Epilogue: Six on the Second Hand

Edward's POV

Five Years Later

"Ava!" I called up the steps. "Come on, let's go!"

"Coming!" She called back. "I just gotta do one more thing!"

"Kiddo, we can't be late!" I reminded her. Bella and I were both in the wedding and we could not be late to this rehearsal or Alice would throw a fit. After a few more minutes, I heard her door open and I sighed in relief. Once she came downstairs, I had to take a step back.

She definitely wasn't the seven year old I had met six years ago in the first grade.

The last five years had been the best years of my life. Bella and I moving in together was just the start of a wonderful life, and it was the best thing I could have asked for. We grew impossibly closer to each other, and to Ava. It was amazing getting to know all of their quirks that I never saw since I went home after Ava went to bed.

But, that was only the start. Two years after we started dating, I took her on a trip to San Francisco since she was constantly telling me that was one of her top five cities in the country she wanted to visit. I arranged for Ava to stay with her grandparents and made sure Alice had everything Bella would need for the week.

Bella had no idea we were going away together.

She was completely surprised and over the moon when I drove us to the airport rather than back to her parents to pick Ava up after our date. She almost cried when the flight attendant welcomed us to the flight to San Francisco. we spent the first few days exploring the city before I took her to the most romantic place in the city.

We walked along the shore of the strait and I let her soak everything in. I felt in my pocket for the box and knew it was the time.

"Bella, wait." I whispered as I stopped walking. I pulled her back towards me and tightly hugged her, gathering my nerve.

"What's up?" She asked, bringing her hand up to cup my cheek.

"I love you." I started, taking a deep breath. "And these last two years with you have been amazing and...I never want to be without you." I told her, pulling the box out of my pocket and kneeling down on one knee. "Isabella...will you marry me?"

"Yes." She cried almost immediately. I sighed in relief as I removed the ring from the box and gently slid it on her finger. I stood up and pressed my lips to hers and just took in the moment.

Neither of us wanted something very extravagant, so we planned for a simple backyard wedding a year later. The only people who were there were our family and close friends. I just wanted to be married to her and I would have gone to city hall if our mothers would have allowed it.

After the ceremony, Bella and I needed to have the tough conversation of what my rights were with Ava. Jake had done everything the court had ordered him to do, but Bella still had full custody and wouldn't let Jake be around her without anyone else present. We decided that I would become one of Ava's legal guardians. Jake fought us for months about it, but in the case of an emergency Bella wanted me to have the same rights as her and Jake.

So, three months after we got married, I signed the papers and became Ava's legal guardian. I would have adopt that little girl if I could, but this was a good second choice. As Ava got older, she knew something wasn't completely right with the relationship with her Dad, but she loved him just the same. However, over these last two years, he had been distancing himself more than usual. Bella said it was because he was getting tired of fighting with her, but I knew it was because Jake had gotten himself a girlfriend.

Bella's parents said it was a little bit of both.

But, now two years after our wedding it was finally time to celebrate Alice and Jasper's marriage. Jasper and Alice's relationship wasn't nearly as smooth as my relationship with Bella, but they loved each other and thats what constantly kept them going. Even when they tried to break up, it only lasted two months before they realized how stupid they were being.

"Where's Mom?" Ava asked as she grabbed her jacket.

"Wasn't she right behind you?" I asked as I headed upstairs. After Bella and I got married, we decided it was time to move out of the apartment and into a house of our own. It wasn't huge, but it was home and thats what mattered. When I walked into our bedroom, I could hear her getting sick in our bathroom.

"Bells?" I asked, opening the bathroom door. She was kneeling in front of the toilet, trying her hardest to keep her hair out of the way. "You okay?"

"Yeah," She nodded as I walked over and grabbed her hair for her so she wouldn't have to worry about it. "It must have been..." She trailed off and threw up again. "Something I ate."

"Are you going to be okay for tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah, I feel fine now." She smiled. "I guess I just needed to throw up."

"Babe, you've been throwing up everyday for the past week." I told her. "There is no way you're eating bad food everyday."

"I might just have a bug." She shrugged as she flushed the toilet and went over to the sink. As she was brushing her teeth, though, her eyes bugged out of her head and she turned to face me. "Edward." She said, her mouth full of toothpaste.

"What?" I asked alarmed.

"When I was pregnant with Ava...I didn't get morning sickness." She told me. "I always got sick in the middle of the afternoon, right after I would get home from school."

"No!" I screeched, understanding what she was saying. "Really?"

"I mean..." She trailed off. "I don't know for sure but...we need to buy a pregnancy test." She smiled, spitting the rest of the toothpaste in the sink and rinsing her mouth out.

Bella and I had been trying to get pregnant for over a year now, and her doctors told us to be patient. I knew Bella was getting aggravated since her and Jake hadn't even been trying to get pregnant with Ava, but the doctor said there could be a number of reasons she wasn't getting pregnant easily.

"Lets just keep this to ourselves." She whispered as she grabbed her bag. "I don't want to get everyones hopes up and I really don't want to take away from Jasper and Alice."

"My lips are sealed." I told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her back towards me. I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers, hardly able to contain my excitement. Bella and I pulled ourselves together enough to go get in the car with Ava.

We were five minutes late getting to the wedding venue, and if it hadn't been for Jasper I'm sure Alice would have thrown a gasket. Ava sat down with Bella's parents as the groomsmen lined up with Jasper and the bridesmaids lined up at the start of the aisle.

Alice and Jasper's wedding was much bigger and fancier than our backyard wedding was, so the rehearsal took a lot longer than ours did. But it was worth it to see how excited Jasper was. I never thought he'd get this day and I was so glad I could be apart of it. Once the rehearsal was over, the wedding party and families headed to a nearby restaurant for the dinner.

Once we were finished, I drove us to a nearby CVS so Bella could get a pregnancy test. We told Ava she needed nausea medicine, which she did get, but we just didn't want to tell her until we were sure. Since we'd had a busy day and tomorrow was going to be even busier, Bella told Ava she needed to go to bed when we got home.

Once she was sure Ava was asleep, she went into our bathroom to take the first pregnancy test. She opened the door once she was finished, and we sat on the edge of the bathtub together and waited for the results.

"Last time I did this," She trailed off. "I was alone and so scared, Edward. This is so much better."

"Good," I smiled, leaning in to give her a gentle kiss. A few seconds later, her timer went off and we both took a deep breath and looked at the pregnancy test.

"Dude, what's with you?" Emmett asked as we sat in the lounge, waiting for the ceremony to start. "You've had a goofy grin on your face all damn day."

"It's a happy day." I told him. Bella and I didn't want to tell people until she went to the doctor and made absolutely sure she was pregnant. "My best friend is finally getting married."

"Hey, don't sound so surprised." Jasper wanted as he buttoned his vest. "It was more surprising when that one got married." He said, pointing at Emmett. After chasing her for months, Rosalie finally agreed to go on a date with him. And much to everyone's surprise, after only a year of dating decided to elope when they went on a trip to LA. Bella and Alice were furious they didn't get a chance to be apart of Rosalie's big day, but Jasper and I just stood there stunned.

And three years later, they were still going strong and had just welcomed their beautiful baby boy two months ago.

"I know, who'd ever think he'd be the first one of us to get married and have a kid." I laughed.

"Hey, the whole kid thing was an accident." They definitely had not planned on getting pregnant, but Emmett was so excited when he found our Rosalie was pregnant with Hunter it didn't even matter. "But, yeah, if you told me in high school I would be married with a kid I would have laughed in your face.

"When are you and Bella going to have a kid, Edward?" Jasper asked as her threw his tux jacket on. "I mean, if this loser can have a kid you certainly can."

"It'll happen when it happens." I told them, even though I desperately wanted to tell them Bella was pregnant.

Honestly, if anyone would have told the three of us that we would end up marrying three best friends, neither of us would have believed it. I couldn't believe that because I moved to Seattle and they followed me that Jasper would be getting married to my wife's best friend and I really couldn't believe Emmett was already married to another one of Bella's friend.

"You guys ready?" The wedding planner asked as she popped her head through the door. I looked at Jasper, whose face had turned completely white, and nodded.

"Hey," I stopped him before he could leave the room with his other two groomsmen. "Congratulations. Alice is great."

"Yeah," He nodded, looking out the window, up at the sky. "She really is." I gave him a second to deal with his Maria Emotions, as Emmett liked to call them, but when he walked out of the room he had all the color back in his face and was smiling from ear to ear.

We walked up to the front of the alter and waited for the bridesmaids to walk down their aisle. Since Bella had picked Alice as her Maid of Honor, Alice picked Rosalie as her Matron of Honor. Bella looked beautiful in her pink bridesmaid dress and I saw her blush when I winked at her.

The song changed and I could see Alice on her fathers arm at the start of the aisle. She looked stunning, as usual, but no one could have compared to Bella on our wedding day. I looked at Jasper who was biting his lip and was already on the verge of tears. I clapped him in the back for support and couldn't help but laugh when I saw that Alice was already crying.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today," Pastor Greene started.

Their ceremony was much different than mine and Bella's was, but it was so beautiful. Alice could barely get through her vows and they were just so happy to be together. Finally, they were pronounced husband and wife and Pastor Greene didn't even get through his pronouncement before Jasper grabbed Alice and kissed her.

Since it was getting close to the time Bella had been getting sick, I suggested taking the group pictures before their individual pictures so Bella didn't end up getting sick while we were taking pictures. Like clockwork, she excised herself to use the bathroom and I followed her. I held a towel around her neck so she didn't get anything on her dress and I just hoped this round of sickness wouldn't last very long.

"I can't wait for this part to be over." She groaned with her head in the toilet. There wasn't anything I could really do for her, so I just gently rubbed her back.

"Bella, come on we're..." Rosalie said as she walked into the bathroom and stopped when she saw Bella kneeling in front of the toilet and me holding the towel. "Lining up. What's going on? You okay?"

"Yeah, I just..." She stopped to throw up again.

"Oh my God!" Rosalie squealed. "Bella, are you pregnant?"

"How did you..."

"Bella always got sick at this time when she was pregnant with Ava and she sat in front of the toilet forever." She cut me off. " I put the pieces together."

"Yes," Belle sniffed as she started to stand up. I flushed the toilet for her and gave her a paper towel to wipe her face off. "We're...we're going to have a baby."

"Bella!" Rosalie screamed, pushing me aside and hugging Bella. "Does anyone know?"

"No, and please don't say anything." Bella pleaded. "I just want this day to be about Jasper and Alice. Plus, I want to go to the doctor before telling everyone."

"Don't worry." Rosalie laughed. "Your secret is safe with me. Do you need anything?" She asked as Bella washed her hand.

"I have a toothbrush and toothpaste in my purse upstairs." She said. "Can you go get that?"

"Sure," She smiled before she practically skipped off. "So much for keeping it a secret."

"Eh, so one person knows." I shrugged. "You feel better?"

"Much." She laughed as Rosalie came back with Bella's things. I waited with her as she brushed her teeth and we walked back to the greenroom with the rest of the wedding party. We lined up with everyone and Rosalie gave my arm a gentle squeeze before the DJ called our names.

The party was in full swing and Alice had done an amazing job with every single detail. I expected nothing less from her though, but this was impressive even for her. Everything was so perfect, even down to the small place cards telling people where to sit. Knowing Bella was pregnant, I could definitely see it more as I watched her scarf down her dinner and her piece of cake after it had been handed out.

"Can I have this dance, my lady?" I laughed as I held out my hand to Ava when our song, What a Wonderful World, came on over the speakers. It was the song that we danced to together at mine and Bella's wedding and although I wasn't her Dad, I promised her that day that I would always be there to protect her.

"Edward?" She asked as we danced around the floor.

"Yeah, Ava?"

"I'm really glad I had you as my first grade teacher." She told me. She told me this every so often, but I still became a pile of mush whenever she told me. "And that you and my Mom met."

"I'm really glad that happened too." I told her, pulling her closer to me and giving her a tight hug. When the song ended, the DJ asked everyone to clear the dance floor so Jasper and Alice could have their first dance together.

At eleven o'clock, the party had died down to just the wedding party and family. Charlie and Renee had taken Ava back to their place with them to spend the night since it had been a while since they had a sleepover. I gently rubbed Bella's arm as she laid her head n my shoulder, and I could tell she was falling asleep. I gently shook her so she wouldn't fall asleep since we still had to get change and drive home.

"I wanna tell Alice." She said sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. "If Rose knows, then I want Alice to know too."

"Whatever you want." I told her, kissing her cheek. I grabbed her hand and led her over to where the four of them were standing. I could tell how exhausted the bride and groom were, but once Bella told Alice her news, she would get a second wind.

"Ummm..." Bella started and Rosalie's face lit up like a Christmas tree, knowing what Bella was going to say. "Edward and I have an announcement to make."

"Yeah?" Rosalie asked, pushing Bella's buttons.

"We're having a baby." She said and everyone screamed. "I'm pregnant."

"Happy wedding day to me!" Alice laughed as she hugged Bella tightly. Rosalie joined them and I honestly couldn't tell if they were laughing or crying.

"So that's what the stupid grin was about." Emmett laughed as he slapped my back in congratulations.

"Congrats, Edward." Jasper smiled as he hugged me.

"Sorry for stealing your thunder guys." Bella said when the there of them finally let go of each other. "Rosalie figured it out earlier and I didn't..."

"Bella!" Alice laughed. "This makes our wedding day even better!"

"Really?" She asked, leaning back into me.

"Yeah, my best friend is having a baby." She shrugged. "What could be better?" She asked. "Plus, when it took Rosalie five minutes to zipper your dress I kinda figured you were pregnant again."

"You knew all day?" I asked.

"I wanted you guys to tell us when you were ready." She told us as Jasper grabbed her hand. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." Bella cried.

The six of us stayed at the venue for a little bit longer before I was sure Bella was going to fall asleep standing up. I drove us home, and she just wanted to sit in the car for a little bit to take everything in.

"Can you believe this?" I asked when I caught her standing outside the guest room that we would turn into the nursery after she'd gotten changed into her PJs.

"No," She shook her head. She turned around and took my hand, gently placing it over her stomach that was already starting to round. "Congratulations, Dad."

"I love you." I whispered, leaning down and giving her a gentle kiss.

"Thank you for coming into my life and for putting me back together again." She said as I placed my forehead to hers.

This was it. I had found my happy place with Bella and I couldn't wait to raise our child together.