.

"What did she say?"

"She said she'd think about it."

"Hmm," I hummed. "You're really okay with that?"

He nodded.

"And what if her boyfriend comes to visit?"

It was Edward's turn to freeze. I saw his jaw go rigid. I knew that it wasn't fair to bring up Riley. I didn't know exactly what the nature of their relationship was, but I knew that it was more than just friends. She called him her boyfriend and yet I got the distinct impression that she wasn't in love with the man.

Riley had been the one to help Bella through her pregnancy and the years following. That fact had pained both Carlisle and I. I could only imagine what it was doing to Edward. I just needed to make sure my son wasn't going to go bat shit crazy if and when the man made an appearance.

"What is he to her, mom?" he asked, tension thick in his voice. "What is he to Charlie?"

"You'll have to ask her that, Edward. I don't really know."

"She's not going to tell me that, she doesn't trust me."

"So show her that you can be trusted," I encouraged.

"I'm trying. It's not that easy."

I turned to face him and leaned across the island. "I have faith in you, Edward."

He smiled grabbing my hand and kissing it. "Thanks, Ma."

Over the next couple of weeks I sat back and watched my son bond with his child. It made my heart soar. I knew that there had been some setbacks here and there. One in particular must have been major. It was just before Bella and Charlie moved in. My son looked guilty, but he refused to tell me what had happened, as had Bella. As much as I wanted to know, I figured I should probably leave it alone.

Once they moved in, things just seemed to get better. They joined us for breakfast and dinner more often than not. Bella helped me clean up the house while Edward spent time with Charlie. They were like two peas in a pod.

And then came the morning that I finally really took notice of what was happening. I hadn't anticipated it, but walking into the kitchen and finding them in the precarious position that they were in was embarrassing. . . and exciting. There was a fire in my son's eyes that I had never seen before as he looked down at Bella. I was actually stunned into silence as I watched him tower over her, his arms boxing her in, his head bowed. It was a very odd mix of dominance and submission on his part.

Bella looked nervous and flushed. . . in a good way. I wanted to back out silently, but Charlie, who was at my side, had other ideas. He had no idea what was happening with his parents. He had no idea that Edward was his father, but I almost forgot that as I excused myself as quickly as humanly possible.

Later that night, Edward said they had told Charlie that he was his daddy.

"Did he understand?" I asked excitedly.

"I don't know," Edward shrugged. "Bella used Nemo and Marlin as examples."

I lifted my eyebrows. I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Finding Nemo, mom," he laughed.

"Oh." I hadn't ever seen the movie so I still didn't get it, but I guess I didn't need to.

"Don't worry, I haven't seen it either, but apparently it made sense to him so. . ."

But as the week went on, Charlie still hadn't called Edward Daddy and he was getting agitated. Not at Charlie, of course, but he was worried that Riley had filled that role and he would never be able to break in there.

Bella was getting annoyed as well. . . at Edward. She finally agreed to let him take him out by himself just so that they could bond and maybe Charlie would start seeing Edward in more of a fatherly role.

Poor Bella was a wreck, but I knew that the "date" would be good for all of them. And I was right. None of us were prepared for those four little words that escaped the mouth of that little boy when they got home.

Hearing him call Edward daddy was such a heartwarming occurrence. Hearing him say "I love you," was even more of one. I couldn't control the tears in my eyes and I let them slip down my cheeks freely.

"Esme?" Carlisle said, entering the room once again.

"I'm coming." I smiled looking up into his warm, inviting eyes.

I slipped out from under Charlie and laid him back down, covering him with the blanket.

I had no idea how this would all work out. Edward and Bella seemed to be growing so much closer to each other. They were becoming stronger individuals and stronger parents. I could only hope that they would find happiness. Maybe they could even find it together.

XXXXX