Quil's POV

It's Ari and Aidan's little girl, Celine's 1st birthday and while it's just a family and close friend gathering there are a lot of people here.

Celine is adorable and I so miss that age where their eyes light up at everything and unhappiness lasts for only seconds at a time. Bella of course adores her and keeps her as often as Ari and Aidan ask which is sometimes a lot.

Celine is a good baby but she is just that… a baby. Between work and school for Aidan they are both always exhausted.

Bella keeps her at night a couple of times a week and couldn't be happier.

"Hey dad Lacy just called to say she's not coming but Brad should be here soon." Derek tells me and I tell him thanks for letting me know.

Lacy finding out she can't have kids has pretty much killed her relationship with Ari and Aidan since she can't handle being around Celine.

She tried her hardest to kill her relationship with Brad but he stuck with her through everything. She tried treating him like crap, she tried being overly dramatic, she tried telling him she could never love a child that wasn't hers. She tried everything she could think of. He held off his proposal until she went back to mostly normal. They are planning on being married a month from now. Of course she and Bella and Leah and Stacy and even Lena and Marissa are going crazy trying to make sure everything is perfect.

Ari feels completely left out and while Lacy feels bad, she still won't let her get too close to her. Brad feels even worse than Lacy because Ari is his niece and they had really only gotten close when Stacy was staying with her mom when first finding out about Ari being pregnant. But Ari mostly understands and she doesn't hold it against Brad at all, she's not so quick to forgive Lacy though. She's always looked to her so I know she's hurt. Aidan is worse than Ari, Aidan and Lacy were always best friends and he's not a girl so I think he doesn't quite get the emotional part of it.

After the wedding they plan on just enjoying the first year and then start the process of adoption. They haven't decided on how they want to go about it but all they have really don't stress about it. Brad is good for her like that.

Brad shows up and hugs Ari and tells her he's so sorry Lacy couldn't make it. We all know couldn't means didn't want to but Ari lets it go and enjoys the rest of Celine's party. Brad tells me that Lacy was getting ready to go and then she picked up the little outfit they had bought for Celine and she burst into tears and refused to come.

"She's fine for a while, she'll even talk about calling Ari and then something will set her off. I hate that she found all this out with her being so young. I mean we probably wouldn't even being talking about kids for a few years. I do believe we will be able to adopt but it's such a long process with the possibility of so much rejection and I'm just not sure she can handle it." He tells me and I don't know what to tell him. Lacy has always been strong and sure of herself but with this she's totally different.

Bella comes up and hugs Brad and asks about Lacy.

"She's really hurting Ari. I wish she could see that. I know that one day she will regret it but I'm afraid by then it will be too late. I love her and I cannot even imagine how this must feel to her but I hate how she is handling this. Is she home?" Bella asks him.

"No actually she's at the apartment. She said she felt like being alone. So yeah you should definitely go see her." He tells her and she smiles and goes back to talking to everyone.

Brad sold his house and bought a house half way in between like he had planned but Lacy didn't want to give up her apartment at first because her plan was to push him away but then because she liked having that place that was hers. Brad doesn't mind so she keeps it and when she gets in one her overly depressed moods she hangs out there for a couple of days. Only Bella, and sometimes Sara, are allowed.

"You can stay with us for the night." Stacy offers passing by. He tells her thanks, he might. He doesn't like to be far from Lacy even when she's being like this.

After the party is over I take Derek home and Bella goes to see her. She comes home sad like she often does.

"I know she's all grown up and engaged and all that but she's still my little girl and I hate not being able to make things better for her." She tells me curled up with me on the couch trying not to cry.

"I know babe but things have a way of working out. And she has a lot of support." I tell her kissing her and holding her. She starts to cry like she always does but Derek comes down to ask her something and she pretends she's fine.

"What is it baby?" She asks him and he rolls his eyes at her calling him baby but doesn't say anything.

"I know you have money saved me to go to college but I can get loans and I'm going to stay close because of… I'm going to stay close. So I want you to give the money to Lacy. I know how expensive it to adopt. I've helped her research it a lot. And I know Brad makes good money and Lacy makes decent money but still. Give it to her." He tells us and Bella starts crying all over again.

"Derek that's so good of you but we have money saved up from Lacy's college fund that she never used and we already plan on giving her that. Brad knows but we haven't told Lacy because we don't want her thinking about it and pushing the plan forward. We want her to have that year. And we know why you're staying here but you know Lena is going to go to New York after she graduates. What are you going to do for that last year when she's here and she's there?" Bella asks him.

"I'm going to graduate in 3 years. I've looked into it. It's totally possible. And then I will move with her and find a job there." He tells her like it's the most obvious plan in the world.

Embry will love that… He's better with Lena and Marissa then he was Ari after almost losing her but he's still extremely protective.

Derek goes back upstairs and Bella falls asleep on me. I watch her sleep and listen to her snore and think how amazing it is that no matter what happens I have this, I have her.