A/N t&a: really- we say this a lot- but thank you, thank you, thank you. the love you're all sending our way about this story is seriously mind blowing. just… you're all amazing.

so, the fan fiction rebels interviewed us here: http:/ fanfictionrebels. blogspot. com/?zx=e94b5cc17dbefcc4. check it outt :D

lastly, we don't own but if we did, well, the movie would be rated M.

You gotta find some love
There's a whole lotta love to be got
You're my flower child
And I'm your forget-me-not.
"Flower Child" Lee Dewyze

"Finnigan," Emmett says with a shake of his head. "Bro, you have to pay attention. This is a baseball game. Not a Chinese buffet."

I roll my eyes at him and look down at my kid. Like this, amongst adults in chairs made for adults, I remember how tiny he is. His legs are crossed up on his chair, he's got Emmett's hat on a backward diagonal that's way too fucking big for his head and he's got my old mitt on. His free hand is shoving his third hotdog into his mouth.

I put my hand on top of his head and he looks up to blink at me from behind his glasses. "Don't listen to Uncle Emmett. He just likes all of the food for himself."

"Next time," he says after he swallows his bite, "can we bwing Issybella?"

I laugh loudly when Emmett chokes on his beer. "Next time you can invite whoever you want, Huck," I tell him.

"Uh, no. First of all," Emmett says and points his finger at Finn, "not cool. Second of all, why am I the only person that hasn't met Bella yet?"

"Issybella is my best fwend," Finn says conversationally.

"That's strike two," Emmett says to him. "Because I'm your best fwend. Stop saying insulting shit, Finnigan. You're starting to hurt my feelings."

"Don't curse at the kid." I lean down and take a bite from Finn's hotdog and then smear the ketchup I get on my cheek onto his.

Finn giggles, wipes his face with his hand and then pats Emmett's leg with it. Emmett groans. I can't help laughing. "You can still be my best fwend too, Uncle Emmett."

"Yo, kid, I'm going to the bathroom. Do you need to go?" I ask Finn. He shakes his head and takes a big gulp from his soda. He's gonna be so fucking wired tonight. "Positive?"

He nods. "I don't wanna miss the game."

I shrug. "Suit yourself." I stand up and put my hand on Finn's head. "Emm, make sure the kid doesn't chase the popcorn guy across the stadium. I won't be long. And don't give him beer."

Emmett gives me an exaggerated insulted look. I laugh and turn to walk up the stairs. We take Finn to games and shit because Emmett works for a sports agency and gets free tickets and thinks Finn needs to be exposed to manly things. I don't know, I don't question him. I like the free games and Finn has fun.

I lean against the wall on the line for the bathroom. There are about ten guys in front of me so I pull my phone from my pocket. I smile when I see that there's a text there from Bella.

It's really so fucking weird to me that I've gotten so dependent on being in contact with her daily. Mostly it's weird because I've never been that type of person. Even in my past serious relationships I've never really been into the whole constant contact thing. But I like knowing that she's thinking about me, that she's alright. And I really like falling asleep and waking up next to her. A lot.

I open her text: I'm watching the game, where are you sitting? I want to see Finn. —B

The smile that I feel on my face is seriously emasculating. Only a total bitch would smile because this girl who I'm sure has never watched a baseball game before is sitting at home watching one by herself because I'm here with my kid.

We're sitting behind third plate. That's the one right before home ;) —E

I smirk down at the screen and shift closer to the bathroom. I love fucking with her. My phone vibrates. She wrote: Ok, I'm watching on mute but I promised Finn I'd watch for him. Having fun? —B

Would be more fun if you were here. Come over later? —E

When I get back to my seat, Emmett and Finn are having a popcorn eating contest. As in Emmett is shoving fistfuls of popcorn into his mouth while simultaneously trying to distract Finn by knocking his hand aside every time he goes for more. Finn is laughing hysterically and so are the people in the seats around us.

I shake my head and sit down before pulling Finn into my lap. I press my face into his neck and blow a raspberry which only makes him laugh more. "You gonna get sick on me tonight, kid?" I ask as he settles back against me.

"Why would I get sick?" he asks looking up at me.

"Remember when we made that mac and cheese?" He nods. "And we went to the supermarket for cookie dough before we ate it?"

"And Walt ate it all!" he says with a giggle.

"Yeah, dude." I grin down at him. "Walt ate it all and then he threw up."

"But Uncle Emmett eats all of the food and doesn't throw up," he points out.

"Not everyone can be like me, Finnigan," Emmett says and shoves another handful of popcorn in his mouth.

I dip my head so that my lips are right by Finn's ear and whisper, "You don't wanna be like him, Huck."

He laughs again but it gets cut off by loud cheering. I stand up quickly with my hands under his arms and hold him up high. He looks down with a huge grin on his face. "Home run!" He high-fives Emmett and then throws his fists into the air.

When we sit back down, I plop him into his seat and pull my phone from my pocket. "Bella's watching the game so that she can see you," I tell Finn.

He smiles hugely at me and pushes up his glasses. "Uncle Emmett wants to meet Bella."

I hum in response and open my phone because she responded to my text earlier. If you want me to, I guess I can. I don't want to intrude on boy time. —B

I want you to. We should be home by 8. —E

"Bella's coming over later," I tell them. "Emmett can meet her then."

x*x

On our way out of the stadium, I've got Finn's hand in mine. He's in the middle of a serious discussion with Emmett about why chocolate ice cream is better than strawberry. I've tuned out. I'm really anxious to get home. I want to see Bella.

"Daddy, look." Finn rips his hand from mine and runs through the crowd of people and my heart totally fucking stops when he disappears from my sight.

Emmett turns quickly and starts following him and I keep my eyes on Emmett, heart pounding in my ears.

He stops in an ally and I let out a huge sigh of relief when I see Finn crouched down next to a huge dog. "Finn." I reach down for his arm and pull him to his feet. "Don't ever do that again."

"I didn't do anything," he says, bottom lip protruding and eyes huge behind his glasses. "Daddy, look at him."

"Finn," I say sternly. "Listen to me. Never walk away from me like that again. Do you understand?"

His eyes water and I feel bad but fuck, he scared the shit out of me. "I sorry, daddy," he says, lip trembling. "But he needs help."

I follow the direction of his pointed finger and look down at the behemoth dog curled up on the floor. He's dirty, his fur is matted and it doesn't look like he can get up. "Who's he?" I ask Finn in a softer voice and crouch down next to him.

"His name is Nemo," Finn says.

Emmett clears his throat. "Yo, Ed, I'm gonna go pick up the car, aright?"

I nod and press a hand to the dog's side. "Hey, big guy," I say softly and he whimpers.

"Daddy, can we take him home?" Finn asks and presses his body and the right side of his face to this dog's filthy ass fur.

I pull him off of the dog and into my side. "He needs a bath, Huck."

"We can give him a bath like we give Walt a bath."

The dog's eyes are big and brown and so fucking sad—they're breaking my heart. I rub his ear and he whimpers again and closes his eye. He's obviously really fucking hurt. "How'd you get over here?" I ask the dog.

"Daddy, why doesn't he have a home?" Finn asks.

I shake my head. "I don't know, kid, but we're gonna give him one."

"We're gonna take him home?" Finn asks with a huge smile. "Really?"

"Really." Thank god Emmett went to get the car because nobody is going to be able to carry this dog more than five feet. "What'd you say his name was?"

"Nemo!" Finn crouches down in front of his face and kisses his muzzle. "Nemo, you're coming home with us. No more street. And you get to meet Walt! Daddy, Walt and Nemo are gonna be best fwends like me and Issybella."

x*x

"Seriously?" Emmett grunts as we climb the stairs to my apartment. "Why did I get stuck carrying this fucking bear?"

"Stop cursing in front of the kid."

"We're almost there," Finn tells him.

When we get to the door, I unlock it and we walk into the apartment. Bella's sitting on the couch on her computer and looks up at us. I give her a quick smile.

"Put him on the couch," Finn tells Emmett. "Hi, Bella! Look at our new puppy! He's gonna be Walt's best fwend like you're mine."

Emmett puts the dog down on the couch opposite Bella and then plants his hands on his waist. "What did I tell you about that, Finnigan?"

Finn climbs up onto Bella's lap and says, "Uncle Emmett is my best fwend too."

She looks nervously between me, Emmett and Nemo before looking back down at Finn. "You got a dog at the game? I didn't know they had real dogs, just hot dogs," she says to Finn and then tickles him before leaning back into the couch and wrapping her arms around the kid.

"We found him in the stweet," Finn says and rests his cheek against her chest and, well, I really wish I was him right now. "He didn't have a home and his leg is hurt."

I lean over and press a kiss to the top of her head. "Oh, look!" Finn says and scrambles off of Bella's lap. "Walt is meeting Nemo." He walks over to Walt and puts his hand on his head. "Walt, this is Nemo," Finn tells him. "You have to be nice to him because he has a boo-boo."

"Huck, go put your pajamas on," I say and sit down on the couch next to Bella. "B, this is Emmett. Emmett, Bella."

"It's a pleasure to finally fucking meet you," Emmett says and pulls her off the couch into a dramatic hug dip.

She stumbles a little bit and I feel bad for subjecting her to him right now. He's such an overwhelming person—especially for someone as shy as Bella is. She takes a step back and holds him at arms length. "Nice to meet you. I didn't know you were waiting to meet me. Edward didn't say anything like that," she rambles nervously.

"Ed wouldn't. He's insecure," Emmett tells her. "But I'd be too if I were seeing such a beautiful girl."

"Em." I shake my head.

Bella laughs and says, "No offense but he doesn't need to be worried. You seem like a lot to handle and…well, yeah." And then she pulls away completely and says, "I'm gonna go check on Finn," and runs off towards the kid's bedroom.

"Would you stop being so overwhelming all of the fucking time?" I ask and drop my head back on the couch. "I like the girl. I don't want her to run away because you're lunatic."

Emmett laughs and drops down onto the couch next to me. "What are you gonna do with the new addition to your family, bro?"

I look at Nemo who is just lying there on the couch. Walt has his face right next to Nemo's, just resting there. "I gotta take him to the vet tomorrow." But I should give him water.

"That thing's got like eleven million flees and a fucked up foot."

"Thanks—I didn't notice."

"Bella's cute though."

"Didn't notice that either," I say sarcastically.

Bella comes into the room with Finn on her hip. And suddenly I really want Emmett to leave and Finn to go to bed so that I can just be alone with her. She looks between both sofas unsurely. Her three options are sitting between me and Emmett, sitting next to Nemo and the floor.

I pat the seat next to me. "Come on."

"You scared of me, shadow?" Emmett asks when she sits down as close to me as possible without actually sitting on my lap.

She licks her lips and glances up at me before snuggling Finn even closer to her. "Not scared, but you're not exactly easy to ignore, are you? And it's Bella, not shadow. Unless you want me to call you jolly green giant?"

Emmett and I both laugh and so, in turn, does Finn. I lean in and whisper something to Finn and then he turns to Emmett and says, "She told you, Uncle Emmett."

I laugh again and drape my arm around Bella. "I think it's time for bed. We have to wake up early to take Nemo to the doctor," I say.

"Was that my cue?" Emmett asks with a laugh and stands up. "I actually have a date. So I will see you all later. Beautiful Bella, it was a pleasure meeting you." He takes her hand and kisses her knuckles. "Finnigan, catch you later."

"Later, Em," I say and stand up, lifting Finn off of Bella's lap. "Let's go, kid. Bed time. B, you coming?"

She gives me a kind, lazy sort of smile and says, "It was nice to meet you, Emmett. Good luck on your date. Try not to smother her." Emmett laughs and ducks out of the door with a salute. Bella stands and ducks close to me. "Am I staying the night?" she asks shyly.

"Bella is sleeping over?" Finn asks excitedly. "Can I have a sleepover too?"

Ah, fuck my life. "You can have a sleepover too. Let's go."

We go into my bedroom and Bella pulls down the covers for us. I drop Finn down on the bed and he giggles loudly before curling up into a ball in the middle. "Huck, give us a minute, okay? We'll be right back to tuck you in."

I take Bella's hand and lead her out of the bedroom back into the living room. Once we're finally alone I press my lips to hers. "Hi," I say against her mouth.

"Hey," she says and blushes slightly. "I kinda missed that."

I grin down at her. "Did you?" I bite her lower lip and tug on it. "Which part?"

"The you part. And maybe your lips part. And probably your taste part." She bites down on her lip and blushes harder. "I should have just said all of it."

I grin down at her and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "I like the way you said it." And then I press my lips hard to hers and put my hand on her waist and tug her close to me. "I like the way you say everything," I mumble against her lips and plunge my tongue into her mouth.

She groans and buries her hands in my hair. This girl and the way she tugs and writhes against me is gonna be the end of my life. I pull back and press my lips to her nose then her eyelids and her forehead. "I'm glad that you're here."

"There isn't any place I'd rather be."

I slide my hands down over her ass and she gasps a little bit. "We should go inside," I whisper against her lips. "Emmett corrupts the kid enough." I squeeze her ass and press my lips to hers again.

She nods and kisses me back a few times quickly before saying, "I really missed that—just so you know. A lot."

"Me too." I slide my hand down her arm and link her fingers through mine before tugging her towards the bedroom.

"Finally," Finn mumbles.

The covers are pulled up to his chin and his face looks so tiny in the middle of the huge bed. "Finally what?" I ask and dive onto the bed on top of him.

He giggles when I blow raspberries on his cheek. "You and Issybella took so long. What was you doing?"

I pull the covers up for Bella before getting in on Finn's other side. "We were making sure Nemo went to bed," I tell him and tug him into my side before grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her towards us.

"Did he go to bed?" he asks, peering up at me.

"I had to read him a story first."

Finn giggles and shakes his head. "Daddy, Nemo doesn't understand stories. Issybella, does Nemo understand stories?"

She nods seriously at him. "He really likes Harry Potter too. His favorite is Neville."

Finn's giggles escalate into the uncontrollable kind as he rolls onto his side so that he's facing Bella with his back pressed against me. "Did you tell him he hasta brush his teef before bed?" he asks her.

I bend my heads so my lips are by his ear and ask, "Did you brush your teeth before bed?"

He nods vigorously with wide eyes. "Yes. Issybella tell daddy I brushed my teef tonight."

She gives him a wide smile and then looks at me over his head. "We both brushed our teeth." Then she blows air at me before grinning again. "See? Minty fresh."

"Yeah, daddy," Finn says and turns his head to blow his own air at me. "Minty fresh."

I laugh and press a kiss to the top of his head. "Issybella," Finn says and then yawns. He reaches out and touches her cheek. "I think you're pretty."

She smiles and kisses his forehead. "Thank you, Finn, I think you're very handsome."

This right here is perfect. This is what I dreamed my life would be like when I had a kid. A woman who meant so much to me in bed with the child that we made together. And even though Finn isn't a product of me and Bella, Bella acts like he's hers. Like he's her best friend and her favorite person in the world. And that means everything to me.

I reach over Finn and put my hand on Bella's face. When her eyes meet mine, I smile at her. "We should go to sleep."

Finn, as if on cue, yawns. Bella nods. "Good night," I say.

"Daddy." Finn looks up at me. I lift my eyebrows at him. "I love you."

Nothing prepares me for the way my heart swells every time I hear him say that. "I love you, Huck," I tell him and kiss his forehead.

He looks at Bella then and touches her face again. "I love you too, Issybella."

At the words, my eyes shoot to Bella's face. Her eyes look glassy and her lip is quivering. And my heart, if it could, would have just exploded inside of my chest. "I love you too, Finn."

And then, just like that, we fall asleep with me and Bella sandwiching Finn with our fingers interlocked.